Banks Lake

Early Season Smallmouth Bass

Show#:	2025
Host:	Trey Carskadon
Guide:	Bobby Forster
Location:	Banks Lake is a 26 mile long irrigation impoundment off Grand Coulee Dam on the upper Columbia River in eastern Washington. Known as a prolific smallmouth bass fishery, Banks Lake is also well known for its superb walleye and trout fishing as well.
Species:	Smallmouth bass to 5 lbs.
Date:	Mid-March
How:	Deep water jig fishing using 1/4 and 3/8 ounce football head jigs and smoke with copper or red flake Jerry's Simply The Best grubs.
Tips:	With water temperatures at a chilly 42 degrees, we caught fish from as deep as 45 feet. The action was surprisingly good considering the water temperature. The weather cooperated with a number of good sun breaks, but eastern Washington in mid-March is typically cold, with mornings hovering near freezing, so the sun did little more than warm us up. To add to our woes, a two day tournament with more than 50 anglers had been on the lake the day before, so any fish that were particularly willing had already been caught and released, making fishing increasingly difficult. With more than a dozen fish to the boat over two days, the fishing was fairly consistent, with the best bites occurring in the afternoon. During the prime season, from May through September, Banks Lake is a smallmouth bass factory, producing steady catches of 2 to 4 lbs. smallmouth. Under the circumstances, fishing was good, making me a believer that there is truly "bronze in them hills!"