SPRINGER TECH: The Drano Drill begins as springer action moves upriver
NEW April 26, 2009 / 6:30 p.m

HOME VALLEY, Wash. - Even in years like 2009 - when Columbia River springer couints have dramatically under-performed on a run forecasted at 300,000 - one area stands out as a must-fish, red-hot place to catch springers.

Now, with spring Chinook season on the mainstem Columbia River below Bonneville Dam closed down and fish starting to pour over the dam, one place will become Grand Central Station for anglers looking for an upriver bite.

Fortunately, Drano Lake, located at the mouth of the Little White Salmon River about 160 miles upstream from the ocean, is one of the most consistent places to catch springers anywhere.

“The fishing can be just light’s out at Drano,” says Scott Weedman, co-owner of 3 Rivers Marine in Woodinville. “Limits are the norm.

Drano is at the upper end of the Bonneville pool and is separated from the main part of the Columbia by a dike the carries Highway 14. Salmon bound for the upper reaches of the Columbia will pull into Drano before continuing upstream, while fish headed back to the Little White Salmon stack up, especially between the river’s mouth and the opening into the Columbia. Chemawa Hill towers over the eastern edge of the lake.

This year's forecast of 9,600 springers - while well below the 30,000-plus forecasted (inaccurately) for 2008 - is still plenty, especially with dam counts at Bonneville staying steady at 1,600 to 2,000 in late April.

“At Drano you get a lot of biters,” says guide Bill Swann of Swannys Guided Fishing. “It’s really interesting because when the wind starts to come from the west on the Columbia and starts turning color from all the sand, those salmon in the Columbia will pull into Drano to clean out their gills. You get more fish than just those that are coming into Drano. When those fish pull out of the Columbia into Drano to clean their gills it can be lights out.”

The weather also tends to be nice at Drano. “I like it because it’s western Washington but it has eastern Washington weather so it gets real warm,” Swann says.

Rigging up: While trolling prawn spinners is the most popular technique at Drano, guides like Weedman and Swann will use a variety of baits. But they will almost always have at least one rod dragging a prawn spinner rig.

“The last couple of years it’s really been a prawn spinner show,” Weedman says. “But herring can work good and the old standby, the Magnum Wiggle Wart, works well. Prawn spinners have been the ticket but I’ll always troll at least one herring and maybe a Kwikfish or FlatFish.”

Cured, dyed prawns are a must for fishing Drano. If you haven’t dyed them before, stocking up on a few trays from the tackle shops is the best way to get bait. Luhr Jensen’s Eric’s Prawn Rig are ready to fish, but Weedman likes to make his own prawn rigs, using a plastic clevis and a size 4 or 5 Bear Valley blade.

“I buy my own blades and put them in clevises six to 10 small beads above the hook,” Weedman says. “Some guys will say they want their prawn to spin and others don’t want the prawns to spin. I’ve caught fish both ways.”

A half brass/half red blade is a fish-catcher at Drano, as are whites or metallics with rainbow-blue tips.

Weedman will troll slowly, trying to keep his baits from getting too far behind his big Alumaweld Super Vee.

“I like having my line almost vertical under the boat, no more than 45 degrees behind it,” Weedman says. “I will use 5- to 6-ounce cannon balls.”

Mixing it up: Swanny mixes his baits up, offering a variety of presentations.

“My main technique at Drano is herring,” Swann says. “I love trolling herring at Drano Lake. There is something about watching that rod load up when a springer bites a herring. Cure them up and plug-cut them and you’ll do some serious damage.”

Swann likes to flatline a Kwikfish or FlatFish out the stern, then run herring and prawns. “The front two rods will be herring rods,” Swann says. “The back two will be prawn rigs.”

The water in Drano Lake is usually clear, so Swann doesn’t like to use attractors, other than the blades above his prawns. “It’s gin clear,” Swann says. “I don’t use a flasher, I don’t use a snubber or anything. It’s just straight.”

Three ounces of lead fished off a dropper is Swanny’s setup for herring, while 2 ounces of weight is used with the prawn rigs.

In recent years, Drano anglers have borrowed a trick from Rogue River anglers and put a spinner blade ahead of their herring or even anchovy and done well. Luhr Jensen’ Rogue Bait Rigs or 101 Bait Rig are ready to go out of the package. The blue-rainbow tipped blades work especially well at Drano.
To get bigger spreads, anglers will use 10 ½-foot Berkley Air IM7, G.Loomis or St. Croix rods, or 9-foot Ugly Stik Lites.

The drill: “The common rule is you troll counter-clockwise around the lake,” Swann says.

Most anglers will fish fairly close to the bottom, which runs 18 to 30 feet. There is a reason, however, why Weedman and Dave Lee, also from 3 Rivers Marine, are often the hot boats.

“The difference between the guy getting four or five fish and the guy with one is playing with depth,” Weedman shares. “Staggering your baits in the water column to find where those fish are is the key.“

Weedman also likes to use scents. He says injecting Smelly Jelly’s prawn scent, Salmon Hammer and Salmon Feast have helped him catch more fish.

“I won’t leave the dock without them,” Weedman says.

While Drano doesn’t get as windy as the main Columbia, wind can still be a problem there.

“You have to use wind socks at Drano,” Swanny says. “The wind can blow out of the canyon from the Little White Salmon. In order to keep a straight line and keep your baits from crossing, you have to use wind socks. I’ll run two if it gets real bad.”

Most anglers are familiar with using a wind sock off the stern below Bonneville to keep their boat straight. At Drano, they go in front of the boat.

“Off the bow, right underneath the boat,” Swann says. “That way they are not in the way of my rigs.”

When to go: With dam counts holding strong over 1,500 a day, now's the time to go. And since it can get crowded, Weedman suggests anglers consider arriving at noon instead of first light. Many anglers will already be limited out and headed home by midday.

A brave new world: Bank anglers will have more room to cast Magnum Wiggle Warts of FatFish just inside the Highway 14 bridge, thanks to new regulations that restrict boat traffic west of the bridge's easternmost piller.

That new boundary also keeps boaters out of "the guy", which has historically been one of the most productive spots in the system.

Boat launch: The launch at Drano is located beside Highway 14. “It’s a brand new launch,” Swann says. “It’s easy access. They have clean bathrooms, and a great dock system.”

Skamania County has restrictions when vehicles can be parked at the Wind River and Drano Lake boat launches. In addition, Skamania County will be actively checking that boat anglers pay for launching at these sites even if they park along the road/highway.

-AM