Fishermen participating in the Drain Raider Bass Fishing Tournament begin the day at 4 a.m. and return nine hours later to measure their fish. Go behind the scenes with Yvonne and the tournament director, Tommy Zupfer.
Fishermen participating in the Drain Raider Bass Fishing Tournament begin the day at 4 a.m. and return nine hours later to measure their fish. Go behind the scenes with Yvonne and the tournament director, Tommy Zupfer.
Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield photo
Fishermen were able to fish the Columbia River from Cascade Locks to The Dalles Dam.
Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield photo
Pete Collier, from Portland, puts one of his fish in the live well of his boat.
Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield photo
Samantha and Ryan Gerry participated in the tournament. They are pictured here with two of their fish.
Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield photo
Tournament director Tommy Zupfer measures a small mouth bass.
THE DALLES — When you grow up in The Land of 10,000 Lakes and your family owns a fishing sinker manufacturing factory, you fish. A lot. Snagging Northern Pike while trolling in an aluminum boat, or jigging crappies on a drop line sunk in a hole augured through a frozen lake. But nothing prepared me for the likes of a bass tournament on the Columbia River.
While most people were not yet even dreaming of that first morning coffee, I joined more than 30 participants in the Drain Raider Pro Team Series (DRPTS) bass tournament at The Dalles Marina. Before sunrise, 15 low-decked boats bobbed around the dock, their running lights flickering in pre-dawn glow. As the red-hot sun rose, the national anthem was played, and they were off. Nine hours later, these boats would return from choppy waters with live tanks swimming with bass, bigger than I ever angled.
The areas fished included above The Dalles locks, to Celilo Lake, all the way to Cascade Locks. “Not all bass fishermen want to play on the Columbia,” said Tommy Zupfer this year’s DRPTS tournament director, citing the wind, waves and currents. “But we like coming to The Dalles because there is everything we need close by. And the marina has the best parking for our boats and trailers.”
This is the second year in a three-year The Dalles Chamber of Commerce’s sponsorship with Drain Raiders, a Eugene-based plumbing company. The final two qualifying tournaments in this four-part series are Aug. 23-24 at The Dalles Marina, with the grand championship held Oct. 4-5 in Boardman.
Fishermen measure their fish after spending nine hours trolling the Columbia River from Cascade Locks to The Dalles Dam.
Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield photo
Registration is open to anyone with a valid fishing license and proper gear. You don’t need one of the flat-decked bass fishing boats that can cost more than $100,000 and soar up to 80 miles per hour. But you do need a live well, a covered container capable of holding five small or large mouth bass, no smaller than 12-inches long. These are submitted in special bags at the 3 p.m. weigh-in. The cumulative weight of a five-limit catch is weighed on a scale to determine the winner. Prizes range from cash to gift cards.
On that July day, the wind kicked up waves that sent some participants closer to the basalt shoreline. Art Ferreira, who started the Drain Raider bass team more than 20 years ago, said conditions made fishing hard. “When it blows, the fish feed slower and go deeper.” Still, he makes his limit. “I come up here when ever I can,” he says gesturing to the white caps off the bow of his boat. “I’ve become a river rat. I don’t like the Columbia. I love it.”
After a wave-crashing ride down river, Zupfer demonstrated the art of bass fishing. From the deck of his 21-foot ling, specially designed boat, he rigged a Drop Dead Ned Jig and within minutes had snagged a 1.7-pound small mouth bass, which he weighed, measured and released since he was directing and not participating in the tournament. He replaced the pole in a rod locker along with dozens of others. “Bass fishing,” he explained, “is like golf. You need a different rod and set up for different conditions just like a golfer needs a club for different shots.”
His duties as director include keeping in constant contact with boats with up to 300 horsepower outboard motors that sport banners to distinguish them from recreational fishers.
“When you are out on lakes, you have little equipment failure. But on the river, especially in these condition, anglers and boats can have issues.” Every participant is required to wear a life vest and there is a strict no drinking alcohol policy. Zupfer explained that if a fish dies during the tournament, the participant gets a deduction. If someone is more than 15 minutes late to the 3 p.m. weigh-in, they are disqualified. “Even if they get stuck in the locks. That’s the game,” he said.
After the fish are weighed, they are returned to the river, one mile from the marina. Boats are trailered out of the water and secured for the night. Later, participants will meet for dinner to share prize winnings and swap fish stories. Then it’s early to bed because tournament participants are expected to be back in the water by 4 a.m.
At Sunday’s weigh-in, the winners are Kory Ray and David Brinkerhoff with a 10-fish, 30.19-pound weight total. They will walk away with $1,960 in prize money and their prized bass will be safely returned from whence they came.
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