Unusual Columbia River Catch - 72 Pound Striped Bass

Jason Lake caught this 72 pound striped bass while gill netting salmon in the Cape Horn section of the Columbia River. This is the first striper that I have heard of in the past 30+ years caught in the Columbia. Typically, the northern most range of this fish is the Umpqua / Smith Rivers of southern Oregon. Not only was this an unusual catch but the size of this fish would have exceeded the Oregon State record. A fish this size would have even been quite a feat in their native range on the eastern seaboard of the US. This fish, a female was full of eggs as well as better than 5 pounds of salmon and steelhead smolts.