Bass fishing in the Northwest is not nearly as big as it is in other parts of the country. But that's not to say there aren't plenty of bass anglers around.

Actually, there are more and more people getting into bass fishing, and according to Mike Meseberg at MarDon Resort up on Potholes Reservoir in Grant County, now might be a really good time to start fishing for bass.

"We've been seeing some quality bass in the tournaments here recently," Meseberg said. "Already there have been three largemouth bass over seven pounds caught this spring."

He said when his family first moved up to the reservoir in the 1970s, a really big largemouth bass there was six pounds. Now, six-pounders are fairly common.

And it is not just the largemouth bass that are growing to hefty sizes. Meseberg said a smallmouth bass caught at a recent tournament tipped the scales at five pounds.

"There are plenty of good places to fish for bass in our state," said Bill Roberts, a bass fishing pro from Benton City. "And it is all breaking loose right now."

Roberts said Potholes has been really good for smallmouth in recent days and that it should be good for some time. He also pointed to several other spots for anglers to try.

"Banks is hot right now for smallmouth," Roberts said. "And Moses Lake, which is not really known as a bass lake, has been really good. Plus, the Columbia is putting out some bass right now too."

Meseberg said from what he can see, Potholes is about four weeks behind where it normally would be in the way of water temperature and in fishing.

"It's just starting right now," he explained of the bass fishing. "There is plenty of water and with the heat wave that is coming, it should really help the fishing."

Roberts said when he fished Potholes a couple of weeks ago, he had trouble finding the largemouths, but found plenty of smallmouth bass along the dam.

Meseberg said the largemouth should be heading into the shallows back in the sand dunes with the arrival of warmer weather and that anglers can actually sight-fish for the bass -- spotting them in the shallows and then throwing a lure or bait to them.

Deciding what bait or lure to throw isn't too tough to figure out, according to Roberts.

"Crawdad or firetiger-colored crankbaits will work at all of those places," he said. "Or grubs will work too. Green pumpkin or anything brown will catch fish."

At Potholes, Meseberg pointed to several areas to try for smallmouth.

"Lind Coulee, Frenchman's Wasteway and between Goose Island and the dam are all good for smallmouth," he said.

At Banks, Roberts said the upper end of the big reservoir is probably the better area for bass. Any place there's rocky shoreline or brushy banks will have bass, he said.

Of course, bass aren't the only fish in these lakes. Banks, Potholes and Moses Lake are also known for providing some pretty good walleye fishing, as is the Columbia River. In fact, this is the time of the year when some of the biggest walleye of the year are caught.

If an angler has a fancy for some other kinds of fish, there are other lakes around Potholes that offer a variety of different species.

"Warden Lake has been good for rainbows up to 17 inches," Meseberg reported.

He also said two other smaller lakes in the nearby Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Hutchison and Shiner, are starting to kick out some perch and bluegills along with some largemouth bass.

These NWR lakes have restrictions calling for no gas-powered motors on boats, but a small row boat or a cartopper or rubber raft with an electric motor will do just fine.

You certainly don't need a $40,000 bass boat, like the ones the bass pros on TV use. In fact, you don't need anything of the kind. Some of the best bass fishing can be had right from the shore.

And you definitely don't need to be a professional fisherman to catch bass. Bass are great fun to catch and they are good eating. So if you ever wanted to go try to catch one of these popular fish, now might be the perfect time to do it.

* Rob Phillips is a freelance outdoor writer and partner in the advertising firm of Smith, Phillips & DiPietro. He can be reached at rwphillips@spdadvertising.com.