For FishingMagician.com, I'm Eric Granstrom. If you ever make the drive south of Vantage along Highway 243 towards the Tri Cities, there's usually not much to look at as you round the corner and cross the Vernita Bridge. In fact, it's rather bleak around this area, except for a rest stop on the south side of the bridge. In the past, you might find a fish buyer set up accepting pikeminnows from anglers as part of the salmon-protection program in the state. This time of year, the area around Vernita changes completely. A veritable city pops up around the Vernita Bridge Water Access on the north side of the Columbia River. The nearby town of Mattawa also suddenly swells in population as anglers line up to fish for fall Chinook. Talking with other fishermen, you'll hear verbiage about the "King Hole", and "White Bluffs", and "the Reactor." These are great fishing spots along the Columbia up and down river from Vernita. The launch here is not the greatest. If you've never fished on this stretch of the Columbia before, I'd highly recommend going with a guide first to get the lay of the land...or water. Until next time, Good Fishing!