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Bend Oregon Fishing
JOHN DAY RIVER - SMALLMOUTH BASS ABOUND
By Scott Staats
The John Day River in Central Oregon is among only a handful of
western rivers where anglers have an opportunity to catch trophy
Smallmouth Bass in a wild and scenic canyon.
In 1971, 80 Smallmouth Bass were introduced into the upper reaches of
the John Day River by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. By
the end of that year, juvenile bass were found throughout a 50-mile
stretch of river. From that original stocking, the John Day is now
considered by many to be one of the best Smallmouth rivers in the
country.
Today the fish are scattered throughout most of the John Day system,
with estimates of a couple of thousand fish per mile. Many believe the
next state record will come from the John Day. The current state
record is 7 pounds 14 ounces.
Steve Fleming, owner of Mah-Hah Outfitters in Fossil, Oregon, has been
fishing the John Day River since 1968, including 15 years of guiding.
He has taken bass anglers from all over the country on the John Day.
Charles Waterman, one of the foremost Smallmouth Bass fly-fisherman in
the U.S., fished with Fleming in 1993. “I rate the river one of the
top in the entire nation based on the quality and quantity of fish
caught,” Waterman said.
John Day Smallmouths are temperature driven and they can start hitting
as early as February some years, according to Fleming. He had his best
season on the river last year, boating 38 Smallies; 20 inches or
bigger.
Fleming attributes several factors for catching more large fish.
“First off, the new slot limit didn’t hurt,” he said. Bass between 12
and 16 inches must be released. The limit is five fish per day with
only one fish over 16 inches.
He also said that the last four years of low water have kept many
anglers off the river, giving the bass a chance to grow. “We, as
guides and anglers, are also getting smarter by using new or different
methods of fishing,” Fleming said. He has recently added Senko Worms
to his arsenal as well as Outlaw Baits. He also found some half-ounce
weights that don’t hang up on the bottom and has added brass and glass
on his Carolina rigs in the spring. These methods have helped him fish
closer to the current line and catch more fish.
Fleming had 44 clients catch over 100 bass in a day last year. By the
first of June, he said anglers can start having 100-fish days. On one
trip last summer, four anglers boated 687 Smallmouths using Outlaw
Baits, with one angler bringing in 250 fish. But this wasn’t a typical
trip, Fleming said. “It was the right day and right time and
everything just happened to come together.”
Although Fleming still catches lots of fish on Crankbaits, he’s
getting away from them more because he says he catching bigger bass
and more bass by fishing on the bottom and slower with plastics. In
early spring when the bass first start getting active, there’s usually
a lower flow and the slower the presentation such as a Carolina rig
really hammers the fish. Once the surface temperature of the river
hits a constant 40 degrees, anglers can start expecting productive
days. By mid-March, the bigger fish begin to bite.
The best place to target Smallies on the John Day according to Fleming
is the back eddies where the fish hang at the current line. If tossing
a Crankbait, throw out into the current and get them working when they
come across the current line. Fish the Carolina rig as close to the
current line as possible, usually using a half-ounce of weight.
In the summer when water levels are low, target the deeper holes.
Also, in the early spring Fleming suggests fishing the deeper holes
and not wasting time on the flats until the water warms to over 50
degrees. By the end of August, he joked that you can cast out just
about anywhere wet in the river and catch a fish.
A few factors keep anglers away from the river in the summer. The
number one reason is water level. With the irrigation occurring from
early summer to the first of October, the river can be too low for
drift boats. Even rafts may need to be dragged across shallow riffles.
But that’s when the fishing can be the best. Target the deeper holes
and you may pick up some lunkers. Check water levels before heading
out. From 300 to 500 cfs, you may be dragging rafts in places. Ten
miles on the river may be a long day in low flow.
The John Day is one of the state’s more isolated rivers. While most
people flock to the more popular Deschutes River for rafting and trout
fishing, few venture the extra miles to the John Day. Wildlife along
the river includes deer, bighorn sheep, elk, beaver, otter, muskrats
and a variety of birds and waterfowl.
According to Fleming, May is one of the better months to fish for
Smallmouth on the river. The fish are in the pre-spawn mode and there
is enough water in the river for all boats and rafts. Water
temperatures heat up to above 52 degrees about mid-May and more fish
become active, giving anglers a chance at lots of fish as well as
those over 20 inches.
Crankbaits such as Rapalas along with plastic lizards, grubs and worms
are popular lures for Smallmouth. Fleming offers a number of reasons
for liking the John Day River. “Number one, there aren’t that many
people who use it. We always have a quality experience when we’re out
on the water. The river offers big fish, which are catchable in
numbers. For those folks who are new to fishing and come in July,
August and September, they will catch 50 to 100 fish apiece per day.
What other body of water offers this?”
One of Fleming’s favorite techniques is using a plastic lizard on a
Carolina rig, which entails using a #1 Gamakatsu offset shank worm
hook. At the head of a 24-inch leader is a sliding bullet weight ahead
of an 8mm-glass bead. He uses a #14 barrel swivel. Success will
improve once you learn to feel the bottom and detect the
sometimes-subtle bite. One of his secrets is using scent. He prefers
Smelly Jelly and doses the lure every few casts.
Fleming said that Smallmouth fishing on the John Day River will be
good until the surface temperature drops to 40 degrees, which is
usually around the middle of November. “From then on, there’s no sense
in getting up at 4 a.m. to go fishing,” he said. The best bite will be
from about 11a.m. to 3 p.m.
The diversity of wildlife is another reason Fleming likes the river.
He’s seen deer, elk, bobcat and countless waterfowl while on fishing
trips. Besides Smallmouth, the John Day also offers two Steelhead
runs.
For those wanting to catch both Smallmouth and Steelhead in one trip,
two good times are around the end of October or beginning of November
and from mid-February to mid-March. Water temperature is the trigger
for smallmouth. They become active above 40 degrees and inactive below
40 degrees.
Ever since Fleming started Mah-Hah Outfitters he has offered Dutch
oven cooking. “I felt I needed a keynote anchor to set me apart from
other guides,” he said. It saves lots of time and the cooking is done
in the boat. The meal is ready three hours after lighting the
briquettes.
Call Steve Fleming at Mah-Hah Outfitters at 888-624-9424 for
information on the river or to book a trip. Or email at bassinbuddy@centurytel.net
for more information. For those wanting to know what’s happening on
the river, they can check out Fleming’s web site where he keeps
updated fishing reports (www.johndayriverfishing.com). He keeps the
last two year’s worth of reports available.
To check on river levels call 503-261-9246 or check out
www.fishinginoregon.com.
Side Bar – Include Map
Best fishing is from Kimberly to the Cottonwood Bridge. Best floating
is from Service Creek downriver. There is public access to several
good holes to fish between Kimberly and Service Creek (25 miles). A
long one-day or easy two-day float from Service Creek to Twickenham
Bridge (13 miles). Twickenham to Clarno – about three days (33 miles).
Clarno to Cottonwood about five days (70 miles). There are a few
access points between Clarno and Cottonwood but most are private and
hard to find. Contact Fleming for more information. With 141 miles of
fishable water from Kimberly to Cottonwood, there’s plenty of room to
enjoy a peaceful fishing trip on the John Day River.
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