Smallmouth - John Day River, OR

Working the Bank (click image for detail)

The second best thing about a summer float on the John Day River is the swimming. There are great swimming holes at all the camps and when temperatures average in the high 80s and 90s and plenty of days over 100, a good, long afternoon swim is where it's at.

For those that have fished this Eastern Oregon river, you will know about the benefits from a huge, shade producing hat. The bigger the better. They're character-building. Don't leave home without one.

If there has to be "the best thing" about a John Day River float trip, it has to be the fishing. In the summer the John Day is all about smallmouth bass. And lots of them. The best strategy is to float the river for several days and hammer the banks with small poppers. A cast right into an overhanging clump of grass and then wriggled into the water will get instantanious action. Quite a few fish are 10 to 12 inch rod benders but there are enough medium to large bass to keep your attention. Bass between 18 and 22 inches are not rare.
The eddies that are covered with foam are a blast to pull a chugging popper through. Another bonus to the John Day, particularly between Service Creek and the Columbia, are the channel catfish. Try some chicken gizzards in the deep holes. There is nothing better than a catfish fish-fry. If your puritanical fly fishing ideology won't allow you to stoop to fishing with chicken guts...well, take a look at your silly hat and go for it. I have lobbed out a piece of gizzard on my fly rod and put some nice 4 pound catfish fillets in the skillet. It is worth it.

There are many other attractions in the John Day watershed. One of my favorites is the Thomas Orchards in Kimberly. This huge orchard is open to the public and during the summer you will find over 50 varieties of fruit. Everyone has their personal preferences whether it's peaches, plums, apricots, pears, cherries or apples. I like them all. I guess the Rainier Cherry is one that I really look forward to. There are pictures of the Thomas Orchards on the next page of photos. Check out the Painted Hills and John Day Fossil Beds while in the area, also.

All the fishing pictures in this essay were taken on a four day float in mid June with my buddy, Marty, who is a John Day River outfitter. He can be reached at 503-819-4035.