River: John Day
Species: Smallmouth Bass
The John Day River offers some of the best Smallmouth Bass fishing in the country. In 1971, approximately 75 Smallmouth Bass were introduced to the river and since then they have flourished! Bass season is at its peak from mid-June to the end of August. It is not uncommon to hook in excess of 75 fish per rod per day. These fish average from 8-12", with larger fish in the 18-20" range. The big fish for 2004 was a 211? 4" monster that weighed 6.4 lbs!! This is the perfect river to introduce new flycasters to the sport, as the fish are typically aggressive and plentiful. The majority of the fishing is done from the boat and from the banks looking for feeding fish. When the shade is on the water we fish with poppers and surface bugs, sun on the water flys are typically muddlers and woolly buggers.
