H
Hydrocephalic
I have a week off from PA school next week and I'm itching to get out and fish. I know conditions aren't ideal on the John Day right now with flows about 40 cfs at service Creek, but school breaks don't wait for fishing conditions.
Does anyone know a section to which I could bring a kayak? I don't needdrift, if there are any long sections that could be paddlle. Or, if there's a good stretch that I could wade, I would enjoy that. Being so new to the state and with grad school I just don't have the time to drive out to cottonwood canyon and find out there's nothing accessible and staying at the mouth would be more fruitful. Any help is much appreciated! I'm aiming for smallmouth.
we are staying in rufus in august for a few days and would love to flyfish at cottonwood canyon park. Should we bring our watermaster rowable raft? Any day shuttles in that area. Or just walk trails or river. Any advice appreciatedI have a week off from PA school next week and I'm itching to get out and fish. I know conditions aren't ideal on the John Day right now with flows about 40 cfs at service Creek, but school breaks don't wait for fishing conditions.
Does anyone know a section to which I could bring a kayak? I don't need a drift, if there are any long sections that could be paddlle. Or, if there's a good stretch that I could wade, I would enjoy that. Being so new to the state and with grad school I just don't have the time to drive out to cottonwood canyon and find out there's nothing accessible and staying at the mouth would be more fruitful. Any help is much appreciated! I'm aiming for smallmouth.
I am trying to fit in some day trips out that direction in August/September. There is a lot going on at the moment, so not sure what days it will be when I do get it planned. I will shoot you a PM when I do have a date planned to see if you can join the fun. Lots of good spots for walk-in fishing when the water is too low to float. Sometimes I will cheat a little bit then. In August the water is so warm I have been known to put on a life jacket, grab a rod, and jump in to free-float and fish along the way. Walk and fish where it shallows out, float and fish where it is deep, walk out and dry out when done. It is really simple and fun.Ok that place is on the list for next year for sure. Even if the fish are not on the bite the place looks like a great swimming hole. I'll take the fly rod along and start the tip at Cottonwood then work south. Perhaps I'll find that big fish you released!
@Hydrocephalic I just did a guided trip above Spray a week ago. We had to get out twice to push the boat but otherwise it was fine. In a glass boat with 3 others as well. We dragged over 60 smallies in so it wasn't a bad day. Over half on topwater. Pretty fun time.
@Aervax, we spoke with a biologist that was talking about the recent 30k+ levels the river had in Spring. Thinking that may have washed a lot of the little guys down river. Might have been right, for we didn't catch 10 fish under 10" long. Everything was 10-14" with a few pushing 16".
Also, Service Creek resort has these "glamping" tents. Canvas tents on platforms with two queen beds in em. Super nice and quite affordable. Worth doing for sure. They were sweet.
Thankyou so very much. Will let you know. My wife and I will be fly fishing with slime line,sink tips and floating line. I winter in islamorada so will have some good sized flies readyMy theory on fish size in the John Day comes free of charge, so it is probably not worth very much. Old fisheries studies show something like 95% of JDR smallies being under 12" long. There are thousands of those to be caught. My real life experience was that I might catch a 2-4 pound fish 1 out of every couple hundred. The river simply dries out in July, August, and Sept. There are times when the lower river at McDonald's Ferry has registered flows of 0 cfs. At low flows the water is crystal clear making bass super vulnerable to all predators, especially with the fish schooled up in deeper holes. Bigger fish are more visible and easier for predators to grasp, especially for osprey. For health reasons I am fishing less and am also more willing to share some of my personal secrets, but still none of my fishing partners secrets. Haha. I think big fish only survive the low water there by associating with the deepest holes on outside edge of bends of the river. That day above Kimberly I focused on deep outside river bends as well as some of the boulder strewn deep sections. I caught 4 fish in 3 hours ranging from 3.5 - 8.5 pounds in the middle of on an August day that was 107F. The other 50 or so fish landed were 6-10" long. Apply that knowledge to your fishing style and let me know how it goes.