Rivers John Day River Fishing Reports

Irishrover
Irishrover
Spent part of the day with the fly rod on the John Day River at Cottonwood Canyon fishing for small mouth. Got luck with the weather, very light wind and plenty of sunshine. Prince nymphs and soft hackels worked well, wooly buggers not so good. Next trip I'll get some pictures.

It was a great change from years of ocean fishing. It was just the rod and water, no boat to worry about. The scenery was awesome. This is a spot I'll return to for sure.
 
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Don Fischer
I used to fish Cottonwood and used to chukar hunt there a lot. That was years ago. Lately I've heard they have developed it! That's the down fall for me. I suspect now it get over run with sun worshper's etc. Pretty much same thing happened at Clarno when the whole state was told by the Oregonian newspaper about the best kept secrete in Oregon. hard to find a place to park there anymore!
 
Irishrover
Irishrover
Went by Clarno on the way to Fossil, yes it was busy. Lots of folks putting in to float and or taking out.
 
Aervax
Aervax
Mary was a good sport hanging out with me on the water all day yesterday. She got to experience her first topwater bass frenzy, and landed around 20 fish on her own on poppers. Any day the bass are clobbering poppers is a good day!

John Day River Fishing Reports

Though the fishing was pretty good and damned fun, the John Day arm was a total $hit show. Party barges everwhere, boats towing wakeboarders 20 feet from us while we were on anchor, too many anglers, paddle boarders passing within 10 feet of me right over the top of where I was casting. I was losing my mind at the selfish disrespectful crap that goes on when there are too many novices on the water. I spoke to a couple of people about their bad etiquette in a kind and tactful way. They still didn't get it, 100% clueless.

It must be me who is the clueless one. My expectations spoiled by too much good fishing mostly in places where some sense of solitude is the routine. Attitude adjustment made. Still, I probably won't go back to the John Day arm until the temp cools off and the crowds go away.
 
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troutdude
troutdude
Topwater smallies are the bombdiggity!
 
Aervax
Aervax
troutdude said:
Topwater smallies are the bombdiggity!
Yes. They truly are the "bombdiggety", if only I knew what that means. Haha. All of our smallies were on the small side, but we didn't care. I had one giant fatty absolutely explode on the popper and miss. I held on to my composure and let it sit, then kept popping it for him. He did a double blow up on it 15 feet further along and missed it again. That was the only decent sized bass I saw all day. We did catch some brute sized bluegill on the poppers though. That was cool.
 
troutdude
troutdude
Bombdiggity=tons of fun--as in it is a blast to catch them as the bust out of the water at break neck speed! 10-4?
 
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bass
bass
Thanks for the report. I love a good topwater bite. Most of my trips this year have been good for topwater, but last trip (Newberg) I did not get a single bite.

Crowd issues sounds like fishing on the Willamette!
 
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