Let's put together a John Day smallmouth bass trip

[Aervax]

I am thinking about backpacking in on the John Day to fish for smallies for a day or 2 during August. A friend and I fished it this time last year and both of us had a +100 fish day. Size varies a ton. Lots of half pounders, quite a few pounders. Nothing over 3 pounds that trip. I have caught big fish on the JD, 4-7 pounds, but they are not the norm. Though companions are not absolutely necessary, for safety as well as good times, the more the merrier. Send a Private message to aervax@gmail dot com if you are interested in putting together a trip. I am up for a long one day trip, or a 1 or 2 nighter at the most.

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

Id be interested in a pontoon float for 2-3 nights, maybe even longer lol.

 

[Aervax]

Have you floated it before? I do not have a pontoon boat. I have a fishcat v-tube. I have river fished with it before, but they were deep water. I wonder if my rear end would float high enough to clear the shallow spots. Flows in August can get low. I might be open to a longer float. Let's see if more want to go and for how long. I need to mull it over.

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

I havent fished it. But iv taken my toon down some shallow rivers where there was a lot of dragging done.

 

[Aervax]

Flows on the upper river at Service Creek are 35 cfs. I just checked historic data going 5 years back and it does not look like it has been this low before. Maybe ever.


The lower river at Mcdonald Ferry between Cottonwood and the confluence with the John Day Pool is all the way down to 40 cfs.


This may have to be a walk in trip. The good news, we probably will not see anyone else in there.


Does anyone out there have experience on the JD at 40 cfs? Is it floatable with a pontoon?

 

[Jesus.Locurado]

Been skunked 4X in the last week in the Cottonwood area, but I can't hike too far due due to health, maybe a mile or so. That said, everyone I've seen trying to float for the last month has been doing a lot of getting out and dragging their boat/raft/tube/canoe. I'd recommend hiking. The best smallie fishing I've had on the JD near C-Wood has been several miles up or down from there, beyond the reach or interest of most folks. Heck, usually beyond the reach of myself, unless I'm having a good day physically and also use a bike with good thorn-proof tires. I've been thinking about a simple overnighter out there, but the signs say no overnight camping.:think:
EDIT: I hit the JD at Clarno and then about a mile or two downstream yesterday and saw just one single fish, who was only briefly interested... better scenery on the drive than fishing!

 

[Aervax]

Thanks for sharing your report. I am working on landing a new job at the moment. The prospect is looking very good so far. I need to stay close to home and will not be taking any multi-day trips for the time being. I still plan to do a day fishing trip on the John Day either next Wednesday or Thursday, 8/28 or 8/29. If anyone is up for splitting gas and having a gas, drop me a note.

Yeah. If you are not in the zone for a 2 or 3 mile walk downstream at Cottonwood do not even bother. I have never caught any bass over 8 inches long in that stretch, if any were caught at all. The goat heads are hell too. I came across a family biking there one morning. Two adults, one bike trailer, and two children. They made it about 2 miles down the river trail. Every single tire was flat. Let's see, that was 10 flat tires. Even with thornproof tires, tuffies, and slime I probably still wouldn't try that one.

I have had good roadside success this time of year above Service Creek. It is a long drive, but does not require any hike in. There are lots of small fish there with the occasional pig rearing its head. I think the funnest fishing trip of my life was there. My son was about 7 years old. It was August and the temp was 110 F. Flows were so low our kayaks would have been a nuisance. We filled our pockets with plastic worms, put on our life jackets, and jumped in the river for a free float two hours before dusk. We were literally getting bites on every cast, sometimes multiple bites in a single cast if you missed one. Even small smallies can tow you around a bit when you are bobbing around in the river. Nothing big that day, but it was a helluva lot of fun.

My biggest smallie ever came out of the JD the day after in a roadside pool about 4 miles up river from Service Creek. My children and I were catching lots of small fish. I found a deep rocky run, 8-10 feet, and decided to put on a 10 inch senko to get it to drift along the bottom in that deep water. That particular size has been nicknamed Donkey D by our fishing crew. First cast with good old Donkey D and I landed a 4.5 pound smallie. It was a huge surprise and revelation after catching all kinds of sub-pounders. That was my lure for the rest of the day, saving it for the really deep runs that had enough current to feed the pigs. About ten in the morning I hooked a fish that fought for 15 minutes before even breaking surface. It was 6 pound line. I was beginning to think it might be a carp. I moved deeper to keep the pressure on and to keep it under control while playing it. It got to the point where I was literally treading water and the fish was towing me around. When I finally got its head up and skimmed it toward my son and into the net it was a 7.5 pound smallie. My best ever. I have not fished up that high again ever since. I need to do it again though. Maybe next week?

Tight lines my friend!

 

[Jesus.Locurado]

I'm thinking about hitting the JD at C-Wood on Weds but I have a full day of stuff so it's iffy-- afternoon to evening would be most likely for me. I can't do much more than a mile or so on foot due to physical limitations, but my trusty mountain bike is easier on me.
So for a few weeks now I've only biked that stretch, but yes, I pick out thorns after every trip. The slime tubes are doing great, they stay full enough every trip without having to stop and pump, and I haven't replaced them yet. The secret is to leave the thorns in until you get home. I always bring a hand pump and spare tube, though. It's not fun to have to push a bike with flat tires several miles down a rocky, dusty dirt road in the desert-- the Deschutes taught me that lesson last year.

That fish sounds crazy, I would have figured it for a carp as well. I haven't tried a senko yet, I usually use either a tube or a spinner. I'm a total amateur so I've only heard that they can bring bigger fish?? As far as size, my best smallmouth near C-Wood was 13" and maybe 3 pounds on a brown-green tube. That was at least 3 miles down. My best day of fishing was really far down, probably 4-5 miles and about a month ago. Pretty much every cast brought a fish. I might be able to get that far on Wednesday, but again, my day will dictate whether fishing even happens.

I live out near C-Wood so carpooling won't be an option, I'm sorry to say. However, if I make out it there and you also do, I'll be riding a red mountain bike and fishing very amateurishly. Oh, and keep an eye out for the bighorn herd.