Small mouth flies for the John Day?

[Van]

Going on a 2 day John Day river float, near Fossil, over the end of April. Anyone have experience floating and fishing this section of the river? I'm looking to start collecting flies asap.

 

[brandon4455]

i'm also curious about this thread. good question. but this is just a guess at what would work good. san juan worms. i mean BIG ones jd smallmouth love worms. and maybe some small poppers and other toopwater flies.

 

[Drew9870]

I imagine a black wooly bugger could imitate a leech, what wouldn't eat a leech .

Crawfish patterns, and I also imagine anything else with some action to it.

 

[FishFinger]

Having never fly fished for bass I'll go out on a limb and agree, anything with "action" . Buggers, muddlers. poppers, rubber legged and articulateds.

 

[steelhead_slayer]

i'm planning a trip this summer. so also would like to know.

 

[mrlindeman]

Clouser should work as well. san juan worms, I have heard of rubber legged coppers being good as well.

 

[joesnuffy]

You can catch a SM Bass on almost anything.

 

[redhawk50]

I have floated from Service Creek to Clarno as well as Clarno to Twikingham(sp). Use to live in the area and had a lot of fun catching smallies on poppers when the water is warm and lower during the summer months. Have fished in Memorial Day weekend when it was high, cold and muddy as well, no topwater worked that day. Had to throw wooly buggers at them to get a bite. So basically saying it depends on the water conditions. If you are just going for numbers and the water is good nothing beats a little cheap old yellow popper. Would wake up wet wade for an hour or so near the Clarno bridge and catch anywhere from 10-15 in hour. Beautiful scenery and good fishing when things are set up right. April the water will probably be higher, muddier and cold from runoff so I would go wooly bugger collecting for you trip. That memorial day weekend I fished one color wouldn't get a hit and then a different color of same pattern would get one.

 

[GungasUncle]

2nd the popper idea - for warm, clear water. Otherwise, Lefty's Deceivers, Clouser Minnows, Woolly Buggers, rabbit strip leeches, and big ugly nymphs like helgramites and stoneflies work well.

 

[OutdoorsTeen]

Anything big and colorful that will **** them off!

 

[Troutier Bassier]

I've caught them on Large woolybuggers, also leech pattern flys work good.
Darker colored steelhead jigs/flys work well also if you fish it right.