The John Day River, which is located just to the east of the world famous Deschutes, is the second longest free-flowing river in the U.S., and is quickly becoming a destination fishery for both bass and steelhead on a fly. In 2001, some educated guesses were made that nearly 50,000 steelhead entered the John Day River system! Only one word or maybe several can describe this, HOLY CRAP, YOU BETTER GET HERE SOON!
Much of the river is bordered directly by BLM, which in most cases would be great news for anglers. However the BLM land is bordered by huge private ranches with little or no access through them to the BLM lands. We currently have permission to access some of this land through 5 private ranches.To reach much of this water in the winter would require a float of over 40 miles from one ramp to the next. Keep in mind during bass season we do these floats when the river is flowing around 2500 cfs in 5 days.
During prime steelhead season, the JD flows regularly at about 600 cfs…do the math on that one!Due to the little pressure the fish receive along the majority of the river, they are very receptive to most well presented flies.As mid-summer draws closer, the John Day drops to a nearly impassable water level by boat.Many small mouth bass in the river range from 14-18 inches in length with others growing even larger. The steelhead average a solid 7-8 lbs. with larger ones frequently landed.
Guides provide instruction on casting and fishing techniques as well as insight to the history of the area. Each long day on the river, your guide will dazzle you with riverside cuisine to keep you focused on the fishing, morning, noon and night.