Stan Fagerstrom
01-21-2002, 01:25 PM
Oregon’s John Day Is One Of West’s Top Smallmouth Streams
By Stan Fagerstrom
Oregon’s John Day River continues to provide some of the best smallmouth fishing to be found in the western United States.
At least it does if you do your fishing with one of the Beaver State’s most experienced smallmouth fishing guides. That man is Steve Fleming, operator of the Mah-Hah Guide Service of Fossil, OR. Fossil is tucked away out in the middle of nowhere and it’s in this isolated part of Central Oregon where Fleming does his guiding on the John Day.
One of the reasons the John Day comes to mind is because I’ve just had a run down from Fleming on how his fishing went on the John Day last year. Last year Steve guided some 450 clients on the John Day. There’s just one reason that many anglers booked trips with him: They catch fish when they’re in his boat. I’m writing this column in mid-January and Steve tells me he already has 300 client days booked for trips this year. Many of these clients are repeat customers who have made trips with Steve before.
I had the good fortune to fish with Fleming myself last year. My partner on the trip was Rick Bozman, of Florence, OR. The two of us boated more than 125 smallmouth while floating down the John Day in Fleming’s comfortable drift boat.
http://www.ifish.net/sfsf.jpg
Steve Fleming is himself an ardent smallmouth angler. Here he fishes a stretch of the John Day River from shore.
Your best shot at big smallmouth in the John Day comes early and late in the season. Some of my friends have caught fish of more than 6-pounds there in the spring. “Some of the best action for big smallmouth come in March and April,” Fleming says. “Larger fish also show up in the latter part of September and throughout October.”
My favorite outfit for a John Day smallmouth trip is a lightweight spinning rod, an open-faced spinning reel and 6-pound test line. I don’t think you can beat this kind of a rig for John Day smallmouth. You’ll be wise to carry a variety of lures. The river’s smallmouth hammer small plastic worms and grubs. Fleming is himself an ardent smallmouth angler. “One of my favorite lures,” he says, “is a 3-inch Kalin grub in a smoke color.”
Bozman caught more fish than either Steve or myself the day we spent on the river together. Rick got most of his fish on a 4-inch Yamamoto plastic worm. I caught mine on a Bandit crankbait, smaller versions of the Zara Spook and a 2-inch Kalin Grub used behind a spinner.
You can if you choose use a fly rod on the John Day and many of Steve’s clients do. Surface poppers are a favorite lure for users of the long rod. The John Day isn’t a big river in the area Fleming fishes. Short, accurate casts are usually all that’s necessary to get action with a fly rod. If you can cast accurately at 30-feet you’re in business.
http://www.ifish.net/sfrb1a.jpg
The stretch of the John Day that guide Steve Fleming fishes flows through a beautifully scenic area of Central Oregon. Rick Bozman, of Florence, OR, got the smallmouth he's holding on a small plastic worm. Small worms or grubs are among the most effective lures for John Day smallmouth.
If you’re an experienced angler you’ll undoubtedly want to bring your own equipment for a John Day trip. But if you don’t have what you think is the right gear, don’t sweat it. Fleming provides all the gear for those anglers who don’t choose to carry their own.
Steve’s latest report also tells about the largest smallmouth his clients caught last year. The biggest of the bunch measured more than 22-inches with a 15-inch girth. I guess you could say that’s an “official” length and girth because you see it was caught by Tim Unterwegner and Tim is a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Tim’s fish, and if you don’t think a smallmouth that size is a whole lot of fish it’s got to be because you’ve not hooked one, was caught on April 21.
A John Day trip with Fleming is also a great opportunity if you have a youngster you’d like to see catch some fish. Smallmouth aren’t very sophisticated. Get over there in the summertime when they are most active and Steve will see to it that even the most inexperienced angler gets results.
Besides his angling skills, Steve also excels at outdoor cooking. You’ll see evidence of that when he pulls his boat to short around noon and feeds you a hot and taste bud tickling lunch right there on the river. It’s all part of his John Day guiding package.
One of the best ways to get all the details on a John Day trip is to visit Steve Fleming’s Internet web site at www.johndayriverfishing.com. (http://www.johndayriverfishing.com.) You can also reach him at his toll-free home phone which is 1 888 624-9424.
Finally, let me make another suggestion if you hang your fishing hat here in Oregon. That suggestion is to look for the Mah-Hah booth at the Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show in Portland Feb. 6-10. Steve will be there and he’ll answer any questions you have about John Day smallmouth fishing. The outdoor show itself is one of the top events of its kind in the Northwest and if you have the foggiest interest in fishing you’re a cinch to enjoy it.
If you’re like me, you welcome the chance to eyeball the guy who will be running the show when you book a trip with him. Take my word for it, Steve Fleming is one of the best. And like I said in the beginning, book a summertime John Day smallmouth trip with him and you will catch fish.
I guarantee it.
http://www.ifish.net/sfjd.jpg
The smallmouth I'm unpinning from my lure is typical of the size the John Day produces in the summer. Larger fish, some of them to 6-pounds, show up early and late in the season.
By Stan Fagerstrom
Oregon’s John Day River continues to provide some of the best smallmouth fishing to be found in the western United States.
At least it does if you do your fishing with one of the Beaver State’s most experienced smallmouth fishing guides. That man is Steve Fleming, operator of the Mah-Hah Guide Service of Fossil, OR. Fossil is tucked away out in the middle of nowhere and it’s in this isolated part of Central Oregon where Fleming does his guiding on the John Day.
One of the reasons the John Day comes to mind is because I’ve just had a run down from Fleming on how his fishing went on the John Day last year. Last year Steve guided some 450 clients on the John Day. There’s just one reason that many anglers booked trips with him: They catch fish when they’re in his boat. I’m writing this column in mid-January and Steve tells me he already has 300 client days booked for trips this year. Many of these clients are repeat customers who have made trips with Steve before.
I had the good fortune to fish with Fleming myself last year. My partner on the trip was Rick Bozman, of Florence, OR. The two of us boated more than 125 smallmouth while floating down the John Day in Fleming’s comfortable drift boat.
http://www.ifish.net/sfsf.jpg
Steve Fleming is himself an ardent smallmouth angler. Here he fishes a stretch of the John Day River from shore.
Your best shot at big smallmouth in the John Day comes early and late in the season. Some of my friends have caught fish of more than 6-pounds there in the spring. “Some of the best action for big smallmouth come in March and April,” Fleming says. “Larger fish also show up in the latter part of September and throughout October.”
My favorite outfit for a John Day smallmouth trip is a lightweight spinning rod, an open-faced spinning reel and 6-pound test line. I don’t think you can beat this kind of a rig for John Day smallmouth. You’ll be wise to carry a variety of lures. The river’s smallmouth hammer small plastic worms and grubs. Fleming is himself an ardent smallmouth angler. “One of my favorite lures,” he says, “is a 3-inch Kalin grub in a smoke color.”
Bozman caught more fish than either Steve or myself the day we spent on the river together. Rick got most of his fish on a 4-inch Yamamoto plastic worm. I caught mine on a Bandit crankbait, smaller versions of the Zara Spook and a 2-inch Kalin Grub used behind a spinner.
You can if you choose use a fly rod on the John Day and many of Steve’s clients do. Surface poppers are a favorite lure for users of the long rod. The John Day isn’t a big river in the area Fleming fishes. Short, accurate casts are usually all that’s necessary to get action with a fly rod. If you can cast accurately at 30-feet you’re in business.
http://www.ifish.net/sfrb1a.jpg
The stretch of the John Day that guide Steve Fleming fishes flows through a beautifully scenic area of Central Oregon. Rick Bozman, of Florence, OR, got the smallmouth he's holding on a small plastic worm. Small worms or grubs are among the most effective lures for John Day smallmouth.
If you’re an experienced angler you’ll undoubtedly want to bring your own equipment for a John Day trip. But if you don’t have what you think is the right gear, don’t sweat it. Fleming provides all the gear for those anglers who don’t choose to carry their own.
Steve’s latest report also tells about the largest smallmouth his clients caught last year. The biggest of the bunch measured more than 22-inches with a 15-inch girth. I guess you could say that’s an “official” length and girth because you see it was caught by Tim Unterwegner and Tim is a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Tim’s fish, and if you don’t think a smallmouth that size is a whole lot of fish it’s got to be because you’ve not hooked one, was caught on April 21.
A John Day trip with Fleming is also a great opportunity if you have a youngster you’d like to see catch some fish. Smallmouth aren’t very sophisticated. Get over there in the summertime when they are most active and Steve will see to it that even the most inexperienced angler gets results.
Besides his angling skills, Steve also excels at outdoor cooking. You’ll see evidence of that when he pulls his boat to short around noon and feeds you a hot and taste bud tickling lunch right there on the river. It’s all part of his John Day guiding package.
One of the best ways to get all the details on a John Day trip is to visit Steve Fleming’s Internet web site at www.johndayriverfishing.com. (http://www.johndayriverfishing.com.) You can also reach him at his toll-free home phone which is 1 888 624-9424.
Finally, let me make another suggestion if you hang your fishing hat here in Oregon. That suggestion is to look for the Mah-Hah booth at the Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show in Portland Feb. 6-10. Steve will be there and he’ll answer any questions you have about John Day smallmouth fishing. The outdoor show itself is one of the top events of its kind in the Northwest and if you have the foggiest interest in fishing you’re a cinch to enjoy it.
If you’re like me, you welcome the chance to eyeball the guy who will be running the show when you book a trip with him. Take my word for it, Steve Fleming is one of the best. And like I said in the beginning, book a summertime John Day smallmouth trip with him and you will catch fish.
I guarantee it.
http://www.ifish.net/sfjd.jpg
The smallmouth I'm unpinning from my lure is typical of the size the John Day produces in the summer. Larger fish, some of them to 6-pounds, show up early and late in the season.