Stan Fagerstrom
04-04-2002, 12:17 AM
Umpqua River Is Top Spot For Smallmouth Bass
By Stan Fagerstrom
Part 1
“You’re always writing about fishing or off somewhere talking about it. Tell me, do you know of someplace I can take my wife and kids where we’ll be assured of catching at least a few fish?”
I’ve been asked that question or something similar to it often over the past half century of fishing and writing about it. Usually the person doing the asking knows I’ve had the good fortune to fish over a sizeable chunk of the world. There are few spots I’ve visited where I’ll guarantee people they can be assured o catching fish. I’m not talking about commercial trout ponds or other such spots. I’m thinking of lakes or streams that are open to the public. Let’s narrow it down even more and say places where you can take the family and catch smallmouth bass.
I do know of one such place. It’s not off in some remote part of the world that’s so difficult to reach only a few ever get there. No indeed. It’s right here in Oregon. You can get there from anyplace in the Pacific Northwest within a day’s drive. And I can also point you to a darn good spot to hang your fishin’ hat while you’re there.
The river is Oregon’s Umpqua. Get there in July, August or early September and you will catch smallmouth. So will the most inexperienced anglers in your family. Provided, that is, you have the services of an experienced guide to take you on a drift boat trip down what has to be one of the most beautiful rivers in the western United States.
The Umpqua is loaded with smallmouth. They don’t run big for the most part. What they lack in size they more than make up for in the way they hit and fight. One of the last times I fished the Umpqua in August, my companion and I kept a careful count the first day of the total number of smallmouth we actually boated. The total was 152 fish. That gives you some idea of the river’s productivity. Don’t go there expecting to catch smallmouth of record size. None of those 152 fish topped 3-pounds and most were less than 1-pound.
The one qualification I’ll attach to catching Umpqua smallmouth is having a guide take you on a drift boat float trip. A guide is always a good idea on any river that’s new to you. I regard it as essential in drifting the Umpqua. The Umpqua has some interesting white water. It poses no problem if you have the equipment and know how to deal with it. Your guide will insist that you wear a life preserver while negotiating a couple of the river’s rapids. A number of fishermen new to the Umpqua have lost their lives trying to run this river with inadequate equipment and no experience.
No special tackle is required for an Umpqua smallmouth adventure. They can be caught on light bait casting tackle as well as with a fly rod or with spinning gear. If I had to restrict myself to just one outfit, it would be a lightweight spinning rod and an open-faced spinning reel loaded with 6-pound test line. Chances are your guide will have the right tackle if you don’t, but it’s always best to cover those details beforehand.
You don’t have to wait until July or August to catch smallmouth on the Umpqua. Actually, the bigger fish show up earlier in the season. I’ve seen some beauties taken in late May and June when the Umpqua is slowly warming. But while the early fish run larger, the average day’s fishing doesn’t begin to compare with the fast action to be found in July and August.
It’s hard to believe, but you’ll find spots along this river where you can look down into the water and see anywhere from 20 to 40 smallmouth circling your lure. I’m not exaggerating. The larger fish usually hang back along the outer rim of the circle. The more reckless youngsters are in close. When the hit comes it often happens as one of these little ones darts in to grab your lure. Get yourself a good pair of Polaroid glasses when you visit the Umpqua and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
I’ve never found Umpqua smallmouth particularly finicky where lures are concerned. Early and late they’ll often smack the same topwater baits that are effective for largemouth. I like to throw smaller size surface lures. The Tiny Torpedo can be excellent. So are smaller versions of the Zara Spook. Small spinnerbaits are another good bet. I tip mine with a 2-inch curly tailed grub. Sometimes tube lures are tops. At times I’ve nailed Umpqua smallmouth on smaller crankbaits in a crawdad color.
While I’ve only talked about smallmouth, be aware the Umpqua provides year around fishing for a variety of species. The river also carries spring and fall salmon, shad, striped bass and steelhead at different times during the year.
There’s more involved in putting together a really satisfying fishing adventure than just putting fish in the boat. That the Umpqua has an abundance of smallmouth bass is a given. But as I’ve indicated there is also a special place where you can hang your hat and just kick back and relax when the day’s fishing is done. The spot I have in mind can accommodate you alone, you and your favorite fishing partner or you and your whole family.
That place is the Big K Guest Ranch, a beautifully situated hunk of paradise overlooking one of the most productive stretches of the Umpqua. Your wife may not be big on fishing, but she’ll love the Big K. More of the nation’s anglers are finding out about this special spot every year. I’ll provide additional details about it in the next issue of this column.
By Stan Fagerstrom
Part 1
“You’re always writing about fishing or off somewhere talking about it. Tell me, do you know of someplace I can take my wife and kids where we’ll be assured of catching at least a few fish?”
I’ve been asked that question or something similar to it often over the past half century of fishing and writing about it. Usually the person doing the asking knows I’ve had the good fortune to fish over a sizeable chunk of the world. There are few spots I’ve visited where I’ll guarantee people they can be assured o catching fish. I’m not talking about commercial trout ponds or other such spots. I’m thinking of lakes or streams that are open to the public. Let’s narrow it down even more and say places where you can take the family and catch smallmouth bass.
I do know of one such place. It’s not off in some remote part of the world that’s so difficult to reach only a few ever get there. No indeed. It’s right here in Oregon. You can get there from anyplace in the Pacific Northwest within a day’s drive. And I can also point you to a darn good spot to hang your fishin’ hat while you’re there.
The river is Oregon’s Umpqua. Get there in July, August or early September and you will catch smallmouth. So will the most inexperienced anglers in your family. Provided, that is, you have the services of an experienced guide to take you on a drift boat trip down what has to be one of the most beautiful rivers in the western United States.
The Umpqua is loaded with smallmouth. They don’t run big for the most part. What they lack in size they more than make up for in the way they hit and fight. One of the last times I fished the Umpqua in August, my companion and I kept a careful count the first day of the total number of smallmouth we actually boated. The total was 152 fish. That gives you some idea of the river’s productivity. Don’t go there expecting to catch smallmouth of record size. None of those 152 fish topped 3-pounds and most were less than 1-pound.
The one qualification I’ll attach to catching Umpqua smallmouth is having a guide take you on a drift boat float trip. A guide is always a good idea on any river that’s new to you. I regard it as essential in drifting the Umpqua. The Umpqua has some interesting white water. It poses no problem if you have the equipment and know how to deal with it. Your guide will insist that you wear a life preserver while negotiating a couple of the river’s rapids. A number of fishermen new to the Umpqua have lost their lives trying to run this river with inadequate equipment and no experience.
No special tackle is required for an Umpqua smallmouth adventure. They can be caught on light bait casting tackle as well as with a fly rod or with spinning gear. If I had to restrict myself to just one outfit, it would be a lightweight spinning rod and an open-faced spinning reel loaded with 6-pound test line. Chances are your guide will have the right tackle if you don’t, but it’s always best to cover those details beforehand.
You don’t have to wait until July or August to catch smallmouth on the Umpqua. Actually, the bigger fish show up earlier in the season. I’ve seen some beauties taken in late May and June when the Umpqua is slowly warming. But while the early fish run larger, the average day’s fishing doesn’t begin to compare with the fast action to be found in July and August.
It’s hard to believe, but you’ll find spots along this river where you can look down into the water and see anywhere from 20 to 40 smallmouth circling your lure. I’m not exaggerating. The larger fish usually hang back along the outer rim of the circle. The more reckless youngsters are in close. When the hit comes it often happens as one of these little ones darts in to grab your lure. Get yourself a good pair of Polaroid glasses when you visit the Umpqua and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
I’ve never found Umpqua smallmouth particularly finicky where lures are concerned. Early and late they’ll often smack the same topwater baits that are effective for largemouth. I like to throw smaller size surface lures. The Tiny Torpedo can be excellent. So are smaller versions of the Zara Spook. Small spinnerbaits are another good bet. I tip mine with a 2-inch curly tailed grub. Sometimes tube lures are tops. At times I’ve nailed Umpqua smallmouth on smaller crankbaits in a crawdad color.
While I’ve only talked about smallmouth, be aware the Umpqua provides year around fishing for a variety of species. The river also carries spring and fall salmon, shad, striped bass and steelhead at different times during the year.
There’s more involved in putting together a really satisfying fishing adventure than just putting fish in the boat. That the Umpqua has an abundance of smallmouth bass is a given. But as I’ve indicated there is also a special place where you can hang your hat and just kick back and relax when the day’s fishing is done. The spot I have in mind can accommodate you alone, you and your favorite fishing partner or you and your whole family.
That place is the Big K Guest Ranch, a beautifully situated hunk of paradise overlooking one of the most productive stretches of the Umpqua. Your wife may not be big on fishing, but she’ll love the Big K. More of the nation’s anglers are finding out about this special spot every year. I’ll provide additional details about it in the next issue of this column.