floating the John Day

[maggot]

Hi all....I was interested in floating the John Day in hopes of getting into some bass and good times. I am looking to spend 3 days , but am not sure where to put in/take out...and generally ..what to expect. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks again.

[MikeT]

Two suggestions:
Buy the book, "John Day River Drift and Historical Guide" by Arthur Campbell. Very good info on launching points, historical info, and mile-by-mile river guide.

Search the iFISH archives. There have been a number of posts on this topic.

I did the Clarno Bridge to Cottonwood Bridge float a couple years ago. It was great, but that section requires about 5-6 days. There are several choices for you above that section that could be done in 3 days.

Also, be sure to check the river level regularly and plan your trip timing according to the flow. There are no dams on the system so you're at the mercy of the Spring runoff. It will probably be high in April/early May, and may be too low to do in a driftboat by late June.

A portable toilet is required if you're camping. Check with the BLM for specific regs.

We did the float at about 1500 cfs on the lower river. No problem except at Clarno Rapids; at that leverl it's a very scary place in a drift boat. No other similar, difficult rapids on the river that I'm aware of.
A raft would be a better choice than a drift boat in low water.

Bass fishing was fantastic. We used flyrods and poppers. Lots of fish and easy to catch.

good luck.....Mike

[AnnaDraMoss]

We float Service Creek to Clarno, or Clarno to Cottonwood (J.D. Burres St. park) Those floats range between 60 and 75 miles- dont remember which is which. Call BLM for John Day boating regulations and they will send tons of info. Camp fires must be contained in a metal fire pan, you must carry out all ash and unburned firewood. Do not cut live or dead vegetation. pack out ALL garbage. Carry out human waste, i.e. portapotty. Just a few Regs. for example. The floats mentioned above can be done in 3 days. Weve found optimal flows for navigating the river and for fishing to be around 3000 cfs. It's a good time. Prineville district BLM 541-416-6700 Good luck.

[chummer]

As MikeT said search the archives namely the warm water and panfish section, I to am planning a float and learned wealth of info. Also email steve fleming who runs Mah-Hah outfitters in fossil, he did a seminar a couple of months ago about floating the john day, a super nice guy who promises to get back to you on your questions. Pay particular attention to flows, steve advises 1200 CFS to run a drift boat, alittle less for rafts. He also had a good suggestion for first time floats and that is to do the same day trip floats each day, I think twickenham to service creek is a day trip. Your first run is more of a "learn the water" run with a few fish caught, your 2nd day, you know the water a little better and where to find fish. Your 3rd run is where you really get dialed in and catch alot more fish. Good fishing!

[24 on/ 48 off]

Ummm. This may be a stupid question, but is there any trout fishing on these stretches?

--spud-- :smile:

[maggot]

thanx for the help folks.....will be floating in a pontoon whitewater.....Thanx again for the info and hope to be able to help some of you in the future..