The John Day River
“Fun for all ages, amazing canyon, and more “catching” than fishin’ make this an unforgettable family experience…”
-Cory Godell
The John Day River
One watershed to the East from our beloved Deschutes is another Oregon canyonlands paradise, the John Day River. The John Day is the longest undammed river in Oregon and cuts its way through a spectacularly stunning and picturesque canyon. The fishery that puts this river on the map and draws us away from the Deschutes is the prolific smallmouth bass fishery. In 1971, eighty Small Mouth Bass where introduced by ODFW- now it is considered one of the best Small Mouth fisheries this side of the Mississippi.
The beauty with bass fishing is where trout can be a little persnickety from time to time, smallmouth are straight forward and rather willing to play more days than not. Factor into that the target rich environment coefficient and you have the making for a trip full of bent rods and smiles. A perfect beginner fishing experience with plenty of action and lots of opportunity to hone your skills. Whether you choose to fly fish, spin fish or do both, this is just plain fun. Want to get kids fired up on fishing? This is the place. More times than not we are fishing on top, popping flies and watching them get crushed. Unlike the Deschutes, we fish out of the boat here so we cover lots of water without having to negotiate walking over greased bowling balls that wading can become.
To access this remote and secluded canyon we offer 2 to 4-day overnight camping trips. We target bass from June through July, and if river levels permit, sometimes into August. The weather is predicably nice to downright hot. The pace is relaxed. Fishing pressure is light and letting “river time” take over is the name of the game. Side hikes to petroglyphs, sightings of big horn sheep while landing enough fish you lose count and figuring out what time to get to camp to go for a swim take priority over checking emails and what is popping up on the phone. The stars at night are incredible. This is a great family friendly camping experience for all ages, and a must do classic Oregon adventure.
For more information, pricing for 2- 4 day overnight camp trips, and booking availability, please contact us at corygodell@gmail.com , or 541-771-2288