The John Day River is a tributary of the
Columbia River, approximately 281 miles long, in northeastern
Oregon in the United States. Undammed along its entire length,
the river is the third longest free-flowing river in the
conterminous United States. There is extensive use of its waters
for irrigation. Its free-flowing course furnishes habitat for
diverse species, including wild steelhead runs. However, the
steelhead populations are under federal endangered species
protections, and chinook salmon have been proposed for ESA
protection.
The river was named for John Day, a member of the Astor
Expedition, an overland expedition to the mouth of the Columbia
River that left from St. Louis, Missouri in 1810. Day wandered
lost through this part of Oregon in the winter of 1811–12.
The John Day River passing by Sheep Rock in the John Day Fossil
Beds National Monument through its tributaries, the river drains
much of the western side of the Blue Mountains, flowing across
the sparsely populated arid part of the state east of the
Cascade Range in a northwest zigzag, then entering the Columbia
upstream from the Columbia River Gorge. It flows through
exceptionally scenic canyons in its upper course, with several
significant paleontological sites along its banks.
The John
Day River In Central Oregon Offers Some Of The Best Fishing,
Hunting & Camping You Will Find Anywhere in the Northwest.
The main branch of the John Day River rises in the Strawberry
Mountains in eastern Grant County, and the four main forks each
have their heads in different parts of the Malheur National
Forest. The main fork flows initially north, then west through
the John Day Valley and through the city of John Day. At
Dayville in western Grant County it is joined from the south by
the South Fork John Day River, then flows north through Picture
Gorge and past the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument.
Recreation
Mouth of the John Day River on the Columbia, spanned by a
railroad bridge. The John Day is navigable by rafts and other
small river craft. Its lower course is used for irrigation of
cropland and ranching. In 1988, the United States Congress
designated 147.5 miles (237.4 km) of the river from Service
Creek to Tumwater Falls as the John Day Wild and Scenic River,
as part of the National Wild and Scenic River program. The
segment of the river is a popular destination for anadromous
steelhead and warm water bass fishing, as well as whitewater
rafting.
In addition to wild spring Chinook salmon and bass, the river
furnishes habitat for redband trout, bull trout, and westslope
cutthroat trout. There are no hatchery salmon or steelhead
released in the John Day River.
Big Fish Guide
Service offers full day fishing trips on the
Columbia River for Salmon, Steelhead and
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Coho in the Portland area and popular nearby
rivers up to John Day dam. While on a
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20' Alumaweld Super Vee boat, powered with a 125
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Oregon, on the Columbia River, upriver to John
Day Dam and no matter what you are after, the
search for Chinook salmon or the fight of
monster Sturgeon, whatever your adventure is, it
will sure be an unforgettable experience.
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At Kimberly in northwestern Grant County, it is joined from the
east by the North Fork John Day River (which had already joined
with the Middle Fork John Day River above Monument, Grant
County, Oregon). The river then flows west across Wheeler
County. At the county line with Jefferson County it flows north,
past the Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument. As it approaches the Columbia River in north-central
Oregon it flows in an increasingly meandering course, forming
the boundary between Sherman County to the west and Gilliam
County to the east.
It joins the Columbia from the southeast approximately 16 miles
(26 km) northeast of Biggs. The mouth of the river is on the
narrow Lake Umatilla reservoir, formed on the Columbia by the
John Day Dam, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream from the
mouth of the John Day.
After a number
of years and countless hours casting flies to
the emerald green waters of The Deschutes in
search of its Steelhead, I have determined that
there are two factors that far outweigh all
others in importance to consistent angling
success. They are location and time of day. Of
course there are no guarantees in Steelheading.
However, if you can place yourself in a
productive run at the magical hours of first and
last light, your chances of raising a fish to
the fly are greatly enhanced.
The Deschutes
Steelhead readily rise to the standard Steelhead
fly patterns such as Skunks, Brad's Brat, and
Purple Peril to name just a few. Whether it is
juvenile imprinting or territorial aggression,
these fish will rise like their Redside cousin
to the neatly swung wet fly tethered to the
floating line.
John Day River Fishing
Guides
My favorite
runs in August and September for fly fishing are
located in the unroaded section of the lower
river between Beavertail campground and
Rattlesnake rapids near the mouth. Most are 4 to
8 feet deep with submerged fingers of basalt
dominating the bottoms features. These runs are
no secret among the rivers top guides, so a
timely arrival is key in securing the location.
Setting up camp assures solitary fishing during
the evening and morning hours.
We arrived at
one of these runs around 2:00 PM, set the camp
and waited in the shade of a nearby alder tree.
As the canyons shade covered the water, I
stepped into the run at my standard location,
well above the sweet spot that had in previous
years produced the majority of fish. As I moved
down river with every cast, the finger of basalt
became more familiar beneath my feet. The small
depression in the otherwise flat basalt meant I
had arrived at the sweet spot in the run. I
stripped off 60 feet of line and cast it to the
small patch of chop, near the head of a glassy
section of water. The mirror smooth surface of
the water hid several conflicting currents,
which required close attention to the drift.
Methodically, I responded to the lead of the
rivers current, mend, swing, mend again, then
gently with the rod tip, led the fly through to
the bank.
It felt like a
small trout nipping at my fly. A touch so light
I could dismiss it as nothing of importance. I
cast again and replayed the drift of the fly as
before. As the belly formed for the last of the
drift, I saw a boil near the end of my line and
set the hook. The instincts from dry fly fishing
for trout has no place in Steelhead fishing and the
fish was gone. I knew my error was lifting the
rod on the rise. The fish would not come again
to this fly. I stripped in the line careful not
to change its length or my location in the run.
Opening my fly box, I noticed a fly of my own
design, a size smaller and slimmer than the
previous fully dressed purple peril. The first
cast with the new fly produced three rises. I
felt nothing on the first two, however the third
rise produced a stopping of the fly line. I
waited for the steady pull of the fish turning
back to its lair, then came my strike and the
fish was on! Two more fish rose and were hooked
to the new fly. After each fish was played out
and released, I moved back up river until
feeling the depression in the basalt. Only then
would I cast to the small patch of choppy water.
I fished until the evenings magenta glare had
left the water nothing more than a black slate.
The evening sky still held enough light to cast
faint shadows in the sage brush as I walked back
to camp.
On returning to
camp I was greeted with familiar voices and the
smell of sautéed garlic. It felt good to remove
my waders and recount to my friends the evenings
adventures. As we sat down to dinner we toasted
the company, the river and its magnificent fish.
We were glad some things on The Deschutes had
not changed.
