The John Day River is truly a wild and scenic river. This River is the second longest in the state and is entirely free flowing. The river floods every spring and is down to a trickle by late summer making it a bit of a challenge to float at times. The shear ruggedness of the canyon limits access mostly to bridge crossings, making for a great 3 to 5 day vacation. May and June are the most popular times to float due to good spring flows.

We fish the river at lower levels, because less fishing pressure usually makes for a good trip! The smallmouth bass are prolific and make for lots of action. Steelheads enter the river in October and November and this is when you need to plan a flyfishing trip for the lower river. Remember the low flows could be a problem. Having a alternative plan is a good idea when planning a trip here. Most of our clients pick Deschutes River as an alternative trip. The key to this river for steelhead is a freshet (a mountain storm), this is when steelhead move up fast and as the river level drops. Steelhead flyfishing can be exciting.

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