April Photos

John Day River - April 30th

Ken McFarland and I had a fantastic trip to the John Day River on April 30^th. Steve Fleming of Mah-Hah Outfitters is a great guide, fun to fish with and a very good cook. We met at Steve’s house a 6:00 AM for a breakfast of peaches and ice cream followed by huge homemade hot rolls with marionberry jelly and honey. We left Fossil and put in at Service Creek at about 7:30 AM and headed downriver under cloudy skies and 42 degrees. Ken caught the first fish and a very nice one but it was the wrong species. It was a very bright native steelhead. I didn’t catch a bass until 9:10 AM but it was the highlight of my trip. I was throwing a white spinnerbait upriver toward a small point when I had a hit and a hookup. It didn’t feel like a great fish at first but as it got closer to the boat the fight was on. When it finally surfaced we all got very excited. It was a BIG bass. I finally got it tired enough for Steve to get a net under it and get it in the boat. When Steve got done with the measurements I had a 23 ½” long, 15” girth, 6 lb 10 oz smallie. Steve said it was the longest smallmouth he had ever boated and the second largest (the largest was 23” with a 17” girth). We got her back in the water, got settled down and started fishing again. Ken and I both caught a few smaller bass before lunch which was quite an event itself. Steve beached the boat and got out a roll-up table, a couple of lawn chairs and set them up on the bank with the weather turning sunny and getting close to shirtsleeve weather. We fished from the bank when he was setting up. He then got his Dutch oven out of the boat and served up pot roast, potatoes, veggies, stuffing and garlic bread. It was delicious and we all cleaned our plates. After lunch it was back to bass fishing. A few more small bass and then when Ken was throwing a Rapala crankbait he had a big hit. Another big fight and another great fish. Ken’s bass measured 20 ^1/8” with a 13 ¼” girth. We had both broken the 20” barrier. More fishing and more bass until about 4 PM when Steve dug the peach cobbler out of the Dutch oven and served up a couple of big bowls to Ken and I. Again some great eating and then more fishing until we got out of the water at a little after 5 PM. Steve had us fish the bank again while he loaded the boat and stored the gear. We got back on the road and returned to Steve’s house at 7:15 PM. We both received Master Angler pins for our 20+ inch bass and left very happy fishermen. The day’s total was nine bass for me and six bass and a steelhead for Ken.

Tom Nelson