If you’re looking for Steelhead, there’s nothing better than the John Day River in November. Most of these fish are Summer hold-overs seeking cool water before heading off to Idaho. These Steelhead fight hard, run and jump and charge the boat. If you let the the line get slack, they run in the opposite direction and jump and run hard. This is a blast on light tackle.
We fish the lower John Day River, in the thick of it all. We launch our boat 4 miles east of Rufus Oregon. Don’t worry about the cold, Marvin’s Guide Service has a covered and heated boat for your comfort – and you’ll want the heat this time of year.
We fish a few different ways around the John Day. One way is to troll Wiggle Warts. I like to use bright colors when tolling warts. Another great way to fish Steelhead on the John Day is with a bobber and eggs, or even sand shrimp.
Here is a Little information about the river. The John Day River is a tributary of the Columbia River. It is approximately 281 miles long, making it the third longest free-flowing river in the contiguous United States. There is extensive use of its waters for irrigation. John Day’s free-flowing course furnishes habitat for diverse species, including wild steelhead runs.
Besides Great fishing, you’ll have beautiful scenery to look at all day long.
Steelhead fishing on the lower John Day River goes into the end of November.
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Last Updated on by Marvin
Just wondering about fishing winter steelhead down here in lower Oregon on the lower Coquille River. I’ve used them back bouncing in the upper forks but was wondering about what the best conditions would be to experiment useing them in the lower river which no one does. What would be my best bets do you think for water clarity, size of lures, speeds, with or against currents, and etc.
R.J.