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In Search of Trophy Smallmouth By Scott Staats Father’s Day is behind us now and I’m sure there are some fathers out there with a new tie or a new book or a new watch but what do you give someone who is really into bass fishing? How about a float trip down the John Day River? That’s what Tami Tuttle of Prineville gave her dad. Last Thursday I got to tag along with Tami and her dad Jim Welter of Visalia, California. We went with Steve Fleming, owner of Mah-Hah Outfitters, and floated a section of river between Service Creek and Twickenham. As we left Prineville at 5 a.m., the three of us agreed to a little friendly wager - $1 for the first fish, $1 for the biggest fish and $1 for the most fish. A few minutes on the river and we started our first casts of the day and Jim brought the first fish into the boat. He was $2 up. Earlier in June the river flowed at around 20,000 cfs and was actually closed down since it was too dangerous to float. When we started our trip the flow was 3,980 cubic feet per second (cfs) and dropping. The water temperature hovered around 62 degrees while the air temperature rose to around 70. “During higher flows you look for creek mouths with clean water, or slow holes and fish slowly down deep,” Fleming explained. Most of the fish we caught that day came on black 5-inch Ripple Worms from Outlaw Baits. Fleming uses 1/8-ounce barbed jigheads and adds one drop of Super Glue Gel to the jighead in order to keep the plastic grub on longer – up to 10 times longer he estimates. All three of us had luck during the morning but Jim pulled ahead of Tami and me by at least 20 fish at the lunch break. I could see my dollars slipping away. However, all monetary thoughts got interrupted by the fragrant smell of pork roast in the Dutch oven. I would almost take a trip like this down the river for the scenery and the food alone. Almost. Fleming is renowned for his famous Dutch oven cooking, which he’s done since he started his business. He fires up the briquettes about mid-morning – while in the boat. The cooking is done within a protective 5-gallon bucket that has sand in the bottom. Our lunch consisted of pork roast, potatoes, carrots and stuffing. It sure beats a PBJ. Later in the afternoon it’s Dutch oven cherry cobbler with whipped cream. There’s not much that can make me set down the fishing rod, but Dutch oven cobbler is one of them. After lunch we all started catching more fish. Tami caught five fish on five casts. The bite usually picks up in the afternoon when the water warms up. I think the fish were especially hungry since they had to hole up during those high flows. “I had difficulty picking up the necessity of actually dropping the rod first before trying to set the hook,” she said. “Your instinct is to be a quick as you can, and that just doesn’t work with smallmouth bass.” Fish 20 inches or over are considered Master Angler fish. I’ve caught only one of these fish in my life. Lucky anglers landing these trophies are rewarded with Master Angler hats and a certificate from In-Fisherman. According to Fleming, fish between 18 and 20 inches are classified as Trophy fish. Fleming averages about 30 Master Angler fish per year, the highest of any guide on the river. His best year occurred in 2008 with 50 of these fish. A few years ago he boated a smallmouth that measured 23 inches. We spent at least 20 minutes fishing one of the deeper holes. As I worked an Outlaw Bait slowly along the bottom, a fish hit the line. After setting the hook I knew I had something on bigger than anything I caught so far that day. I hooked the fish only ten feet or so from the boat so it had quite a bit of fight in it. When it came to the surface we could all see that it appeared to be one of those fish in the 20+-inch category. I began getting nervous since I’ve missed so many of these fish in the past. Fleming stood ready with the net but as the fish neared the boat it made another run. Not again, I thought. I could almost picture the fish jumping, looking my way with a grin and shaking the hook. But it didn’t jump and I finally worked it back toward the boat close enough for Fleming to get the net under it. I finally sat back in the seat and took a deep breath. The fish measured 21 ˝ inches, beating my old record by a quarter of an inch. This fish should secure my win of the biggest fish of the day, I thought. We caught a few more fish at the take-out while Fleming loaded the boat, bringing our total for the day to 147 smallmouth bass. I didn’t realize it but I ended up with the most fish for the day and came home with a total of $3 in cash. I’m starting to have John Day River withdrawals and will have to get back out there soon. I’m not alone. “The trip was pretty hard to beat,” said Jim. “I enjoyed the uniqueness of this type of fishing, especially with the ever changing beautiful scenery. And 55 bass is the most fish that I’ve caught in one day.” “Dad and I have fished a lot of places together, and this was one of the best,” said Tami. “I am totally ready to go again. I want the Master Angler’s hat.” |
