Seventy two degrees seems hot but bass on the mainstem of the Umpqua and the John Day River are right at home. The John Day is a haul for most of us, but is a great multi-day family fish and swim float trip. Hot days, great scenery and active smallmouth bass make fly fishing the John Day a blast.
The Umpqua is much closer and access around the town of Elkton and Umpqua is pretty good both for floating and bank angling. For both the John Day and the Umpqua use floating lines and poppers under low light conditions. As things warm up fish rubber legged stonefly nymphs, skinny water clousers, Thin Mints, Mega Princes and Crayfish imitations. On the Umpqua the past few years I have been messing around with droppers, fishing two nymphs at the same time. More drab offerings, big hares ears, possie buggers and Thin Mints fished about 36 inches apart can yield two at a time bass masters action.-CD
