When someone in the Wilamette Valley mentions smallmouth fishing, most people assume that the South Umpqua is the destination. For those a little more daring, the John Day may come to mind, but it is a bit of a drive. Many local anglers overlook the smallmouth that make our valley reservoirs home. These venues are closer and can produce as many fish as the Umpqua and the John day. Believe it or not, the average size of fish can often be better close to home as well.
There is no one who knows these venues more intimately than our local stillwater guide, Adison Rook. Adison is a master of stillwater angling both in the valley, and in our high Cascade lakes. He has put years in to learning the stillwater game and it shows with his deep understanding of lake geography, Entomology, fish behavior, angling techniques, etc. It is no wonder that Adison feels at home at many of the famed bass and trout stillwater venues across the Northwest.
I’ve spent a number of days in Adison’s boat, and being largely a river/small stream angler, I am always out of my element floating on a lake. Adison’s deep understanding of stillwater dynamics reminds me, every time, just how in the dark I am when it comes to fishing lakes. This year, we are really leaning into Adison’s expertise to share his deep knowledge of stillwater angling with all of you across the blog here, and our social media platforms.
I grew up in the Midwest primarily fishing lakes and ponds, so naturally I gravitate to moving water as it is something different. Switching gears and fishing the valley lakes more this spring has opened my eyes to just how lucky we are having these reservoirs close to home.
For someone like me, who primarily fishes rivers, the spring smallmouth scene is ideal, because it does not require you to be in a boat. Fish stage close to the bank as things warm up each spring, making angling from the bank not only viable, but extremely productive. Typically, Adison had us working the bank from the boat in a proximity entirely reachable for bank anglers. Working drop-off structure, submerged stumps, points and more, bass obliterated our flies all day. These smallmouth are like small John Deere tractors and will tear you up digging deep and pulling drag. If you’ve never experienced the athleticism of a smallmouth bass, I highly recommend you try chasing them on the fly.
Adison wrote a fantastic article last year HERE which explains things in better detail than I can. The absolute best line you can be running for this is a Scientific Anglers Textured Anadro Indicator. The taper of the Anadro is makes turning over cumbersome bobber rigs effortless. Whether it is a big roll cast, or you are picking the whole head out of the water, this line does it all. The textured line floats high, so it is easy to pick up, and shoots far when needed. It has quickly become one of my favorite lines from SA. Stay tuned on more about this line down the road.
Typically you’ll want to run a Scientific Anglers 7.5 ft 3x Tapered Leader. Before adding anything else, you will need to put a Slip Strike Indicator on the leader. Then you will attach a Tippet Ring to the end, and run a few feet of 4x Scientific Anglers Absolute Trout Fluorocarbon Tippet to your fly. Typically balanced leeches are what’s on the menu. Here are some favorites: Level Headed Bugger, Blonde Leech Balanced, Montana Fly Company Balanced Squirrel Leech, Montana Fly Company Rowley’s Balanced Leech, or a Svend Diesel’s Balanced Bou Leech.
Fishing for smallies will still be good for some time now. Get geared up at the shop and get out there. If you don’t want to fish on foot from the bank, reach out to the shop to book a guided trip with Adison in his boat.
Keep your eyes peeled on our Instagram account and YouTube for additional stillwater content featuring Adison throughout the seasons at various venues. He is an untapped well of knowledge in the stillwater game, and we are excited to be showing you all a whole lot more.
-Simon
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