John Day Dam Fishing Trips

JOHN DAY DAM WALLEYE FISHING

Looking for a place to land that perfect catch?

The Columbia River below John Day Dam is home to some of the best Walleye fishing in the state of Washington. Our guides target these Walleye below John Day Dam down to the mouth of the Deschutes River.

Starting in late February and continuing until July you can find our team of guides filling their live wells full of nice Walleye.

Trolling worms or crankbaits on the bottom is key as well as knowing where the hot spots are. For pure numbers of Walleye, this is the place to go.

Last Spring our boats were bosting numbers exceeding 70 fish per day. Give our John Day Dam fishing guides a call if you are interested in catching a great number of Walleye!

JOHN DAY DAM SALMON FISHING

The mighty Columbia River, home to a spectacular double-header of salmon runs.

This section of the Columbia River sees two runs of salmon, Spring Chinook, and Fall Chinook. Depending on the season and runs, you will find our guides targeting Spring Salmon towards the end of April and into May.

This is mostly anchor fishing that occurs right out from the Maryhill State Park or just below John Day Dam. Our John Day Dam fishing guides know exactly where to drop the anchor to set you up for success. These Spring Salmon are chrome bright and are some of the best-tasting salmon on the market.

In the Fall time, around the first of September, another Salmon fishery occurs. These are the Fall Chinook or Upriver Brights as many call them. Fishing for these fish takes place near the mouth of the Deschutes River a few miles below John Day Dam. Trolling Brad’s super baits and spinners are key. We know exactly when and where to be targeting these fish and it’s not uncommon to have a boat limited-out within a few hours.

John Day Dam Sturgeon Fishing Trips

Maryhill State Park is pretty amazing; it’s the only spot on the Columbia River where ancient Sturgeon make a yearly appearance.

One of the last areas of the Columbia River to have yearly retention of Sturgeon occurs right out from the Maryhill State Park and below John Day Dam.

Taking place early in the year, January until the quota is met or until the set closure in May, our John Day Dam fishing guides will put you onto Sturgeon ranging in size from one foot to over 10 feet! Our guides have found that Sturgeon on this section of the Columbia fight harder than anywhere else!

sturgeon fishing

Our Amazing Fishing Guide Reviews

Excellent
Based on 99 reviews
Jennifer Busby
Jennifer Busby
June 16, 2023
The best guides around!
Elliot Thomsen
Elliot Thomsen
June 5, 2023
Great trip. Jeff, our guide, is highly competent and exceeded all of our expectations. Professional and I highly recommend this company to anyone who wants to have a great experience and a successful fishing adventure.
Bonnie Willis
Bonnie Willis
May 4, 2023
This was our first time out with Reel Time Fishing, guide Travis Wendt was an excellent guide/host/cook! We booked a trip on Dworshak Res. for bass fishing and were very successful. It wasn't just the fish that made the trip successful it was the total package! We had great company on the boat, including Denali the boat host. All was so perfect that we have already scheduled another trip with Reel Time and Travis. Thanks for the experience and look forward to the next trip out. Scott & Bonnie Willis
Steven Gentry
Steven Gentry
March 13, 2023
Travis made room for my brother and I after our original guide service had boat problems. We had an amazing experience with him. Our boat caught 11 steelhead with 4 of them being keepers. The next trip will be with Reel Time Fishing.
Kimberly Kempton
Kimberly Kempton
January 27, 2023
I had the best time steelhead fishing on the Clearwater with Captain Jim from Reel Time Fishing. He put us on the fish and we were able to bring in all that we caught. He was very professional and accommodating in every way. He made us a great hot lunch each day. We back trolled and side drifted and had so much fun bringing in all those beautiful fish. We stayed at the Lenore Lodge which was 3 mins from the launch. The lodge had 10 beds and an awesome game room. It was very clean and comfortable. I do suggest Reel Time Fishing for an epic trip and I will definitely return for more fishing.
J RAND LOTHSPEICH
J RAND LOTHSPEICH
January 27, 2023
Just spent the last two days fishing with Jim our guide- fantastic time!!! I have caught in the neighbourhood of 40 steelhead in my life time and I caught the two biggest on this trip 37” 14lbs- perfect boat great equipment- we also stayed at the lodge in Lenore perfect

Frequently Asked Questions about our fishing trips

HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN I BRING ON MY TRIP?

The legal max boatload is six anglers, but with six full time guides available we are able to accommodate large groups of more than six people.

IS LUNCH/DRINKS PROVIDED ON MY TRIPS?

We do provide a BBQ lunch and drinks on all Clearwater, Snake, and Dworshak trips. Lunch and drinks ARE NOT provided on any of our Columbia River or Grande Ronde river trips.

HOW MANY HOURS ARE WE ON THE WATER?

Look forward to at least 8 hours of fishing unless you book a half day trip, then look forward to 4 hours of fishing

DO YOU PROVIDE ALL THE GEAR WE NEED TO FISH?

Yes, each guide is fully equipped with top-notch rods, reels and bait to ensure success on your trip.

DO I NEED TO PRE-PAY OR PLACE A DEPOSIT DOWN TO HOLD MY SPOT?

We require a 50% deposit at the time of booking, final payment must be made in full 10 days prior to your trip. We do not offer refunds for cancellations or head-count changes made inside 10 days of your trip.

DO YOU CLEAN AND FILLET OUR CATCH?

Yes, all of our guides will clean and fillet your catch unless otherwise specified.