An Umpqua Smalmouth succumbs to Tom Lindly's favorite crankbait.

The Smallmouth bass fishery on Oregon's Umpqua River is considered by many to be world class.  The sheer number of fish that are caught over the course of a day is absolutely staggering.  Boating a hundred to two hundred fish per day is not uncommon.  What the fish may lack in size is easilly outweighed by the increble catch rates, their aggressive nature, and the scappy fights these little guys produce.  Watching multiple fish converge on a single lure is a sight played out over and over during a days drift.  My guest Tom Lindly at one point actually pulled in a single crankbait with two bass on it, one on each of the two trebles.

With August around the corner, it is transition time.

The river level have dropped dramatically on the McKenzie. As a result, the fish are concentrated into the very predictable, classic holes.

Last week we had dropping river levels after rains from the prior week. I was guiding up on the Siletz River close to the town of Siletz near Newport Oregon.