Bill Matthews Outdoor Blog

October fishing on the John Day River in Central Oregon

You don't need a big variety in your tackle box for a successful smallmouth trip on the John Day in October.

2022 Fall Fishing Adventure #1. Smallmouth Bass On The Columbia River

Fall Fishing for Smallmouth on the Columbia River

Flaming Gorge Smallmouth Bass

Home to some of the best Kokanee fishing in the West, Flaming Gorge is also home to an incredible smallmouth fishery.

Smoked Salmon

Salmon fishing through the smoke in the Pacific NW

Horse Thief Lake - Bass Fishing & Petroglyphs

Spend a day at Horse Thief Lake and enjoy some great smallmouth fishing and view unique petroglyphs

Salmon & Smallmouth in the same day!

As luck would have it, we got our limit of salmon pretty early, so we had plenty of time to go chase Smallmouth.

3 Techniques for Summer Bass Fishing on the Columbia River

It is not uncommon to catch 50 fish in a day, and this often includes at least couple over four pounds. Here are three techniques that I hav

BMO Top 10 Fish of 2018

2018 was an incredible fishing year. From the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska and many places in between. While there are way too many fish to...

How to make a Columbia River Crawdad

How I rig a "Columbia River Crawdad"

Columbia River Bronze Bonanza

My son Michael came home from college for a few days and I asked him what he wanted to do while he was home. He said without hesitation...

Umpqua River Smallmouth

In July I had the opportunity to fish the Umpqua River in Southern Oregon. The Umpqua is a beautiful river, with fantastic runs of Salmon...

BMO Bass Camp 2018

As tradition would have it, this past weekend we headed to the beautiful John Day river for our annual Bass Camp. We have been fishing...

John Day River Spray to Service Creek

If you are looking for a good one day stretch of the John Day River, the section from Spray to Service offers several options. The...

Bass, Bigfoot & A New Kayak

I got a break in my schedule on Friday, and was able to try out my new Jackson Big Tuna Kayak on some pre- spawn Smallmouth. My biggest...

Beer, Bass & Bigfoot all in the same day - Only in the Pacific NW!

It was another beautiful Spring Day here in the Pacific NW, and I was reviewing my options for this glorious Sunday. As my wife and I...