Smallmouth bass have expanded their range in the Western United States. From being found close to Yellowstone National Park to expanding their range in Oregon, smallmouth are having an impact on what used to be traditional trout and steelhead waters. Anglers in Oregon are banding together to fish for smallmouth with the goal to help tout and steelhead.

From the article in Salem Statesman Journal:

State wildlife officials have responded to the smallmouth spike by removing size and bag limits on all Oregon rivers. They’re even allowing spearfishing for smallmouth on the South Umpqua and Coquille as an “all hands on deck” way to get smallmouth out of the streams.

While they’re a popular gamefish, the number of “smallies” have exploded in streams such as the John Day, Umpqua, Coquille, Upper Willamette and Molalla over the past handful of years.  

That’s fun for anglers, but it’s not ideal for native salmon and steelhead, said Mark Sherwood, executive director of the Native Fish Society.

On the John Day, it’s not unheard of for people to catch 100 fish in a single day.

Read the full article here.

Register for the bass bash at: nativefishsociety.org.

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