North Umpqua Fly Guide

Dan Callahan Memorial Threatened

2012-01-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

Apparently, there are some that are trying to have a memorial plaque dedicated to Dan at the Wright Creek tail-out removed. Those that have fished the run have seen it. With hard work and dedication, Dan devoted his life to this river,it's fish and it's conservation.His pictures of the river are unmatched and have been seen all over the world. If anyone deserves a memorial on the river it is Dan. The very reason the river is the way it is, is due to in large part to wild fish advocates like Dan

If you fish and love the North Umpqua river, or even if you don't but have seen and been touched by Dan's photo's,please send an email to Carol Cushing with the USFS in Glide and say something short and simple like, Keep Dan Callahan Plaque........Her email is ccushing@fs.fed.us

With all of your help we can blow up her mailbox and let her and others know that removing the memorial is unacceptable.

Below is a short history of the some of the conservation groups that Dan founded or was a part of:

Dan loved rivers, and he devoted his life to helping preserve them as a serious conservationist, avid fly fisherman, and gifted photographer, He was one of the founders of The Steamboaters, a fly fishing and conservation club which originated at Steamboat Inn on the North Umpqua River, which he considered the most beautiful river he had ever seen, He was also a founder of the North Umpqua Foundation, Dan served as a director of those organizations as well as for The Museum of American Flyfishing, the Federation of Flyfishers, and the Salem Art Association, He served as a Commissioner on the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, and served on the Willamette River Greenway Commission, He also served as house counsel for several flyfishing organizations, He received the Wild Trout Award from Oregon Trout and the Federation of Flyfishers' Brooks Memorial Life Membership award for his efforts in conservation and photography.
Dan was a member and supporter of the Steamboaters, North Umpqua Foundation, Federation of Flyfishers, Oregon Trout, Yellowstone Association, Trout Unlimited, 1,000 Friends of Oregon, Friends of Columbia Gorge, Nature Conservancy, Native Fish Society, American Museum of Flyfishing, High Desert Museum, Haig-Brown Kingfisher Society, American Rivers, Steelhead Society of British Columbia, Montana Trout Foundation, Water Watch of Oregon, Henry's Fork Foundation, and the Pacific Rivers Council, He was a Nikon Professional and a member of the International Association of Panoramic Photographers and the Portland Photographer's Forum, Dan fly fished and photographed many rivers in the Western United States, Canada, Alaska, Europe, Iceland, Central America, and South America, He was also a member of the golf team at Willamette University.
Dan's work has been published in Fly Fisherman, Fly Fisher, Rod & Reel, Outdoor Life, Newsweek, Country Gentleman, Outside, The Art of Angling Journal, Wild Steelhead and countless other publications.

Thanks for your help!
Mark

The Right Place

2012-01-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

The water has been at flood stage and virtually un-fishable for days. I am finally on the river and fishing has been tough because water is up in the trees. Conditions are improving dramatically as the water drops 1000 cfs a day.I have been planning this trip down to the river for weeks.Everything is aligning for some epic conditions Saturday and Sunday maybe Monday before the next round of rain blows the ditch out. Everything is moving perfectly according to plan. Sunday is gonna be the day. But, before noon on Saturday I am in my truck driving up and out of the river heading home to a sick son who needs his Dad. The love for my son and family pulls harder now than the fish once did and I grind my foot on the accelerator and roar out of the canyon. The fish can wait this time, we will do battle later.

Make sure in the pursuit of fish that you don't neglect the one's you love. We are here a very short time and family and relationships must come first. I have made the wrong choices in the past and I vow to not let that happen again.

Happy fishing!

Blue Rodeo

2012-01-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Love this guys style. Killer looking winter fly!

The "Blue Rodeo" Steelhead Fly from Dimitri Gammer on Vimeo.

Tribute To One Of Skiings Greatest

2012-01-20T05:57:00.000-08:00

As a longtime skier it is with great sadness that I post this. God bless those that try to go on after this terrible tragedy.

How High's The Water?

2012-01-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

Powderfinger

2012-01-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

Finally a little powder in the hills......

The Light

2012-01-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

The cold of the 35 degree water penetrates my waders and every layer I have. Fingers struggle to function as water from the fly line drips off them and falls to the water below. I recast and exhale, the fog from my breath hangs in a thick cloud, hardly moving or dissipating. I zip my coat up and nestle my chin deep into the fleece liner. Pulling my hood up over my head I try and savor every ounce of heat that my body produces. The sun has not yet risen but the light from the East tells me it is on it's way. Casting, swinging, stepping, I move in a rhythm that is efficient and measured. As the fly hits the water, my non rod hand always searches for the warmer pocket on the front of my coat or waders. There it sits in a Napoleon fashion until I must withdraw it and strip in line to do it again.

The sun hovers just below the horizon, teasing me with it's leisurely ascent. Splintered shards of light pierce the rivers fog and refract onto the higher hills above me,bathing them in a purple and pink light. Those upper reaches are lucky to be first to feel it's warmth. Within minutes, the purple and pink hues on the upper hills give way to brilliant yellow, orange and red. The river level light is also undergoing a change. The drabness of the pre-dawn is now becoming clearer as things overlooked and unseen snap into focus. The clarity of the water is what I notice first, staring 3 feet down and clearly seeing spent casings attached to a rock from stone flies. A fresh water lobster prowls the bottom looking for breakfast and quickly darts into the deep when I shuffle my feet for a step down stream. A water ouzel flickers by and lands, waiting for the sun like me. I continue to fish, the warmth of the sun is now moments away and I somehow feel warmer knowing it is so close. The tree tops across the river light up like a downtown marquee. With each step down the run I make,the sun drips down the fir and cedar trees inching ever closer to my position. The first golden rays reach me, playing tag as they try to penetrate the canopy behind me, only sometimes getting a clear shot to hit me. This goes on for some time and the anticipation of it's full presence is peaking.And then it's here. The radiant beams finally break free of the earthly obstacles and soar above unencumbered, and wrap me in their arms warming me to my core. Looking straight into the sun and feeling it's full warmth and goodness is amazing. The cold of moments ago is but a memory as the sunlight soaks into me.

I fish with a new found passion, energized by this miracle of the dawning of a new day. It never fails to impress no matter how many I see. It's all a miracle really,the turning of the earth, our path around the sun, our place in the solar system, the fine tuning of the universe that allows for life on this blue ball in space.I live confident with the knowledge that there is a God who is Creator of all things and he made the sun that warms me, this liquid environment that I now stand in and the fish that I love so much, and it is GOOD!

The lord of the swing

2012-01-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

Precious

Do you know a guy that just get's um? I have a couple friends that qualify in this regard. You know,fishermen who by either hard work and years of experience, or a combination of both, just seem to hook a lot of fish. I have one friend in particular who is just an outstanding fisherman in all respects. He knows his home field better than almost anyone alive right now. His attention to the subtleties of the swing game and the ever changing ways to make the presentation that is right for the run and seasons make him a guy that flat out gets it done. His knowledge of every rock in the ditch and where fish sit at every level is legendary. His approach is often different than the average angler and he manages his swing the way Joe Torre managed the Yankees. Tight and right.He knows these fish..... we say he has gills. When he goes to new waters these same instincts allow him to fish and find fish like he is on his home field.
He has called fish in a run, much like the Babe pointing to the fence before smashing it out of the park. I have seen him approach a run and tell me where they sit and where I will hook one on more than one occasion. Once he did this in ridiculously high water, almost un-fishable water. We questioned even being out but he was undaunted. He pointed to a spot with his rod and said "at these levels the fish is gonna be right there". Several minutes later in that exact spot a chrome hen crushed my offering. You just don't see that every day. This guy is on another level. Like we often say, the rest of us may be on the pro tour and playing the same course with him, he just happens to be Jack Nicklaus.The things that I have learned under his watchful eye are priceless.

Another friend is a fish magnate as well. He is a guy who is a great caster and fisherman in his own right. His approach is different as are most of the people I know. No one does it the same every time. This particular guy has all the skills and he also has a sixth sense. His years of experience give him the ability to not over think a situation. He knows when to be where and is not afraid to fish behind someone else. His skills at presenting a fly give him confidence to follow even the best of fisherman through, knowing his fly is searching and hunting better.He just fishes in a methodical and measured manner and quietly hooks many,many fish. He doesn't get ruffled by crowds, he doesn't run around on the river with his hair on fire. He fishes tried and true spots carefully and completely. He branches out and finds fish in new places. He has been catching steelhead since I was in diapers. He is a master and a friend. He is someone who I learn from every time I am out with him.

I catch plenty of fish but I also know that I can improve my game in almost every aspect.It takes a life time but every day fishing I aspire to learn and improve and one day, maybe when I am 80,be worthy of the title The lord of the swing.

The Fellowship Of The Swing

2012-01-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

One of the brothers in the fellowship getting his swing on old school

I am constantly amazed at the tight knit group of people that I meet that have one thing in common....we all love to swing flies for steelhead. This brotherhood of friends, some of whom I have never even met in person yet, is really unlike anything I have been a part of. And,it is not a group that you join, you are almost born into it. It starts the day you are old enough to fish and continues through all the progressions of childhood fishing. Pan fish,bass, small stream trout, lakes, etc. All of the experiences from your youth shape you as you grow.You are heading for a final destination but you haven't got the map yet. It will be revealed to you in due time.Your first fly rod starts you on a collision course with the swing. You are not fully aware of what this fly rod in your hands will do for you. The places it will take you and the stories you will tell because of this thin piece of fiberglass, bamboo or graphite will fill volumes before you die. As you develop as a caster and fisherman you challenge yourself to cast more efficiently with less effort.As technique grows keener you seek more of a challenge.Experiences are built upon and friendships are being made all along the road. Many of your friends are developing at much the same rate as you are. You have mentors who guide and mold you along the way, each step getting you ready for the future, and the culmination of events that will ultimately become a lifelong passion..

A little brother and a mom are fully in tune with the fellowship

And then one day, you discover steelhead and are forever changed in an instant. Sure, you still fish for other fish, but the unmistakeable pull of this fish has captured you and you can't escape....and you don't want to. The friendships that are forged in the pursuit of these fish become some of the strongest bonds I know. Road trips,endless talk around the fly shop counter,and telephone conversations that stretch on for hours.Sitting around the fishing shack,camp or house and going over the day you have just experienced or babbling excitedly about the next day to come, are some of the best times I can remember. The ability to converse about a common theme breaks down doors of communication that may never have come down in normal "life"talk. The swing is the only thing that matters and learning more about it, doing it and discussing it are all encompassing.

Gandalf, a great brother and teacher

This fellowship, this brotherhood is every where. It extends to our Atlantic Salmon brothers who fish for another fish but share the technique and passion for the sport. We can talk to any of these brothers in exactly the same language.A common thread exist through all of it. A true love of the outdoors and a passion for the target species, whatever that may be.The characteristics of this fellowship which draw us in and are on display on a regular basis are,excitement, patience, endurance,camaraderie, unselfish sharing and giving to others, an exchange of both teaching and learning. There are no best ways to do things, just different ways. All have a place and all are accepted and taken with the same authority. As my Dad always said "There is more than one way to remove the outer epidermal layer from a feline". This rings true as it applies to the swing as there are as many ways to swing a fly as there are players in this game. That is the fun part of this fellowship. There is ALWAYS something to be learned from someone else. The day I quit learning and growing on the river is the day I will quit fishing. It hasn't happened yet in almost 30 years swinging for steel and I still have plenty of things to learn.

It truly is a lifelong pursuit as we all learn more about the fish we chase,the spots that hold them, the currents that keep them there, and the wonderful times we share with others in The Fellowship Of The Swing.

I have a limited run of Fellowship Of The Swing bumper stickers in the works.

Short Session

2012-01-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

I fished a total of 10 minutes the other day and landed my first fish of the year, a spellbinding buck in the upper teens.
Here is a short excerpt from the story I wrote and posted on the The Long Line Collective.............

The line tightens agonizingly slow, the Daiwa 812 gives 6 inches of line and clicks a few times. Wait for it.......Bam!!! I raise the rod firmly and strike a heavy fish.He shakes his massive head in disagreement of his new found predicament and the rod throbs in tandem. I fight this fish quickly and cleanly, nothing truly remarkable about it,just a good solid fight. As I slide him into the shallows, I am awed by his size.He is easily the largest fish I have seen in winter in quite some time.He is perfect in every way with barely a hint of rose along the side and cheek.I am awed by his strength. I am awed by his beauty. In a dream like state,I twist the hook out of this magnificent creature, watching his silver body glide silently into the main current and disappear.

And so it begins....

2011-12-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

After way too long, we got some much needed rain and a serious system flushing is taking place. And so the cyclical patterns of rise and drop begins.Each flush potentially bring new fish upwards. Still a ways off for any kind of consistent fishing but this latest rain is a God send.

Deadline is at a flat line

The falls behind Steamboat Inn are non-existent

Steamboat Creek at confluence with the North @ the Campwater

Drowning on dry land

2011-12-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the river lately?

Roy Buchanan shreds this....

Fish Mortality/Gear Type Study

2011-12-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a little meat to chew on from an actual study. Now you can start to extrapolate some numbers from this to see what kind of damage is being done to wild fish in the Umpqua drainage as well as many other systems throughout the NW. The days of excess are over people, we need to take a LONG look at how were are managing these fisheries or they will be distant memory.

Makes me really think about taking wild fish out of the water, even for a few seconds. I always try to get fish in as quick as possible, and do my best to keep the fish I catch in the water.Sure, I admit I have taken pictures of fish out of the water and I am not perfect in this regard but I will make it a point in 2012 to do better.

Maybe Oregon should start regulations similar to Washington that make it unlawful to hold a fish out of the water. I would be all for it.This is a law that only makes sense in a Wild C&R fishery. Handling of the fish and the associated mortality rates would go way down, a good thing and an idea whose time may have come.

From Bill Bakkes Home Waters and Wild Fish site comes this interesting article. A good one to follow close on the heels of my recent post The Choice. Note the parts about repeated hooking and fish out of water/air exposure and related mortality rates.

In my opinion,and for the more local discussion on the Umpqua drainage, bait would be actual bait(eggs,shrimp,sardines etc) as well as simulated bait including yarn balls,glo bugs corkies etc. which are often enhanced with oils or liquids that give off scent. These methods would all qualify as "angling with bait generally results in substantially higher catch rates and mortality rates for both target and non-target fish than angling with any other gear type" as noted below.

Here is a another interesting article on single barb-less hooks from Bill's site.

Click on paper below to view the entire thing.

WILD STEELHEAD MORTALITY AND GEAR TYPE

In 2001 Bob Hooton, fish biologist for the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, evaluated the impact of bait, lures and flies on steelhead and resident fish. This paper reviews what is known through scientific evaluation of relative impacts of these fishing types. I have provided a few interesting quotes form this paper below.

“During the Keogh River experiment, it quickly became evident that, in order to obtain the requisite sample size of steelhead hooked on artificial lures, it was necessary to commence angling sessions with that gear type. Despite a strong bias towards artificial lure fishing prior to using bait, lures caught 99 fish while bait produced 236 or 2.38 times as many for similar hours fished. Additionally artificial lures caught fish were hooked deep inside the mouth or gill arches and bleeding heavily in 4 of 99 cases (4.04%). Bait caught fish were similarly hooked in 26 of 236 records (11.02%) or 2.72 times as often.”

“During the Keogh hooking mortality study discussed earlier a total of 130 and 206

steelhead were angled in study years 1985 and 1986 respectively (Hooton, 1987). The

weir count of adult steelhead over the period that angling occurred downstream from the

fence was used to provide a reasonable approximation of the percentage of the run

captured in the time allocated. In 1985, the data revealed that project staff fished 117

hours to catch 130 steelhead that represented about 27% of the fish available. In 1986,

121 hours were angled to catch 206 fish that represented about 19% of the supply. In

other words two anglers fishing an average of one hour per day over a two month period

caught roughly one quarter of the population one year and one fifth the next. All of that

occurred in about 50 meters (164 feet) of river.”

“More recently Keogh project technicians involved in requisite sampling of steelhead

upstream from an electronic counter captured 45%, 62% and 30% of the total available

supply of steelhead in 1998, 1999 and 2000 respectively. For 2001 to date the figure

stands at 51% (personal communication, Bruce Ward, Senior Anadromous Biologist,

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, University of BC, Vancouver). These catch

rates resulted from two staff fishing for an hour or two per day over several kilometers of

a river that is not held to be particularly accessible or “fishable” by most steelhead

anglers. All of the fish were angled with bait.”

“What we can say, however, is that angling with baited hooks is prevalent in streams

where it is legal, that angling with bait generally results in substantially higher catch rates

and mortality rates for both target and non-target fish than angling with any other gear

type, that many of the wild steelhead stocks subjected to this combination of factors are

far below target escapement and that the status of non-target stocks and/or species is

frequently as bad or worse than steelhead.”

“Catch and release may have been oversold in that there tends to be a pervasive opinion it can be prosecuted limitlessly with no influence on the status or health of steelhead or sympatric species. With respect to fluvial resident trout populations it was accepted long ago fish are too catchable and prone to hooking mortality to sustain fishing with certain gear types. Resident fish are simply that – stationary inhabitants of the available habitat. Arguably, steelhead in most of British Columbia’s short coastal streams, are effectively resident trout. Their vulnerability is entirely comparable to fluvial resident trout.”

Rearing juvenile steelhead and resident fish are affected by gear type:

“With respect to fluvial resident trout populations it was accepted long ago fish are too catchable and prone to hooking mortality to sustain fishing with certain gear types. Resident fish are simply that – stationary inhabitants of the available habitat. Arguably, steelhead in most of British Columbia’s short coastal streams, are effectively resident trout. Their vulnerability is entirely comparable to fluvial resident trout.”

““Bruesewitz (1995, WDFW) examined the location of hooking among creeled summer and winter steelhead in different Washington State streams in the 1992, 1993 and 1994 sport fisheries. She found that the single hook and bait combination resulted in a 2.33 times higher incidence of hooking in critical locations (14.9% versus 6.4%) than did single hooks and artificial lures.”

Exposure to air and mortality rate:

“Ferguson and Tufts (1993) reported disturbingly higher mortality among domestic

rainbow trout subjected to air exposure after mimicked angling events than for control

fish or experimental fish not exposed to air. Their data revealed 100% survival among

control fish and 88% survival among exercised (i.e., “angled”) fish. Among fish that were

exercised and then exposed to air for 30 and 60 seconds immediately thereafter,

survival dropped to 62% and 28% respectively. The authors stressed their results had

important implications for Atlantic salmon sport fisheries where the marked trend was

toward catch and release but where anglers habitually hold fish out of water for

significant periods of time prior to release.

Influence of multiple captures on fish mortality:

“The influence of multiple captures of individual steelhead is another element of many

British Columbia steelhead fisheries that remains to be evaluated. Catch and tag

recovery data from a large number and range of Ministry programs indicate that in many

heavily fished streams steelhead are commonly caught two or more times. It is

reasonable to conclude the frequency of these occurrences has increased steadily over

the past two decades. The emerging and unanswered questions are whether or not

there are cumulative effects associated with multiple captures and how significant these

are from a population perspective? It is clear from the available CPUE (and mortality

rate) data presented above, however, that any risk of sub-lethal effects associated with

multiple captures would be skewed markedly toward gear types and procedures that

increased an individual fish’s frequency of exposure to those circumstances.”

Hatchery fish increase angling pressure and wild steelhead mortality

“Close examination of Steelhead Harvest Analysis (SHA) data reveals a consistent pattern on streams where hatchery steelhead have been introduced. The years immediately following first returns of harvestable hatchery fish display pronounced

increases in angling effort and record high estimates of wild steelhead caught and

released (mandatory). Catches tend to have been sustained despite conclusive

evidence of declining abundance in index streams.”

Anglers can choose to protect wild steelhead

“The angling community may wish to contemplate leaving a smaller and softer

footprint on all wild fish or risk the steady erosion of longer term opportunity. A sobering

reality is that the trends in stream fishing opportunity throughout virtually all of

southwestern British Columbia have manifested themselves in a very few generations of

steelhead. Ignoring history and assuming trends will be stabilized or reversed in the

absence of attention to fishing impacts is unlikely to produce a desirable outcome.”

Ahhhhhh

2011-12-27T17:26:00.000-08:00

Here's some recent pics....enjoy!

My buddy Scott tied up this stunning batch of married wings.......jaw dropping stuff!

Upper Upper Rogue

Wallowa Lake

Christmas Time in the High Desert with K2

The Choice

2011-12-23T18:22:00.000-08:00

Pardon me while I get on my soapbox here for a little while. I love these fish and I get fired up sometimes. Bare with me as I rant.

I am not trying to push my values on anyone here but I will speak openly and honestly. Many of the values I speak of should be everyone's values when it comes to stewarding our wild fish.It all about The Choice you decide to make. Choose wisely....

So when does really good fishing become irresponsible? Does anyone have a conscience anymore?I will submit to you that there are times when environmental conditions can provide the "perfect storm" so to speak and put fish in an unfavorable position. Is it fair and reasonable to target fish that are stacked and concentrated due to these environmental factors? Is it fair and reasonable to continue to target these fish over long periods of time? Is it fair and reasonable to hook as may fish as you can while these conditions persist? When is enough enough? How many fish do you need to catch in a day to be considered good fishing? I can't answer these questions for you, you must make those choices and decisions yourself.

I have been thinking a lot about it lately in regards to the Main Umpqua that has had unreasonably and unseasonably good fishing the last few weeks. The regulations and fishing practices down there affect both the North and South Umpqua drastically.I will start by saying I do know that there are responsible fisherman out there(fly and gear) that realize a good thing and can limit themselves when they have had a good day and not get greedy.I am not talking to you.

The fishing has been good in large part because the water is at an all time low for this time of year and the fish are not moving.Stacked up and concentrated in a much narrower stretch of water than normal. They are living there. These are fish that usually have the cover of high water to make their ascent in relative obscurity. These are wild winter steelhead and they are getting absolutely hammered. Now don't get me wrong, I like to catch fish as much as the next guy but, at some point you gotta say enough is enough don't ya?Reports of double digit days swinging flies are common. That's cool and fun but after a few days like this doesn't it start to dawn on you that you are literately shooting fish in a barrel? Whats the fun in that. The fish have nowhere to go and are being repeatedly hooked.Those using egg imitations and bait are recording numbers off the charts. A discussion board recently had a post from a guy( a guide I think) that was boasting of boating 186 fish in 11 days.That's to the boat, who knows how many were hooked.That's 186 wild winter fish! And that is just ONE boat people,and he wasn't happy about it either.He was vociferously complaining that only one or two of that almost 200 fish were clipped and could be kept. The locals and others are all up in arms that they can't kill fish, yet they do kill fish on a regular basis. There is no real Law Enforcement presence to deter much of the bad behavior so it continues. Mishandling of fish is at an all time high as wild fish after wild fish is reeled into the boat or bank, netted,to flop around on the bottom of the boat or the sand or rocks,held up by the gills for a few hero shots and then unceremoniously,booted, tossed, or dropped from 4 or 5 feet in the air, or over the shoulder back into the water. People are actually cussing as they wind in another fish to find out it's "just another nate". Sad indeed. Meanwhile, as a testament to the sheer numbers of fish being hooked and mishandled,the back eddies and big pools have dead wild fish littering the bottom. This is a travesty.Most of these fish are heading much higher in the system and many will not survive the mishandling and repeated hooking that they will go through. It's like crack though as people can not stay away or limit the numbers of fish they hook in a day.This will go on for the next 4-5 months as hundreds of boats fish questionable tactics and gear, and repeatedly hook and mishandle fish that are to be released.The fact that ODFW regulations allow for treble hooks and bait on a strictly wild catch and release winter fishery is just ludicrous. Hundreds of boats hooking thousands of fish in a season, and as I mentioned many, many of those beautiful wild fish will never make it up into the upper fly water where they can spawn. A month or two of low water where fish are mercilessly pounded can harm/kill a large portion of the run and have far reaching effects. When an anomaly like what is going on right now with water levels happens, the fish are exploited to unbelievable levels.These low water events have happened in the past and the corresponding return years of the offspring have been poor. Pray for rain for the fishes sake!

I will be controversial here but here goes.I am not saying that we should change the current ruling,which is No Kill, but I do think about these regs in the Main stem a lot. I think that in many ways a catch and release fishery when bait and trebles are allowed can be worse than a kill fishery. Yes you heard me right. Think about it. In a kill fishery they have to stop fishing when they have their limit of fish. In a C&R fishery they can catch and continue to catch fish after fish. Ripping gills with trebles,mishandling in the boat or on the bank, deep hooking of fish swallowing bait etc. One angler could potentially kill or seriously harm a half dozen fish in a day if he hooks 20. Hooking 20 fish on bait or yarn in a day can be rather common at times.I don't know the answer but I do know that there is a serious problem with the way the fishery and regulations pertaining to fishing methods and wild fish are being handled. Something to ponder for sure.

Catch and Release regulations should be enforced(that means give tickets to jackwagons who abuse fish) and fishing should be No Bait and Single Barbless Hook basin wide. These rules should be enforced.

Maybe adopting a "keep the fish in the water policy" would be something that would help.

Life is about choices, lets make good ones.

Off the soapbox,

Merry Christmas......Remember it's about Christ!

Winter Fly Coolness

2011-12-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

Great flies and step by step on these killer winter patterns!

Thanks Dimitri, nicely done!

Happy tying!

Purple & Blue Tube Fly from Dimitri Gammer on Vimeo.

Pink Fox Steelhead Fly from Dimitri Gammer on Vimeo.

Pink Marabou Steelhead Fly from Dimitri Gammer on Vimeo.

Black and Purple Tube from Dimitri Gammer on Vimeo.

Ice Station Zebra

2011-12-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

Low, clear and cccold.

I think I saw Chilly Willy out there this morning!

The Game

2011-11-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

Several friends and I have been playing a game of sorts on the river for a very long time. It is a game that nobody wins and a game nobody loses. It's a game of the mind and one that takes some practice as well as a good poker face. It's a game that you often don't know you are playing. It's a game where you hope the other guy doesn't know he's playing.It's a game that can agitate and infuriate, it can also make you laugh. The rules are simple, be very vague about where you are catching fish.I won't say we lie per se but we do embellish(bad spots) or down play(good spots)as the case warrants.

On a river like the NU,where runs are so visible it is hard to hide from your buddies that know you and where you like to fish. We all know when something is working for one of us when we see him in XYZ pool off and on for a week straight. But upon further inquiry around the dinner table later when asked what's going on in XYZ pool, the person that has been caught will say something like "Yeah, I've been in there a little but but they don't live in there like they used to, it's really filled in". This could mean one of two things, he's been rippin um in there or they don't live in there like they used to and it's really filled in, it just took a week for him to find out that info. Now you can always go and see what it looks like and make that determination for yourself or believe the person.

Trying to fish the runs you like, trying to keep hush hush about what's working, and keeping an eye on where your buddies are fishing,and fishing consistently becomes a real circus.This is where the game gets fun. We are all mining for info all the time. We all know the river so well that it doesn't really matter what your buddies say, we will all find fish. But,the thing is we all want to high grade and fish the most productive water we can, especially if we have clients.If I can get some reliable info that will keep me over fish I'll listen and take it. It's deciding what is true and what is a bluff to throw you off that is the game.

I could say I have been doing well in ABC pool on dries and in reality haven't gotten a sniff in weeks in that pool. The pool that really works for me on dries every time is DEF pool.But I ain't telling them that, at least not yet. Maybe in a few weeks when it quits working I will use it to draw their attention off another pool that IS working. Meanwhile, your buddies are doing the same exact thing with you. It's a game to throw everyone off the trail.Pools that are fishing really good need to be fished in a hit and run manner. You don't want to be seen by the bro's in a run too often or it may raise their suspicion that you know something they don't. Trying to keep up with and read between the lines when talking to the boys at night is fun. Sometimes and actually fairly often, truly honest information changes hands. Other times it's complete bull. You become skilled at reading the eyes and facial expressions,looking for that tell, just like poker. We play a lot of poker too so the card game gets taken to the river every day.

In the depths of winter sitting around the wood stove, months after the summer season is over we start to let slip where we were actually catching fish. Things like " You know that run that filled in? I found out where they were in there, way down below where we normally fish and river left off that submerged rock". The rest of us will say, " You dirty dog! We knew you were getting them in there we just couldn't find them"

In reality there are few real fishing secrets between my small group of friends. But there are some, as there should and probably always will be. We all have special places that we go to get away from the crowds.There are still secret places on the river. Places where amazing fish have been caught that were never talked about.....to anyone. Fish that were caught in out of the way places, where no studded boot has stood before. Yes, there are still places like that on the river, many seek them out but few will ever find them.

Meanwhile,somewhere on the shores of the North Umpqua is a small band of brothers, endlessly chasing the now almost mythical fish, and playing The Game.

Goran Anderson

2011-11-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

This has been out a little while but I love what Goran has to say about a lot of things in this video. A very well done piece for sure.

The Art of The Fly

2011-11-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

I have been fortunate over the last couple of years to meet some talented fly tiers. The beauty of their flies and the grace with which those flies fished has really grabbed hold of me. I was never into the real classic spey and salmon flies, just never thought about them much. Sure, I always thought they were pretty to look at and all,I just never got super jazzed about them. Then last year I fished with Ken and Johnathan and the flies they had really spun my head around.These classic flies are just so amazing! My ideas have changed on what the classics were all about. It's more than a fly or art , it's a feeling, even a lifestyle.I finally got the big idea.Holding some of these classic flies in my hand for the first time was an eye opener for sure. The detail and work involved really is awe inspiring.Fish like them too as Johnathan proved last winter with a nice buck.

You don't always have to throw a 6 inch Intruder in the winter people.

This year I met and fished with another great tier named Scott. He confided that he has only been tying this style for a short time. Well, I can't wait to see what he comes up with in a few years cause the stuff he is putting out now is stellar.

He just sent me an early Christmas present and all I can say is WOW!

Here is a sample of some of the flies that he sent. A few of these are getting wet soon!

Thanks to Jonathan, Ken and Scott for showing me that there is true art in these flies, and that steelhead deserve the best!

Here's to bent rods and singing reels this winter!

Unmistakeable Beauty

2011-11-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

The river was deserted.........
I was alone with my thoughts and the unmistakeable beauty that surrounded me. There is no other place on earth like this place. The colors of fall were all around and it was a visual circus for my eyes. Big leaf maple leaves the size of my truck steering wheel were falling all around me like over sized snowflakes on a winters day. It was quiet, eerily quiet. To have this entire river to myself was a treat to be sure. I lazily fished where I wanted. The only goal today was to enjoy this fall wonderland,fish a few runs and head on up the road. I was just passing through on my way home from a work road trip and had a limited window.

I went to high dollar spots and I was rewarded handsomely for my efforts. The first money spot I fished looked good. As I watched my fly disappear and start to probe a submerged ledge, it felt fishy. As the line tightened and started to swing out from under the ledge the line stopped. The new mantra that my buddy Tony has been using and beating into my head is "10ft or 10 seconds" Wait till the fish pulls 10 feet off the reel or let him chew on it for 10 seconds then slam the door. It's a good one to remember and it works.The first option was the one the fish decided to employ and 10 feet quickly melted into 75 as the fish tore out of there in a flash. I could see the fish rolling and tussling at 100 feet and there was no doubt this was a Nostril fish. BIG and BRIGHT and fighting like Frazier kicking Ali's butt in their first meeting. I stuck 3 fingers into the spool of my 4 inch Sharpe's Gordon to try and slow this big boy down. He used every inch of the ring and had me on the ropes a couple times. After he hung my line on a midstream boulder I thought I was done. The line pinned in a crack the fish rolling and tumbling and thrashing the surface. Then without any reason whatsoever he comes loose of the rock and swims back around to fight freely once again. More runs and more digits into the Gordon. A seesaw battle ensues. A classic big buck fight. I have a low rod angle and I start to tire the almost 3 ft long fish. The runs are getting shorter but there is still no way to stop him when he goes. Finally I get him in front of me and I can see his entire body just under the surface. This is one of the elusive Nostril fish, I can clearly see the enlarged nostrils and gator mouth of this impressive male. I can't swing him in to me and he fins in the current just out of reach giving me no quarter. I stare into his eyes and connect with him on a level that can't be explained. This wild creature has given me a memorable fight and I don't even care if I land him at this point. Almost on cue, the hook pulls free and he sinks back into the depths of the pool with a flick of his massive tail. "WOW!, that was cool"! I say to no one in particular. I stand stunned at what has just transpired. After hundreds of steelhead over the last 27 years, the fish that I just hooked was as nice as any I have ever encountered. Just an absolutely gorgeous,big and bright fish that did exactly what he was supposed to. It just never gets old.

Deadline Falls

The second fish was a gem as well and as is always the case in this game, a total surprise.A last pool first cast fish.I get just enough line out to actually turn a fly over and flop it out there. It swings about 15 feet and the line comes tight. Again the 10 foot rule is chosen by the fish and as she tries to leave the park I lift the rod firmly and set the hook in place. Another battle with a beauty of a hen in the 8 lb range. This fight is much quicker but no less spirited. I slow the old Gordon down again with a combination of fingers in the spool and line tensioned against the cork. I love the old reels and this one is definitely not for a beginner. The spring is worn and it has just enough tension to not over run but it is a real free willy kind of reel. I love it. Adds an element of danger if you know what I mean. The fish tires after a quick 2 or so minute battle and I slide her in for a quick picture, leaving this girl in the water. She splashes me with water as she swims strongly away. I feel blessed to have been able to encounter a couple fish on this fall day, each one a gift.

Good fishing,
Mark

Oregon Outback

2011-11-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

Great little video. Nice work from some local boys.

Grand: Steel in the Oregon Outback from Outside Bend Productions on Vimeo.

Lee Spencer, Big Bend Pool

2011-11-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

If you haven't visited with Lee Spencer at the Big Bend Pool on Steamboat Creek, you are really missing out on quite a view. During the summer, Lee might have up to 500 fish under his watchful eye. In years past, this pool was dynamited often for the steelhead; however, since Lee has devoted his time from May until the fall rains come it no longer occurs.

Lee's stay is financed by The North Umpqua Foundation and this is the time of year for their annual fundraising drive. Since what Lee does is important to all of us, please consider sending your tax deductible donation, no matter how large or small to:

TNUF
1224 Walnut St. PMB 310
Roseburg, OR 97470

Or donate online on the Foundation's website: www.northumpqua.org

Water of Love

2011-11-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

Someday baby when the river runs free,gonna carry that water of love to me......

A humorous limerick

2011-10-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

While playing one day on the vice
I came up with a fly that was nice
I used some dog hair
it was sparse but had flair
the head was finished not once but twice

So off to the river I went
to see if my spey could get bent
I arrived at the spot,and believe it or not
where I fish was an old English gent.

The gent was quite nice and named Will
cracked his flask and handed me a swill
it went down real fine, he casted his line
I could see he had more than his fill.

His casts were a total train wreck
he could see they were going to heck
his double was in trouble,his poke was a joke
he ended up with line around his neck

He soon realized he was done
a cast he could not make, even one
so he opted out,thus saving the trout
who were dying of laughter and fun

I watched from the side on the sly
still wanting to fish my new fly
I got on the rock and got quite a shock
when the first cast rose a big guy

I knew right away it was steel
It's weight I wanted to feel
so without a doubt I speyed one more out
trying to fool him and seal up the deal

The cast was right on the mark
he approached the fly like a shark
with a head and tail swirl my reel started to twirl
and then the gears they started to bark

I could tell this fish was real big
you might even call it a pig
he stretched out my line my reel started to whine
I don't smoke but I needed a cig

This fight would be easy to botch
I thought "where is Will and his Scotch"
When out from a tree probably taking a pee
stumbled the old man tuned up a notch

He waded out quite expertly
only once did he drop to his knee
he gave me the flask, I didn't have to ask
took a big pull and said whoopee!

The fish was now growing tired
after the shot I was really quite wired
I gave him a ride he rolled on his side
I told Will "tail him right now or your fired"

The old man moved like a cat
grabbed the tail of the fish no time flat
he twisted the fly and we both said bye bye
have you ever heard a story like that?

The moral of the story is clear
Sometimes scotch is better than beer
If you meet an old man, he may have a plan
and you might end up giving him a cheer

Eastern Oregon Splendor

2011-10-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

Love this, a little cast and blast........nice job Marty and Co.

Eastern Oregon Splendor from marty sheppard on Vimeo.

Natural Barriers

2011-10-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is Tokatee Falls, the historical natural barrier to upstream steelhead migration on the North Umpqua. I was in the area working yesterday and went in to take a peak. It's much nicer to look at than a concrete dam.

I can only hope in my lifetime, that we once again see steelhead in the spawning rich gravels of the upper river and running all the way to this impressive natural barrier.

The Gift

2011-10-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

The Pursuit

The Gift

The surface of the mirror smooth pool is broken without warning. The early dawn shutters and shakes itself to life as the movements that happen under the cover of darkness now become visible and audible.The very real presence of a steelhead is made known with the unmistakeable head and tail roll of a newly arrived, active, and happy fish. We are first into the run and anticipation is high. This fish will most likely eat a swinging fly and after years of fishing this pool and seeing these early morning antics countless times, I can hardly contain myself. The wading out to the casting station is some of the most treacherous anywhere in the world. Trust me on this one. The water is up 4 inches or so making every step that much more difficult.The North Umpqua is particularly hairy wading anyway, but getting out to this run is in a class all by itself. A series of steps and moves that cross deep channels while balancing on precarious bedrock and walking along barely submerged reef. The direction of travel is evident by the path made from thousands that have made their mark on these rocks before.The lighter colored scars showing well worn foot steps from the studded boots that have become our lifeline.This subsurface trail wanders out to mid river like a drunken sailor. This path is not at all straight and takes advantage of any flat or shallower spot to make the journey easier. This is a commitment to be sure but it is part of the challenge that makes this river so fun. There is nothing easy here.But the fish are here and it often rewards the diligent and persistent, and so we go.I manage to get my dude out to the spot without either of us swimming which is always a good way to start. I hate an early morning bath is 45 degree water.

The line from the first cast unfurls and hits the water. Even though the line lands softly, it is almost as if a bomb went off as the line sends concentric rings ever outward, disturbing a once placid surface.Successive casts put the fly into the zone of the usual first fishes lie, and where I believe our early morning riser is calmly laying.The mend is right and the drift is good. As the fly comes through slow and steady and enters the fishes holding lie,a slight tightening of the line and small pluck are all that registers on the line and rod. "That was him" I say quietly. I am answered with "Do they grab it that softly"? "Sometimes even softer" I say. Another few drifts through and the same pluck, almost more of a kiss happens again. We change flies and try to get a solid commitment out of the fish to no avail. This fish would not move aggressively to the fly so we went in search of another. This experience at this run will be saved in the super computer of my mind and will go in with all the other calculations and observations that I am constantly rolling around in my mind. Every one of these experiences is more information complied on the ever elusive and unpredictable quarry we chase.There is more than one way to count success in my book and hooking every fish I go up against is not the measure I use.

Then I got to thinking......Having one of the last really healthy wild fish rivers on the planet to pursue these fish is a gift. Every wild fish encountered here is a gift and this last trip really hammered that point home to me.In fact every part of the fishing experience on this river is a gift. It's a gift to be able to RUN up and down her banks. It's a gift to be able to SEE her in her fall beauty, leaves brilliantly colored in the afternoon sun. It's a gift to be able to HEAR the raven call from on high as he rides the canyon wind. The water ouzel and the otter, the beaver, heron and eagle are just some of the gifts you see on any given day.All of the senses come alive as you ply her waters and the overwhelming feeling of being very small and insignificant take over. It's an amazing place to steward and support, full of gifts to be unwrapped as they show themselves daily. The fish are but a few of the many treasures on this river.

I thank God daily for the gifts He has given me......my wife, my kids, my extended family and friends. I am thankful for health and prosperity and the ability to enjoy what He has created for us.

Wherever you fish.......look for and appreciate the gifts you find and remember who the gift giver is.

Neil Young and The International Harvesters

2011-10-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

Down By The River from the new album Treasure by Neil Young and The International Harvesters.......So good!

The Season

2011-10-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

The Klamath River, running through the rugged Northern California mountains, used to hold the fourth largest population of salmon and steelhead in the world. Every year millions of fish would surge up stream. Now, over fishing, agriculture, and bad politics have taken their toll, and the once great runs are not only diminished, they are mostly gone. To many fly fisherman, the Klamath might as well be dead. But angler Ryan Peterson has heard rumors that during the winter, a run of massive steelhead creep upstream unnoticed. Is it a good yarn or is it real? This season Ryan wants to find out. The search for the ghost run begins.

The Season Episode 2.8...Lewis and Clarke from Fitz Cahall and Bryan Smith on Vimeo.

The Long Line Collective

2011-10-03T17:06:00.001-07:00

A bunch of great contributors on this new blog.....should be a fun one to follow. The wheels are just starting to turn on this, about 10 posts so far. I am fortunate and humbled to be able to post on this new blog from time to time.

Rail Against The Darkness is an exceptional post with outstanding visual imagery by my friend Alexander Grant.

Check it out here-The Long Line Collective

A New Motivation

2011-09-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a nice long weekend on the river. Camping and hanging around with the family was so cool. We hiked, we fished, we laughed, we relaxed. It was campfires and Coleman lanterns, BBQ's and birthdays, good friends and good times. It was wet clothes and sandy shoes. It was a snug sleeping bag to roll into at night, fighting off the coming fall chill. It was hoody time at last and it was a blast!

Fishing was slower but it doesn't matter as much as it used to. As my little ones grow bigger every day,I have new motivation to be on the river. It's the motivation to raise my kids the way I was raised, outdoors having fun and exploring.Getting dirty and taking chances.Learning and growing.

Watching my youngest at 4 years old, actually making some very serviceable casts in real world fishing conditions, where there was a chance to catch a fish was nothing short of spectacular. He is a Stangeland for sure. His natural abilities and careful observation of both his mother and me fishing has not been wasted. He has the gift. My daughter hasn't shown the interest yet but that's fine. If she want's to fish she can. She is a hoot to be around and watching the two of them tear up the river finding every crawdad and salamander is a joy to watch. Often it's more fun than fishing and I join them on the banks making new discoveries like it was the first time.

Picking up and laying down 35 feet with the Switch and a skater

Serious concentration

Twitchin a skater(watch your Mom son, she's dialed)

An 11ft 7wt Switch rod is really a perfect spey tool in a 4 year olds hands

(Don't scratch the Hardy!)

Keep it up and someday you can throw some string like your Uncle Jeff

Super Serious-yeah right!

All In (Pushing The Limit)

2011-09-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

The motor on the sled coughs twice and then fires. It's 7:00 pm on Friday night and after a rather hasty drive down to Macks Canyon, my good buddy Tim and I have committed ourselves to driving the sled down river and finding a camp in the 20 minutes or so of remaining light. We are pushing the limit, but we have done this many times before. We know every rock in this section and where the water flows and exactly where we need to be.....and right now we need to be down river QUICK! Oh yeah, there are about 10 sled trailers in the lot and more floaters rigs and trailers than you can shake a stick at. Right out of the box it doesn't look promising to find a camp anywhere in the first 3-4 miles. We run wide open past camp after camp as the darkness starts to close in.We pass several marginal camps and cash all our chips in and gamble for a lower camp.....it's gonna be tight. We round the corner above our desired location thinking surely we have a winning hand.Slowing slightly in the fading day,we strain to see boats,lights or some color from tents or camps. As the camp comes into view, our worst fears are realized.It's fully loaded up on both sides! Dang, this could get ugly. With scant minutes of safe running conditions the throttle is twisted to the limit with renewed vigor.Tim banks the boat and powers through a class 3 drop at bone jarring speed. Fishermen and rafters, sitting down for their evening meal look up in surprise as we leave a vapor trail down the center of the river. We have an ace in the hole and a card or two up our sleeve but were gonna need a good river card. And we get it. At the last possible minute,the sled slides into the sandy beach of a primo unoccupied camp.We both breathe a silent sigh of relief while still maintaining our poker faces. Comments like "That wasn't too bad' and "I knew we would find a spot" are softly spoken....but we both knew we pushed a big stack of chips and we were All In on this night. And the gamble paid off.

We awake to what I can only describe as pandemonium. Sleds going upriver, sleds going down river, guide boats with 6-8 side planning gear guys,spey guys, hunters... a total zoo. We sit in camp and watch the debacle. We are in no hurry to join the boat races this morning and we calmly sit and map out a plan. When we finally jump in the boat to fish we are in no particular rush. We have no idea where we are even going. We take off up river and then start passing the hordes of early floaters that are moving camp. Really, never seen anything like it down there. It seems as if everyone that lived within a 1000 miles had just bought a new pontoon boat, drift boat, sled or other floating device and all of them decided to come and try them out this weekend. I have never seen so many boats of all kinds that were on their maiden voyage.

Despite the traffic, we found willing fish in almost every run we fished. The fish were happy and real players. I had more than a few fish raise multiple times and never even needed to change flies. I just kept sending the same skater through and eventually they would hammer it. The first fish I hooked was a first time,no messing around, zone in on it with lazer lock precision and kill the fly with a full head and beaver tail slap. No waiting for the weight of the fish, it was a solid eat and instantaneous Hardy paying out kite string like it was going out of style. A perfect wild Deschutes buck of about 8 lbs. Not a mark on him and just barely getting rosey.I rose one 5 times last night that I finally got to go and he ate with an amazing broadside flourish that left me shaking. Watching a fish that you have risen multiple times finally commit and eat is a chess match that never gets old. Each drift into the zone brings an excitement that I will never outgrow.Then seeing the entire body of an almost 30 inch fish pounce on the fly is almost indescribable. Those of you who know, well you just know. I got another beautiful wild hen this morning that again ate with an aggressive, vicious rush at the fly after several rises. She made strong powerful runs and did everything she was supposed to do.

I am a firm believer in showing the fish something different and with all the flies and gear these fish were seeing, the surface presentation just seemed to be the ticket for us. Tim's experience mirrored mine and he hooked and landed a few nice fish as well with multiple players along the way. Not bad fishing for the crowded conditions and the short time we were there. I think we moved 10-12 fish in a couple days and actually hooked 6-7 of those. Landing them all is secondary to me.

It's always an exciting time anytime you can get out on the river. We slept under the stars and waning half moon with no tent. We fished the method we wanted to with single handed rods and long belly steelhead taper lines. We didn't let the crowds get to us and just fished new water when we were forced to. I hooked fish in a couple places I never have, exploring those places we always looked at but never tried. It was a great trip.

Sometimes you gotta push your chips in to the middle and hope your hand develops as those last cards hit the table.This time it paid to gamble.

Good fishing

Dancing a skater through the riffle water

If you know this run you know it's good

Homeward Bound

Reflections

2011-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

I have been traveling a lot for work and fishing when I can. I get to see some amazing country in my REAL job.I am thankful to God who made made it all. It never fails to amaze me how awesome the Northwest is.

Here are some recent pictures, enjoy!

Dog Days

2011-08-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

Rudy always has to be by my rod.This time it was up on a rock that was 10 ft above the water. I turned around to see him up here watching me fish. Still don't know how he got on this rock. Look at it next time if you know where this is.

Best fishing dog I know

I just got back from an extended session on the river that included guiding, personal fishing, poker, and some other general tomfoolery that accompanies the Dog Days of August on the river. Overall, fishing was typically tough but consistent and productive if you covered some water. I had action on every session out with some notable risen fish and memorable hookups.I batted a thousand in getting fish for all my clients the days I worked which is always a bonus. It doesn't always work that way.

All of those pale in comparison to the experience my buddy had. Brett has been hanging around the boys on the NU for 5-6 years now and he has definitely been paying attention! His casting and overall fishing prowess has improved dramatically since he first plied these waters. He has been a great student and has gotten a lot of tips from myself as well as a few grizzled veterans that have been fishing here seemingly since time began....you know who you are. Anyway, I want to relate this story because I want to highlight some key elements that make it so awesome.

So, Brett shows up and we fish together the first night. We raise a fish or two( I rose one 8 times that never ate) and have a blast hanging out and fishing together. I then guide for a couple days and don't see him much except at night. He has been hard at it, raising fish but no hookups. He raises a fish in a run at last light and puts it to bed. He tells me later that it was a way above average specimen. He watched as the whole side of the fish slowly came out of the water and missed the fly. It will be rested and ready in the morning and Brett has that fish and only that fish on his mind at dinner.He is present with us but I can tell that he is drifting away to that happy place where big fish hit skating flies and stick. I am right there with him after hearing his story of the first encounter.

Early in the AM he is gone. Gone to do battle with a fish that has captured his mind and full attention. I know the drill. He is rehearsing the whole scenario out in his mind as he drives like Mario Andretti to get to the run before someone blows his chances for a rematch. He arrives at the run to find that at least that part of the battle is won and he is the victor. He makes his way out to the casting station, knowing that now the run is his and he can have first shot at a fish that, if approached properly and carefully will almost certainly eat a fly today. The first time through he fishes a skating fly. As the fly enters into the window where he showed himself the night before, the anticipation,adrenalin and emotion of seeing that fish at any moment are so strong it's almost debilitating. It is hard to explain the feeling of knowing where a big fish is, fishing a surface fly closer and closer to his lie and trying to keep it together and still cast. The sense that something is about to happen is overwhelming.Every drift you are mentally calling the fish to make an appearance. As you get closer, you obsess with cast angle,mending, and swing speed. You wonder if he just may have left the run. Maybe I passed by him already, maybe he's not in the mood today, I'm never gonna get this fish to eat etc etc........and then WHOOSH! There he is! Your knees shake your breath gets shallow and uneven, you start to sweat, your head pounds with the beat of your heart which you are sure is on a PA system blasting over the entire river, announcing to the world that you just rose a fish. But the stillness of the morning is not disturbed in the slightest. You ask yourself," Did I just see what I think I saw?" Was that him?

Brett regains his composure after the fish is raised the first time. OK, he's still in there and he is still BIG! He changes flies to a traditional wet fly and sends it through.He waits like a coiled spring for the tug that never comes.....nothing doing. He changes flies again, a dark muddler of some sort. Same song third verse......nothing happens. A different wet fly nada. Back to a skater.......WHOOOOOOOOSH! but no eat. All told 6 fly changes and back to a purple Muddler.He actually hung up and broke off two flies on the shallow bedrock during this whole scene. He started to loose it, things were falling apart but he got his head back together and kept after it.Now he is pumped with adrenalin,furious that he has to retie a fly,doubting his chances all the more as the minutes tick by. He stays with it.

He shortens up and works his way down to the fish, more or less thinking that this fish just took him to school and it ain't gonna happen. The size 6 Muddler swings lazily across the current going exactly where the rod and the one directing it tell it to. Now this fish has seen an armada of flies come over it's head in the last 15 minutes. Why this fly is any different,who's to say. But it is. With shocking intensity and amazing power and speed, a mid teens buck absolutely hammers the fly going away and it's GAME ON BABY! Brett's 11 ft 7wt switch rod suddenly feels very inadequate as the fish uses every ounce of strength, current and ledge rock to his advantage, leaving little room to counter any of his moves. There is no moving this fish whatsoever in the strong current of this mid river run. If the fish leaves the pool there is no chasing it. They slug it out for a round or two and then with a couple of head shakes and a flip of the tail, the fish does what a fish of this size can and will do. Take you to school. In and out of the ledge rock, a tug of war battle royal ensues. And then just to prove a point and have the last laugh the fish bolts for the back door, wedges the line in the ledge rock, promptly snaps the fly off and leaves Brett a quivering, shaking,hyper-adrenalized shell of his former self.

That's why we fish.

He later told me,that particular fish was easily the most satisfying fish he has ever matched wits with. It all started with a chance encounter.That was then followed by a chess match which was followed by a 15 round tittle fight where only a knock out will win. It's OK if the fish wins
As one of the people that has watched Brett become an amazing caster and fisherman in a very short time I was proud to see that he stuck with this fish. Despite obstacles both mental and physical he played the game that very few can. It was a well planned hunt from start to finish.He kept it together and sealed the deal and got this fish to go. He knew early on in the fight that landing the fish was probably not an option but he still tried.Very admirable buddy, nice job! His success always encourages me.

I never landed a fish in the 3 or 4 days I fished but that fish was in my mind for most of the time I was down there. In fact it still is.

That was a fish we can all share in.....won't you join me?

Brett finding some shade

Am I The Only One?

2011-08-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

So I had the extreme honor and privilege to guide country great Dierks Bentley last week. What a hoot! He had a few hours to fish before he had a night show at the Douglas County Fair. He wanted a small taste of the goods and he knew that catching a steelhead on the spur of the moment was probably not gonna happen. He didn't care.For him, it was a chance to jump in the old Jeep CJ that he tows behind the tour bus and flee the "scene" for a while. He just wanted to see the river,get in the water and see what all this steelhead talk was about.We met in the early afternoon and it was warm enough so he just wet waded. He was a good caster and he covered some nicely shaded water in the small window of time we had. The fish were not willing but we had a great few hours together in the beauty of the river I love....I think he loves it now too!A super down to earth guy that couldn't have been nicer. Just a regular guy who just happens to be super talented in the music department.

DB cooling his heels and looking for steel

He generously invited my family and I( who were all on the river camping) to the show and took care of all the arrangements. He got us reserved seats down front and we were treated to an absolutely killer show! A great showman and singer he had the rowdy Douglas County crowd whipped into a frenzy in short order.He has a very tight band that was high energy and very animated. They were all having a great time up there and obviously love what they are doing. I was surprised when after the show, he invited us all on the bus where we met the band and just hung out with them for about 45 minutes. We were the only ones on the bus besides the band despite the hundreds of rabid fans still trying to get him to come out. We felt pretty privileged to be there that's for sure. It was just so cool. He gave my kids a tour of their rolling home which was quite impressive. They will never forget it that's for sure. I can't say enough about how humble and mellow Dierks and the whole band were. They made us feel right at home and were in no hurry to see us leave.But, eventually we had to go as they were heading North for another show and were heading out soon. My son wanted to ride in the bunk bed to Lake Chelan. We dragged him off the bus. An amazing night of fun!

In his element

Hanging in the bus

An awesome dude with his two newest fans.

Now to the fishing. As is typical for August it was tougher fishing for sure. I of course was fishing dry lines and dry flies and a muddler or two and couldn't get a sniff for a day and a half. I didn't fish super hard, and was enjoying some time running with the family. It was fun to watch my wife fish and try not to be a guide while I watched her. She is a great fly fisher and I wanted to see her get one.

Getting cool

Best

Watching mom skate a dry

EAT IT WOULD YA!

Such sweet water

More beautiful water

How nice is that?

450 fish up at Lee's

Best seat in the house

Shoot!

Debi fished hard in the afternoons and didn't get a sniff. I rose a fish one morning and then got one to go on a dry this morning. Despite heavy pressure on the river, I slipped right in to a spot that is often overlooked. It is a very difficult place to fish but it works and it didn't disappoint today.It was a way cool take. I watched as the fish moved from his lie and slowly circled the fly and then lazily grabbed it of the surface and went back to his lie. It happened so slow I actually let him almost get back to where he was sitting before sticking the hook in him. After a quick tussle,I released a nice buck. A great long weekend and I am feeling very blessed to live where I live and have the family that I do. Making memories can be very fun.

A Great Exchange

2011-08-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

So, the other night I show up at a favorite run and am gearing up. I am alone in a spot that has access to 3-4 killer runs.The sun has shaded the water and it's GO time. A car rolls in and parks next to me. A fellow fisherman.The guy sees that I am wadering up and he comes over to chat.

" Are you gonna fish XYZ pool?" He politely asks.

I say " I'm gonna be a minute getting ready,feel free to fish anything you want" and "Hey,thanks for asking"

He says"Well you were here first"

I say "Seriously, go have at it man,there's lots of places to fish."

"Are you sure?" He asks again.

"Yes,I am sure." I say.

Just then a guide friend of mine rolls in with clients and says to me"Hey, did you fish the lower end?"

I say " No, it's all yours, no one has touched it since it shaded." He nods his approval, says "Thanks" and heads down the road to ZYX pool and is gone.

I exchanged a few more pleasantries with the first angler who then went into an upper run and he was gone. I decided to leave him the middle water as well and I got in my car and drove away with a smile on my face.
I felt good about what just went down. I met a cool dude and potential friend in the first angler and the guide was a good friend already yes, but that stuff comes back around so giving him the lower run was a no brainer. I just gave up all freshly shaded unmolested water and really didn't care. I'm serious, I didn't even flinch. I guess I have learned a few things since I was a kid. There was no stress, no competition, no angst. I was confident that I would find a fish somewhere else.....and I did.

Now I mention this incident because as I grow older and hopefully wiser I really don't care near as much as I used to about fishing any one run.I fish the whole river,letting it dictate where I go, not peoples attitudes on the river,good or bad. Having a Plan A-Z is a good thing on this river. You can't be a one trick pony. I don't care how crowded it is, I can always find somewhere to fish. I want to have a good exchange with the people around me.Things go smoother that way. I know the river too well to get mad about not getting every pool I want every time.I almost had to laugh as I thought about talking with the first angler and almost arguing over who could have the water. It reminded me of that cartoon with the those little chipmunks.Remember "After you sir" "Oh no I insist, you first" Oh I couldn't possibly go first, you must go first"

I found my way to another stretch of prime water that was amazingly open. I fished through a series of runs with nary a person in sight, anywhere. I fished a skater with confidence as the water has finally dropped into reasonable shape and I could wade around without swimming. As I got into the "sweet water", just as I was stepping down, I saw and felt the object of my pursuit as it solidly grabbed the swinging skating fly. If I had stayed where I was one more second before stepping down I would have pinned this fish I think. But as I moved down and gave ground to the fish as it ate, I never got a solid hook into him and the fish plucked the fly solidly and was quickly gone. I was OK with that.I rose a fish to a skater and it ate it, I just couldn't seal the deal.

What a great night! It is August, I am fishing a dry line and skater, I am working the kinks out on a new rod and liking it. I am healthy and wealthy in family and friends, fishing the river that I love....what could be better?In addition,I had a very positive exchange with some fellow fisherman out enjoying the resource. Just a perfect night all the way around.

In conclusion I will say this: Please be courteous and respectful out there when you fish. Talk to people, see where they are fishing. Don't crowd or push people around. Also on that note,don't hold water etc. If you are in a run, FISH IT.! Don't stand around waiting for it to shade etc. It's all about timing get there at the right time and you are golden.

The experience I had mirrors one of the reasons that I love the river. People that fish here are by and large friendly and ethical. The North Umpqua is still a place where history and tradition run deep. Let's all help to keep it that way forever.

There is so much more to this game than the catching!

Shwing!

2011-07-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

The water was up significantly again yesterday as well as having a decidedly dirty twinge to it.Despite these less than favorable conditions , I got this boy to go. He took me to the rodeo and I used all my skill,fast footwork and wading abilities to land him. He fought exactly like a fish of this size and condition should fight......lights out! He stayed in the water for the most part,jumping only once,but tried to leave the pool on several of his powerful runs into the main current. The strength of some of these early fish rivals any I have encountered.

Maybe summer will show up soon,on this river............... it could still be awhile.

Trey Combs

2011-07-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

A great opportunity to meet a legend. Here is something I would like to pass along from steeliemikes blog:

Trey Combs this Weekend

Over the last year I have been fortunate enough to be able to have dinner with one of the legends of fly fishing here in the Northwest, Trey Combs. This weekend you can meet him and the rest of the grungy old dogs from the Steelhead Underground. Stop by the Drift on Main Street in Klickitat, Washington on Saturday July 23rd and meet him in person. You will even find Klickitat has a great new coffee shop filled with steelhead and trout flies. Trey will be there having lunch and signing a few books between 10am until 2pm.

This is a great opportunity to pick his brain about steelheading and atlantic salmon fishing around the world. Hell I hear he also knows a thing or two about those saltwater creatures on the fly as well.

Bad Cast=Good Result(Ya just never know)

2011-07-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to mix a little business with pleasure this week. I actually had legitimate work looking at the transmission corridor that runs above the North Umpqua from Soda Springs to Dixon. Rugged country is an understatement. I hiked in to the lines behind Bogus Creek Campground and looked at a section that had been worked recently by the tree crews. I took a shot or two from this unique perspective of a couple of classic runs.

Archie and Lower Archie from on high

So after I got my exercise in stomping around in the hills, I of course had to wet a line......DUH! At this time of year when the water is still so high, I try to think like a fish. Where would I be if I were swimming up this ditch? The popular spots right now are the easy spots to fish and thus everyone is in them. I avoided those places and went to an old familiar spot in the lower river. There was no way I would get out to the heart of the run but I could make it out to a pretty stable area and cast a longer line and cover most of the juicy stuff. I had been fishing a skater earlier in the evening, but my intuition told me sink tip. I stripped out some line to get beyond the boil from the rock we usually stand below. I made one cast and pulled it in"I didn't like that"I said, and set up for another slightly longer version . This second cast was a total train wreck, the line landed with more squiggles than a bowl of spaghetti, along with a huge belly being sucked in and held by the eddy from the rock. Basically the worst cast and placement of a fly as I possibly could have done, just terrible......and then the line went tight and a healthy fish grabbed my misplaced offering and headed for the back door. After a quick but spirited fight, I landed a chrome hatchery hen of about 8lbs. I should have given her the rock shampoo but traveling on the road early the next morning,did not bode well for fish retention at this time. I gave her a reprieve and she swam away strong. I fished a couple more spots, switching back to a dry line and skater on my new switch rod. As I find the button with this rod, I enjoy it more and more. I am fishing an 8 wt Rio Steelhead line on a 7110 Red Truck and I fish it mostly with one hand. It likes a high hard stop and that is what takes some getting used to, arm strength wise for sure. It roll casts like a dream and I just like fishing the longer floating lines on a rod like this. A very good North Umpqua rod if you can master the technique to wield it. I'm working on that, always pushing myself to fish the way I like to fish not always what is easy or popular. Anyone can take a skandi head and chuck it a mile.....not so with the setup I fish. I will be working on it till I am an old man for sure.

Feeling pretty good after having a little action, swinging some skaters around etc.I again went to a spot that was just barely coming into decent shape. I started in way up high wading out to a spot I could get into a little of the deeper water in the main flow. I again opted for a tip in this situation, I just felt confident it was the right thing to do here as well. I fish drylines most of the summer and in these levels have no problem putting a light tip and unweighted fly through to just get into that mid water column. I worked my way down into the lower end just enjoying the run and the rhythm of casting and swinging. I was throwing a nice line and the drifts were on auto pilot. I was getting a slow swing into an area that holds a lot of winter fish as well. The water clarity was good enough to see why they liked it in here. A fast outside current with a mix of plate rock and basketball and bigger sized rocks just inside of that. A great place for a fish to move through quick or rest and hold.

I was about at the end of my casting and wading limit but had enough for a couple more before I called it. I make a nice cast and it hits and starts to swing, tap,tap,tug,tap,tug, I wait for the line to tighten but nothing, tap,tug,OK that's enough of that,time to SLAM THE DOOR! I set the hook after what seemed like an eternity, not knowing for sure if waiting was the right thing to do. I haul back on the rod and half expect the fish to be gone, just a nipper and I missed him, but no, positive vibrations come from the other end as I find myself tied fast to another fish in this short evening outing. This fish is big, wild and not very happy with me. He runs hard and fast all over the pool. I can barely keep up with him. He swims right at me and I struggle to gain line back and keep good tension. He sulks out in front of me but I know he is far from done. I pressure him from the side to get him to budge, he resists and slowly heads out to mid current. I again try to put the wood to him and he pauses for a second and momentarily comes towards me and then he bolts. In the span of 10 seconds he jumps four times, ripped off all my running line and 30 or 40 feet of perfectly good backing. He jumps two more times and makes another run for the tail but I am having none of that. I duke it out with him for another minute or two and get him up to a rod length away and the hook pulls free and he slowly swims off, the victor in this battle. I like it when I don't have to touch them.The ending for me on this night was a perfect ending to a perfect day. And I worked all day too! I don't need to land all of them.

Some ask me if I count the fish I don't land.....some people have different ways of counting things.

A big,wild, North Umpqua buck steelhead at the peak of his strength that just gave you a ride you wont soon forget......I say it counted, oh boy did it count!

You can't get there from here

2011-07-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

I spent a brief few hours on the river and it was awesome as always. The water is still unseasonably high and it appears it will be that way for a while. We are probably about a month off our normal snow melt schedule and as frustrating as it is for wading and fishing, it is a good thing. Water level is close to a 1000 cfs above normal for this time of year. That's a lot of water folks.

I want to be swinging a fly right out there beyond that second boil so bad

A likely looking spot

Looking longingly at favorite runs in the ledge rock that are no doubt holding fish and not being able to reach the casting position was a humbling experience. I am comfortable wading on this river and get to many places before anyone else tries, but I had to admit I was beat.No mater how hard I looked at a spot and rationalized how I could make it to the casting station, the river said "Nice try Skippy, not today!" A little later,as I was trying to get to a spot I had no business going, I fought with the river,I challenged the river to a duel. My passion to get to where I knew fish were holding was clouding my better judgement. I ignored the voice in the back of my mind that said " You're pushing it dude" The river again said "I don't think so" and to emphasize the point, a powerful surge almost took my legs out from under me as I foolishly exceeded my wading limits. I moon walked out of danger and sheepishly headed for the bank. Things can happen so quick in this water and I realized that as much as I wanted to be in control, I was not. There were hidden dangers and forces under this seemingly tranquil surface.I was reminded once again that the river demands respect, no matter how well you know it. It was a good gut check, I should have been swimming, I DESERVED to be swimming.

After looking at,and fishing many of my usual early high water spots, I decided to fish a more popular spot. In fact one of the few places you could wade without swimming, thus the popularity. I watched as 5 or 6 people filtered through the run. Finally, the run was mine, in fact a series of runs were all mine as the groups of anglers that seemed to be everywhere were suddenly gone. It was 7 pm July 7 and the river was mine. I love it when that happens! Even though this particular run had been fished multiple times, I was confident that no one had actually made the proper drift to elicit a grab.I started in at the top of this very tricky run that has no less that 4 different speeds of water. Very fast water at your feet, medium current speed just out from that, a slow almost dead middle seam and a very fast outside current. The trick here is to get your fly to swing in the slower middle current where the fish hold without letting the line get yanked out of there by the close fast current. You need to use the fast speed of the outside current to help straighten things out, then hold line up over the close fast current and raise the the rod, lean and grit your teeth to get a long drift before the inside current catches things and rips it out of there. Line manipulation and management are crucial or you never get a drift anywhere slow enough for a fish to eat it. I start busting some string out and am now casting in the 80ft range. The drifts are sweet. The fly swims slowly in the middle section in perfect drifts and everything feels good. The line tightens agonizingly slow as the head shakes of a very lively summer steelhead start to transfer their wave lengths up the line and through the rod. The rod suddenly corks as the fish turns into the fast water and heads out the back end of the run, getting ready to show me some kite string. As the reel sizzles and my mind fizzles, I try to comprehend what has just happened in the last 30 seconds. The first fish of the year is always a surprise and this was no different. I let the reel spin, not comprehending that I could palm it to slow the fish down. Total mind meltdown as my instincts are not fine tuned like later in the year.And then without warning and as fast as it was on, it was off. It just inexplicably came unpinned. Why does this happen? Who knows and who cares! I just hooked a North Umpqua wild summer run that cleaned my clock and left me shaking and I was loving every second of it,about 45 seconds to be exact. I cranked in my line and looked around. Deserted. No one anywhere in one of the most storied sections of water in all of steelheading. I let out a small whoop as I let the excitement of what just happened wash over me. That feeling will never get old. The feeling of being tethered to a wild swimming creature that you just fooled with a hunk of feathers, with nothing more than a flimsy buggy whip and some string is something you can't describe to people.

The water is high, and the fish are few but if you get out there you just might have an experience that will soothe your soul.

Tight lines and smoking reels

Mark

Shooting Line

2011-07-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

A very easy way to manage a lot of running line(60ft+) with little or no hassles. Notice the hand flip and the second coil is reversed to avoid tangles.

Shooting Line from Alan Maughan on Vimeo.

When it's up, ya gotta get down!

2011-06-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Spent a couple hours on the river swinging some runs yesterday. High water is still the deal right now but fish are starting to show as they always do. Many will take advantage of these conditions and head right up the creek, though apparently the ladder is blocked again. They should get it clear shortly and those early fish will slide in safe at home in Lee's for the summer. Clarity and level made the decision rather easy to put on a tip and something big. The below photo was taken in the Confluence where Steamboat is running clear. Higher water and turbidity from the work at the dam put some color into the upper river and it could be like that on and off throughout the summer months. My fingers are crossed that they don't jack it up too bad.

Texas Flood from SRV just seemed so appropriate with the almost winter levels we are still expeiencing on the river. It is dropping a little all the time but it may be a while before you can easily stroll out to your favorite rock. So until then, rock this!

The Boss

2011-06-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Some great,easy ties for steelhead. In this day and age where multi-station 40 minute flies are becoming the norm,this one ties up easy and will fish as well as any.

Never forget that simple flies are still very effective. Don't over think it too much.These flies tied a little fuller will rock in the higher water that we are seeing right now.

The Fish That Wasn't There(Or Was It?)

2011-06-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

So, I am swinging through a favorite run on my favorite river and I feel the slightest tick on my line, I mean slight. Almost like a leaf hit it or something."Did you feel that"? my buddy asks me. "I felt the tiniest,slightest tick" I tell him. "That was him man" he says. "He picked up the fly and was chowing on it for about 2 seconds."

Amazing that a 10lb fish can go virtually undetected on the end of your line....it happens, often.

Have you ever had that weird feeling on the end of your line that you couldn't put your finger on?

So I have been thinking about this one a lot lately. How often do we have a fish eat our fly and swim with it chewing a bit on it and releasing it before we ever even know what happened. I know it happens way more than anyone might think. I have been watching fish on the North Umpqua do this very thing in various forms for 27 years.The nature of the river is such that these observations can be made often when fishing with a partner. Spotting a fish in a crystal clear pool and KNOWING you are fishing over a fish or two is unique and exciting.I have had the pleasure to watch those fish and their behavior as well as the behavior of those fishing for them. Watching your buddy work down to a spotted fish is always exciting. Watching to see if he feels what you see has been a huge education for me and how to refine my approach. Watching them swing different flies,colors and sizes through a run and watching the fishes reaction is just something that can't be done on the majority of steelhead rivers in the world.

After many years of fishing these same runs we know each fishes lie and the general chances of getting him to eat. We classify runs as "long term parking"(generally deeper and slower) "short term parking"(shallower moving lies) "high rent"(the best spot in a run) "low rent" (the secondary and less optimum spots used when the high rent spots are taken) Knowing where these are and when to be in certain runs depending on fish movement, weather, water temps and levels is incredibly valuable to success on this the "finishing school" of steelhead waters. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but actually being able to put it all together and out think these fish is rewarding beyond measure.

We can spot a fish and often tell by his behavior and where he is in the run weather he is an eater or not. For example,a fish that seems agitated and moving around a lot in his lie is one of those fish. The fish with ADD, he can't stop moving. These are often the aggressive fish that pretty much maul your fly when it gets anywhere in their wheelhouse.There are places where we spot fish and they are in the "taking spot". These are areas where for whatever reason the fish that hold in these lies EAT.There are many factors that determine why these fish do what they do. Lots of watching these behaviors over the years has built confidence in the ways to approach these fish. There are just some spots where you look down and see the fish in a certain spot and say to whoever you are with or to yourself "Ooooh,he's home and he's an eater" More often than not it works.

So, the more you get to know your home river and where fish hold and why they hold there, when you feel that little subtle tick or tug, you will better know when to slam the door and hook and land the fish that to the uninformed and uneducated seemingly"wasn't there".

"Hey man, did you feel that"?

Dec Hogan Summer Spey

2011-06-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Pull

2011-05-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

I was over on my favorite river yesterday.I was trying to catch a salmon down in the lower river and that was my main reason for going. Although I had my fly gear, I was not even gonna try due to the high water and lack of steelhead over the dam. As I was winding my way up out of the fly water I felt The Pull. Before I knew what was happening I was driving into the Camp water,wadered up and walking the trail with my dog to the Boat Pool.The Pull was strong and I always feel it at this time of year. This time it surprised me, kind of caught me off guard. The Pull is always there, just waiting to come to the surface when seasonal changes and run timings align. I listen to The Pull when it comes and follow it where it leads me.

The Pull of a river and a fish that is stronger than my will to fight against it. The Pull of something inside me that instantaneously rearranges my priorities for the next 6 months. It's all consuming and all encompassing. It defines me at my core. The Pull is undeniable,unstoppable.You can try to run from it but it will tackle you from behind and throw you down.Once summer steel are around,I can't go through even an hour of the day without my mind drifting to the crystal waters,ledge rock pools and glassy tail outs where I first experienced The Pull.

I fished the Boat pool with confidence, it felt good to get back into the rhythm of casting and stepping, searching, probing for that early season fish that can often be the hottest fish of the year. I fished through the pool and felt good that I listened to The Pull even though there was no reward this time around. For me, The Pull is linked to experiencing God's creation and it comes directly from Him. As I go through life, I listen to The Pull of the one that created all things, knowing that everything good,beautiful, and worthy comes from Him. The Pull is all about Truth.The Pull is not only about the river and fish, it is living with the knowledge that we all are created for a unique and special purpose and we need to live that out everyday. Time is short here on this earth, we are but a mist.

I wish all of you a great year of summer steelheading and I look forward to fishing with some of the great friends I have made over the years.

Pink Floyd Spey

2011-05-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

The music on this "how to" is way cool....the fly rocks as well!

Getting close to zero hour now people.

Basic Spey Fly from The Angler's Net on Vimeo.

Golden Eagle Banding

2011-05-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to participate in something very cool yesterday. I have a friend that is a raptor biologists who works all over the state on various projects involving many different species of birds. He works with everything from Spotted owls on the Warm Springs reservation to Bald and Golden eagle nest surveys to the impacts of wind farms on various falcon and hawk species.He is also a licensed to band birds and is one of the few in the state that is allowed to get up close and personal with these majestic birds.He needed to band a Golden Eagle yesterday. Rick invited us to go along and thought it would be a great opportunity for the kids to see the whole process so, my wife and I brought them along.

The nest was situated around 100 feet off the ground up on a cliff and there were two young eagles in the nest. Rick(our biologist friend) has a rock climbing son named Nate who has been helping out his dad since he was 6. An expert climber who is also very knowledgeable on the handling of these large birds. You get onto a thin ledge with a couple of Golden eagles inches away and things can get interesting real fast. You better have your skills in order!Jasper his brother, is also an expert climber and bird handler and was up top as well assisting with the gear and rope set up. It's a family affair for Rick as his wife is also a biologist and his two daughters have helped,held and assisted Rick with hundreds of birds over the years.They would both be at the bottom ready to assist with the documentation and other data that needed to be collected.Anyway,Nate went in above the nest and rappelled down onto the cliff ledge. He quickly banded the smaller bird where it was and put the larger bird in a protective pack and lowered her down the cliff to us.

When I say young eagles,I mean 1 month old birds which are anything but small. These birds are near fully grown with nearly 6ft wingspans already and powerful strength. They just can't fly or know how to use their talons quite yet, a good thing. The talons on even these young birds are truly awesome and bigger than my hand. So,they got a hold of the bird and put a leather hood on her to calm her down while they took some blood,measurements,and attached a leg band and a small satellite receiver to her. The receiver would be used to track her movements and gain valuable territory info. The whole process from start to finish from nest to nest,was only about 30 minutes. The eagle was placed back into the nest next to her sibling and we quickly vacated the premises to avoid bothering the birds further. The kids had a great time and got to see up close one of God's magnificent creations in a way that few ever will.

It was an amazing experience!

My daughter holding the wing of a 1 month old Golden eagle.Rick is holding the bird!

A beautiful bird

Golden eagle talons are truly awesome! Lucky she doesn't know what she can do with them yet

Nate on the cliff where the nest was,Jasper and Nuca look on.

Tim, Ricks partner,getting ready to bag this girl up and send her back to the nest

Umba Salmon

2011-05-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

Great film from the Kola Peninsula.....I got to get there.

Salmon Raw from Kåre Lundquist on Vimeo.

The Natural

2011-05-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

Took my son down to Steelhead falls today to see if the big bugs were out.There were a few around and I hooked a couple nice fish. We were just screwing around and I really had no intention of letting him cast,thinking he was just a little too young still. The rod I had was too big for him I thought, he just turned 4. So I am casting away and he comes over and says"Hey, when can I fish" I thought about it for a second and said "Right now" and handed him the rod not really expecting him to do much with it. I was casting an 11'6" Forecast 6/7 with a SA short head and a big Chubby Chernobyl. I held my hands over his and showed him the motion and what to do for maybe 30 seconds.He then said " Get out of the way Dad, I know how to do it" The video below is not the best but it shows what he did as soon as I stepped out of the way. He was easily overhead casting 30+ ft including leader.Being able to use two hands made casting much easier for him being so small. He had no trouble pivoting that rod around and giving it a forward push making some very serviceable casts right out of the gate. I was kind of blown away. He will be able to cast much earlier using two hands then waiting to get strong enough( and coordinated enough)to fish with one hand. Game on Baby!

He has messed around one other time on the lawn with a rod of mine,but this is the first time he has ever had a spey rod in his hands with fly on in a fishing situation.As I watched the Chubby skate along on a tight line, I immediately thought of several places on the North Umpqua where he had enough line out to get the up close fish. This boy is gonna catch a steelhead long before he is probably even 6 at this rate.

I couldn't be prouder!

GBS

2011-05-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Just about that time! Here is a great how to on tying one of the classic flies in all of the steelhead world. I bet if you kept one of these flies on all season and fished it exclusively, you would do just fine.

One of these years, maybe I will do that experiment, it's just so hard not to put on a dry.

The Dean River Chronicles Part 7( "The One",and Jamming at the Jam Hole)

2011-05-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

The dry fly action at Giants was off the hook(at times,literally) that second year as I related in my last post. But "The One" came out of Giants on a sink tip and a black A-leech. After raising what we thought was every fish in the pool, I decided to get down and see if maybe one stayed,deep not wanting to play our little surface games. I started in the lower end of the run off the sandy beach. Starting in short, I knew I wasn't gonna make it too far. I actually made it farther then I thought I would,getting 45ft of line out or so. I stepped down and started to wonder if anything was going to eat. The next cast about mid swing, I feel a fish lightly pluck the fly, I do nothing as an eternity goes by. Slowly the line tightens and the slow steady throb of a heavy fish makes it self known. There is no line blistering long runs from this one, as I settle in and make a stand for a fight with what I assume is a large buck. Don't get me wrong, this fish is pulling and taking line,it's just staying deep and wallowing around like a pig. No jumps, just those slow powerful runs where you can do nothing to slow or turn the fish. The fish is just oblivious to my presence all together. I fight the fish for about 5 or 6 minutes and Tim comes over to see what the heck's going on. "You gonna land that fish today"? he says, ribbing me. "I'm trying to, it won't move" At that point, the fish rolls up on the surface and we see just what we are dealing with. An enormous HEN! She seems ready to give us a look after a couple more short bursts. I finally land the hen of my dreams, a 37x21 inch specimen that made me gasp for air. A few different weight formulas puts that in the high nineteen lb range.(19.8 on one) Who cares, it was the biggest hen I had ever seen! That song Lola went through my mind.....looked like a women but fought like a man oh my Lola, Lo Lo Lo Lo Lola. Just a slab.

The last good Giants story of that trip involved Tim once again. Just before we were about to leave, Tim decided to run through with the dry one last time to see if he could pull one more up. He starts in at the bottom of the riffle, just where it starts to get deep.He is waded in to his stomach and is trying to reach a far seam where we have seen some fish roll. He starts to get a couple casts over there and when he finally hits the seam, a hot little lady climbs on and as has been the drill, SMOKES his reel. After the initial run, the fish is one the other side under the trees, Tim side pressures the old 1920's perfect and put's the brakes on. The fish is having none and with a powerful burst starts to put the after burners on, thinking about leaving the park. Right about then, the screw on the old Hardy spool breaks and pops off into 3-4ft of water. Tim is waded in too deep to try and grab the spool so, as he expertly hand lines this still green fish in, he slowly boots the spool into shallower water where he may be able to grab it later. It's all by hand now. He strips in line and the current takes the slack and it dances down the river. The fish runs and those yards and yards of line he just gained are quickly pulled out of the water with a trailing spray as it shoot out the guides in an instant. This sea saw battle continues for a few minutes until Tim decides to start straight lining the fish.These fish are not leader shy and we go beefy. He quickly gains ground,eventually landing the fish with a few more backing and line burns than he started with. Another awesome display of fish fighting skill....cool to watch! Ya gotta do what ya gotta do! And yes he found his spool and retired it for the rest of the trip.We ended up landing a few more on tips but it was time to let the fish be and snap out of the dream like trance we had been in the last few days.

We made our way down to our lower camp below Moose and since it was still late July, we could access the water all the way to the Jam Hole. The Jam Holed is the first place you can fish above the canyon. The power boat deadline goes to that point up until the last day of July. We fished it the last three days of July and to say it was good would once again be a serious understatement. The fish climb the canyon and then rest in this the first pool above. The last hundred or so yards in the very tail is off limits for obvious reasons. This is a place that the guides love because it gets their sports on the board quick.

This was another of those places where you just rotate through because it will be less than 5 minutes and your buddies rod will be bucking and thumping. They come fast and furious here. The fish are super aggressive and bright being scant miles from the salt. Some of the highest jumping fish for sure were taken at the Jam.Some outrageously quick hookups, and easily the fastest I have ever seen 10 or 12 steelhead hooked and landed in my life. Seriously, It would be less than 5 minutes and you would be hooked up. After 4 or 5 a piece we moved along and let some others have at it. We spent probably a little over an hour there.......just stupid good fishing. You actually start to get used to playing super hot,ballistic fish and become somewhat jaded, if that's possible. We knew that we had seen some beyond epic fishing and would draw from those memories many times in later years when we were around "normal" fishing conditions and fish numbers. Those kind of numbers do not always happen on the Dean above the canyon but they can on good years. I think our total number of landed between 3 dudes in 8 days was over 70 fish. A handful of fish in the 35-39 inch range and more mid teens 31-34 inch hens than you can shake a stick at. I can't even count the players, and fish hooked and lost during those days. It was a blurr of jet sleds,whirling whitewater,jumping fish, singing reels and high fives.

I will never forget those days on the Dean.

Oh to be there now......

The Dean River Chronicles Part 6 (Dry Fly Bonanza)

2011-05-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

What follows next is an account of some of the most outrageous and incredible dry fly action I will probably ever see in my lifetime. My words are inadequate to fully describe all that went down but again, I will try.

It was one of those early years, the first year we ran power I believe that we found ourselves on the river in late July. We usually go for that first week in August, but we got an early draw date and said "let's do it". We decided to camp at Eagle and we set up there on the day we flew in. There are 8 permitted days on the river. We always come in a day early to set up and leave a day after the permit expires. That way, when the bell rings on the first permitted day we are fishing instead of setting up boats and camp etc. We then can fish that whole entire last day as well. Then pack it up. We are there to fish not dink around.We can set up a nice camp in a mellow mode on that first day and really get it dialed in. Our camps are top notch with everything you could want. We always bring a chainsaw and have a pile of wood at all times. Fire is good on the river! In addition, now that we were running power, we had the ability to set up fewer camps. We settled on two camps. One in the upper river above Moose rapids and one below Moose down in the Shannons/Homestead area. This allowed us to fish up and down river from each camp covering a ton of water, We basically covered every inch of water from Swan run all the way to the Jam Hole at the top of the canyon. We would return to favorite runs and fish them multiple times a day if we wanted to. The jet opened up so many possibilities and increased our time in productive water. It was also incredibly fun to be ripping around on this technical river chasing steel. The upper river is a cardiac arrest at almost every turn, while the lower river is much bigger water and what we called the "super highway".....cool running's mon! Getting in the sled every morning and shredding to a favorite run was a huge part of the excitement of the trip. You know, that whole getting there is half the fun line? Sorry, drifted off a little there.

So, most of the lodges and guide operations in the upper river don't start up until the first of August. We had a couple of days before we would see any one else up this high. No other DIYS'ers were coming in until around the first as well. We had the entire upper river to ourselves. Now usually, the fish are not up here in great numbers until a bit later. We would soon discover that there was an early push of fish that were inhabiting these upper reaches and it was going to be unbelievable fishing.

We jumped in the sled early on that first day and ripped up to Giants. The run up was a little sketch and we touched a couple rocks, nothing too hard and no damage was done. This was our maiden voyage on the river and we realized that this was no game. We pulled into the sandy beach at Giants to find evidence of tracks everywhere.....fresh Griz tracks! Not a human track or any sign that the guides had even been up there yet. This was a good thing. We anchored and tied the boat off and readied ourselves and our gear for fishing.

Water clarity and flow were perfect. Giants at this point had a submerged bar running down the middle of it with huge chunks of rock and structure. It has since changed and scoured out and the fish don't seem to hold like they used to.Tim steps in at the head of the run with a skater, one of the foam deer hair flies that we had been using with great success since the late 80's.For more info,see my post on The History of the Foam Skater from a while back. Sorry Scott, been there,done that. Anyway, Tim starts in relatively short and starts swinging his fly across the pool. It arcs and darts in the current, pushing water with the short pulses he gives it with twitches of the rod. As the fly gets to the hang down, a huge swirl and toilet bowl flush sinks the fly but no fish. He casts out again with the same length of line and repeats the swing. This time, at mid swing, the nose of a large hen pokes out behind the fly showing herself just slightly. The fly dances across the current and now, still following the fly she takes another swat at it, almost eating it this time but no go. Tim keeps his composure and leaves it alone...easier said than done.The fly is still swinging as she finally commits to the eat and explodes on the fly in a flourish of head,side and tail. This time she is pinned and she wastes no time showing Timmy how his Hardy sounds at 15,000 rpms. This fish digs in and heads for the other side of the river. This became a typical scenario in this run. Hens in the 10-13 lb range that just go mental.At one point this fish is across and upstream of Tim still jumping and porpoising trailing a full fly line and a ton of kite string through heavy water. I can't emphasize the strength and will of these fish enough,truly impressive. After a couple minutes of this, Tim gets the upper hand and tails the fish. A stunning hen of about 12lbs. "I wonder if there are any more like her in there" he says. Guess what? There were!

We fan out in the run jazzed by the display we just saw. Dave and I drop down into the lower part of the run and start fishing, each swinging a dry. The fish are all over the dries as we both quickly hook fish in our piece of the pie. I get two jumps and a head shake out of my first one and it comes unpinned. Dave gets his lunch box handed to him as well,keeping his fish on the line for 30 seconds longer than I. And so it went.The fish were on and we could do no wrong. You would almost be scared to throw the fly out there because of what would happen next. Big, violent splashy rises, full head and tail rises, fish coming clear out of the water to eat the fly, small barely visible takes, lazy trout takes, dorsal exposed, chasing the fly across the pool, shark like takes. This was dry fly fishing like we had never seen. These fish had not seen a fly and to say that they were active was an understatement.After awhile,you EXPECTED to get a rise or show on almost every drift. The anticipation was electric, all three of us locked into a game that we didn't want to end. It was too good to be true, steelhead don't eat dry flies like this do they? We were dumb founded as we continued to raise and hook fish almost unconsciously.

I had a player that would not commit after raising it multiple times.I had a small black comeback fly that I like and wanted to try out on this fish. I had probably rose this fish 8 or 9 times and knew I could get him to eat if I slipped him "little blackie". I shortened up slightly and swung it through, nothing. I gave it a couple feet and repeated the process. I can't explain that feeling of knowing you are about to get your arm ripped off, but I had it now. I tensed up almost leaning in to the swing, trying to react and counter what the fish was going to do before he did it. I knew it was coming and like I said, it was almost scary. Like waiting for an M80 to get to the end of it's fuse and blow. You know the explosion is coming but every fuse is different, it is never the same. The fly swings.......I am tensed up like a coiled spring waiting to strike. And then, it happens! Nothing prepares you for that split second when a lazy, swinging fly is mauled by a mid-teens, chrome, Dean River rocket. The take of this fish is solid and positive. He hammers it like a pit bull on a Chihuahua, pulling the rod tip to the water and instantly spinning the reel at hyper speed. This fish hits the fly going away and I watch once again as line peels off the spool. I almost feel that the gear I have is inadequate for the situation. The runs and rod bending action that follows is violent and unpredictable. I actually say to myself on more than one occasion " There's no way I'm landing this fish" That would be a recurring mantra over the years.These Dean fish are just so unlike any fish I have ever encountered. I know I keep saying that but it's true. I feel at times that I don't even deserve to land a fish of this caliber, this wild creature that has such a dynamic life cycle, it can't be bothered being tethered to a mere string. The hook in its jaw a temporary and mere inconvenience.It fights with the power and determination that brought it up through the canyon, a virtually impassable series of falls, but they make it. Reel, rod, line and angler are tested to the max. Weak links in equipment are quickly found out out by the power of these amazing creatures. Straightened hooks,broken reels,and shattered knots and tippet are but a few ways that these battles can end. And when something gives, like in the case of this particular fish when a knot gave way, I am left quivering and exhausted, mentally and physically spent form the emotion and adrenalin overload that was just coursing through my entire being. I stand in the water, waves lapping at my legs, trying to comprehend what just happened in the last 10 minutes of my life. I have just been bested by one of God's creatures, in a battle I was not meant to win, and it felt good. The chess match that I was just involved in, was a game that I felt at times was brand new. Even though I have landed hundreds of steelhead over the years, I felt strangely unaware of the rules of THIS game. This was a game that made up the rules as it went.....I kind of liked that. It's OK to loose sometimes.

That first morning in Giants alone, I think we landed 14 or 15 fish on dries......that's landed! I would venture that we hooked or rose 35-40 fish total that day. Hard to know how many yanks, plucks,players, rises, and one time charlies etc we had going. Basically, we were in a run with who knows how many rested fish(maybe a pod of a hundred fish in this run) and we hooked a bunch of them. The most outrageous dry fly fishing for steelhead I will ever see no doubt.

I have more stories from this day so stay tuned............

The Dean River Chronicles Part 5 (Jet Sleds and Judy)

2011-05-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

The second year we went North things on the Dean were very different indeed. At least from a transportation standpoint.I wont go into great detail on the logistics of the how,what,where and the why, because it took a lot of work.But I will say this,we started running power on the upper river,starting in 2001. Obviously the guides run power and have for many years but they are it. They were not super tickled to see US with power I can say that.

Everyone else floats it as we did the first year, and there are many good reasons for that. Most of those reasons hinge on the fact that it's way safer! As far as I know we are still the only privateer group to have consistently run power in the upper river without dying. A few have tried, most of those have had serious mishaps and failed and needed to be rescued. We had some sketchy moments for sure but we learned the river and never hesitated to pull over and look at things that seemed hairy before we ran them. Both up and downriver. Water levels can raise and lower in hours and runs that had plenty of clearance in the morning may now be a bone yard of exposed rock and near impossible lines. The toilet paper was always handy if ya know what I mean! Not for the faint of heart at all.

In any situation where you are on your own and self sufficient, it is important to remain that way. To be ill prepared or unexperienced in any way is both selfish and stupid. Most of the time on the Dean, if something goes bad you will be totally and completely on your own. People can die and have died on that river.

If a guide outfit or another party has to stop what they are doing to haul your butt out of the river and save you because you were an idiot, it puts everyone at risk. That is IF they are even around to save you.If it is a guide boat that happens to be there,they may have to risk the safety of their clients possibly to help you out. Not to mention the down time that they should have been fishing. The guides on the Dean are top notch and would do anything they could to help you, but you get the point. You would probably get the bill as well and you should.You don't want to go there. We took great pains to never have that situation come up. We were overly careful and took our time until we got the hang of running around up there.Every situation we came up against, we solved. We had everything in the way of repairs, both structurally and mechanically and knew how to fix what we needed to fix. Guess what, stuff broke more than once and we fixed it.

All I can say is, it is a SERIOUS commitment to run power in the upper river. You could die or be hurt in a hundred different ways every day you get in the boat. We respected the danger element and the guides over time, slowly started to respect us.

Giants

Another day in paradise!

Timmy twisting the throttle on another ride in Steelhead Disneyland

Slowly but surely we got to know a few of the guides and they started to soften up a little. Granted it was a shock to have a group like us come in and have the mobility that up until then had been exclusively theirs. They soon realized that we were there for 8 days and that we were not as bad as they thought. We were just 3 guys from Oregon who were going to have some fun. We were gonna fish hard, fast and efficiently and cover a bunch of water.We were gonna get um! 8 days and gone! Just don't follow us through anything!

As we became more comfortable with the boat over the years it was time to have some fun with the guides and other fishermen on the river.We decided that the guides (and clients) needed a good laugh on the way up river every morning and we provided it for them. Enter Judy. She went with us on many trips and created quite a stir on the river and around the guide dinner tables at night. She would became semi-famous in those years we brought her and people would tell of catching a glimpse of her on the river.We had more than a few groups tell the guides to slow down so they could get a picture of Judy on the way by our camp. She usually hung out in camp and fished the campwater when we were gone in the sled.Sometimes we took her with us. While posted up in the campwater,a guided group of Japanese guys actually pulled in within 30 ft or so and were taking video and snapping pictures as fast as they could, pointing and laughing as they did. The ice was broken and even some of the grumpiest guides were now getting a chuckle as they passed. How could you not laugh? They also saw how it made their clients laugh and they couldn't help but go along with the joke.

Judy posted up in the campwater with a good one on!

Well into the backing on this fish!

Twighlight fight

Getting in the boat to follow this one

Judy was a great help around camp.

She cut this all before breakfast, a hard worker for sure.

She loved a good boat ride, you should have seen the looks we got!

Judy admiring Tim as he busts out some string

Judy enjoying the hot tub we built river side. A two man kayak,copper coils, a fire, an electric shower pump and river water on a recirculating system got water temps up to 103 degrees.

Sitting in this thing after 14 hours of fishing can't be explained.

One of our best river inventions yet,pure Heaven!!

A smokin hot fish taken on a dry fly across from camp at Homestead

Two stunning beauties from the Homestead campwater

The hottest fish I have ever hooked(and landed) period!She took on a short line in the "Henshack"across from the Homestead campwater.Before I knew what was happening she was way into the backing and flopping around and sailing out of the water across the river in front of camp,easily 120 yards away.Yes, I know THAT'S A LONG WAY! I wouldn't have believed it if it didn't happen to me. I saw a hundred yards of backing more than once on that river.

The longest and strongest sustained run I have ever experienced by far. Just insane!

34 inches of pure Dean LOVE!

Just a perfect fish and battle

The Dean River Chronicles Part 4 ( Blackies revenge)

2011-04-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

Now after the episode at Boulder hole, Tim regained his composure and we continued on to Alder Run.Another famous run that fished oh so well and just had everything you could ask for in a run. We hooked a couple more and since it was still early, decided to head on down and see what Moose Rapids was all about. Now everything up till now was pretty straight forward in the boats we were in but, we had heard various stories about Moose and needed to see what was up. As we neared the rapids,the ominous noise of big water had all of our attention and we pulled over above the rapids on river right and walked down to have a look. At frst glance it looked pretty hairy, super bony at the top, a couple of moves needed to be made, avoid a couple big rocks and a keeper hole,then on the sticks to ferry towards river left and catch the green tongue of the main flow and catch the 5-6ft standing waves coming out the bottom.

It was definitely a class four rapid and we were a little puckered.It was big and kind of intimidating at first to look at but we all told each other it was no biggie and hiked back up to the boats. You always get a little nervous running anything for the first time. That nervous fear is a good thing, it keeps you on your toes and alert that's for sure. The fact that we were FAR from anyone else that could help if something went drastically wrong always throws a new twist on things.However,we knew the line and staring at it too long is never a good thing, You start to over think things, second guess yourself. Usually, like in life your first impression of what you see is what you want to do. Tim and I in the big pontoon were up first.We jumped in the big boat with Tim on the sticks and headed for the bony upper section of the tail out before the drop. He made the first couple moves nicely and missed the rocks and the keeper. He pulled towards river left and the mid river tongue and dropped in perfectly. The river roared it's disapproval as we passed the point of no return. Now it was a matter of keeping the boat straight and hitting the standing waves pointing forward and we were home free. The standing waves were bigger than we had initially guessed now that we were in them. With all the technical stuff behind us we breathed a little easier. Tim handled the craft expertly and we rambled through the mid way point of the rapid.The big boat, loaded with our whole camp easily punched through the huge rollers with me on the front thoroughly enjoying myself now. Wave after wave crested over the boat drenching us in a chilling shower of water. We rodeo-ed our way through the final set of rollers and spun lazily out into the calm eddy below the rapid. Dave was on our tail and he was hitting the top of the rapid as we turned to watch him come through. He was in a much smaller pontoon but, with many years on the river he negotiated his way easily through the same line we had just taken. His little boat was swallowed up by the standing waves but he was having a ball. We had made it and slapped some high fives all around. We scouted and ran a fairly intense and potentially dangerous rapid we had never seen before and it went perfect. We were stoked!

Drawing from a new batch of adrenalin, we continued on to Anchor camp a bit further down river. We fished, we rowed. We marveled at our surroundings. The word beautiful does not do this river,forest and the snow capped peaks and glaciers justice. We camped at Anchor and enjoyed the time hanging out and getting into the rhythm of the river and the almost overwhelming amount of day light this far North. You could fish till 10 or later if you wanted. Dinner never seemed to be done until midnight, a few hours in the rack and you were jolted awake by the realization that you only had a few more days on the river and you wanted to soak up every last second you could. You can sleep later...this was about exploring and pushing the limits of fishing endurance.Oh yeah,and fun with good friends.

As we made our way down the river the next day we started to hook fish a lot more consistently. We stopped and fished anything and everything that looked good as we floated. We decided to make a push for the lower end knowing that we would find more fish as we went. We had a couple days left and we wanted to spend them in one spot and not be messing around with moving camp. We bolted for Victoria, just below the Totems camp on river right. The Totems are a group that has been fishing the river for many years and they have, or should I say had a semi-permanent camp there. The camp has since moved down river a ways and is now on river left. Anyway, not knowing that we ended up camping in a little spot below the early river right Totems affectionately known as A-Hole, because it is kind of a junk camp. No trees to hang food,small,etc. But right out in front of us was Victoria,another famous run where uncounted thousands of fish had been hooked over the years. We had a couple days to make some magic happen and we weren't gonna let a sub standard camp get in the way.

We fished that night and actually rose a couple fish on skaters. The next morning we got up early and ate some breakfast and drank a french press or two as the sun started to hit the highest peaks around us. We packed a full french press in the boat and rowed across to the river left side of Victoria to begin the day. An unbelievable run to fish and we were first in. There was a huge log washed up on the shore and two of us sat on the log and drank coffee while one of us fished. "Take a number" we called it. The first guy steps in and has hooked a fish in less than five minutes. He either lands it or looses it and moves to the back of the log and drinks coffee and watches. This incredible rotation that first morning in Victoria lasted for a couple hours with each of us hooking 3 or 4 fish.We could have all spread out and fished but we were having such a ball watching and cheering for the other guy we didn't care."Hey, you'll be up in about 10 minutes chill out". We would yell at the guys on the bank when we were fishing.And so it went. I don't think I even landed a fish that morning. I hooked one fish in close that seriously scared me with how hard and fast it pulled. I watched helplessly as my kite string melted from my spool in an amazing display of tackle roasting runs. This fish was deep in my backing and showing no signs of stopping. Clear on the other side of the river and 100 yards away. I try and put the binder one her and she jumps clean out of the water 4ft and throws the hook. I have never seen kite string like I have seen on the Dean. What you hear people say about the strength, speed and power of these awe inspiring fish believe it. It's no bull. These fish will smoke your reel like you will never see anywhere else. Just pure bulldog power with greyhound speed and porpoise like acrobatics. Ya ever seen flipper? Spinning,twisting, tail dancing and sky walking.These fish never fail to impress.

So, as we are sitting there enjoying some of the most awesome 2 or 3 hours of fishing any of us has ever encountered, we hear a noise across the river in camp. A loud noise, a growling noise. The sound of our aluminum dry box being knocked off it's legs. It was closed of course but old blackie is trying to peel it open as best as he can. We listen to the ruckus for about 10 minutes, just fishing away. I ain't going over there just yet. The shot gun is in camp and none of us is in a big hurry to see what happened. After about 20 minutes, we row slowly over to the camp and survey the damage. The bear has indeed whacked the legs right off the dry box and tackled it like a linebacker. He did not however gain access to the goodies inside. We had actually found a small tree to hang the one remaining cooler with any food and the other was empty and the lid was closed. The bear sank his teeth into it in several places and twisted it into some amazing shapes. The power of a bears jaws are self evident when you see what he can do with the hard plastic of a cooler lid. A young male bear was reported to be on the prowl and no doubt this was him. We heard a story about a few weeks earlier when a lady was sleeping on a cot in the middle of the day in the shade and a young black bear came up and bit her right on the butt..........

Sweet dreams!

Early Spring Small Trib Steel

2011-04-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

Early Spring 2011 Small Tribs from Drew Deeney on Vimeo.

Fly fishing legend Billy Pate dies

2011-04-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Billy Pate Dies

Marshall Cutchin

on April 19, 2011 4:53 AM | Permalink

We've received word that master saltwater fly fisher Billy Pate died early yesterday morning. Pate was a important pioneer in landing big saltwater fish on fly rods and was particularly dedicated to tarpon fishing, although billfishing was also a passion. His 1982 188-pound tarpon world record on 16-pound tippet remained unbeaten for 21 years, and he was the first person to catch a blue marlin and a black marlin on fly. He was also the first angler to catch six billfish species on a flyrod. Pate was also an ardent conservationist; he was instrumental in the creation of the $50 tarpon tag system in Florida and was a founder or board member of the Everglades Protection Association, Trout Unlimited, Bonefish & Tarpon Unlimited, the Don Hawley Foundation, and the Pate Foundation.
Billy Pate partnered with legendary Florida Keys guide George Hommel in 1967 to create one of the first destination angling companies in the U.S., Worldwide Anglers, which they sold in 1995 to Bass Pro Shops. In 1976, Pate got together with Tibor Reels' Ted Juracsik to design the first readily available anti-reverse tarpon reel, a reel that later went on to help catch 225 world records. He was inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame in 2003.

Billy also had a house on the North Umpqua and was passionate about steelhead as well. I have seen him on the river over the years and always stopped to watch him fish when I did.

Legend doesn't adequately describe people like Billy. He will be missed.

Here is a video of Billy casting and he talks about where he learned how to cast. That "little stream in Oregon" is the North Umpqua.

The Dean River Chronicles Part 3 (In Deep)

2011-04-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

As the helicopter crests the last peak and we drop into the Dean river drainage for our first look, we all exchanged glances of wide eyed amazement. We are flying just West of Kalone Peak and look down at the smaller tributary that is Kalone Creek which drains into the Dean from the upper glaciers. We spiral down into an amazing river valley that takes our breath away. As we get close to the river,the pilot stands the bird up on it's nose in a move called the hammer head, and we are now going 75 or 80mph looking straight down out of the front windshield at the river that would be our home for the next 10 days. We swoop past Kalone Creek and Swan run,now flying below tree top level. We make the corner above Eagle and the pilot brings the machine into land on river right. Some one is in Eagle so we opt for the little camp just above there called Cliff.

As we get closer to in my opinion a sketchy LZ, I ask him" Your gonna land there?" pointing to what amounts to a pile of rocks. He calmly says "Yes, no worries" He shimmies the bird in and lands with the rotor spinning a mere 2 or three feet from an alder tree. "Plenty of clearance for today,I may have to do a little trimming soon though " he laughs. To me it looks like 6 inches of clearance and I am not convinced he isn't going to do that little trimming right then. The tail rotor is out over the water. He expertly jostles the aircraft around to make sure he is stable on the basketball sized boulders along the river bank. He seems convinced it's solid,me, not so much! He shuts it down and says "Welcome to the Dean boys!"

We unload the helicopter in a haze, not believing we are actually on one of the most storied steelhead rivers of all time. We move quickly to limit the time we have to pay for the bird. We get everything offloaded in a pile and he hops back in and fires it up and is in the air in a couple of minutes heading down river to pick someone else up and bring them out.

As the helicopter goes out of sight downriver and the noise slowly fades away, we are left with the sound of the river lapping on the rocks and the wind in the leaves. We were so very alone now.A feeling of reverent fear, and a healthy respect for the river and the wilderness we now find ourselves in settles over the three of us. As we realize we are now way past the point of no return we wrestle with all of the thoughts that have been in our minds for so many months.So many questions lie before us. What's the river and rapids going to be like? Grizzlies....really? Do we have what it takes to do this. Did we bring enough food?Are these guys gonna save my ass if things go bad.What happens if someone breaks a leg or gets seriously hurt out here, no one is gonna hear you scream if you do.Where's the whiskey?

We push the fear of the unknown aside and let the excitement of the moment sink in.We are in DEEP,WAY DEEP and we are loving the feel of being way out of our comfort zone. Other than stories and pictures from a few books we have absolutely no idea what to expect now that we are here.We are all experienced outdoors men and boats men but everything we learned in the past was just a warm up for this trip. All of us grew up in the woods hunting and fishing since we were little, this trip will put all that experience to the test. This isn't a sissy trip. You want to have some good buddies with you that know what's up. You want a crew that can keep their heads and save your life if that becomes necessary. Everybody must be operating at full capacity, alert and tuned into anything and everything that could happen. Believe me, stuff happens to even the most prepared and we were no exception as we would learn toward the end of the trip.

I have heard of horror stories of people that did this trip with people that were not up to the task, not prepared or experienced enough.You end up babysitting,doing all the camp chores yourself and not fishing as much because you are tending to someone else all the time. It puts everyone involved at risk a little to have someone who can't carry their own weight..A weak link on a trip like this could be more than a mere inconvenience, it could cost you everything.

I knew full well that I would not want to be here with anybody but the guys I was with

"I sure hope we have everything" one of us mutters as we start to set up camp.

We get a nice camp set up and settle in for the night. The Dean is a place where you want to hang your food, especially with 10 days worth, so we don't mess around. I like to eat and ain't given any away to Yogi. We rigged a sweet series of pulleys that gave us a mechanical advantage and allowed 1 guy to hoist a 100 lb cooler into the upper reaches of a tree with minimal effort.The short barreled high capacity street sweeper shotgun loaded with buckshot and slugs hangs on the center pole of the tent for easy access if need be. Small comfort if you actually had to face a charging bear for real but it does help one sleep a little easier.

We are fishing in the morning and then we can decide weather we want to stay a couple days up high or blow doors down river. The scenery upriver is spectacular and uncrowded.The fishing can be good but always gets better as you get down farther on the river.

We awake to a frosty morning, a little fresh snow on Kalone Peak. Chilly for early August. The sun comes out and we start fishing right out in front of camp. Tim hooks the first fish and it leaves the building almost immediately. He chases it down through a fast chute and I manage to tail it for him a hundred or so yards from where he hooked it. A fine buck of around 12 lbs, perfect in every way with just a hint of rose on the gill plate and along the side. We admired the fish, for a few seconds, noticing how the body lines were unlike any we had ever seen. Chunky, solid shoulders, hit like Mike Tyson and went absolutely bonkers after it was hooked and was just an amazing specimen. We slapped a high five and now we had some idea about the fish that lived here. There would be more.

I think we stayed only one night at the camp at Cliff . Giants had opened up so we moved down there in that first afternoon and settled in again to see what it had to offer. We hooked a few fish but we were hungry to move and see the river,so we did the next morning.In subsequent years we would end up having some out of control days there at Giants, days that I will never,ever see again in my lifetime, but that's another story for another day.

Map of Dean River above the canyon

We got up early and packed up camp for a day of exploration of the unknown. We had a 14ft Sotar pontoon that held the majority of our camp and two of us and a smaller 10ft pontoon that carried one. We fished our way down river hitting Eagle and Lower Eagle and Boulder Hole, leapfrogging our way down. We were starting to hook fish now and it was getting fun. Tim and I would come around a corner and see our buddy Dave tied into one. We would watch and jump below and hook a fish or two as he was coming to pass us. We were giddy. We were just straining to see what was around the next corner. What killer run is coming next? It was hard to stay still in the boat. I was twitching like a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers.

A totally new river, and we were unfamiliar with everything about it but we did know steelhead and they liked to live in the same kind of places, go figure.

We make it down to Boulder Hole, just above Stewarts Upper camp. I started swinging a simple black old school articulated leech through the upper end. I made about 4 casts and got a violent take that actually broke 12lb maxima. I will remember that yank until I die. I don't know if I clamped down on the rod or what but that fish ripped me. I end up hooking and landing a nice hen a little lower down. My buddy Tim has dropped below me and is fishing his way down towards Dave and the small pontoon. He gets bit and he starts yelling about" it's big "or something and I wind up and run down to see what all the hub bub is about. When I get down there, Tim is in the second round of the heavyweight champion of the world. He is giving this fish the business but the fish isn't listening. Harry Lemire is now out on the porch of the lodge watching the action. The fish, which is huge and pushing 20 lbs has Tim at a loss. There is a little island and some fast water below and he is trying to keep the fish from leaving the park. The fish does a double tail slap and bolts for the far side of the island through the fast water. Tim follows as far as he can and finds himself right in front of Dave's pontoon boat. Without thinking , he jumps in the pontoon, puts the butt end of the cork of the rod in his mouth like an over sized cigar and starts following the fish. As he rows out across the fast water towards the island, the fish ( a big buck no doubt by the look of him) is continuing with a face melting run to try and shake the size 2 skunk from his grill. Tim finally reaches the gravel bar on the island , pulls the pontoon onto the shore in a flash and drops the oars and stumbles down the bank still trying to put the brakes on this enormous fish. The fish sees a chink in Tim's armor and swims around a huge boulder, just out of wading distance off the end of the island. Tim makes a stand where he can and starts getting down and dirty with this big dude. Tim yards on this fish as hard as he dares and barely budges him. The fish is sulking down in some deeper water and is almost impossible to move. Tim makes one last effort to get the fish clear of the rock and momentarily gains the upper hand, actually gaining back some of the kite string he had just given up. The fish makes one last run for freedom, wraps the line around the rock and breaks off in a tail walking flurry across the pool. Tim, just trudges back to the pontoon and rows over to where I was standing and says quietly,"That was a big one man" This was probably one of the most awesome displays of fish fighting and boating skills I have ever seen in my life. Absolutely insane to watch!

We did find a few salmon and they tested our tackle to the max. Anyone who tells you that the chinook aren't bright up above the canyon is putting you on. We found plenty of big,hot, bright fish as far up as Shannon's. They like the swinging flies we used for steelhead just fine. If you haven't had the rod bending pull of a strong chinook you are missing out. To see a fish of 30+ lbs take to the air attached to a fly rod that is in your hand is something that cannot fully be explained. I landed one that was in the mid 40lb range that just tore me up.

Tim in a street fight with slambo

More coming.......

The Dean River Chronicles Part 2(Magic Carpet Ride)

2011-04-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

We rolled into Nimpo Lake tattered from the road. We grabbed a room and were asleep before our heads hit the pillows. A few hours sleep was all we could manage as we were awakened by the early morning sun and our renewed desire to get to Bella Coola. We ate a quick breakfast at the little cafe and hit the road, all of us chomping at the bit.

We drove through some beautiful country, stunning really is a better word. The plateau that we had been driving across soon gave way to a more mountainous terrain as we came into the Eastern edge of Tweedsmere Provincial Park. Then comes "The Hill", a steep gnarly down grade of many miles that drops like a rock to the valley floor. You definitely don't want to loose your brakes on this one! A jaw dropping ride ensues downward through a series of switchbacks with sheer rock cliffs on the up hill side and no guard rail and certain death off of the downhill side. Oh yeah, the road is not paved and rock slides and washouts are the norm. This road into Bella Coola is closed in the winter and everything must come in by air. Better stock up!

As we drive down from the top, the terrain and vegetation change from a dry almost high desert look to the much greener,lush vegetation of the coastal rain forest. Pine trees and scrub oak are replaced by cedar,fir,hemlock,alder and cottonwood. We make it to the bottom after a slow easy ride down. We are now in the land of big trees and soaring, snow covered mountain peaks all around. Crystal clear rivers and creeks flow out of every little drainage as we head to the idyllic little town of Hagensborg. This is where the airport is and where we would catch our heli-flight to heaven.

Hagensborg

Bella Coola

We arrived at the airport and laid out our gear for the ride. A 14ft pontoon and a 9ft pontoon would be our transportation once we hit the river.All the food in coolers with dry ice and block ice. The menu would include food like rib eye steaks, ahi steaks, cheese stuffed tortellini pasta and much more. We were living right! We met the heli pilot and made all the arrangements,including things like giving them numbers to loved ones if we never made it back alive. We loaded the bird and climbed in for a ride we would never forget.

As we lifted off from the airport and followed the glacial white Bella Coola river up and away, we slowly gained altitude and started the climb up over the 7 or so passes we needed to cross to put us in the Upper Dean river below Kalone Creek. As we flew, it was really hard to wrap my mind around the country we were in.

The heli ride in is always a highlight of the trip.If cruising along at 80-100 mph just feet off the ground doesn't get you pumped to catch some steelhead, nothing will!

See for yourself.

We never landed at any time on the way in. But,as you will see in the pics, the pilot made sure we had a real good look at the ground as we crawled our way up and over these passes. Too fun man!

Check out the entire area here-Satellite Map of Dean River and surrounding areas

More to come in this series. Up next, some actual fishing stories! Stay tuned

The Dean River Chronicles Part 1(The Chilcotin Alarm Clock)

2011-04-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Getting there is half the fun!

I have been meaning to share some of my experiences on the Dean River here and I guess now is the time.
In the next few posts I will give details on the once in a lifetime trip that I have now done 6 times. Words fail to describe even half of what you see, hear, feel and experience on this legendary river.I will do my best to do it justice.

I finally got the opportunity to go to the Dean for the first time in 2000. After much talk and preparation we were off on a fine summer day in late July. I had been working in Bellingham Washington at the time so my buddies from Bend drove up and grabbed me and we headed for the boarder a short distance away. This was before 911 so the crossing was pretty simple. We registered the high capacity shotgun we carried for a bear deterrent and made our way North towards Cache Creek to spend the night. We drove along the fabled waters of the Thompson, and the sight of that amazing river spurred on dreams and images of some of the biggest and strongest steelhead anywhere. We rumbled past Spences Bridge, a little town with legendary steelhead provenance.We drooled at the long gravel bars and runs that screamed "prime holding water" The magnitude of the river and the length of some of the runs we saw gave a new meaning to the words swing and step. This is where I could see the use of a 16-17 ft rod would be a no brainier. A 100 ft cast would be the norm not the exception. Slicing off huge pieces of pie is the only way you would ever even begin to cover these waters.You could be in some of these runs for hours....even splitting them up with a buddy or two. It was staggeringly,beautiful, intimidating and awesome all at the same time!.We all vowed we would fish her waters one day. It still hasn't happened for me but hope springs eternal. But I digress.

Right now,we had other destinations on the agenda.....

As we drove,the Dean river slowly reeled us in, and the anticipation grew mile by mile. We were on an adventure of epic proportions and we all sensed it. This 1st trip, as we would learn later, would define who we were as fisherman, boatmen, and friends. The bond between the three of us from that original trip is forever and inseparable. Burned into the window of my mind permanently.

The odometer is clicking off the miles like a castanet player with a Red Bull adiction.We talked incessantly about all we had read and heard about the river and fish. We discussed the stories of people that we knew that had been there in the past.We reviewed The Dean River Journal until the pages were dog eared and stained from road trip junk food. We messed with fly boxes,tied leaders, spun the handles of our favorite reels and pulled the line off to hear the drag. We were drunk with the anticipation of what was before us. We were beyond a kid at Christmas. We were grown men with the capacity to imagine and dream of far more than any kid could. We had no idea that even our wildest imagination would not prepare us for what was to come. And trust me I have a great imagination

The miles continue to fly by and we rolled into Cache Creek and it was still daylight. Everyone was feeling so pumped that we couldn't stop and we kept on rolling into the early darkness. Up the Caribou Highway past places like Clinton,Chasm,70 Mile House, 93 Mile House, Exiter, and 108 Mile Ranch. Past the huge Lac la Hache to 150 Mile House and a big left turn heading West towards Williams Lake on Hwy 20....the Chilcotin-Bella Coola Hwy. We blew through Williams Lake high on anticipatory steelhead induced adrenalin and caffeine and headed up the hill bound for the unforgiving Chilcotin Plateau.

Up on top is the home of the legendary Gang Ranch.Once the world's largest and still among the major beef suppliers in BC. "The Gang" dates from the 1860s and covers nearly all terrain south of the Chilcotin River and east of Taseko Lake and the Fraser River, and skirting the Bridge River Country to its south. The vast terrain of the Gang Ranch is more wilderness than pasture, It is a mix of natural plateau and alpine meadowland and vast forests and swamps. The Gang verges up into the foothill area of the northeastern flank of the Coast Mountains as they approach the Fraser River from the west, meeting the Fraser between the Gang Ranch's main house and the town of Lillooet.

Similar ranching conditions are found from the Burns Lake and Smithers area in northwestern Interior BC all the way south to the US border, including the famous Douglas Lake Ranch south of Kamloops, but the Gang is by far the largest, and the most wild in character.

After rolling across the endless plateau in the dark, over dozens of cattle guards it started to get late, or should I say early.The candle started to flicker in the drivers seat and we started to realize we should probably stop and get a little rest. We were way ahead of schedule as it was.We weren't planning on being this far at all, we just went with it. When the lure of a new adventure is in front of you, you don't shut it down if you have a willing drivers butt in the seat. We were all veterans of many road trips and driving was a necessity to get to the places we loved. 12-15 hours in the saddle was nothing new.

I think it was around Alexis Lake that we stopped at a little bar/motel and inquired about a room. High on the plateau, surrounded by an Indian Reservation and some hard core locals,we were smack dab in the middle of nowhere and the locals were not looking real friendly at 1:00 am in the morning. We were all toasted. We had thousands in gear in the truck and the thought of leaving it in a less than favorable situation was not an option. It was not just the monetary loss of the gear we feared it was the thought of losing something that could not be replaced before the 8 day float.We were in deep, too deep to turn back now for a replacement on anything. We had permits and helicopter reservations and we could not be late or delayed on anything or the trip would be a bust. A small window of opportunity exists to make the trip up and if disaster strikes you better figure it out quick or no fishing. Still, we asked the bar tender/inn keeper if he had a room. He in fact did. We asked if our stuff would be OK outside for the night in the truck. He looked at us kind of sideways and said very unconvincingly " It'll prolly be alright fella's"

Thanks......see ya!

We couldn't get back in the truck fast enough! Rejuvenated by the cold,clear and crisp high plateau air and a full thermos of coffee, we cranked the tunes and blew that pop stand leaving a vapor trail behind Big Red, the double cab Ford diesel that would deliver us to the object of our desire...the Dean River. On through the night we flew. We were all fading fast and things on the road and in our heads are started to get hazy. Driving along in an almost dream state, no one is talking now. The tires and engine hum in harmony, the yellow lines in the middle of the road flash by in a blur. We're starting to push the limits of safety a little. A bit father and we can all rest at Nimpo lake. My buddy Dave at the helm is wrestling with himself and the onset of extreme fatigue. I was riding shotgun and started to drift off a little myself. A serious no-no and a rule of ours on all trips....the co-pilot can never sleep. I opened the window and suck in a few mouthfuls of that sweet BC night air. I am back and alert for a time. I crank the tunes and Blues Traveler re-energizes us for another 20 or 30 miles. A half hour later I am fighting sleep again and soon I feel I must be dreaming. In my dream,a herd of horses has materialized in the middle of the road, shrouded by the mist of a nearby creek. They are so hard to see, are they really there? ..........it is then I realize I am fully awake and there is A HERD OF HORSE"S IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!!!!! HEY DAVE!!!

Dave who was probably almost in the same dreamy state as I snaps to attention and anchors the brakes as the truck careens toward the group of a dozen or so 1500 lb animals. We get closer, tires squeal, I squeal, Dave yells something inaudible. Tim who was in the back seat sleeping has found himself upright and alert in an instant. He yells.The truck is still hurtling down the road at break neck speed and approaching the point of no return. We wait for the impact that never comes.The truck tracks down the center line of the road and miraculously splits the herd.The horses move slowly to the sides as the truck screams by inches away and they disappear just as they appeared in the wispy mists of the chilly Chilcotin pre-dawn. WOA!

Stunned that we are not A) in the ditch rolled over and dead and B) we don't have a 1 1/2 ton horse in our laps and are dead.We drive on in silence. For a second, time stops.None of us knowing for sure if what just happened was real or not.No one says a word for a minute or so. The hair on my neck was standing straight up and my heart was visibly pounding and moving the front of my shirt. The air is thick with the realization that we could have all very easily died just then. As that realization hits we all start to stammer and laugh and yell and scream at the fact that we were all very much alive. It felt good too! We opened the windows and yelled into the night. We laugh nervously as we replay the near disaster in our heads. Things like "I thought we were gonna roll!" "I thought we were in the ditch for sure!" "That big black one was about an inch off the front bumper!" "I could have petted that Chestnut on the way by'! and "Nice driving Mario!"

Isn't it funny how a brush with death always makes you feel alive in a way that you may not have felt just 10 minutes ago?We would later learn that these were wild horses and they pretty much run free all over up there......thus the numerous cattle guards. They seemed to be pretty comfortable on the road and probably dodged cars for a living!

I think we just had the pleasure of being jolted to fully alert status by the Chilcotin Alarm Clock.

We didn't need anything else to keep us awake as we motored on towards Nimpo Lake.

To be continued......

What's Really Important To You?

2011-04-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

Steamboat Falls

I have been thinking the last few days about some fishing and equipment related things. An interesting post on a popular fishing site got me thinking even more. The post was talking about which fly equipment you would never part with. I thought about it awhile and couldn't come up with anything that I could not easily give up or do without.Now I do have some Hardy reels that I love and a quiver of rods that I have grown fond of, but nothing that I couldn't part with if it came down to it.

However the memories of times spent learning,exploring and gaining the river and fish knowledge that I now have is irreplaceable. The time spent with other like minded people and friends I have met on the river over the years is something I cherish above any equipment I possess.I could easily go back to one single hand rod and a half dozen flies stuck on my hat as long as I had the company of a good friend or two to share it with. I would probably catch just as many fish too. As I grow older I am learning ways to challenge myself more and to fish in a way that pleases me. That may mean fishing a dry fly on a single handed rod almost exclusively for steelhead in the summer and fall. Swinging a soft hackle,streamers or leech for trout when everyone is catching way more on nymphs or dries. Basically, being in control of the method I want to fish instead of letting the fish numbers and others ideas of "success"control how I fish. It took me a while to get here believe me.

I had a great lesson in it recently when I guided a couple of guys who were all about doing it their way with methods that were definitely not mainstream in approach. What transpired was a great day on the water and more lessons learned. Lessons that had very little to do with the actual act of fishing and more with the way they chose to live their lives on and off the water.Words like character,tradition, integrity, humility come to mind when I think of those guys. To these guys, fishing was a way of life, a life choice, something that can't be separated from who you are at your very core, a lifestyle, something so much deeper than just "sport". As I fished with these guys I realized that we were brothers from different mothers and all cared deeply about what we do on the river.We were kindred spirits in our approach to these amazing fish. As we fished, the things left unsaid in the silence of the river were things that we all heard clearly in that same small voice. It was the things we just knew. They could not be voiced, only experienced in the setting we were in, at that particular time.

Now I had only a day with these boys but it could have been a week. The conversations flowed as if we had known each other for years. We had common ground, unmistakable common ground and that was and will be a lasting connection.That's a connection you don't find every day. Sometimes those connections take years with some people,sometimes they never happen.Those are the days that I remember. Those are the days I look to repeat every time I go out.

The river knows what you can't say

It's not about me. When I make it about me I cheat myself of opportunities to learn from others. Others that may have insight that I don't have. Others that may have far more to offer me than fishing tips, they may have life tips so be listening.

The older I get the more fishing has become about so much more than catching fish. It is about relationships, perseverance, tradition, history and giving credit to those that came before you,learning from mentors and becoming a mentor, passing down values and ideas that your Daddy gave you.....being a man. Being confident in your skills and not wavered by what the other guy is doing or catching. Not having numbers of fish be the judge of a successful day on the water.

Teach your children well

Equipment is nice and is necessary to fish, but I don't ever want to have the success or failure of a day be measured because I didn't have the perfect rod/line combination or the latest reel. We need to get away fro the "Oh, if I would have had my other 7136 with the custom short belly line and that trick poly leader with the latest rock star fly I would have caught every fish in the ditch" mentality and just go fishing! We have too many choices and in many ways we have made fishing too complicated.We all have too much equipment, no one reading this could possibly tell me I am wrong,and I think it can take away from the experience of fishing.

Skagit, Scandi, short, mid and long belly, switch, indicator and nymph lines. Floating, intermediate and sinking shooting heads. Regressive, progressive, fast recovery,slow recovery,full flexing, quick tip rods in every length know to man for every situation imaginable. Click pawl, disk drag reels, palming rim etc.A marketing goldmine and we all bought into it, myself included. It will never stop.This equipment whirlwind, and always having the latest and greatest should not be what defines our reality of a great day on the water. We can do very well with so much less.....in our daily life as well as in the fishing world.

So try it sometime this summer,leave all your fancy gear at home, put your shorts on, grab an old single hand rod and a handful of flies and a good friend and go fishing! You will be guaranteed to have a ball. It's very liberating as well. The fish could care less if you have a $100 rod in your hand or a $1000 rod. We should care a little less as well.

The old single-hander works just fine(yeah that's a Bougle mark IV...guilty as charged,the nicest reel I own)

Remember, the best things in life aren't things!

A good buddy up on the rail,spotting fish in winter, this is what its about!

So................are you building friendships out there or getting ready to start a fly shop?

White Winged Ackroyd

2011-04-08T15:02:00.000-07:00

Davie is the man! Cool fly and instructional video. A fly that would work equally well for steelhead in the PNW.

Sandy River Struggles

2011-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

A recent Oregonian article on the struggles the Sandy river and it's wild fish face:

By Ken Anderson, Jad Donaldson, Jeff Hickman, Tom Larimer, Mia Pringle, Marty Sheppard, Marcy Stone and Cullen Wisenhunt

As fishing guides who have made our living on the Sandy River for a combined 53 years, we know that wild salmon and steelhead -- not hatchery fish -- are the backbone of our industry. The state of Oregon tells us these wild fish are protected by law, and we've built the foundations of our businesses around them. For decades we have been able to count on these fish because they are incredibly resilient, but the continued presence of an excessive hatchery program on the Sandy River jeopardizes wild fish, our businesses, our families' welfare and the long-term sustainability of our fishery.

Oregon communities and businesses no longer take Sandy River salmon and steelhead for granted. Instead, companies like PG&E, along with the city of Portland and a coalition of environmental groups have supported the recovery of wild fish by investing $100 million dollars to remove both Sandy River dams and restore its habitat. But with numbers of wild fish lower today than ever before, shouldn't the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife join this effort and provide these threatened fish with the best chance of recovery?

When the Sandy hatchery opened more than 50 years ago, its goal was to keep fish in the river and the fishery going, despite the dams and habitat loss that wreaked havoc on wild salmon and steelhead. In that era, the firm belief was that by raising fish in a tank we could keep wild runs going. But today, 40 years of science indicates just the opposite -- fish raised in artificial conditions do not survive like their wild counterparts, and when they do survive, they reduce the number of wild fish at all life stages.

The hatchery program on the Sandy is a confusing and dangerous relic of thankfully departed times, and we have 40 years of data carefully documenting the decline of wild fish on the river. From a historic run numbering 20,000 wild winter steelhead, we currently have a pitiful 670 fish. These wild Sandy steelhead, as well as the four remaining species of salmon, have been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act for more than 10 years. On the river, the hatchery program detracts more from our guiding business than it provides. Our customers return with us to fish the Sandy for the excellent experience we give them: hooking and releasing powerful wild fish.

If ODFW does not give these wild fish the same chance to recover, as our larger community has already initiated, Oregonians are headed for the kind of widespread fishery closures that would devastate the businesses that sustain our Northwest communities and families. To save our industry, our fishery and these wild fish, join with us to oppose the continued excessive hatchery programs on the Sandy River.

Ken Anderson, Jad Donaldson, Jeff Hickman, Tom Larimer, Mia Pringle, Marty Sheppard, Marcy Stone and Cullen Wisenhunt are Sandy River fishing guides.

Some excellent additional articles and info about the plight of the Sandy river HERE

The article on Scapoose Creek and it's health wild run is especially intriguing. Even though that area was extensively logged, wild fish are thriving. It has never had a hatchery program at all and the wild fish populations are far greater than the Sandy watershed which is huge by comparison.

Get involved and make your voice heard, lets all pitch in to keep the Sandy River it's wild fishery healthy and viable for our kids.

Single-handed double haul

2011-04-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

I love David's simple instruction and very relaxed stroke. Makes it look so easy.Good stuff! Check out both these videos!

Here is another great video from David that I posted a while back but it is so good I will post it again. I consider myself a pretty good single hand caster but I learned a ton watching this.This guys instruction has made me take a good hard look at some of my casting flaws. The way he explains the double haul and how he hauls his line is very different from the way most of us were taught or learned on our own.It makes complete sense.

This little video has made me a better single hand caster for sure.If you follow a few of these tips it will make you a better caster as well.Probably the most helpful and instructional short video I have seen on the subject. It makes total sense and works well when put into practice.Getting the rod tip to travel in an elliptical path is the key to keeping the stroke smooth and non jerky. The elliptical path is kind of another way to incorporate "rod drift" into the stroke.A way to keep constant tension on the line to get maximum load before forward delivery.A really, really good video!

Time to get the single hander out and study up folks, summer steel are right around the corner!

DVD Review: "Taming the Wind" from Davin Ebanks on Vimeo.

Poppy and the Red Shed

2011-04-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

I know many have seen it but I'm putting it up again because it's just so darn cool. By far the best selection of spey rods,lines,fly tying materials anywhere.His customer service is above and beyond and something that you just don't find ANYWHERE anymore. He will let you demo rods,reels, lines and about anything else you can think off. He will mail them to your door, how cool is that?If he doesn't have it he will find it and get it for you for sure. The man is dedicated to the sport and truly cares about his customers, he's not just out to sell you something.If you need anything in the world of spey, give Poppy a jingle....you won't be sorry.

I was in a pinch once and needed a part fast for an upcoming trip.He sent me the part,a retaining screw for a Hardy Bougle reel,before I had even had a chance to pay him. It was on my doorstep 2 days later. He doesn't sweat the small stuff he aims to please.....yes I paid him.In this day and age who sends you something before it's even paid for.....no one. The part wasn't expensive but that is beside the point. He cared enough to get it to me fast, he knew he would get paid.It's the little things like that that make him unique in the fishing retail world.

Check out his store here Red Shed

Poppy's Red Shed from Henry Harrison on Vimeo.

Stay out of the gravel!

2011-04-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

I found this poster on The Quiet Pool blog(thanks Shane) and think it is timely and important to put out here as well.This is a problem I see all to often on the North Umpqua at this time of year. Some friends and I have thought about trying to get a proposal together that would close the river to fishing above the confluence of Steamboat Creek to the dam. It would be good to see this area closed around the middle of to end of March to protect the upriver fish. I think it would be a good idea.

If you see anyone above Steamboat fishing shallow gravel and paired up/staging fish the next couple weeks please ask them nicely to stop. Use the time to educate them as to why what they are doing is harmful to fish. Those fish need to be left alone to get it done.

This of course would also apply to any obvious gravel and spawning areas in the lower river as well. Use your heads out there and be aware where you are and where you walk.
The next generation of wild steelhead depend on it.

Speaking of rivers.....

2011-04-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

The river is the only one that knows!

River of Tears

2011-03-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

Thinking about the guys up North on the S rivers.

Ever since you've been gone I feel like I'm drowning in a river of tears............

Here's hoping the amazing fish of the Sauk, Skagit,Stilly and Sky are not gone forever. I have fished them all and felt privileged to do so when I did.

Clapton absolutely wails on this one.

ERIC CLAPTON - River Of Tears from Paulo Video Files on Vimeo.

The Kamchatka Steelhead Project

2011-03-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

The Kamchatka Steelhead Project from ryan peterson on Vimeo.

Kicking It Old School

2011-03-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of guiding a couple of guys this last week that were truly unique in their approach to winter fish. I spoke with one of the guys, Ken on the phone before the trip and he stated in no uncertain terms that he and his buddy John wanted to fish long belly floating lines and traditional atlantic salmon flies for winter steelhead on the North Umpqua. I said what a long time guide friend told me, and it's true " Fish any way you like.It's your trip and its about YOU, not about me, fish the way that makes you happy."

Ken knew full well in his mind that it was not the most effective way to fish for these fish but he didn't care at all. He made several statements that stuck with me. He said" I'm looking for that one kamikaze,suicide fish that will move to these kind of flies and this line system. I don't care how long it takes, I have time and patience. I know I may not catch a fish with you and that doesn't matter to me. My idea of a successful day may not be the average winter steelheaders idea of a successful day. I am happy to fish good water well and know I left it all on the table when I leave the river"

How cool is that?What a refreshing attitude.....it sure made me check mine. It made me realize once again that this sport has so little to do with the actual hooking of the fish. So many many hours in between for even the best of the best winter steelheaders. It's all about the road trip to get there,the river experiences,friends and memories that you make, and it's all about the hunt. The fish are important of course and why we are there, but our encounters with them are so brief in comparison to the hours we seek them it is almost immeasurable.

How do you fish? Who do you fish for? Are you fishing for yourself or just bragging rights at the bar,office or around the campfire?Do you run with the herd and get caught up in the herd mentality? Do you ever challenge yourself with a harder presentation or method of fishing or do you get a hold of the easiest most effective method and stick to that all the time. Just because a particular method or line or rod system is popular doesn't mean others won't work. How willing are you to fish on your own terms in a way that pleases you?How willing are you to put in the time to learn how to fish a traditional iron on a floating line with a long leader for winter fish? Most are not and will fish in an easier more productive manner. It's definitely not for everyone.

But it was sure fun to watch and be a part of, and it was successful in a fish catching way to boot. The flies they fished were all pieces of art in themselves. Ken ties his flies in hand, yeah without a vice. Unbelievably stunning! John had a ton of flies as well and both guys had many,many flies that would easily go in a shadow box and be displayed on your wall.

These guys get um wet!!!

Ken further challenged himself on this trip to fish with a tool that he does not fish with all that much. He is much more comfortable with a 16 or 17 ft Clan in his hands bombing out long belly's to the far reaches of some distant seam. No, he brought and fished a 10 ft 7wt Echo and a Rio Atlantic salmon line. Try roll casting a Jock Scott on a heavy salmon iron, 70 feet with little back cast room sometime just for fun. It takes a little while to find the button. Ken found the button and cast that thing well everywhere I put him. I think I put him in one spot all day that he could overhand it in. The rest had obstacles on all sides and above as well as behind....such is the nature of the North Umpqua....especially in higher water.

I put Ken through the runs first with the full floater and traditional fly and followed through with John and his two hander and a long belly floater cut back for tips. No short skagit line here. He was a great caster and could fish off both sides well when I put him in a constricted area. He fished a light T-3 tip of 8 or 10 feet and a nice traditional iron as well. After the first couple pools I put them in a glassy little run that is just full of nuggets. Perfect slow current, and a fish rolls just as we step in the water at the head of the run.Ken goes through first and is giddy as a school child at Christmas vacation as he sets his fly up in the seam and gets a deep wet fly swing. He finishes the pool with nary a bump but looks at me as he walks back up and says " Now that was fun!" I knew that he genuinely meant that by the twinkle in his eye.

John steps in and starts to work out some line. It rains, some ducks fly up the river at mach 2.John gets some more line out.Water ouzels dance and dive in the lower part of the run. The line swings lazily through the boulder piles as his Black Dog swims through the seams and current edges made by the submerged rock.We laugh,we tell stories.We watch the water and the line in anticipation of what we all feel could happen at any moment. John continues to swing the Dog through. The swing is slow, very slow, but perfect. And then......the line comes tight to a solid fish and the game is on! A down and dirty fight,like a fistfight in a phone booth. He never ran very far but could not be easily moved either. After a couple of minutes John gets the upper hand and lands a nice buck of 8-9 lbs with just a hint of color, rosy gills and a light stripe. A perfect North Umpqua specimen that did everything he was supposed to do. And he ate a traditional fly.I think after these fish have seen a lot of big nasties, fishing through with one of these beautiful flies with a little soul may have been all this fish needed to see.

We fished hard the rest of the day and told stories and shared our experiences of fish and fishermen. John moved a fish later in the day that he actually got to come back to after a changing to another pattern. The first take was a plucky grab the second a grabby yank that didn't stick.Ken did not touch a fish all day and he was fully aware of that reality when he started. His intensity with getting the right drift in every run did not subside until I shut them down at 6:30 pm after over 10 hours on the water. I will not soon forget the look on his face and the honest "That was fun!" after every pool he fished.Authentic and real joy just for the chance to fish it the way he wanted to on his terms. Inspiring.

He was just thankful to be alive and experiencing this wonderful place we call the North Umpqua. You know what, I was too. I don't ever want to take that place for granted and in a way Ken and John's enthusiasm and respect for the history of our sport renewed my awe and reverence for the early methods,the fish and the river.

Thanks Lads! It was a fine,fine day indeed!

Some cool panorama shots

The Rack at the shack( that ain't even all of them, you should see the wall inside)

Get one Dad!

Getting it done in the sun

The faithful companion guarding the goods

Ken Waiting on his kamikaze fish in a perfect steelheaders driving rain

Greasy tail out

Below are some of the flies they were fishing.....AWESOME! I couldn't let them get away without getting a couple.....they were more than generous! They had boxes and boxes, I was drooling.

I gave all my friends/guides at the guide shack a choice of one of these flies. We will all fish them and land a winter fish on them and then put them in a shadow box on the inside of the cabin wall. These deserve to be fished, and the fish deserve to see a little class every so often.

I had a chance to wet a line and fish a couple times and found this hen. This was the heaviest fish I have held in quite a while. Steve you are right, the 7136 greenie had it's hands full lifting this fish. Can you say bent to the cork? Beyond the cork?That rod was in a full circle. Despite landing obstacles on all sides and above me from tree limbs, fast deep water in front of me,this fish managed to stay pinned and only took around 6 minutes to land. And she jumped and ran quite a bit.Get um in quick people. A massive and perfect female specimen for the North Umpqua.

Lighter tips in higher water

2011-03-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

I recently fished in some very high water and found myself going to lighter tips rather than heavier. Reason being that the normal holding areas of runs I generally fish would require a bike chain to get down in.

Every body thinks you need to get DOWN for winter fish which is true to some extent. It's flow dependent. In lower to medium flows where you can control a deep swing through a run by all means do it. But,some flows will not allow you to get DOWN no matter what you throw. I believe a lot of time is wasted by people casting a line that is not even covering fish for most of the drift. Either too fast a swing, too high in the water column, not covering where the fish is actually holding, or all three.

I started fishing the way inside shallower edges and found lighter was better. No T-14 here. Inside edges and corners are the traveling lanes for these fish.Don't overlook them. A lot of the inside soft dishes can be fished with intermediates, T-3 and T-6 maybe a T-8 here and there.This may be basic to some but I think many people over think, over line(weight wise) and over cast in winter flows.

In really high water conditions last winter,I hooked three fish in a row in a place that is usually 20 feet inside of where I would normally stand. A little bay that usually has little to no flow. I was fishing a T-3 and unweighted fly and letting it swing all the way to the bank. Let's just say I am a believer in lighter tips after that little session. All three fish were in the space of a two car garage. Laying in tight, in very light flow. Big structure that normally could not be fished due to the lack of water speed became a fish holding magnate. I have made this same discovery on other various pieces of water over the years. Knowing where to fish at all water levels is critical. The fish gotta be somewhere, so pay attention to flows and don't overlook the lighter tip approach.

You don't always need 15 ft of T-14 and a 90 ft cast in the winter. I will be putting this method in to practice this week and I bet it works.

PS I will have some Schwinn bike chain in 8, 10, and 12 feet lengths just in case.....Ha!

Spring Fling

2011-03-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

The weather turned gnarley today on the river. My buddy Tony was fishing up river and upon heading home came across several areas where it looked as if a bomb went off. Areas he had just passed going up river not an hour or so earlier. No real indication that any of it was coming. Sounds like a little micro burst came down and gusted hard in a few spots.Multiple trees down as well as power lines and large limbs. He picked his way around trees and debris and made it home to a house with no power. The wood stove works though and he was soon toasty. Power and all should be back up soon. A new round of storms are set to hit Tuesday. It could be a wild and wet ride for the week. Fishing conditions will be a little touch and go early in the week but should stabilize towards the end of the week. It's spring and this is what happens. Being around after a good bump and drop is the goal of all steelheaders in winter and spring. The water will most likely be going up and down like a heart meter for the rest of the season.

You can't catch a fish sitting on the couch....I've tried. Get out there and brave the elements, you may be surprised what you find,and it will definitely not be boring. While your waiting for the river to drop and are chomping at the bit tie up a couple of Spring Flings.

Tying Brent's Spring Fling from Country Pleasures Flyfishing on Vimeo.

Winter Steelhead

2011-03-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

A neat little video that shows some of the water and fish that make Oregon winters bearable. Great music and editing on this one. Nicely done boys.

It's TIME!

2011-03-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

It's March and the fish are beginning to show in more significant numbers. The next month or so is prime time for catching a winter steelhead on a swinging fly. Water levels are critical to finding fish at this time of year. Knowing when and where to fish are keys to success. The North is not typical step and swing water. It does have some of that type of water but is also full of lots of other hard to read and challenging holding water.

Check out my website by clicking on the pricing/reservations link at the top left of this page. Give me a call or email and join me on the river soon!

Hemlock Dam Removal Story

2011-03-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

I thought this was worth a look.A cool success story from the Wind river drainage in Washington a few years ago. Amazing how quick the steelhead showed back up....the very day they let the river flow free.

Cutthroat Trout

2011-03-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

Sweet little video!

Behind the bubble curtain: The Underwater World of Coastal Cutthroat Trout from David Saiget on Vimeo.

Catch magazine

2011-03-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Catch Magazine is always an excellent visual overload of images that show the fish and places we love to chase them.

The Todd Moen film Steelhead Dreams Part 2 is superb and a must see. Part 1 is a few issues back and is also a must see. His style of filming is pure class. Check it out! Catch Magizine

Winter Wonderland

2011-02-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

The REAL history of the foam skater on the North Umpqua.

2011-02-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

The cool thing about having your own blog is I get to talk about what I want.This subject has come up lately and I wanted to share what I know.

Some may be aware of the history of the foam lipped twitched fly as used for steelhead, some may not. The following is the real history of the foam lipped dry fly from it's humble and covert beginnings on the North Umpqua where it was first used successfully.

I am open to any comments about these origins and would love to discuss any claims by anyone that say's they were fishing a foam fly like this with a twitched or chugged presentation before we were. My intention here is to give credit where it is due and refresh some memories about what really went on with this fly and dry fly fishing style.

I am tired of defending this but also tire of seeing relative newcomers( and there are many) bull dog their way into the fly world claiming ownership of something I saw firsthand. Maybe this can set the record straight a little for posterity sake. Hopefully this will be the last time and at least I wrote it all down for reference.

Here ya go:

The real origin of the Deer Hair Foam skater, the technique to fish it and how it all came about

The history of the fly, it's origin and the technique developed to fish it start way back in the mid to late 80's. It was a multi step process to get to the fly that we call the Foam Dome. There were a few of us involved in the further development of the fly as well as what became the technique to fish it.

I will not show a picture of the fly as there is still nothing quite like it in the mass market place today. Tony's original design is still the best IMHO, and easiest to tie and cast of any of the scores of copies out there.

The history on the fly and its metamorphosis is as follows:

We often fished muddlers and riffle hitched them, dead drifted them etc. We started to tie muddlers with a flat bottom and we would aqua seal them to get a flared flat surface that would skate well. We even bent the hook shank upwards to increase the angle and make them surf and skate even better. We fished these flies for a few years and they worked great, the fish loved them! We also came up with a disk shaped fly out of deer hair that was quite effective.

One day in around 88 or 89 Tony Wratney(legendary NU guide) was looking at the deer hair muddler fly in the vise and got the idea to add foam to it. He said " I'm going to Joe's(Howell) to get some foam and I'm gonna tweak this pattern. He went to Joe's and got some bright foam and brought it home. He sat at the vise and produced the first deer hair foam lip skater ever. We tried some names out, I thought of Nerf Surfer because the foam was the color of a nerf football. I always liked that name but it never stuck, but Foam Dome did. We fished it and it produced almost immediately. We skated it normally without the twitch at first. It was a cool looking fly.We now had a virtually unsinkable fly that was highly visible that could be fished in heavy water. It was a winner.We had a killer fly that was working well but we had no idea how much more effective it would become with the development of the" Twitch"

Now to the origin of the twitch and how we developed it into a dry fly technique. Another friend Tim Caine(another amazing fisherman) was fishing one day to 4 or five fish in a favorite run. He swung a wet fly through and put it in front of every fish in the pool. No dice they were not interested. So he is standing there just screwing around and he starts to swing through the run again. He starts bouncing his rod, moving the fly, twitching the fly as it comes across the pool. A fish comes up and eats it almost instantly with this new movement. I think he ended up hooking a fish or two after they had just refused the same fly on a normal swing. The movement really got their attention.That started the ball rolling to try the same thing with the newly invented Foam Dome. We all started to fish the new fly with movement......and it worked amazingly well. It took a while to figure out a consistent rhythm without moving the fly to much. We all fished it and compared notes on what worked best in what circumstance. Everyone developed their own rhythm and did it a little different. As time went on we figured out that a bigger lip pushed more water and made more commotion. The fly changed many times. Bigger, smaller ,sparse, bushy etc. Different sizes for different runs. Heavy water, glassy tails we had a bug for all of it. the fish loved them. We had no trouble following people through runs because fish would just clobber this thing. It was new, the fish went nuts for them. They had never seen such a thing before. The fly is still changing to this day some 20 years later.

Now, everyone knows that people have been putting movement on the fly since time began. Atlantic salmon on the East coast and Europe and people have been twitching wet flies on the west coast forever.Bill Mcmillian was doing it in and wrote about it in Dry Line Steelhead (thanks AS for the comment)Nothing new there.I am not claiming that movement on the fly was our idea. It wasn't only the movement/twitch that made this fly work, it was the mechanics/shape and design.This new foam lipped deer hair fly pushed water like a bass popper. That, coupled with a rhythmic, pulsing, metronome twitch was revolutionary to the steelhead world. We kept it under our hat. We didn't talk about it. It was our technique. I truly believe, and to the best of my knowledge we were the only people around that were consistently catching steelhead on deliberately chugged and twitched foam skaters.Those in our group were well traveled in the steelhead community and it's rivers and to our knowledge there was no one in the steelhead world that was doing this with a spun deer hair foam fly. Like I said, I am open to any discussions with anyone that has any earlier claims to this. Please comment.

For years we fished this way. It worked amazingly well for us. There were a half dozen of us that were doing it, the inner circle if you will.However, the public as a whole, even upon seeing what we were doing did not know what we were doing it WITH They remained skeptical. and people would even ask what the heck we were doing and scoff. No one really thought you could get them on top like this,twitching and all. No one wanted to spend the time trying this new technique even when they saw us catch fish. It was too radical, too "outside of the box" to steal a phrase,for the masses. We had confidence in it but no one else was convinced it would work.People actually laughed at us and made jokes about us. "There's those guys with the epileptic twitch" "That will never work:, "You'll scare the fish" "That is the stupidest thing I have ever seen" we heard it all. We didn't care, we were breaking new ground and the fish were on it big time!

In fact, to further illustrate the fact that no one was doing it or had even heard of it, Tony took a handful of the new flies up to BC to fish in the early 90's. He was fishing on the Kispiox with guys like Bob Clay and Wolford and Tom Lee. Giants in the steelhead fly fishing world, in the heart of the very origins of steelhead fishing on the fly and they had never seen or heard of a fly or technique like this. I'm not sure who he was with when he first pulled out the Foam Dome but the guide was skeptical at best. They would only let him fish it every other pool that's how skeptical they were.When Tony was allowed to fish it he cast it out and it started to swing and then he started in with the pulsing, rhythmic twitch and the guide said" Don"t do that, it won't work, it will scare the fish!!!" Tony kept on chugging and hooked a fish. He started hooking more fish, the guides started to dig it. Soon he was fishing it all the time and they were trying it too. The guides were convinced and were sold!They came up with their own versions and the fame of the fly and technique started to spread.

Word of this fly and technique soon made the rounds in the steelhead world.The Deschutes is where I think I saw the first commercial versions of someone else's foam skater. Several well known guides started to tie some similar flies and you started to see them showing up in the fly bins maybe in around the early 2000's. Tony also fished with Ken Morrish who saw the foam fly years ago and later we saw patterns like the Morrish mouse emerged as well as his more recent Pom Skater. I would think it would be hard for Ken to deny that he was not influenced by Tony's fly

As I said,we started fishing this fly and technique on the North Umpqua in around 88 or 89. We actually were using single-handed rods to fish these things.......anyone remember what one of those things look like? We still fish them often and it is still one of my favorite ways to fish a skater.

Anyway,15 years later(that's a long time folks) in about 03 (not exactly sure), Scott showed up and started guiding out of Steamboat Inn. He immediately saw what we were doing and took notes. He bird dogged all of us. He is a very savvy angler no doubt.He watched how and where we fished it. He however did not start fishing it right away. Eventually he started guiding more and converting to the twitched dry as well. I even remember when we first saw him twitching a dry in the Station. I was with Tony and we were like "Hey, he's stealing our technique" we laughed cause we knew that he finally figured it out.

He then developed a similar fly which would become the Ska-opper that is now everywhere.The rest as they say is history.

That's the facts from someone who was on the river and watched it all and was a part of the whole process.

Below is great article about skating and waking flies from Doug Rose. He states in the article that the main issue with many of the traditional dry flies was getting them to stay up and not go under. This is a problem that the foam fly solved and thus allowed the fly to swing through the entire arc on the surface.

Waking and Skating by Doug Rose

Bob Clay

2011-02-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

I have to pass this along.I have been fortunate enough to meet and fish with Bob and Jed a little on the Dean in BC. They don't come cooler than Bob and his clan! Had some crazy times with Jed. One time he did this gnarly wade to a submerged boulder on the Dean. It was way over his waders but he zipped up his goretex jacket and cranked the bottom tight and plunged in chest deep to get to the rock.Something I would have never attempted. And guess what.......it worked ! That guy was fishy as all get out and one heck of a guide.

A Steelhead Family - Official HD video 3.1 from Andrew Hardingham on Vimeo.

Ken Morrish Asks for Everyones Support in Opposing Proposed Pebble Mine

2011-02-16T22:50:00.000-08:00

On February 16th, 2011 by Kenny Morrish

Dear Friends of Fish and Wild Places,
In an effort to help stop the Proposed Pebble Mine, I hope that you might take a look at, and pass along to all interested parties, the following essay that I have written about Alaska and the Pebble project.
Click Here for Slide Show

Flow is a new electronic magazine that we recently launched. Generally speaking it is photo rich and artsy but the attached issue “Alaska, Past, Present and Future” has a strong environmental message. It begins with the state’s history and moves quickly into a discussion of the mine and its threat to the greatest wild salmon fishery in the world.
I have contacted all of you in hopes that you might post this essay on your blogs and or forward it to your email contacts. The more people that see this and related materials, the better of Bristol Bay will be. To succeed in stopping the Pebble, it will take a great deal of effort from all of us.
Thanks in advance for your consideration and efforts and all the best for the coming year.
Ken Morrish

Bryan Huskey

2011-02-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

Above photos by Bryan Huskey

Bryan Huskey is a gifted photographer/videographer whose images have been permeating the fishing world. Check out his awesome photos and more at this http://bryanhuskey.zenfolio.com/ great site! Check it out, an amazing eye behind the lens.

Oh yeah, he of course fishes too!!
Here are some cool random NU shots of Bryan and some buds on the NU.

The master in his element

OPB video

2011-02-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

A quick followup to my last post. This is a neat video I found on speypages on the subject of wild trout and steelhead. The poster of the video, SSpey is far more informed and knowledgeable on the subject than I and is clear in his explanation and views of the article on the OSU study. I will leave the science to those that have done their homework. I am learning more every day on all this and appreciate those like Steve who can break this stuff down in way that is easier to understand. Sometimes it's hard to know what studies like the recent OSU study in Hood River are trying to prove, also who is really behind it and what the political motives are. Like I said he is a guy who's opinion is always informed and I respect.Anyway check the thread out on speypages.

Here is the link to another article Steve mentions in his post which helps a bit as well-Endangered listing

There is potentially a lot more going on with this recent study than meets the eye.

Thanks Steve!

Wild rainbow trout critical to health of steelhead populations

2011-02-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

A fairly interesting article on a study the importance of wild rainbow trout in the health of wild steelhead populations in the Northwest.. According to the article, the rainbow trout is often responsible for fertilizing wild steelhead eggs and mitigating the effect of interbreeding/introgression from hatchery strains. So in the end protecting habitat for both species is essential.

Amazing to read how interconnected these two fish are and how rainbows can contribute to the gene pool on years of low run numbers and difficult ocean conditions. Genetically identical in every way,why one goes to the ocean and one doesn't is still one of God's mysteries. While there are some exceptions to this rule(rainbows going to the ocean) the rainbows in those situations do not spend the time that steelhead do in the big pond. Most instances of rainbows going to the salt are in coastal Alaska,BC, South America or Russia. These fish may only spend a short time in bays or areas where fresh and salt water mix. Like I said,we may never know the how and why of it.........fascinating stuff !

Hopefully this study is not used as fodder for more hatchery fish The real thrust of the article I think is rainbow trout and preservation of habitat is a big key to steelhead survival as well.

Check it-Wild Rainbow Article

Paid in Full

2011-01-28T14:50:00.000-08:00

I may check this out when it comes around. One fish gives new meaning to the words "catching air" .....a super duper high jumper!

Huge BC steelhead action on dry flies from Roy Wheeldon on Vimeo.

Native fish back in the big city

2011-01-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

A pretty cool article about habitat restoration of Crystal Spring Creek. Native fish are finding their way home. If there is hope for them in metropolis, we can surely be hopeful of restoration in some of our wilder areas that have been impacted by humans. Check it out :Reed Canyon restoration article

Some more info from the college site, check it at: Reed Canyon site

Some footage of native fish caught on camera in the Reed Canyon area:

The Best band you never heard

2011-01-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't been fishing lately with all the high water but I have been listening to some great music among other things. Here is something you might enjoy.

Enrique Casal has to be one of the finest unknown guitar players around. The tone of his guitar, his singing and playing are so eerily close to Hendrix it's almost scary.This guy can flat get it done. Very tight playing. I don't know of anyone around today that is killing this stuff like he is. This was shot in Switzerland where the band is all from.....I wish they would come over and play sometime. If you appreciate good playing at all you will quickly realize that while virtually unknown,this guy is a guitar GIANT. I like Zappa's Muffin Man at the end. Sweet!

Fish Creek Watershed and Low Impact Hydro

2011-01-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

The first link below is a great description of the Fish Creek watershed and all of the diversity found there. Miles of historic spawning area in a pristine setting. There are some natural barriers/falls that potentially block fish from going into the upper reaches. However,the diversion dam,canal and flume on the creek aren't going to do the fish any favors IF they get up there with the new passage at Soda Springs.There is a lot more going on up there then most people know.

Check it -Fish Creek watershed

The whole Pacificorp project has a total of 8 dams, along with flumes,canals and diversions. This project is anything but low impact. These watersheds have been seriously degraded by both logging and this water diversion and power production. I am amazed at the amount of stuff there is back up these canyons. Mostly bidden from the eyes of the public due to the remoteness of the area. Soda Springs dam is most visible but only one of the eight. EIGHT dams on a river the size of the upper North Umpqua. That boggles the mind people. They are not Hoover dam sized but they don't need to be.

The second link below shows the entire project and describes each of the different hydro components. At the bottom of the second link page are numerous comments and thoughts from many who were against the re-license agreement and why they were against it. Some good reading here, and although this project has made it through the re-license agreement, I just wanted to show people the impact on this whole watershed......it's far reaching.

Check it - Not so Low Impact Hydro

The Steamboat Struggle

2011-01-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

The Steamboat Struggle, on its way out? Steamboat Falls Fish Ladder Assessment and Design Project

posted Monday, October 10, 2010 by Cheryl Caplan

Steamboat Falls at low flow with spillway (center) and entrance to the fish ladder (bottom, center).

Textured concrete "roof" over fish ladder at Steamboat Falls.

Top of Steamboat Falls at low flow with water flowing over the constructed spillway.

A dam built in 1966 on Steamboat Creek in SW Oregon is scrutinized to reduce sediment and debris clogging the fishway and improve the attraction flow to the fish ladder at a cost of up to $800,000.

The Steamboat Falls Fish Ladder on the North Umpqua River is deteriorating. The ladder was originally constructed in 1957 after some blasting in the area destroyed the natural path for fish migrating upstream. It was demolished in 1964 and again rebuilt in 1965-1966. That is the last time it was substantially restored.

Today, summer steelhead are making their way up the river. Unfortunately, when they reach Steamboat Falls the steelhead tend to push more towards the spillway due to the attraction flow to that area. The second level of the spillway is far too shallow and fast for the fish, making it an impassable obstacle.

One of the reasons the ladder is often less enticing for the fish is that the antique structure gets blocked, primarily during fall and winter. This can slow the water trickling through or halt it entirely, making the ladder virtually invisible to these instinctive creatures. Even when the ladder does flow freely, it cannot compete with the temptation of the spillway.

Lead Fish Biologist for the Umpqua National Forest, Jeff Dose, believes most of the fish do find the ladder eventually, evidenced in July by the 60-some steelhead, cutthroat and Chinook up the river at Lee Spencer's Fishwatch station at Upper Bend Pool. The fish just waste valuable time getting upriver.

As Jeff stood near the ladder, watching the steelhead attempt time and again to conquer that spillway, he simply shook his head and muttered, "That's not good." He explains that not only is the impossible challenge not healthy for the fish but it leaves them wide open for poaching."We want them to use this ladder and make their way upstream to Big Bend pool or to another holding area."

Efforts to rectify the ladder's shortcomings received a $20,000 kick start in 2009 from Title II of the Secure Rural Schools legislation. At a Rogue-Umpqua Resource Advisory Committee meeting held in 2010, the committee approved another $23,000 to re-design the ladder. The contract will be awarded to the project in March 2011.

The Title II funding is just the beginning. A meeting to discuss the options improving the ladder is set for late August. All the dedicated partners will attend the meeting, including Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, The North Umpqua Foundation, Steamboaters, and U.S. Forest Service. While there, the partners will deliberate on how to best fulfill their shared goals for the ladder in the most cost-effective manner.
Experts are re-designing the fish ladder with two main goals: reduce sediment and debris clogging the fishway and improve the attraction flow to the ladder. Costs will range between $200,000 and $800,000, depending on which of three alternatives are used.

Jeff is optimistic about the future for the Steamboat Falls Fish Ladder and it would appear that concrete steps are being made to assure its long overdue revamping.

Directions: Steamboat Falls is located on Steamboat Creek approximately five miles upstream from the confluence with the North Umpqua River. At milepost 38.3 on Oregon State Highway 138, turn north on Steamboat Road #38. Drive 5.3 miles to Road 3810, turn right and stay to the left for 0.6 miles to the entrance of Steamboat Falls Campground. The 25-foot falls are near campsites 5 & 6.

Below is some additional info and link for the fish passage improvements scheduled for Steamboat Falls in the next few years. The current ladder(shown below) goes through the cement structure on the right side emerging above the falls in the small calm pool. This passage is outdated and prone to blockage. The new plan addresses these issues and will hopefully improve the situation.

The following was taken from the Steamboaters page

Steamboat Falls Fish Passage By Len Volland

Steamboat Falls is located on Steamboat Creek approximately five miles upstream from the confluence with the North Umpqua River. A concrete fish ladder at Steamboat Falls was built during the summers of 1958 and 1959 primarily for the purpose of assisting both summer and winter run steelhead to negotiate the falls during periods of low summer flow or higher fall and winter flows. This original ladder was severely damaged by the 1964 flood. The current fish ladder was reconstructed in 1966. The fish ladder has become plugged with debris at least three times over the last 10-15 years to the point where fish passage has been temporarily blocked. The North Umpqua Foundation, with financial contribution from Steamboaters, hired Michael Love and Associates to evaluate the Steamboat Falls Fish Passage issue and provide a geological and economic analysis with alternatives. Their report was published in February 2010 and offered three alternatives: first, demolish portions of the current ladder and reconstruct a new spillway; secondly, excavate bedrock to provide a fishway with pools; and thirdly, develop bedrock pools with concrete weirs. Cost estimates ranged from a high of $1.3 million to reconstruct the ladder of alternative one down to $411,000 for bedrock pools of alternative two.

A meeting occurred in early March between the US Forest Service, the ODFW, The North Umpqua Foundation and Steamboaters to discuss the Steamboat Falls fish passage issue. The Umpqua National Forest owns the land at Steamboat Falls while the ODFW owns the existing fish ladder and has an easement for its operation. The Forest Service intends to evaluate the fish passage issue using the NEPA process. As of early April attorneys from both agencies were not sure whether the fish passage project would fall under a categorical exclusion or require an environmental assessment with a decision document. A meeting is set for early May to discuss the technical construction aspects of the project. At this meeting the alternatives proposed in the Michael Love report will be considered in addition to any other potential alternatives. If the NEPA process runs smoothly, forest representatives hope a document would be available for public review by this fall with construction occurring in 2011.

During the March interagency meeting, ODFW personnel provided anecdotal information from their historical files dating back to 1946, which suggested winter steelhead might not have negotiated the falls in significant numbers. The winter vs. summer steelhead issue is critical, since the outcome will probably determine construction design based on anticipated river flows and those flow rates amenable to fish passage. Funding of the fish passage project will most likely be from PacificCorp mitigation money in partnership with other organizations.

Here is a link to the approved plan,costs and what will be involved over the next few years.

Steamboat Falls fish ladder improvement plan

Fish Passage above Soda Springs Dam

2011-01-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

So the fish passage construction at the Soda Springs dam has been underway for a while now. Actual construction began in 2009 and should be complete by 2011. It would have been a great thing to see this dam go away, but after the re license agreement of 2001 this will not be a reality for some time....maybe not ever. The thing that gets me is this dam does not directly provide power or benefit to anyone in Douglas county, The power produced here goes into the Pacific Power Grid and could be sent wherever. Most likely somewhere they can get an maximum profit.Another example of the rich getting richer on our public resources,and the people,fish and resources most affected left hanging.

While the fish passage is a good thing,and at this point the only thing that can be done to get fish into the spawning areas above,it is still far cry from a free and clear natural passage. It is an olive branch from the power company to say that they are doing great things for the fish. This is about a sixty million dollar olive branch . And as I said before, when it is all said and done the odds of them tearing it down anytime soon is almost an impossibility in my lifetime. No, this puppy will probably be around when my kids are grown up. Much like the fish passage on the Deschutes at Pelton Dam.....it will be a long time before anyone can say if it worked or not. At least a long time before anyone admits that it worked or not.

The good thing is the fish passage will allow fish to get above the dam into pristine spawning habitat.Fish are resilient and the will they WILL get there eventually. The bad thing is that despite this passage, the dam still holds back major spawning gravels for fish BELOW the dam. This gravel has been blocked since the 1950's when the dam was built. With winter fish being main stem(North Fork) spawners this lack of gravel has surely impacted the amount and quality of the spawning areas that fish use.There has been some attempt to introduce gravel below the dam but surely it has not been what the natural dispersal would have been on an annual basis.Additionally the water flow is obviously controlled to produce power and not rise and fall in a rhythm with the seasons. This fact alone will not allow the gravel that has been introduced in the last few years to be washed down steam. A nice gesture but it cannot replace what nature does on it's own.

In the end, tons of politics, big business getting bigger and the fish get not much more than a nod on this one. Sure some jobs were created but those workers are not making the majority of the money here. Someone in a big chair smoking a cigar as well as stockholders stand to make money on this whole re-license agreement as time goes by.

Like I said however small,it is a nod to the fish and in the right direction but maybe to little too late.But to see salmon and steelhead up in the Fish Creek area would be very cool. Maybe there is a little silver lining in every cloud.

Links to a few articles on the whole dam issue:

Fish Passage at Soda Springs

Pacific Corp dragging their feet.

KATU article

A Tempoary Refuge

2011-01-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

A TEMPORARY REFUGE
Natural History of a
Wild Summer Steelhead Refuge Pool
in the Western Cascades of Oregon

by
Lee Spencer

A stranger comes down into the viewing area at the pool and sees the steelhead.
“What are these fish?”
“Summer steelhead.”
“What are the rest?”

A letter from Gargantua to his son Pantagruel,

“A knowledge of nature is indispensable; devote yourself to this study with unflagging curiosity. Let there be no sea, river or fountain but you know the fish that dwell in it. Be familiar with the shrubs, bushes and trees in forest or orchard, all the plants, herbs and flowers that grow on the ground, all the birds of the air, all the metals in the bowels of the earth, all the precious stones in the orient and the south. In a word, be well informed in everything that concerns the physical world we live in.”

Francois Rabelais

PREFACE
A PERCH

It might be the shovel-scraping-on-asphalt croak of a blue heron or the brilliant complex cascading song of the winter wren, it could be the yammering calls of the kingfisher or the lively guttural chatter of a dipper, in the fall it could be the pure clear whistles of a flock of kinglets moving through the trees and shrubs surrounding my camp that I become aware of as I wake. It could be the splash or surge of a steelhead turning near the surface in the pool or the rain dropping to tarps. It could be anything. I am reasonably sure, however, that it’s the vibrations of my movements toward the front end of this twenty-five-foot Airstream trailer and/or some aspect of the soft explosion of the gas burner under the pot of creek water that wakes Sis, my fifteen-year-old heeler companion who, though happy and spry—still able to take three stair steps at a bound on a good afternoon—has become largely deaf. Always there is the sound of the main creek as a backdrop, rushing almost booming along if it is in spate, burbling and with musical overtones that remind me of winter wrens when it is slower and low enough for some of the boulders to surface in the riffles above and below the pool.

Sooner or later during any given day, Sis and I negotiate the short zigzag of trail down to the viewing area, a small terrace that has formed about fifteen feet above the creek. We settle ourselves there on a wooden observation platform constructed next to the base of a twisted old-growth fir. This is our Perch. It is located over the middle of a moderate-sized pool which—from early summer through late autumn—contains an average of around a hundred-fifty wild summer steelhead, with high counts of 500 to 700 of these anadromous rainbows, each season. From the Perch, the steelhead are fifty to eighty feet away from us in water that is usually clear enough to see what a person might want to see, for instance, whether a steelhead is a male or a female. Once the cooler days and nights of autumn arrive, the clarity of the creek becomes such that I can see the smallest anatomical details and even tell which way a steelhead may be looking.

For more than six years now, Sis and I have spent much of our time from mid-May through early to middle December seated at this Perch watching these fish and whatever else is happening around the pool. A long history of poaching at the pool is the reason why we are here. These large groups of steelhead have been a focus of poaching for more than four human generations. We are a deterrent to this activity, a poaching so pervasive and thorough that the pool has earned the local name of The Dynamite Hole. These dynamitings used to happen once or twice a year and, of course, for every one of these explosions, there have been multiple snaggings and other types of poaching.

Lest we come down too hard on local people in this regard—local people anywhere there is poaching—we should bear in mind that, to all intents and purposes, the smaller and smaller numbers of wild adult salmon returning to their natal streams and the loss of local breeding populations here along the edge of the North Pacific was not—for the most part—brought into being by poaching . . . or by seals or otters. The fundamental aspects of the Pacific salmon problem are and continue to be primarily the result of our industrial assault on the webbing of primal ecologies and our population numbers and what we think and accept that it takes to feed, cloth, warm, and entertain us in the ways that we have become used to. So the summer steelhead have found their refuge and, because the enemy we have met is us, this refuge for now and for the foreseeable future itself needs a caretaker. Presently, Sis and I are these caretakers and we know we are lucky to be so, lucky to be doing something that is this positive in such a straightforward fashion. We are also lucky to be able to live so simply for seven months of the year.

The summer steelhead that gather in this pool each season are here because it is a haven from summer heat and summer and autumn low flows in the creek. The wild fish that use the pool do so because it is possible to and because their life habits make it necessary. If there were no cool deep refuges on this Western Cascades creek, there would be no steelhead holding in the creek from early summer through late autumn. Equally, if there were no summer steelhead populations that continued to enter their natal streams nine to ten months before spawning, no refuge from warm and low water would be necessary for them.

The last dynamiting event at the pool occurred in 1993. People began to volunteer to stay up here after that, myself and Sis among them, though we began three years later in 1996. During those early years people would sign up for a day here or two days there. When Sis and I came to the pool during those times, usually we would arrive in the late afternoon or evening and set up a cot behind the truck—with a bed for Sis under it. My memories of these nights do not include heroic escapades of saving steelhead because it was then and is now a human presence that is the deterrence, volunteers at the pool are warm bodies. I do remember many times drifting off to sleep watching the brilliant array of stars centered around the Milky Way as they made their oblique way across the northeast/southwest opening in the larger surrounding trees. In those days, what time was spent at the pool was short and involved camp duties or it was sleep time.

The first day of the first year that Sis and I set up a season-long camp at the pool—this was 1999 and camp was a tent and tarps that year—I realized that it was a different situation, that Sis and I were going to have a lot of time on our hands, or paws, as the case may be. You can consider me slow, and I am in certain ways, but it didn’t occur to me until that first day that the pool represented an unusual opportunity to watch and to take notes on whatever the wild summer steelhead there seemed to be doing.

Note taking and observation is what I had spent the previous more than twenty-five years doing as a working prehistoric archeologist, that is, I spent a large part of every year working outside in the dirt. Not only was I comfortable working out of a field camp, but I was particularly trained in documentation of the little known and the unknown—archeology encounters only fragments of time and culture, those artifacts and their associations that have been left behind by variably ancient peoples, and these fragments have been acted on by the natural processes of weathering. So any archeologist with their eyes open is dealing with unknowns all the time. An abiding interest in natural history has suggested many useful answers to archeological puzzles for me and it seemed like this interest would serve me well at the pool too. The final but by no means the least consideration that led to this note taking, which in turn led to this book, was exceeding curiosity. By 1999, I had been casting flies to steelhead in the North Umpqua River for more than seventeen years and these fish fascinated me to no end. They still do.

So to see what I could see and to pass the season in an interesting way, I decided to try to make an informal study of wild summer steelhead behavior at the pool. Now, it is clear that I really had no idea what I was getting into.

By the time of this writing, I have typed up six of these seasonal volumes of natural history notes which amount to a total of more than a million and a half words. About half of these manuscripts are the timed entries made each season and the rest are tables, analyses, and comparisons. Whatever else they may be however, these six manuscripts are not by the stretch of any imagination an easy read. At the suggestion of friends and because of a predilection for making a readable accounting, I have attempted to distil this mass of data about the natural history of the wild steelhead populations that use the pool into a more manageable and readable form. This narrative is what you have in your hands.

I have designed this book to be a seasonal almanac of sorts. Along with a preliminary chapter called Late Winter and Early Spring, each of the eight months that summer steelhead occupy this pool as a refuge constitutes a chapter, making nine chapters in all. Other than May and December, these monthly chapters are divided into an early, a middle, and a late part. The transcriptions of my natural history notes for the past six seasons have been gleaned like a thimbleberry patch . . . or, perhaps more appropriately, a wild strawberry patch, the berries of this latter plant being smaller and more hidden; gleaned for information on the environment, on steelhead and the other Pacific salmon that use the pool, on vegetation, birds, mammals, for information on insects, reptiles and amphibians, and interesting events or stories that were documented during the relevant portion of the relevant month on one of these six years.

There are three appendices, one about hatcheries and artificial fish, one about past abundances of wild summer steelhead in the North Umpqua River, and the other about aspects of casting flies for summer steelhead and fishing ethics in times of warm water. Additionally, there is a bibliography and a comprehensive glossary of terms and usages.

Finally, there are a lot of endnotes. I have decided to make my citations in the form of endnotes so that the flow of the reading won’t be interrupted unless the reader desires it to be. The citations will generally be the date a given observation was made so that the reader can find the data in the natural history notes if they own or have access to the CD containing them. The endnotes also include ancillary comments and references.

As another issue in this preface, I need to point out a primary and perhaps dangerous characteristic of this type of natural history writing which is organized by month and season. In the Pacific Northwest and in many other regions on this planet, it is obvious and undeniable that natural cycles organized around seasonal change exist and repeat themselves. This said, the playing out of a given cycle for a given creature on a given year is not a given. A colder or warmer or drier or wetter season, a fire, a flood, a population explosion, a mass wastage event, each of these circumstances can affect the timing of a given life-cycle event or an event’s existence at all. Natural systems are organized around multiple interdependent cycles with variable degrees of uncertainty and it is this uncertainty keeps the ecologies and wild denizens resilient, adaptive, and strong.

Except for the first chapter entitled Late Winter and Early Spring, what are presented herein by way of seasonal events for wild summer steelhead and various other organisms are based virtually exclusively on what Sis and I have observed at the pool. If it is included in this book, I have some confidence that it occurs in the right place relative to other things in the book, but I have less confidence that a wetter, drier, warmer, or cooler season won’t shift its timing by ten days or two weeks one way or the other. Some additional information has been gleaned from various books which will be referenced when this is so. If you, the reader, come across a passage that you think should have an endnote but doesn’t, this will likely be because I consider it common knowledge. I could certainly be wrong.

It is also important to be aware that this book is written from the perspective of wild, naturally propagated fish in their natural environment, not of hatchery fish. The reason this is possible is that the absence of adipose fins that characterize this basin’s hatchery fish is clearly visible from the Perch and because 98-100% of the summer steelhead in the pool each of these seasons are wild. All of the steelhead juveniles are wild.

I have not chosen to name the relevant creeks, but only call them the main creek and the colder tributary creek. The reason for this is that I do not want to encourage you to visit. As much as I would like to see you, and I would, and Sis really would too, every visit to the pool has its influence on the peace of mind of the steelhead holding there. Presently, I record around 1,200 visits each season. If these visits were to significantly increase in number, it would have negative consequences for the summer steelhead holding in this refuge pool. My observations make this unambiguously clear.

Finally, a lengthy and somewhat detailed discussion of natural history is difficult without some mention of evolution or ultimate causes. I believe that evolution and adaptation exist as natural processes and have no purpose, regardless of how awkward my wording may at times become. Evolution has no direction either. It is simply a word used for a process of organized change based on the fundamental mutable structure of life in association with the basic changeability of the universe. Each creature is an equally perfect summation of three billion-plus years of interaction with organic and inorganic, biotic and abiotic environments on this planet.

I do not really believe in single causes, ultimate or otherwise. I think we are on our own and, solely for us humans, compassion is both possible in any situation and the only important thing.

After fifteen or so years of hiding in the wilderness with a tribe of hunting people, watching over their nets, Hui-neng (638-713 Common Era), the pivotal sixth and final patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China, decided to go out again into the world to disseminate his teaching. On a day when the wind was blowing and pennants were flapping, he came upon two monks arguing about this. One monk was saying that it was the wind that was moving and the other was saying that it was the flags themselves that were moving. After listening to them, Hui-neng approached and said that it was neither the wind nor the flags, but it was their minds that were moving.

The mundane mind, for all its apparently static observations of everything, flows. It sees what it wants to see and then sees support for that conclusion, whatever it is. The mind, generally, does not easily see what is uncolored by preconceptions.

With apologies to Hui-neng and compliments to Thomas Cleary—I neither read nor speak any Chinese—there are steelhead outside our minds. These steelhead are themselves as individuals, as demes, and as a species. They do not know themselves by our name whether this name is steelhead, or Oncorhynchus mykiss, or sea-run rainbow, or some other bright or dark symbol in our minds.

This almanac merely scratches an itch I have. I trust that eventually and before it is too late, we can simply leave the wild populations of these fish alone and leave alone what they need to be left alone to survive—protected, but otherwise unhelped—as natural breeding populations. While this species may not know what is best for itself or know at all in any self-conscious human sense, we certainly do not. This is abundantly clear.

Sis and my seasonal stays at the pool are made possible with per diem supplied by The North Umpqua Foundation, a non-profit organization I believe in and volunteer with. The USDA Forest Service is also an active and positive partner in this effort. The Foundation, bless them, also comes up with a stipend so that I can more easily have the time to transcribe these notes during the five months I am off the pool. I am sure that Sis and I are luckier than we realize in this fortuitous set of circumstances.

While I may not agree with all of Lee's philosophies and world views, his views on the fish and dedication to protecting them is nothing short of amazing.