Snaggers Abound... Report Them!

I love the Fall for a few reasons:

1. College Football

2. Late Summer Steelhead

3. Leaves Changing Color

There is a part of the Fall that I despise. Folks who snag fish.

Taking a fish by snagging is illegal in both Oregon and Washington and it's an embarrassment to those who fish legally and ethically.

With a record return of Fall Chinook to the Columbia River basin, our rivers are being overrun with moron poachers who consider themselves anglers. These folks come in all shapes, colors, and sizes with one commonality... the only way to teach them the proper way to fish is by the heavy hand of the law.

Law enforcement in both states need your help in reporting these crimes so the next time you're on the river and see someone snagging fish or retaining a fish that has not been hooked in the mouth please report it to the proper authorities.

Oregon TIP Hotline: 1-800-452-7888
Washington TIP Hotline: 1-877-933-9847 or text your tip to 847411 with "WDFWTIP" followed by the report.

Remember... do not approach those who are fishing illegally. Simply get a good description of the angler poacher, what they are doing, and where they are committing the crime.

Responsible anglers who report these crimes DO make a difference. I hope that with the continued efforts of anglers and law enforcement, the resource will be conserved for those who utilize it legally. 

Late Summer Recap - The Skunk Continues

It's been an entire month with nary a post.

That's not good in the blogosphere!

Yikes. Work has kept me on the run and with a lack of good results from my few fly trips, I suppose I've been a bit embarrassed to post about getting skunked.

Speaking of getting skunked... it's getting old!

Sure, I've knocked the crap outta steelhead and pink salmon this year on friend's boats fishing gear, but it's been a rough go on the spey rod. I did get into some Pinks on the fly last week on the Skagit which was pretty fun despite the fish looking like zombies (I think zombies would smell better though). I'm still waiting on that big tug from a Summer-head though...

When I think about it, I'm fairly certain that I've hit the 7,500 cast mark with nary a good hookup to show for it. I've fished the right water, the right bugs, and anymore it seems like I'm fishing the "right" way. Hell, I've even fished two times with guides and I'm still sitting on an 0-fer. The temptation to get a bait rod is constantly in the back of my mind but I haven't caved... yet.

Time to get back on the horse, rig up the long rod, and keep grinding.

With it being the "other" busy season for my job I'll likely only get out a few more times until November but the Deschutes is calling my name and I think I'll have to go for a visit tomorrow.

Thankfully there are lots of trout in the Deschutes. It makes you feel good to know that you won't get completely shut out. If there's one thing I can catch, it is whitefish trout.

Get out there and make your own adventures... be they fish-less or not.

Power Fishing Trip Report - Central Oregon, August 2013

Just because I can...

Two days, two fisherman, two rivers, and one mission...

Fish until we drop.

There is nothing quite like a power fishing trip... those trips where time is limited, your rods are always rigged and ready to go, every worthwhile looking pull off is explored, and you don't stop until your wife calls and tells you to come home.

My friend and I did that this weekend, and we sure as heck made the most of it.

Camping in the Sunriver area of Oregon leads to many quality fly fishing options, both riverine or lacustrine. It's especially helpful when a thunder and lightning storm moves in on your water, and a 20 minute drive will take you to less lethal waters. If only we had brought our float tubes, we'd have had more opportunities, but I can't complain!

During our weekend power trip we saw more people fishing some of these spots than I ever had before. It was borderline ridiculous at a few of our stops that we fished.

First to the hole, serenity for an hour, then five groups of anglers show up. My favorite section of a particular river was so heavily pressured that it's normally ravenous Brook trout had their bellies to the bottom in a way that I'd never seen before. Thankfully, some helpful local anglers gave us a tip on some currently red hot water nearby... Needless to say, we owe them a beer.

We caught Brooks, Bows, Browns and of course Mr. Whitefish, and we did it on streamers, nymphs, and dries. It was the best 43-hour power trip that I've yet to experience.

My fishing partner caught the biggest trout of his life (twice) and got his first Brown trout on the trip. I, on the other hand, lost the biggest trout of my life (multiple times... one was the size of a damn Steelhead...) and landed my biggest Brown yet. Needless to say, I should've been nymphing with my six weight instead of the five.

Enjoy the pictures and remember to make the most of your "power fishing trips."

Best trout of my friend's fly fishing career... for an hour. Then he caught a bigger one. 

My buddies first Brown trout. Great spotting on this guy.

Lamson reels... getting it done!

Even 13" Brook Trout love to crush streamers... Beautiful fish

My friend's big hen Brown. Love the sparse spotting on this one.

Best fish that I've landed on a 5 wt. You don't have to go to Montana to catch big healthy Browns.

Close-up. Love the blue shine on their gill plate.

Parting shot on the way out. Beautiful country, even prettier fish.

ECHO: Bringing Good Fortune to the Bench

Before I begin to ramble, I've got to get something off my chest; I love Rajeff Sports.

Big revelation? I suppose not, but Rajeff Sports epitomize great customer service.

Whether you're purchasing Airflo or Echo products, they give you honest advice, an amazing product, the best warranty service in the business, and in my case they are conveniently close (about 15 minutes from my front door).

Heck, if you're really lucky, Tim Rajeff will personally help you with your warranty repair/exchange, explain what lines to use on your new/replacement rod, and he'll walk you through the warehouse showing you upcoming products and explaining rod design.

Did I mention the awesome Echo Tibetan Prayer Flag that he gave me? Badass!

It proudly hangs over my tying bench, and I hope it's the extra ingredient that my flies need to help me get into more fish. When it comes to steelhead fishing, I need all the help I can get!

Ways to Fish Less Often...

Lately, I've found ways to fish less often than I'd like to. Sure, we'd all like to fish more than we do, but I've rarely gotten out at all. Thinking back to last summer, I was knee deep in trout fishing and rabies exposure shots at this point.

Oh well...

Here are some fantastic ways to find yourself fishing less often than you'd like:

1. Buy an old house... (Build a fence, re-landscape a yard, deal with broken plumbing, etc)

2. Work... a lot. (Days off are few and far between lately)

3. Drive 3,000+ miles this month for work alone. Yeah, that's equivalent to driving to Craig, Montana twice (round trip)

4. High water temps and low conditions on local rivers. (It's not good on the fish and it sure makes for tough catching) 

I will admit to a few early-hours sessions including a nice day up on the Upper NFL with a new fishing friend, and one recent gear chucking jaunt on some local water that produced a Summer-run fish for the dinner table. 

Cedar planks and Summer runs go hand in hand!

I guess my past month isn't that bad, but here's to enjoying the days on the water to the fullest. I'm looking forward to some diverse fishing this August (Steelhead, Sea-Runs, Pinks, and more!)

Tight Lines.

Streamers... Central Oregon Report Part 1

What a week. Buying and moving into a house, keeping more than busy at work, and all of the other stress that comes with those activities has left me a little more tightly wound then normal.

Thankfully a family vacation to Sunriver was on the docket and this fly fisherman had plans. Sure, I couldn't fish the whole time (the wife might would have killed me), but I had a few goals.

1. Catch as many species as possible (Brook, Brown, Rainbow, and Cutthroat trout and Atlantic salmon were the goal)

2. Finally catch a fish on a streamer in a river (I don't know why I've not spent more time fishing streamers)

3. Fish the Upper Deschutes and Hosmer Lake

Check. Check. Check.

As the pictures clearly show, chunky Brookies love streamers near downed logs. After a slow morning on the river with our guide Griff (Fly and Field Outfitters, Bend), we went to some hard to reach water. He kept my Father-in-law and Brother-in-law busy nymphing up whitefish and brookies while I chased big guys on the streamer rod. I also got some Brook trout on dries and nymphs.

After fishing streamers so effectively that day, I don't know if I want to fish another way again!

Moving Week...

There are few things I dislike more than moving. Bats. Snakes. Ticks... that's about it.

That being said, I'm looking forward to having our own house and more room for all of our crap!

Moving is making me realize that my wife and I have far too many clothes, junk, and kitchen gadgets. But we don't seem to have enough fly rods, tying materials, drift boats, etc... Coincidence? I think not.

After a few more long days of hauling goods to the new place we will be off to Central Oregon. I've got a few things to check off the list while we're staying near Bend:

1. Atlantic Salmon (sure, they aren't native and I hear that they fight like crap but it's a must catch)
2. Big Brooke Trout... because they are cool
3. Fish 5 different bodies of water over 3 days.

I think I can knock all three of the list. Here's to hoping so!

I'll post pictures and other goodies next week.

Sorry again for the lack of posts recently. Work craziness and house closing sure takes up a lot of spare time.