Hello all! Sorry that it's been so long since my last blog post. Life with kids in Oregon has been busy! I've been able to go on a number of local fishing adventures lately, including a long weekend out to the John Day River, and a couple of day trips to the Deschutes River. I had barely heard of the John Day River before moving to Oregon, and I have now finally realized how special it is. It's the third longest free-flowing river (no dams) in the lower 48...flowing 284 miles from its headwaters, to the Columbia River. Depending on the time of year, and where you are on the river, an angler can target Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, Smallmouth Bass and Trout. What other rivers can you say that about? Much of the river also flows through incredible fossil country (read: John Day Fossil Beds). We spent a few days near the Painted Hills district camping and searching for Smallies.
Closer to Portland, the Deschutes River is on fire right now...Salmonflies and Goldenstones are working well for native, Rainbow Trout. It's a gorgeous river, cutting through high-desert canyon and sagebrush country. It reminds me of the Wind River Canyon back in Wyoming.
Rachael and I are headed to the annual
Oregon Wildlife Foundation benefit auction this Saturday in Portland.
Grand Teton Fly Fishing will proudly be donating a two-day fishing trip package at their live auction...should be fun!
Also...make sure to check out this video trailer of the critically acclaimed
Damnation, a documentary about the history and controversy surrounding dam removal...important stuff here people! So what's new in Wyoming? Runoff! The Snake River at Moose is hanging at over 8,000 cfs, and should be spiking higher soon. As usual for June, your best bet for local fishing will be the Henry's Fork, South Fork and Yellowstone. Stoneflies and Caddisflies on the Henry's Fork should produce, while good reports of Stonefly Nymphs on the South Fork have been coming my way. People are always asking me what I miss most about Wyoming...it's a hard question to answer. One thing I do miss is the chance to be in Yellowstone this time of year. There is abundant wildlife and fantastic fishing on the Firehole River...try not to miss it!
Hello all! Yep...it's been quite some time since my last post. Summer in Oregon has been great, but it's been going by way too fast! My latest fishing adventure around here was a two-day camping/fishing stint on the Metolius River. The Metolius River (pictured below) is located just west of Bend, Oregon, in the heart of the central Cascade Mountains. It's a giant spring creek that literally erupts out of the earth near Camp Sherman, Oregon. The water volume and temperature at the head of the spring is constant every day of the year. It runs incredibly clear over lush weed beds, while cutting through a beautiful pine forest. Needless to say, it's an absolute insect factory and home to some very large, wild Rainbow trout. The holes are deep, undercut and crystal clear. I sighted many fish over the two days. I approached it like the Henry's Fork, and left the nymphs at home. I waited out the hatch and tried to sight fish with dry flies. Although it's still Drake and Stonefly season on the river, I didn't spot any in the two days on the water. I did get to see a late afternoon PMD hatch but they weren't moving on them at all. The air temps were in the mid-90's, so that's my excuse :) If anyone out there has not heard of or fished the Metolius, definitely do not miss it if you are traveling through Oregon. The river is open to angling all year and there is a ton of public access. I'm hoping to head over to the Deschutes in the next two weeks to try my hand at some summer-run Steelhead fishing...can't wait! I've also got a trip planned back to Jackson Hole later in August to check in on Grand Teton Fly Fishing, participate in the Casting 4 A Cure event in Victor, Idaho, and to do some serious fishing with friends.
I had a great call a few nights ago with my business partner Scott Smith, including a very detailed fishing report. In short, despite the high water year that Western Wyoming has been experiencing, the rivers are all in great shape. Fish are up taking large dry flies on the Snake, while higher than normal water around Pinedale is keeping the water temps cooler, and the fishing red hot. Oh...if you're wondering about the picture (courtesy of Simms Fishing Products) at the top of the page...meet Dawson Herzer. He's 8 years old, and barely 4 feet tall. He landed this Steelhead with a 12 1/2 foot, two-handed spey rod! Incredible! This photo has inspired me to do more Steelhead fishing :) Nice work Dawson!
