Saturday Plans.

Checklist:
1)Fill the cooler with snadwich and beer
2)pack up the 3wt
3)Grab the box of dries..... (leave the streamers and nymphs at home)
4)Feed Jackson so he has plenty of energy to hike
5)Put Beef Jerky in backpack
6)Pack up dog treats for Jackson so he doesn't eat ALL the beef jerky
7)Update ipod create playlist for ride out
8)wear lucky boxers.

What tomorrow should look like:

Its Thursday.

One more day till friday. Time to have a beer.
Cheers,
Jackson.

Happy Father's Day

For all the dads out there.... Have a beer, go fish.
Cheers,
Sir Jackson and Me.

Field Testing.

Ego Booster.

What you see is what you get. Small, wild, jewel.
If you are getting your ass handed to you by the Metolius.... pull out the map find a blue line near sisters..... pack up the cooler (hopefully with an IPA), get your 3 wt and go after the wreckless natives in that creek nearby.

This was the case when my dad, fiance, and I decided we REALLY needed to feel a tug at the end of our lines. A short, light rod, and bushy dries. Oh yeah.... some stealth required: My old man stalking:



This place is not a secret..... and its not talked about. I mean, who would give a shit about this tiny creek close to the deschutes, fall, metolius, and many central oregon lakes?

Metolius.

The Metolius...... cold, clear, technical, beautiful. A stream that bubbles right out of the ground to form a legendary river. Legendary? While I must say the scenery was legendaty..... the fishing was NOT.

I had looked forward to this trip with my family for quite some time. I was not doing my usual routine..... sleeping in the dirt, eating whatever kept me warm at night and drinking enough to ensure a good nights sleep. Instead, thanks to my family, we got a cabin..... RIGHT on the river.

When we first showed up, bugs were everywhere.... pmd's, cadddis, and blue winged olives were all mixed in. I thought for sure the trout fishing would be cake. What I wanted most of all was a bull trout. And I thought I came prepared:



After getting skunked for our entire first morning (me, my fiance, and my dad) we though regrouping and having some beer would get us ready for the afternoon. I was confused..... where the hell were the fish? The bugs wewre out in force, the temperature felt perfect, and the flows seemed great. What I soon realized was that I had not seen a single person catch a fish all day. After asking around it quickly became clear that even the locals know that paying your dues on the metolius is part of the game. I can respect that.

That afternoon I was bouncing a stonefly off the bottom of a deep trough when IT took my fly and decided to peel off down stream.... my rod was pumping and after a few head shakes, in my most classic nature, I lost the bull trout I so badly wanted to catch. Even though I was pissed I did manage to bring a trout to hand before dark. My ONLY Metolius redside:



Not a large amount of fishing took place.... but that was fine with me.... the highlight of my trip was sitting around the campfire with my family drinking and being merry. I plan on returning to the Metolius with different expectations.... a gorgeous river that is technical is my cup of tea.... but I have to be mentally prepared for it next time. We were too early for the green drakes. I'll be back in a few weeks. Sir Jackson loved it as well:

A Fish Is A Fish. Is A Fish. Right?

A fish.....


is a fish......


IS A FISH.....


is a fish.....


is a fish.....


Is a fish.....


RIGHT?

The two D's.

"Ok little fishy.... Jackson and I know you got alot going against you. Floods threaten your water, people try to suffocate you with pollution, those bigger fish are ganging up on you and won't let you hang out with them, food can be scarce, and billy bob dunking worms and shit wants to keep you for dinner. Damn Poacher."

"Hang in there and eat up....learn from your mistakes, grow big and strong. Oh yeah.... and don't forget to make plenty of babies for me to obsess over. Don't worry though.... I'll put them back just Like I put you back (not without letting Jackson lick your face).... if I can set the hook."

Is it a coincidence that two big rivers with the hardest fighting trout I have ever hooked into start with the letter D? Even more of a coincidence the locals who haunt those waters refer to both of them as "THE D". THE DELAWARE. THE DESCHUTES.

Jackson and I have fished both of these Holy places. On opposite ends of the United States.... these rivers have many things in common. Any given trout can peel line off your reel. The fish grow very strong surviving in a huge river carved by a heavy current. Great dry fly action, and picky fish.

Even though they are not native.... the Delaware River Brown Trout will get the best of you if you are not on your "A" game. If you finally fool the fish (15 flies later, and 3 tippet changes after) Don't size a fish up.. until you land it. We know that 15'' brown felt like 20'' when it took line off your reel. These fish don;t nail flies.... they are picture perfect browns who SIP flies.


The Deschutes: The redside. Fighting Redside sounds better. I hope you can land the damn thing after you hook it...... but these fish know how to spit hooks while they are suspended 4 ft out of the water. Oh shit! I almost forgot..... the steelies. Yeah, they are there too...... this river will test your witts, and reward you beautifully. If you're lucky.


Jackson wants me to let you in on one little secret. I wont say too much...... my boy was working on the Delaware a summer ago and night fishing for large browns....... in between loud surface smacks in the darkness of the night (in between browns) he was catching these on the surface (with a 5 wt):


So..... put it on your list. 2 places to fly fish before you die.

Menomena.

Hey Portlanders. Show your indie roots. Menomena. Trash. Beat. Menomena. Cough,cough, coughing.

Honey Holes, Reports, Pics, and Inspiration

Hotdamn! The shacknasties are just about over. This side of the world is beginning to shake off the frost and thaw out. Everyone is dusting off the cobwebs and I am beginning to read more and more positive fishing posts. I have busted out the map book and begun searching out new water I want to explore. Forget the crowds.... I am leaning towards the days filled with a hard hike, rewarded by wreckless fish and solitude. Ok, so I will probably fish the salmonfly hatch on the D. But not before I start searching out some honey holes on lesser known water. I hope fellow bloggers, fishing boards, and friends continue their reports and postings. Cheers.

Portland, Oregon

Shelter from the storm.

Spring time in Portland=Rain. Now that things are warming up on the east side of the cascades... I have put the steelie pursuit on the backburner. In reality... I have just been jones'n to sleep in a tent again. My last to weekends have proven to be a success. Some nice weather, redsides, campfires, and good company has refueled my spirit. I guess I am not a true steelheader. I never considered myself one anyways. That does not mean I have given up.... but at this point there is no use in banging my head against a wall.



Jackson and I met up with some fellow Drakians this weekend on the D..... The fishing hasn't quite turned on yet..... but it was nice to see some sporadic hatches, and surface feeding action. What was even better, was sitting around a warm fire drinking, and shooting the shit with no worries about what I have to do at work on Monday.

Fall River

I spent the last week carefully watching the weather around Oregon. My intention was to camp with Jackson and get away for the weekend. Oh yeah..... and to fish. The truck was packed Friday night.... and by 6 am the next morning it was pointed towards Bend. The weather was predicted to be..... PERFECT. It was.


I chose to fish the fall river for one reason: I saw a picture of it in a book.... and it just looked like a river I would fall in love with. The Fall has the most amazing clarity I have ever seen in a river which scared me at first....



Order of the Day:
1) Pound the fallen trees with streamers
2) Long tippets and tiny flies



Fish On!!!!!



When camping, make sure you bring good companions:
1)Dog
2)Tasty Beer

Jackson


Scott Lays is down?


Ok... Back to the fishing:
On the second day I found a meadow portion of the Fall loaded with willing fish. They had no problems with my BWO comparadun, this water was really clear as well, but a long tippet helped my shitty presentations to the fish. I was even able to set the hook and land fish. I usually can do everything right up until the setting the hook part. But it all came together for me this weekend. Things are looking up.

The weekend went by too fast and I am now thinking ahead to my next trip. I did find an interesting portion of the river that has peaked my curiosity. A local was telling me Browns stack up below these falls during a certain time of year. It has already been marked on my calendar.

Indie....... Fly Shop

Saw this posted on the Drake today and it was very cool. I would like to have a beer with this guy.

Spring: First Push.

I got out today, in a much needed sort of way. Since I moved to Oregon I have tried to focus on learning how to catch steelies and leave the trout behind for a while. The steelies have been kicking my ass.....

After getting the skunk on a coastal stream Saturday, I called a friend to see what he was doing..... before I could ask him how he was...I was already agreeing to fish with him on sunday for redsides on the Deschutes. I can't complain.

The weather decided to cooperate and I felt the suns warmth on my face for the first time in months. The fishing was starting to feel a little more forgiving and we had plenty of opportunities. Redsides were caught, and beer got drank.

Here's my boy Wingnut in on a fish:


Damn sun felt mighty good. I was hot...... not cold. Hell yes! Even my BOY Jackson was going NUTS!!!!! Straight up true english Lab style:



Is this a day to go down in the record books???? Nope. But.....the beginning of spring gets rid of my shack nasties!!! The dries were even in effect today... some fish were rising and the BWO's, and the caddis were coming off in strong numbers!!! Attention anglers:
Make sure your boxes are filled, gear is in shape, and calendars are open because the season will be coming into shape before you know it..... shake off the frost, get prepared, and don't let the season pass you by. (I am usually not this positive... especially after trying to learn how to catch steelies, but after a warm sunny day like today..... and the future promise of consistent trout fishing, how could I resist?)

All positive bullshit aside:
The end of my day is described as seen:

Prehistoric.

That was the first thought that came to my mind when I saw this fish. My lady was swinging a streamer through a deep pool in NC and ended up whacking the biggest fish on that trip. She was the only girl fishing w/ a group of 7 guys. Nuff said. This fish has shoulders.....

Punk in Drublic

Get drunk and cuss at people. In my more destructive stages of my youth..... this was my anthem. NOFX. Fuck the straight edges. There was nothing that spoke to me better than white trash, three heebs, and a bean. Even though I have come full circle in my musical taste, and I no longer hate the hippies..... I am gonna have to break out the old album to bring a little juju my way this upcoming weekend. The upcoming weekend is looking like one of my worst opportunities to catch a fish yet. Many rivers are blown out.... and I don't quite have the Jedi knowledge of Oregon that I was convinced I had in VA. I'm starting all over again. In order to bring myself good luck:
1)Stock up on PBR
2)Wear "the" boxers
3)Put NOFX in the player and crank it loud till Sat.
4)Bust out Jackson's old collar that smells like shit
5)Don't check any more fishing reports.

Looking Up.

The lady was in town for the weekend, the fishing didn't pan out cause the river was the color of overstirred chocolate. But I didn't mind at all. We will be spending an extended weekend at the Metolius come spring and the timing will coincide with the Green drake hatch. We hope. After dropping her off at the airport... I decided to keep my mind busy by tying up some patterns for our trip to the Met. I have never fished the Met..... I am looking forward to it, and I read these are finicky fish.

I'll be kickin like a true yupee during this certain weekend cause the family will be there and my old man likes to be pampered on fishing trips. I can't complain.... moms cookin, an actuall bed in a cabin, great beer, and jackson will be getting extra attention. Life is good..... when the river is just out your front door.

Anadromous, according to Wikipedia

Here is what wikipedia had to say: (I think they left out the part about driving some people crazy)
Many types of fish undertake migrations on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annual, and with distances ranging from a few meters to thousands of kilometers. The purpose usually relates to either feeding or breeding; in some cases the reason for migration is still unknown.

Migratory fish are classified according to the following scheme:

diadromous fish travel between salt and fresh water (Greek: 'Dia' is between)
anadromous fish live in the sea mostly, breed in fresh water (Greek: 'Ana' is up)
catadromous fish live in fresh water, breed in the sea (Greek: 'Cata' is down)
amphidromous fish move between fresh and salt water during some part of life cycle, but not for breeding (Greek: 'Amphi' is both)
potamodromous fish migrate within fresh water only (Greek: 'Potamos' is river)
oceanodromous fish migrate within salt water only (Greek: 'Oceanos' is ocean)
The best-known anadromous fish are salmon, which hatch in small freshwater streams, go down to the sea and live there for several years, then return to the same streams where they were hatched, spawn, and die shortly thereafter. Salmon are capable of going hundreds of kilometers upriver, and humans must install fish ladders in dams to enable the salmon to get past. Other examples of anadromous fish are sea trout, three-spined stickleback, and shad.

Can't Sleep

I can't sleep.... my lady is coming in town and I am taking a needed day off work on Friday. Over the phone she has expressed more than once how bad she wants to get out and fish. The weather is cooperating.... rain should have these steelies turned back on and she has an ability to impress me with her skills every time.

Jackson will be so stoked..... belly rubs and extra treats are in the forecast for him. He is so tired of watching me get my ass kicked by these anadromous fish that he knows its gonna take a miracle or just a good luck charm. Well, that time has come. Even if things don't come together for me..... this is a time where I really mean... "it was just good to get out".