Holiday 2011

Published on January 16, 2012 by david in fly fishing. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

Over the holidays my family and I got away to Colorado to spend some time with the extended family. My dad and I drove up into 11 mile which is a beutiful tailwater flowing through some of the most gorgeous fishing water you could ask for. No fish were hooked that day, but a bald eagle flying directly overhead 20 feet up and some great beers and conversation rounded it out perfectly.

The ice along the bank was six feet into the river making the river much more personal than the other times I had been there. So many of the holes I fished in the summer along the banks were sorely missed. A few days later I went back up to 11 mile with my two brothers and much of the ice had started to melt. A few hours in my younger brother found a fish in some slow water and I about fell flat on my face as I rushed down the icy banks to help him net it. The fish threw the hook, but we worked that slot for the next  hour just to make sure he didn’t have some hungry friends in there. A little later we all moved to another spot and low and behold the same eagle flew overhead in the same spot as my previous day. My younger brother and I found a large group of fish in a deep hole and casted to them with every nymph and weight combination I could think  of. My older brother hooked I nice fish up higher (see it here). We all went back to the truck and downed jerky, chili-cheese fritos, beers, and port and got back home to the most amazing ossobuco that my mom made. The meat just fell right off the bone (MMMMMMmmmmm).

Another major highlight of the trip is that I got to go flying with my younger brother who has a pilot license. After a few nausea pills (I learned I get REALLY motion sick now that I am older when I went halibut fishing in Alaska a few years back) we got the all clear from the tower and we were sky bound. It was one of the most amazing things to be in such a small plane just my bro and me. We flew down to my parents house and did a few circles until my dad and daughter saw us from the house. I texted my wife that we were flying near the house and she said her and my mom were a few miles away. My brother headed down the road that leads to there house until he spotted the car and than almost made my breakfast come up as he got excited and banked the plane hard to circle back along the car.

On the flight back up to the airport I got to try my hand at flying and lets just say I managed not to crash the plane.

Practicing my MIG welding

Published on January 5, 2012 by david in fly fishing. 0 Comments

My brother got this pic of me practicing up on my MIG welding over the holidays. Always stuff to do around the parents house.

One More, Take Two

Published on December 25, 2011 by david in fly fishing. 2 Comments Tags: , .

Got this email from Alex who was lucky enough to hit up the Deschutes just a few days after our previous outing:

Same fly, same weather, same spot…
Same fish?

Not sure if it was the same fish, but it sure looks like fun!

 

 

One More

Published on December 17, 2011 by david in fly fishing. 2 Comments Tags: , .

While Friday was my birthday and I was able to wrestle Alex away from his work long enough to get out to the Deschutes. I usually hit up the coast for some winter steelheading for my birthday, but with this crazy dry weather we are having that wasn’t an option. We decided to work up the west side of the river which I haven’t done for along time either. Usually I stick on the east side so I can hike up miles and get past the crowds. While we got down to the river and at the first spot we stopped at I worked the upper slow water while Alex worked just below the riffles. Shortly I had my first nice steelhead of the day on. Happy Birthday to me!! The male put up a fun fight and and just as I got ready to grab him I heard that dreaded snap. Oh well. The fight was great and you don’t really need to see another photo of a steelhead here anyway. I was in high spirits as the morning had just started and Alex and I went back to our respective spots on the river. Not 15 minuets later I got into another fish, but this one was a little different. I know there should not be any B runs in the river right now, but after this steelhead made one epic boil on the surface it turned and bolted for the Columbia. My 7wt switch rod instantly felt underpowered and the line was peeling off. Three quarters of the way through my backing and many a sore arm from fighting later the fish broke off. Damn! It was the hardest fighting steelhead I have ever encountered and that includes those wild brutes I caught up on the Clearwater. Alex took a funny video of me and the whole time I was using rather colorful language to describe how I was feeling. Ha!

While I got two more takes in that area, but no more solid hook ups so Alex and I hiked way up to another good spot. When we finally got up there I headed up a little higher and Alex stayed just above the rapids. Not 5 minuets after I walked up the river I hear the “fish on” whistle and came running back down the river. I netted the really nice wild male for Alex (while the fish was sticking out of wither end of his net) and handed it over to him. He went to pull the fish out of the net and let the net go, but unfortunately it was no longer attached via his bungie cord as I had taken it off to net the fish for him. “Your net” I said and Alex whipped around with the fish dangling in one hand and made a wrong step and went straight down on hi butt. I grabbed the note and glanced over at a really nice steelhead that took that dip to make a run for it.

So no photos of fish, but it was totally one of the most memorable days I have ever had on the river. We were laughing all the way back home. What an awesome birthday.

And a big shout out to my beautiful wife for watching my children who I hear were a handful that day.

First Winter Steelhead of the Season

Published on December 5, 2011 by david in fly fishing. 5 Comments Tags: , , .

Cast, mend, mend, drift. Cast, mend, mend, drift. Fish on! Oh damn. It’s a snag. Pull. Pull! PULL! Than the sound of 12 lb line snapping. Reel in the line and take an assessment of whats left. Not much. Start the rigging process. Nah. Time for some sunflower seeds on the side of the river taking in the beauty of this little coastal gem. I look over my shoulder and spot some bait casters that had been watching me in the run. They walk by “Damn, sucks getting broke off”. “Not if you caught one of these in that run” I reply and lift a 28 inch super chrome steelhead up. “Damn!” was all they could muster.

It was a fun moment on two counts:
1.) Usually the bait guys have the steelhead

2.) It is super early in the winter steelhead season and I already found one.

Alex and I had been out a week before this while the water was dropping from the heavy rains we had, but the river wasn’t in good enough shape yet. I thought there was no chance on this weekend as it has remained totally dry since that heavy rain and the rivers were low and super clear. Ok, fish the deep pools I thought. Nothing. Ok, I’ll try deep run. Nope. While, lets swing some flies through those sexy looking riffles. Score. The fish took the fly with a vengeance and leapt in the air. My scream of excitement rang out down the river as I fought to keep the fish from running down the large rapids just below. The new Beulah Platinum Switch 10’8″ 7 wt was a dream to fight the fish with (and to cast on the smaller river). A little later the two fly fisherman that had been down river from me came by and said “We could hear you all the way down there”. Yeah, sorry guys I was just that excited to land this chrome beauty.

The hatchery fish came home with me and I poached them with a delicious sauce of garlic, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil,  lemon, pepper, and other yummy things that my wife made. She whips up the most delicious sauces!

Late Season Chantrelles

Published on November 9, 2011 by david in Mushrooms. 0 Comments

I got out during my kids naps on Sunday to do one last ditch run for channtrelles. The fog was dense as you hit the coast range and hiking through it with the sun beaming through mesmerized me so often I would end up staring up at the trees –  it’s usually hard to find chantrelles growing up there. I got a nice haul and despite my dog having a bad leg he had a blast running around the woods freaking out all the chipmunks (are those chipmunks in the coast range?).  With that haul my dehydrated chantrelle jar is full and I can get back to fishing on the weekends. I look forward to the many delicious batches of chantelle risotto on cold, rainy NW days.

A Little Happy

Published on November 7, 2011 by david in fly fishing. 1 Comment

Alex and I headed out to the lower Deschutes to see if we could find any active steelhead this last weekend. I took Alex up to my favorite little run and after the fun time he had fighting the beauty of a fish in the picture below I think it may become one of his favorite spots. Look at that grin. Ear to ear.

Condit Dam Explosion Video

Published on October 31, 2011 by david in conservation. 0 Comments

Explosive Breach of Condit Dam from Andy Maser on Vimeo.

Wrong Hat

Published on October 27, 2011 by david in fly fishing. 0 Comments


I had a problem. I went to the mouth of the Deschutes several times this year and hiked and biked up to some of the best spots and never got into a summer steelhead. After several trips and nothing I was getting rather bummed. On one of the previous trips Jeff Hickman (awesome guide) was flinging by in his sled and I got a nice take, but the fish came off when it jumped. That started me thinking about a trip I was lucky enough to be on with Jeff last year which was the last summer steelhead that I caught on the Deschutes. What I realized is that I have been wearing the wrong hat. I have been going after summer steelhead while wearing my lucky winter steelhead hat.

Ok, ok. I joke.

It was nice to get into a nice fish though. Funny enough I got the first steelhead about three casts into the day and the other right when I told myself it was time to pack out as the darkness was closing in quick. All that fun and a really nice redside trout to boot (I think it’s a redside in the image below, or is it a small steelhead? Anyone know).

Here is a link to my 2010 trip with Jeff Hickman and our Idylwilde hats (my lucky summer steelhead hat).

The lucky summer steelhead hat:

First Haul of the Season

Published on October 1, 2011 by david in Mushrooms. 0 Comments

The first good haul of chantrelles are in the dehydrator and I am exhausted from finding them. I got out of the house over the kids afternoon nap and bolted out west as quick as my car could take me. The whole drive I was running through possible spots in my head trying to decide which would have the best chances with the limited rain we got in September.

I couldn’t believe the amount of people that were out picking today, but most of them were right along the road (I don’t like brake dust chantelles) or in the completely wrong spot. With all the people out I decided to hike way in and ended up on top of one of the hills. I was finding white chantrelles here and there, but no the quantity I was looking for so I headed back down the hill to the moister valleys. I thought that most of these areas would be picked over by the large amount of people out, but I was wrong. I got my haul within two hours and headed home. My legs are burning from the hiking, but I couldn’t be happier. My daughter helped me clean them all off and after she went to bed my wife and I chopped all of them up while chatting away. Life is so good sometimes.

I also saw what I guess is a huge bee or wasp nest. It was about fourteen inches across and six inches tall. I flipped it on its side to see if there was any sign of life, but it was silent. And kind of freaky.