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Day 1 –Monday Sept 10,2012
Left Chico sooner than expect, but within tolerances. Almost made it to Red Bluff before the first stop, for fresh fruit and tomatoes. Good decisions. With old men, fresh fruit is a good thing in most cases.
Arrived at East Lake Oregon, home of big frigging Browns, late in the afternoon. First campground we drove thru men sat huddled over a very big fire with heavy coats on, looking miserable. Did we notice?,,NO! We were on a quest to rip lips. At the next campground it dawned on us that is was cold outside so we selected a spot with lots of afternoon sun, just 100 ft from the boat ramp. We should have just camped in the parking lot. Sun morning and evening and black asphalt to absorb heat. Little did we know.
First set up with Charlie’s pop up tent trailer in a couple of years was interesting, but we managed and had a camp before dark.
Monday night was a quick dinner, adult beverages, and off to bed by 9:30 with vision of big browns on light tippets. I think it hit below 30 that night. Thankfully we made the educated decision that these fish were gentlemen and would not stir till it warmed up, say around 10 pm or so. So I slept in till my usually 8:30. That night it dropped to well below 30. My 20 year old Colman sleeping bag was rated to 30. Thank God Charlie had 2 extra blankets and a heater buddy.
Met a nice couple, and they both fly fished and had fished the lake many time. They mentioned a shelf about 200 ft from shore.
Day 2 – Tuesday Sept 11, 2012
We head out, about 200 ft off shore. Behind us a couple of boats were anchored and other boats trolled by,, say more like 400 to 500 ft off shore. I think 6“is almost a foot in Oregon. Wind was blowing from the east, temps were down from the week before, Charlie made lousy coffee, and I had old tippets. I did, barely, to manage 2 trout around 15” – 16”, fishing hard all day.
Tuesday night was a great meal…I think, I forgot what was. We saw big trout feeding in the shallows right at dusk,a few fish working. Frigging cold wind.
Day 3 – Wednesday Sept 12, 2012
A big brown was by the boat ramp dying,,maybe,,oh say 22” and 4 lbs or so to inspire us in the morning.
Inspired us to get shunked.
Day 4 – Thursday travel day-
Taking down a pop up is not the opposite of putting it up. We decided to head to the someplace north, Metolius? We also enjoyed a luxury of a shower at the resorts. Great individual showers, with bench, hooks for your stuff, soap shelve, etc.
We saw the smoke from the big fire in the Sister’s area and thought Metolius might be too smoky. After a short visit to a fly shop in Bend, we headed off to the Crooked River, a bit North and East of Bend. The shop said it was fishing well with lots of willing fish, most in the 12” to 16” range with a few bruisers pushing 20”. Sounded good after the beating we took at East Lake.
It was as promised, lots of bugs, lots of fish, and when you add in the “Oregon Factor”, lots of 6” to 10” trout with a few bruisers pushing 12”. We both had plenty of action and enjoyed our camp overlooking the river. Setting up the camp went a bit quicker and smoother. The weather was also much warmer, which was a blessing after camping in a refrigerator.
The Hatches were throughout the day. Little PMD’s started early, then caddis, two different sizes, colors, etc. It was bug city central. Almost any fly worked, one evening I fished nothing but royal coachmen and red humpy’s in a size 14.
Day 5 – Friday
Get up around 8:30 to 9am. Coffee sipping spent watching the bugs pop and the fish just starting to show. Hit the river and fished till about 2, rest time followed by an early supper, then back fishing till dark, followed by social hour till bedtime around 9:30 pm. Charlie loses his hat to a 90 mph gust of wind.
Friday night was interesting in that my zipper on my mummy style bag died about 2 am. Now picture a skinny old man fighting a frigging zipper in his frigging shorts, cussing. I would think it was fixed, crawl back in only to have it unzip again. It’s cold. Finally I just wrapped up the unzipped side with the extra blankets Charlie had and succeeded defeat to the zipper from hell.
Day 6 – Saturday
Get up around 8:30 to 9am. Coffee sipping spent watching the bugs pop and the fish just starting to show. Hit the river and fished till about 2 after seeing Charlie do a drunk seal imitation mid river, rest time followed by an early supper, then back fishing till dark, followed by social hour till bedtime around 9:30 pm. I Played with the zipper. Its toast.
Day 7 – Sunday
Get up around 8:30 to 9am. Coffee sipping spent watching the bugs pop and the fish just starting to show. Hit the river and fished till about 2, rest time followed by an early supper, then back fishing till dark, followed by social hour till bedtime around 9:30 pm.
Day 8 – Monday Road trip Crooked River to Metolius –
Breaking down camp was a breeze now that we both know how to do it. I think we were on the road by 10 with an ETA at Sisters in 90 minutes. The Garmin was only calculating the shortest possible route, not the one we actually took. First stop, Wal-Mart for a new Sleeping bag, and some tomatoes.
Next, the former Sportsman’s Warehouse in Bend for new wading boots with cleats and a hat for Charlie. I even pick up a couple of shirts. That taken care of, it’s time to resupply the whiskey and visit Charlie’s friend, that has a gallery in Sisters. Well, the friend was “gone for 5 minutes” and the Gallery now had a wine tasting room.
One drink each and we are off again, leaving the brandied pears with a note. Did I mention we have not had lunch yet?
Following the Garmin we finally end up at Camp Sherman and the fly shop in. The manager of the fly shop is from Paradise and knows a lot of folks that I do. We chat it up a bit, buy some stuff, and squeeze him for as much info as possible. Best fishing downstream below the hatchery,,,,,,hum,,I wonder why? Of course we check out all of the campgrounds for the “best site” and find one at Gorge CG. We just start unpacking and the Hoodoo dude and dudette drive up to informs us that the campground is so empty as they are closeing it,,,,today.
Back to “Smiling River CG” , space 13. At 3pm, 5 hours after we left Crooked River, we can eat and set up camp. Only takes an hour from backing up the trailer to cocktails by the river. Amazing hatches, caddis (some real big caddis at dusk- Oct Caddis?), mayflies, stoneflies, etc. I try a few minutes before dark and fish a bit downstream from camp. It was very tough wading with lots of fallen trees along banks and into river. No fish rising, yet tons of bugs. Nada
Day – 9 Tuesday
We fished at Allen Springs. A gentleman (or maybe a forest troll?) pointed out a spot with big rising trout. Several were close to shore that you could easily see. Bastards!! I screwed around with those lunkers for well over an hour with only one take. It was quite warm so as a result, I was soak from sweating and swearing so much. Some gentleman he was, he knew it was torture to see big fish and not be able to catch them. Charlie even tried a setup for bull trout, using a huge streamer on a shooting head. No lips ripped.
Showers and laundry day killed the afternoon, but was well worth it. We used the facilities at Camp Sherman. Nice showers, individual stalls, chair, and wall hooks, and a soap dish in the shower. Laundry room had a wide screen and dish network.
Day 10 – Wednesday.
Bridge 99 area - Mainly fishing from shore. I spotted a rising trout, floated a grey calibaties dry, and he gulp it down. Yahoo, a fish on. Nice 18”trout. Charlie found a spot up by Pine Forge CG and hooked several, but was unable to land them as he was straddling a large tree. Great day fishing and catching.
Later we stopped by the hatchery and plotted ways to sneak in to the Kid’s Pond for the lunkers. After that we visited the headwaters of the Metolius.
That night we tried the upper river with little success.
Day 11- Thursday –
Another travel day to somewhere by Crain Prairie. 2 hours tops? Ya right! Well to keep it short we finally end up at Hosmer Lake after touring 6 or 8 campgrounds from Davis Lake to Elk Lake. At Cow Meadows CG, Kokanee trout where spawning out of the lake. It looked like a stream in Alaska with 100’s of spawning fish on each side of the bridge. Very cool.
Day 12- Friday – Fished Hosmer, Charlie caught a bunch, I used restraint and headed to the channel getting a few to 12” or so, saw some nice fish. I explored the Channel that evening with success with pt’s on an intermediate line.
Day 13- Saturday- Repeat Friday with more wind, and less fish. Phil stopped by for dinner and we all had old grape juice that evening. Phil invites to us to fish Fall River and Crain Prairie,
Day 14- Sunday – Took showers at some resort, Crummy showers, no chair, no hooks, no soap dish, change machine and a shower head, period! We then headed over to Fall River. Fall River is cool, nice stream, rising fish, and mainly shore casting. Lots of trout to 13” Saw some larger fish as well, definitely would go back. Sunday’s night dinner was at Phil’s Place, great meal, lots of wine. Charlie drove me home about midnight.
Day 15- Monday – Fished Hosmer with mixed results, but we both caught fish.
Day 16- Tuesday – Crain Prairie with Phil. Phil had us into fish almost immediately. Charlie and I each caught a nice rainbow. Phil took 2 Kohanee home.
Day 16 –Wednesday – travel to Klamath Falls via the back road. Great scenery and we stopped at Rocky Point Resort. We put down a deposit for next June 24-29, 2013
Day 17 – Thursday – trip home, a mere 4 hours
whew!
Paul
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