April 2008 the Spinner Newsletter, Clackamas River Troust Unlimited

8/9/2019 April 2008 the Spinner Newsletter, Clackamas River Troust Unlimited

1/5

2008ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CONTENT USED BY PERMISSION ALLARTICLESARE PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINALAUTHOR !

Volunteers Needed!

As we move into 2008, your chapterboard has put together manyopportunities for you to get involved. Ifyour interests lie in stream and habitatrestoration, planting, mentoring and/oreducation for kids, do we have a deal foryou! We need your help and are arrangingevents from ! day to 3 ! days with camp-overs.

If you have an interest in education, we willbe working in three areas this year.Through the spring, we will be workingwith the Clackamas Ranger District to puttogether an 85 gallon aquarium that willfeature fish from the Clackamas watershedand will be rotated through Estacadaschools and the Estacada branch of theClackamas County Library. If you have anyexpertise in aquarium management wedefinitely could use your help. June 7 is theannual kids fishing day at PromontoryPark. We will need help for a number of

jobs including fishing helpers, fish cleaners,

and education on TU etc. Our annual KidsFly Fishing Camp will be held July 25-28.We need volunteers to work one on onewith kids in areas like casting and fishing,fly tying, stream habitats andinvertebrates, stream etiquette and fun!

Our conservation agenda for the year isalso full. We will have several one dayevents with the Clackamas Ranger DistriUSFS including repair of the Peg Leg Fallsfish ladder. This one is worth it just for thgreatness of the place! Watch the websitfor dates. The chapter will once again behosting the Bull Trout Rendezvous in earOctober. If you have not been to these, itis a great fall trip with camping on the

Metolius, work with the Deschutes BasinLand Trust and some of themostchallenging fishing in the state. For thoseof you that like the coast, we will beworking with the Tualatin Chapter, thenational office of Trout Unlimited, and theNorth Coast Land Conservancy toperform a watershed wide assessmentbased on TUs Protect-Reconnect-Restorapproach and then work on restorationprojects on the Necanicum River and itstributaries. Watch for dates on this one.

All of our efforts require grassroots help

and we need you to make it happen. Havea great fishing and conservation year andwe look forward to seeing all of you.

Dick Hollenbeck, chapter president

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER, CLACKAMAS RIVER CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED VOL. 2 APRIL 2008

T h e S p i n n e r

Upcoming Projects and Events:

April 19, 2008: Clackamas Watershed Event, Clackamas Community College

May 18, 2008: CRTU Picnic, Eagle Fern Park on Eagle Creek

June 7, 2008: ODF&W Kids fishing day, Promontory Park, Estacada

July 24, 25, 26, 27, 2008: Youth Fly Fishing Camp, Clackamas River, campground TBA

October 11, 12, 2008: State Project, Metolius basin, Location & campground TBA

More information as it becomes available: http://www.clackamasrivertu.org


2/5


Our 2008 camp iscoming up fast andwe need a few morevolunteers. Please

contact us if youcan help out!

camp dates:

July 24, 25, 26, 27

SUBJECTS:

Equipment basics, accessories

Casting & presentation skills

Knots, fly lines, leaders, tippet

Wading and safety equipment

Introduction to fly tying & materials

Aquatic insects, water quality

Trout habitat, food sources

River ecology & conservation

Students will join T.U. members andvolunteers for an over-night camping& fishing adventure! Our 2008 camp

will take place in the upperClackamas River watershed.

CAMP SPONSORS! G.I. Joes! Temple Fork Rods! Scientific Anglers! E.R.A.! ODF&W! P.G.E.

Fishing equipment will be provided,or students may bring their own. Allfood & beverages will be supplied bythe camp. Camp participants shouldcome prepared to be in the outdoorenvironment for four days andalthough not required, some priorfishing, camping and outdoorexperience will be helpful.

More information and registrationforms are available on our website:

www.clackamasrivertu.org

THE SPINNER " APRIL 2008

2008 YOUTH FLY FISHING CAMP

Our 2006 and 2007 Youth Fly Fishing camp programs were a resounding success, thanks to all

of the great kids, parents and volunteers involved. Our 2008 camp promises to be the best one yet!

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, or know a child 10-14 years of age with a passion for fishing,

please contact us: [email protected] -or- 503-630-4074


3/5


4/5


THE SPINNER" APRIL 2008

By Jeff Horton

Here we are on the edge of spring, looking forward toanother season of fishing in the beautiful state of Oregon.Snow levels around most of the state are at a 20-year high,which could make for a slightly later start to some fisheries,but a longer, more stable season for many lakes and rivers.Thinking about all that snow, reminds me why I like Oregonwinters, for awhile anyway. Like most of my friends, by thetime the holidays are over, the out-of-town relatives gohome and we get a few days of sunshine in February, itstime to get the hell out of the house, even though thewinter months can bring a few days of optimism, along withsome potential luck. Braving the icy roads and uncertainweather, many of us have hit it just right to entertain a fewDeschutes whitefish and BWO slurping redsides in themiddle of December and January. Throw in a couple of daytrips to the coast for steelhead, (guess Im not exactly hard-core), with a day or two of frozen fingers on the Metoliusor the Crooked River and Im ready for some fun in thesun. The dry flys in my boxes are yelling hey, its my turn.Then of course, theres a cold beer, good food and a fewfishing buddies sitting around the campfire in the evening,re-living the days events and telling all manner of lies andfish stories. Does it get any better than that?

So, with that in mind, I would like everyone to check-outour new 2008 fishing trip schedule. My partner in crime,

Andy Andrews, from the Tualatin Chapter, was instrumentalin putting our schedule together and he and I spent manynights pouring over maps, fishing books, moon phase charts,historical accounts and Crown Royal bottles. It was toughwork, but somehow every year we manage to concoctsome sort of game plan and enjoy a varied selection ofstreams, lakes, fishing & camping that Oregon has to offer.

Our tips this year include some old standbys and a fewnew places as well. One of my personal favorites is theearly May trip to South Twin lake. I spent the summers ofmy youth in the LaPine area, so it always feels good to becamping in the tall pines after a long, (sometimes very long),winter. Not to mention, there are so many opportunitiesfrom our base camp; South Twin, North Twin, Wickiup

Reservoir, Fall River, Davis Lake and possibly some of thehigh lakes near Mt. Bachelor, depending on snow and roads.Another favorite of mine is the Timothy Lake weekend in

June, which is always a nice opportunity to fish close tohome and save a little money on gas. Past trips to the lakehave seen some very big brook trout landed and a few nicerainbows as well. This is a family oriented trip, so bring thekids and hike, bike, explore and enjoy the wildlife around thelake. If you have any questions or suggestions about ourschedule or the locations, drop me a line and Ill do my bestto answer.......... in between fishing trips of course.

[email protected]

FISHING TRIPS[continued from previous page]

Metolius Preserve culvert removal: This summer the LandTrust plans to remove a culvert at the Metolius Preserve toimprove Lake Creeks fish habitat and passage. The culvert,located on the south fork of Lake Creek upstream fromthe Land Trusts kiosk, will be removed as will the road

crossing over it. The current 9.5 foot culvert is causingLake Creek to widen and erode excessively. Once theculvert is removed, this stretch of Lake Creek will berestored to maximize fish habitat. A pedestrian bridge,similar to those already in place at the Preserve, will beinstalled to keep the Becky Johnson Nature Trail acomplete loop. We are currently looking for grant fundsfor this project, but underwriting, with the appropriaterecognition, is also welcome. Please contact Amanda([email protected]) if you are interested inhelping. This project would not have been possible withoutthe support of two partners. The Upper DeschutesWatershed, our restoration partner, secured the funds forthe project and will provide the technical expertise for the

removal and restoration. And, the United States ForestService, who relinquished an easement held on the roadcrossing the creek and allowed the restoration project tomove forward.#

The Land Trust was pleased to announce our 2006-2007Volunteers of the Year at our recent annual meeting.

A hearty thanks goes out to:

$ Business Volunteer of the Year: FootZone of Bend

$ Group Volunteer of the Year: Oregon Trout Unlimited

$ Individual Volunteers of the Year: Eva Eagle,Carol Macbeth and Larry Weinberg

__________________________________

Upcoming Fishing Trips:

April 4, 5, 6: Deschutes River, above Maupin

April 13: Lost Lake, Nehalem Watershed

May 2, 3, 4: South Twin Lake, Central Or.

June 5: Goose Lake, Washington

June 20, 21, 22: Timothy Lake, Mt. Hood


5/5


Zen FishingBy Dave Tenney

The sky was crystal clear and theair crisp when Lynn and I awoke toanother beautiful mid-July daycamping at Hart Mountain National

Antelope Refuge at 5000 feetelevation. Each day of our four- daystay began (and ended) with a dip,au-naturale in a hot springs only ashort hike away through sagebrush,bunch grass and wild flowers in fullbloom. Although an enclosed hotsprings pool was also nearby, thiswas the smaller of the two. It was inthe middle of a wide-open meadowthat afforded a wonderful 360-degree view of the surroundingmountains that were dotted withaspen groves. The diameter of the

irregular shape pool couldnt havebeen more than 7 feet. The clearpool was at best a few feet deep buthot enough to limit ones stay to justa few minutes at a time. Scalding hotcomes to mind but nonetheless,combined with the cool morning air,the water was refreshing andcertainly did a credible job of leavingones skin clean and sparkling.Another part of my daily routineincluded fly- fishing Rock Creek thattraversed the campground andsurrounding area. The stream wasnarrow but offered some surprisinglynice pools. As it flowed throughcanyon and gully, aspen andcottonwood as well as a vast array ofbrush grew along its banks. Judgingfrom the blow-down that coveredlarge sections of the stream, theremust have been numerous high windevents over the years. This madenavigating the creek at the very leasta personal challenge and one thattook more than its share of myfishing flies. But there were fishthere that I was to learn were anindigenous redband trout. Theywere often hungry, aggressive andoften quite acrobatic when hooked.

I brought along a wide assortment offlies for this vacation trip. Severalyears ago I took up fly tying and hadseveral containers of semi-identifiable patterns to choose from.Having tried a number of variationsover the past few days, I settled onmy version of a Parachute Adams.

It was the pattern that seemed tosolicit the most consistent interestfrom the fish. It was also the fly thatI managed to lose most often. Theywere lost in brush, in submergedlogs, in tree branches, and one evenmanaged to come off the line at theend of a cast and bob on the surfaceonly to disappear after a fairly largefish rolled on it.

So this was our last morning. Thecamper was packed and ready fordeparture. Lynn was reading andhaving her morning tea when I setout for my last stab at fishing. Takeyour time. Were in no hurry. Trulymusical words to my ears.

I was down to my last ParachuteAdams. I told myself that I wouldhead back to the camp after this one

last cast. I somehow avoidedsnagging a tree branch and droppedthe fly into a nearby pool. I let theline out allowing the current to carryit as far as I could follow it. Itbounced along the riffles and overseveral small falls before it reached apool about 50 feet downstream fromwhere I was standing. Suddenly alarge fish erupted from the water. Imanaged to set the hook and my rodbent almost in half. I thought, Man,this is my Walter. I was certainlyexcited but I was also starting to

prepare myself psychologically: Hesgoing to come off the hook. The flywill come off. The leader willbreak. At any rate, I was fastbecoming resigned to the notion thatsomething would happen and I wouldnever see this fish. No one wouldwitness what I was experiencing, andno one would believe me when Ilater talked about it. And it was atthat moment that I decided to givemyself fully to this fast-developingadventure and to just savor everysecond. It became my Zen fishing

experience.I soon found myself navigating overand under and around fallen aspenand cottonwood while trying not toget my line caught on the thornybrush that seemed to pop upeverywhere. The air was cracklingwith the various buzzing sounds ofdifferent insects in flight. Aspenleaves were shimmering in the softwarm breeze. Damselflies were

mating and laying eggs on the waterssurface. I heard the wonderful songof redwing blackbirds and ameadowlark nearby. A pronghornantelope doe and her calf ambled byin the distance while a number oftree swallows soared and dippedoverhead as a golden eagle circledover a nearby ridge top. A smallrabbit hopped out of the brushahead of me as I slowly andpurposefully made my waydownstream. The place was so alivewith sounds and sights I really hadntnoticed before. Meanwhile my rodkept dipping up and down as I triedto keep the line tight. I found myselfthinking of fish I had hooked in thepast only to get lost because I hadlet the line go slack. This has to bethe essence of the expression, tightlines. But not too tight, I remindedmyself, or I will end up with a brokenleader. I was determined to take mytime, take it all in and do it right if Icould.

It took me at least 10 minutes toreach the pool where my Walter lay.By then my senses were so tunedthat I was exquisitely aware ofeverything around me. And then Inoticed that the line was justbobbing up and down but nototherwise moving. Maybe the fishhad somehow gotten wedged in the

tree roots that were exposed by thesmall falls flowing into the pool. Ifollowed the leader with one handwhile keeping the line taught withthe other. I intended to grab ontothe side of the fish but discoveredthat there was no fish at all. My flyhad hooked onto a large root and itwas the force of the water that wasmoving the root up and down. I

never had a fish on to begin with.

I was surprised that I didnt feeldisappointed. It didnt bother me

because for at least 10 minutes IFULLY experienced the thrill ofthinking that I had this monster onthe line. I am not sure if I am abetter fisherman because of thatexperience but I certainly have

learned to become amoreobservant one.

THE SPINNER" APRIL 2008

April 2008 the Spinner Newsletter, Clackamas River Troust Unlimited

Documents

Transcript of April 2008 the Spinner Newsletter, Clackamas River Troust Unlimited