January 2008 the Spinner Newsletter, Clackamas River Troust Unlimited

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

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

Welcome To Our First Edition!

As we come to the end of 2007 andlook to 2008, grateful thanks are due to allthose whose time and participationbrought us a successful year. Special thanksgo to Jeff Horton for his dedicated workon our website and publications and forworking with Andy Andrews on our fishingoutings; Terry Turner for tackling ourTreasurer duties and national reporting;Christine Hollenbeck for our secretarial

reporting; Dave Tenneys work as ouradvocacy chair; Matt Hollenbeck and GeoffGottfried for their work on ourconservation and fly fishing camp, ClemBergevin for his work on the kids fishingday; Paul Vitello for his endless support onall of our major efforts; and Tom Wolf forhis support as chair of the Oregon StateCouncil.

Your board has laid out an excitingschedule for 2008! One of our primarygoals for the year will be childrenseducation in conservation and fishing. We

are making plans for our third fly fishingcamp for kids, the kids fishing day with theClackamas Ranger District USFS and weare moving to complete the work on agrant that was put together in cooperationwith the Tualatin Chapter to put an 85gallon aquarium with fish from theClackamas watershed in Estacada

elementary schools and the Estacadalibrary. Our conservation work in ourhome watershed will continue withplantings, cleanups, nuisance plant removaand some potential work with developingand restoring side channels on theClackamas river. The chapter is alsoundertaking a major spring fundraiser inpartnership with the TU Oregon StateCouncil and will be hosting the Bull Trou

Rendezvous again in October.The success of all we do depends on

the active participation of the members.We are trying to get the word out onevents to as many of you as possiblethrough email and the website. Ourregular meetings will continue through Mon the third Wednesday and our boardmeetings, which are open to all of you, aron the second Wednesday of the month. there are things that keep you fromattending such as time, location, program,etc., or if you have ideas for additions

please contact us at clackamasrivertu.orgthis is your chapter!

Have a great year in both conservatioand fishing!

Dick Hollenbeck, chapter president

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER, CLACKAMAS RIVER CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED VOL. 1 JANUARY 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 of 2008: CRTU Fundraiser, location and date, TBA

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 TBA

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


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2008 CAMP

Dates:

July 24, 25, 26, 27

Students will join T.U.members and other volunteersfor an over-night camping andfishing adventure! Camp will

take place in the upperClackamas River watershed,

approximately 20-miles S.E. ofEstacada.

SUBJECTS:

Equipment basics

Rod, reel, line, accessories

Knots, leaders, tippet

Wading and safety equipment

Casting, types of casts

Presentation, accuracy skills

Introduction to fly tying

Aquatic insects

Trout habitat & water types

River ecology & conservation

Fishing equipment will beprovided, or students maybring their own.

All food will be provided.

Students bring sleeping bags,clothes, a warm coat, hat,toothbrush, etc.

Camp may be re-scheduleddue to adverse weatherconditions.

CAMP SPONSORS:

!G.I. Joes!Temple Fork Rods!Scientific Anglers!EducationalRecreational

Adventures!ODF&W

! P.G.E.

Children should comeprepared to be in the outdoorenvironment for three days.

Although not required, someprior fishing, camping andoutdoor experience will behelpful.

More information is availableon our website:www.clackamasrivertu.org

THE SPINNER ! JANUARY 2008Youth Fly Fishing Camp

Our 2006 and 2007 Youth Fly Fishing camp programswere a resounding success, thanks to all of the great

kids, parents and volunteers involved. If you areinterested in becoming a volunteer, have a child, or

know of a child 10-14 years of age with a passion forfishing, please contact Dick Hollenbeck.

[email protected] -or- 503-630-4074


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Though it is often cold and wet or just plan cold in our areathis time of year, the fishing is still worth the effort and in somecases the best time to go. Here are a few tips to help insure asuccessful trip.

JANUARYLower Deschutes!You may be able to get into the tail end of the summer

steelhead run this time of year. Nymphing is your best bet; uselarge stone fly patterns with orange bead heads. Also on thelower Deschutes, you can practice your nymphing techniquewhile fishing for white fish. Use small bead head patterns suchas prince and pheasant tail nymphs. Caddis patterns also workwell here.

JANUARY & FEBRUARYThe winter steelhead run is on and the fishing in the Sandy andClackamas rivers can be something worth writing home about.For success, try using a swinging technique with a large bunnyleach and marabou patterns in purple, red, black, orange andpink.

MARCHLower DeschutesTrout fishing begins and we recommend nymphing with a twonymph system; a large nymph with a smaller dropper nymph.

Check these web-sites for more tips and local information;www.westfly.com www.about-flyfishing.comwww.flyfishusa.com

Other options: Coastal RiversMuch more susceptible to rain and weather conditions, the

coastal rivers can be very good at times and un-fishable othertimes. Our suggestion is to choose a stream that is close to

home, check the regs, learn the timing of the runs and how theriver reacts to rainfall. Some rivers clear quickly, others are sloto clear after a heavy rain. Most river levels are available on theinternet, including westfly.com & the National Weather Servicewebsite. Here are a few of our favorites:

Nehalem River Nestucca River system, including Three Rivers Necanicum River

These systems should have good numbers of winter steelheadby January and continuing through the spring.

[email protected]

ByMatt Hollenbeck

THE SPINNER ! JANUARY 2008

ORANGE STRING LEECHby Matt Hollenbeck

Stinger hook:Owner or Gamagatsu octopus bait hook in size 4

Front hook:Any large straight-eyed hook. Cut the hook at thebend when the fly is complete.

String: 30lb backing

Body: rabbit strip, black, red, orange, purple or pink

Hackle: shlapin in the same color as the rabbit

Beard: crystal flash in a variety of colors

Eyes: dumbell or chain

Thread: florescent red or pink

- he ise -


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A Winter Day on the

Deschutes

By Terry Turner

Tom, one of my coworkers thatlives in New York and I talk oftenabout flyfishing, the places wevebeen and what we enjoy. Hes madeseveral trips to Montana and Idaho,but has never had the chance to fishin Oregon. Hes heard of theDeschutes, but with work travel theway it is, has never had any extratime to stay and fish.

Hed planned a work visit toOregon with a stay over theweekend so we put together a daytrip for Sunday to fish the Deschutes

below Maupin. Mid December isone of my favorite times there. Thecrowds are gone, the trout can becooperative and there are often stillfishable numbers of steelhead in theriver then. It is, as most know, notfor the faint of heart. Temperaturescan be pretty brisk with snow orrain kicking up at any time.I warned him of all this, but hes anavid outdoor type and seemed tolook forward to the adventure.

We start off about 6:30am with the

usual stop at the Fly Fishing Shop inWelches. As usual, Patty is mindingthe store on the early shift. Wetrade easy conversation and I buysome flies, tippet and direct Tom tosome things that have worked in thepast. Patty gives us a raised eyebrowwhen we tell her where were off to.Pretty snowy up there, she says.Got chains and a rookie to push, Ireturn with a grin at Tom.

We leave the rain in Welches andhead up the hill over Mt. Hood. Lots

of skiers on the road and we windup the hill as the rain slowly turns tosnow, and more snow and lots ofsnow that sticks nicely on the road.All the chains required signs are upand I wait until the last spot at theTom, Dick and Harry trailhead to putmine on. Just a few minutes later,were on our way again.

Lots of thick heavy snow on theroad and as we pass the Highway 35

turnoff, all the skiers peel right andwe have the road to ourselves. Wemake the turn to Maupin in a white-out, but the truck doesnt care andthe snow gets thinner on the otherside and as expected, is pretty muchgone by the time we hit Pine Grove.A short conversation with ananxious guy looking to travel toPortland confirmed there was lotsof snow in his way.

Toms anxious now. I tell him wereclose and with the weather on thefront end of a big storm, I expectedlittle competition on the river. Sureenough, we get to Maupin and turndownstream, there are no cars onthe road and no one pulled offfishing anywhere.

I like to fish the first good water justbelow town on days like this. Thereare some great spots there thatusually produce nice fish when itsnot getting hammered. We would bethe first fisherman this stretch hadprobably seen for a number of days.Tom and I string up and walk up tothe first run. Ive never fished withhim, but you can tell when someoneis a decent angler. Anxious but notintimidated, Tom is eager to learnsome new water.

The lesson begins with theDeschutes mantra. Stay out of thewater and fish everything closefirst. You will be amazed how manyfish hold close to shore. Im not agreat angler, but Ive had thishammered in my head over the yearsand its true. I also like to fishnymphs over dries so this day lookslike a great fit for me. I just hopeTom can conquer enough of thepuzzle to hook a fish or two.

We split up after I watch Tom fish a

bit. I suggested a list of flies to tryand ensure he knows to fish close tothe bottom. The water is 42 degreesand nothing is moving far to grab anyof our stuff.

I set up my two-fly rig I like to useon the Deschutes; a stonefly with amethodical list of droppers to cyclethrough until I get some action.Finally I get a fish on with the thirddropper try but lose it. The take was

subtle, but the feisty redsides clearedthe water twice and politely flippedme off on the way down and wasgone. Outstanding, I think tomyself. If nothing else happenstoday, Im a happy boy. River toourselves, fooled one fish on a mildwinter day on the Deschutes.

Working another current seamfarther downstream, I set the hookon a quick indicator move and amgreeted with my rod bent in a C andsome big head shakes. Not sure ifits a steelhead or not, I get Tom onthe walkie-talkie and let him knowIve got something worth measuringon. I land the 20 redside just asTom arrives at my spot and hesmore pumped than I am. I dontthink he thought the fish would bethat big. To be honest, I dont catchmany that size either on this river,but its nice when they come.

So Tom watched, I hooked andlanded more fish and he didnt. Wetraded flies, discussed presentationsand reading the water and he finallybroke the ice with a Deschutes Riverbonefish. I was wishing hard for aBlue Winged Olive hatch as Tom is amuch better dry fly angler andprobably would have been more athome, but no mayfly activity this day.

By this time, the sun was sinkingover the canyon wall, and anotherfabulous day on the water spent.Always wanting a little more, butsatisfied with what was given. I thinkthis is what always brings us back.Tom, I know, had a good day as well.Happy to learn a new place butdetermined to return and solve thepuzzle a different day. I explain theDeschutes is often unkind tonewbies in the off-season. Only afterI committed several sets of tires tothe road over Mt. Hood have I been

able to have successful days in thecanyon. But, as we drive home andtalk about the day, I can see thatsuccess or failure is never measuredin the number of fish caught. Thefreedom of the day, being in abeautiful place and spending leisuretime with a friend is plenty ofsuccess for us. Tom will catchRedsides on the Deschutes when hereturns. I hope Im there with thecamera when he does.

THE SPINNER! JANUARY 2008

January 2008 the Spinner Newsletter, Clackamas River Troust Unlimited

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