Trout Unlimited Chapter 678 would like to invite you to the monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 9th at 7:00 p.m.
This month features a presentation by Nikki Swanson, Aquatics Program Manager for the Willamette National Forest. She will be presenting on Aquatic Restoration in the Willamette National Forest.
Veterans Memorial Building
1626 Willamette Street
Eugene, OR
Meeting starts at 7 p.m.
Join us for a great evening and presentation.
KM
Trout Unlimited, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and The Caddis Fly would like to invite you to participate in the 3rd Annual McKenzie River Native Trout Population Study. This study is to help determine the Native Redside population in the section of the McKenzie River from Hendricks Park to Bellinger Boat Landing. The data collected over the last 2 years has been critical in determining the population size.
To participate in the study, you need to attend the training session being held Tuesday, May 8th at the Springfield ODFW office. There will be 2 training sessions and you only need to attend one.
Besides reviewing the protocol and data collection, we will bring you up to date on our plans for a fall study session and for adding radio telemetry to our arsenal of powerful tools.
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Springfield Office
3150 E Main Street
Springfield, OR
(541) 726-3515
Sessions will be held at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Tagging kits will be available to be checked out on Friday, May 11th and the tagging will start on Saturday, May 12th.
For more information, you can contact the ODFW office.
KM
Sage ONE Fly Rods – 8 months into the game
As a general case, fly rods of 2012 are HUGELY different from their ancestors of 1960, and the performance differences are so tangible that any of us can feel it. The differences between most 2010 fly rods and 2000 fly rods offered by leading manufacturers are far more subtle, I think, and I have frankly become skeptical of the routine “enhanced performance” claims made for fly rods in the last decade, with a few exceptions that are beside the point of this product review.
Sage ONE fly rods hit the marketplace, Fly Shops, and waters of the world in mid 2011. The reaction of fly anglers who have fished these rods has been universally positive. No, not everyone has purchased a Sage ONE fly rod. And more than one fly fisher is still a little tweaked that Sage once again upped the bar, so to speak, on high-end fly rod performance standards. Continue reading
Sage ONE interview with Jerry Siem, Sage Flyfishing.
No Introduction. Let’s not make it painful getting to the good stuff. If you want to learn how this interview came about, you’ll find it at the tail-end of the post.
The following interview of an exchange that occurred between me, Jerry Siem of Sage, George Cook (Northwest Sage Sales Rep) is unedited and as such is not polished with marketing or promotional content. It’s just me asking a few questions that popped into my head as I was researching the Sage ONE..
The topic is the Sage ONE Fly Rod series. Any errors in transcription are mine and mine alone. Any information that appears confusing or conflicting or nonsensical in any respect is my wrongdoing. Jerry and George bring a level of rod design and fly fishing expertise to the fly fishing industry that is – well – genuinely inspiring.
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April 26, 2012:
Jerry, thank you so very much for your phone call. I really appreciate your time. Here are my questions, such as they are. I fully expect that I have missed the mark on some aspects of the Sage ONE, so please don’t feel constrained by my inexpert phrasing.
Best Regards, Jay Nicholas (Caddis Fly Shop)
Q: I understand the fact that Sage ONE technology creates a higher density shaft than anything yet delivered to the fly fishing rod line up. Does any other rod maker use this same technology to your knowledge?
A: The purpose and result of a dense blank is to remove any voids (essentially, trapped air). Sage builds blanks only for rods that are Sages and we are ever experimenting with methods and materials that allow us to have cutting edge blank performance. Continue reading
Mike Brooks a long time friend of the shop stopped by to tie some of his favorite Spring flies. We have fished his flies for years and they flat out fish really well. Natural materials and traditional style are hallmarks of Mike’s flies.
Try swinging the February red anywhere mayflies exist. It catches fish!
February Red Flymph Style
Hook: TMC 3769 #14-18
Thread: Danville 6/0 Red Thread
Tail: Coq de Leon
Body: same as tying thread
Thorax: Hare’s Ear Dubbing
Hackle: Brown or Furnace Hen Cape, Back or Neck
Typically, the spring season offers the best fishing of the year for wild cutthroats and rainbows on the lower McKenzie. This year, however, has been particularly wet, with rainfall far exceeding historical averages and many days with unseasonably cool temperatures. Over the last couple of months, the river has fluctuated in and out of shape, with some notable high water events. This is not to say that this spring has been without great trout fishing opportunities; whenever the McKenzie or Middle Fork Willamette have dropped into reasonable shape they have fished well, there have simply been a lot fewer fishable days this Spring than we usually get. Continue reading
Barrett demonstrates how to tie an excellent Caddis Pupae pattern designed by Mike Mercer. The fly fishes well dead drift under an indicator on the Deschutes, Sacramento, Pitt, Willamette and many other rivers.
Bead Head Z- Wing Caddis
Hook: TMC 2457 #12-18
Bead: Copper Tungsten Bead to Match hook size
Thread: Lagartun 95D Olive
Rib: Brassie Size Ultra Wire Chartreuse
Body Carapace: Cinnamon Turkey coated with Softex
Body: STS Trilobal Dub Caddis Green
Wing Pads: Dun Z-Lon
Collar: Ice Dub Caddis Green
Head: Peacock Herl
Congratulations and thank you to Water Watch: An Administrative Law Judge has proposed that the state deny a water right permit application that would allow a private company to profit through speculation on one of the public’s most valuable resources – water in one of the state’s most iconic waterways, the McKenzie River. The application, submitted by the Willamette Water Company, proposes to lock up a large amount of McKenzie River water, but fails to identify any committed customers, fails to show plans for necessary water infrastructure, and lacks the needed land use approvals for developing the water project. The Company has also challenged the fish protection conditions recommended by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and proposed by the Oregon Water Resources Department.
WaterWatch protested the permit application on March 12, 2010, on grounds that it did not conform to state requirements and that the applicant showed no need for the water. The judge, Jim Han, stated in the April 27, 2012 order that the “[a]pplication proposes a speculative use for more water than the Company could establish it could put to actual beneficial use” as required by law. He found that granting the permit would impair or be detrimental to the public interest and that the permit application should be denied.
The harmful proposal to take 34 cubic feet per second (22 million gallons per day) out of the McKenzie River faces one last hurdle, as the Water Resources Department still has final say over whether to grant the permit.
“We are very pleased with the ruling which found that Willamette Water Company’s attempt to lock up a huge amount of water for later sale was speculative and illegal under Oregon law,” said John DeVoe, Executive Director of WaterWatch of Oregon. “The Oregon Water Resources Department still has the authority to issue the Final Order and we hope they will follow the ruling and deny this water grab.”
The proposed water grab threatens a river prized by fishermen, boaters, and nature enthusiasts from around the world. The McKenzie’s renowned beauty, along with the fish and wildlife it supports, in turn help sustain jobs and economic activity in the region.
“This is great news for the McKenzie River and the fish and communities that depend on the river,” said Lisa Brown, staff attorney at WaterWatch. “In Oregon, by law, all the water belongs to the public and water rights can only be issued for legitimate, bona fide uses. We argued that this application doesn’t qualify, and the judge agreed.
“Willamette Water Company’s proposal is speculative and should not be allowed. Oregon Water Resources Department should not have proposed issuance of this permit in the first place, and should now deny the permit,” concluded DeVoe.
In a bullshit move that will open up the last protected wilderness in the U.S. to motorized use, oil and gas development, logging and mining — the U.S. House recently passed the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act.
Unfortunately, some of Oregon’s elected officials voted for this cynical measure. Voting to undermine the Wilderness Act were Reps. DeFazio, Schrader, and Walden.
I’ve hunted and fished in wilderness areas — some of the most amazing places in this entire state and the country. And I can tell you that these places need to stay protected.
From the Wilderness Society: The bill’s supporters claim that it will benefit sport hunters and anglers, but, if passed as introduced, it will actually destroy the very wilderness qualities that many hunters and anglers seek. There already exist ample hunting locations on our public lands and national forests where motor vehicles are permitted; it is the backcountry experiences that are scarce.
Oregon Wild has a form for you to fill out to send a note to our Senators. Let’s kill this thing in the Senate.
-MS
You probably got your voting form in the mail last week, and on May 15th, two of Lane County’s environmental stewards are in the political fights of their lives: Rob Handy and Pete Sorenson. I have had personal experience with both of these candidates, and as a single issue voter (wild fish), they get my vote and endorsement.
Rob Handy: A couple years back, Rob Handy called me into his office to help stop the McKenzie water grab, calling in Water Watch and working on a strategy to make sure we keep water speculators off the McKenzie River. He fought the WOPR. He sided with us on the wild/hatchery fish battle.
Pete Sorenson: Pete is a nationally recognized leader in protecting our land, air, water, trees and soil. He has a 100 percent rating from the Oregon League of Conservation voters. Most recently, he opposed a plan to allow private water developers to extract water from the McKenzie River. Pete wants to retain 1.3 million acres of federal forest land in public hands, despite pleas from some to sell them to the timber industry. Pete has voted against costly freeway development and in favor of mass transit, bicycling and pedestrians.
County politics are complicated, and you don’t need to take your voting advice from the people who sell you fly rods. But if you want to cast a vote for wild fish, support Handy and Sorenson.
-MS
Using the new Daiichi 1167 Klinkhammer hook Barrett demonstrates how to tie a killer March Brown pattern. The fly is highly visible, floats well and yet sits down in the film like an emerging, or crippled March Brown adult. The Klinkhammer March Brown has become one of the best dries to use during the March Brown hatch the past couple of years.
Comparadun Klinkhammer March Brown
Hook: Daiichi 1167 #12,14
Thread: 95 Lagartun Rusty Brown
Tail: Hackle Fibers Brown
Dorsal Surface: Turkey Quill
Body: Awesome Possum Dub
Rib: Small Copper Wire
Wing: Elk Hair
Hackle: March Brown Dyed Grizzly
It’s the traditional opener of “Trout Season” this weekend on the McKenzie River. Meaning the river opens in it’s entirety, not just from Leaburg Dam down. High flows have hampered our early season opportunities on the lower McKenzie and those higher than normal CFS (cubic feet per second) readings will continue for a couple more months.
With any luck we will see the river drop into shape by this Saturday and be very “fishable” going forward into May. On the bright side of things our local fish have seen very little pressure. The wild Rainbows and Cutthroat are going to be ready to feed more comfortably when the water does come around. The March Brown hatch is most likely waning, Stonefly Adults have been crawling out, Pale Morning Dun Mayflies, Green Caddis adults and Golden Stones will soon be the bugs to have.
If fishing is not on the agenda this weekend, check out The 7th Annual McKenzie River Wooden Boat Festival held at Eagle Rock Lodge on Saturday April 28th from 10-5pm.
Here are a few photos of the fishing during Cap’n Nate’s brief return to Oregon. Special thanks to all the pals who rowed our worthless bloated livers around the local waters.
-MS
With opening day of trout season this Saturday April 28, anglers who have been dealing with cabin fever should be ready to hit the lakes and streams of our beloved Oregon. We all should remember we got “bombed with snow” the last weeks of March and early April. Please, stay safe out there!
Crane Prarie: Crane Prairie Resort is open and the lake is ice free! Last check with the resort they did not know if the road to Quinn or Rock Creek launches had been plowed. The resort launch is open and you can get into Crane from Highway 58.
For those of you thinking of Davis, and Wickiup , they are open and should be ice free.
Gold Lake: Gold lake is closed for fishing until May 26 per the 2012 regs. The Middle Fork Ranger station says the road still remains closed and no one would say if the lake was ice free. Got snow shoes?
Hosmer, and Little Lava Lakes; Snow bound and the roads are not plowed into these lakes. Got snow shoes?
Metolius; fishing well but water is high due to run off.
Crooked River; fishing well, but high water due to run off
Diamond Lake:
Resort is open with the ice getting softer each day? From the Diamond Lake Resort web site picture, it almost a sure bet the North Ramp is the only ramp open.
We will be posting more updates as opening day approaches.
LV
