Kristin flew up to meet me for the spectacular wedding right on The Metolius River where I was lucky enough to not only party down but also stick a 23" hog of a bull trout. With wedding headaches still in tow, we picked our fathers up and headed a valley or two East to spend a few sessions fishing The Crooked river. The fish were plentiful but rather small compared to the main fish we were targeting on the trip – the elusive steelhead.
From The Crooked, we started our lengthy car tour of Oregon, heading way North and East in hopes of finding the chomers in The Grande Ronde River. Two guided fishing days were followed by a self supported, three-day wilderness float from the Washington/Oregon boarder to the confluence of The Snake River. While we found a few fresh steelhead heading up river, the numbers were low, and they unfortunately didn't find the ends of our lines. Though we didn't get fish, the float was spectacular and quiet and we did manage to nail a variety of not sought after fishes, including bass, juvenile salmon & steelhead, whitefish, suckerfish, squawfish and the occasional and celebrated trout.
With the bust on the Rhonde, we loaded back in the truck and drove to the small town of Maupin to continue the search for the big fish on The Deschutes. One day of guided fishing (with the amazing folks at Deschutes River Ourfitter), followed by one day of self-guided yielded three chromers to hand. Two for Michael (with a handful of other solid opportunities), a healthy native for my dad, and a good fight to a broken line for Kristin. In our nearly thousand mile road trip, we saw all sorts of countryside and weather and had some quality father kid time that is rare these days.
Today I dropped the group off for flights home, and soon will join up my next crew of Maher, his bro and friend for more fishing & fun then some MTB action down the coast on the way home. Two days of resting and restocking before Oregon Trails Part II begin.
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| Trip starts with a few days in the quaint intersection of Camp Sherman |
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| After spending some lengthy time with Cary, Ellie is back with me for the road trip |
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| Quite a cool neck of the woods |
Me and my lady all dolled up for the event
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| A stunning setting for a fantastic celebration |
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| Got to catch up with some great old friends at the BozMurph festivities |
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| After picking the dads up we spent a few hours fishing the beautiful Crooked Canyon |
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| Before we hit the road to wind our way a ways North and East |
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| And of course Kristin made a handful of friends along the way |
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| Up and down and all around, we wound our way to the towns of Joseph and Troy in hopes of finding Chrome on the Grande Rhonde |
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| Kristin and Michael on one of our guided days on The Rhonde |
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| No steelhead but we managed to hook all sorts of other fishies in the river – K here with an ugly sucker |
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| On the drive back to Joseph we were treated to some spectacular views and sunsets |
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| And even a full moon rising over the hills |
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| After leaving Joseph we make our way out onto some dirt and down to the put in at Shomaker |
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| Getting the rigs all rigged up |
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| And we're off, ready to hit the river for three days |
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| And a beautiful and scenic river valley it is with no one around |
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| Kristin fishing a nice wide spot in the river in front of a stunning desert backdrop |
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| Michael swinging through some nice slow water after the sun drops behind the ridge |
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| More fish, but no steelhead – here Michael with a bass caught on a nymph |
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| Dad working on the newly learned art of Spey |
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| Sun's off the water, and Dad waits in the boat up river as I work through a run |
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| Amazing reflections in a slow stretch of the river as we near camp |
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| Me taking one of the final chances of the day to fish a tailout before we get to camp |
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| Sun rising East of our little camp on day two |
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| Kristin working The Rhonde on day two of our float |
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| Ellie likes being with people but doesn't seem too stoked on the hours stuck in the boats |
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| Michael hooked up on a bigger one swinging a top water skater |
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| A good sized squaw fish, but still no chrome |
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| Towards the end of our second day we found a huge herd of 50+ elk, bugling away on the hillside |
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| Dads doing dishes on morning three |
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| Kristin has maxed out on fishing and finds a nice tree to settle in for a read |
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| Who knew you could catch bass on the swing |
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| We find an ominous cross placed above our only rapid of consequence when we arrive at the narrows |
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| Ellie doesn't seem too concerned |
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| Me taking the first boat through the top section of the narrows |
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| Michael getting comfortable on the sticks cruises through a few splashy waves |
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| Kristin lining up for bridge rapids as we near The Snake |
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| We've made it – the dads & Kristin at the confluence of The Rhonde and The Snake |
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| Kristin & Michael after a nice riverside lunch on The Deschutes |
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| And finally we're into fish – Michael with guide Dillon and a beauty of a chromer |
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| Seems they prefer being in the water |
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| Day two on The Deschutes – we venture out on our own |
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| Working for it, Kristin and I head up river to some nice looking water |
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| That's one happy dad – here with a very nice 30" native lady |
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| Again, seems they prefer the water to the air |
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| What a long strange trip it's been – but sadly we've completed the loop and the crew departs from Redmond, OR |
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