ON THE WATER FOR AUGUST ( 2007 )

ON THE WATER FOR AUGUST       (2007)

 

Howdy Pard….Have you heard about the 2 dams that PGE are going to remove from the Sandy River ?? Yep, they are going to take them out & that will clear the way for Salmon & Steelhead to move freely up the river, for the 1^st time in 95 years. There are 3 more dams slated for Blasting over the next 5 years. Now that’s some good news for us Anglers concerned about the Sustainability of our Fisheries.

 

I have some other Hot Stuff >><< Did you hear about the Saga of the CHRISTY BELLE ??.....How’ bout the Story of the TORPEDO EXPRESS …..Then there is the INCONVENIENT TRUTH about The Last Best Place ???  This Stuff is all New to you ??......Well, it’s clear we have a lot to catch up on>>>>>>>

 

Let’s 1^st take a look at the July that was…..We had some High’s & Lows…..I was sorry to hear about the poor turn out for the Fly Fishing 101 visit, down at Butch Minich’s Fly Shop in Seal Rock. I want to THANK Butch for the Effort & Hospitality he extended to the small number of folks that were part of this worthwhile event. Big Fish tells me that we had a fine Breakfast turn out & a very successful Team Effort that involved our Club & various members of the Central Coast Fly Fishers. This was a 2 part effort that involved working with Children from the Waldport Area. The children were exposed to a Casting Clinic headed up by The General. This was followed by a morning of Fishing on Big Creek. Our Good CCFF Friends “Carried the Water” for this fun fishing experience which involved over 20 children. Yes >><< The News Times has captured a photograph of the CCFF President (Alan Canfield) actually helping a child use POWER BAIT !!!!  I always knew he had some Redeeming Grace !!!  Well done to All of the CCFF, LVHFC & ODFW Anglers who pitched in to make this a positive experience for the Waldport Children.

 

Our Club also received 3 very Complimentary Letters from…..The Mayor of Newport, Mr. Bill Bain, saw fit to recognize all of our Litter Patrol efforts on Big Creek, then Sherrie Mayes, the Coordinator of the Toledo, Sharon Kids Carnival, thanked us for our involvement & invited us to join them again next year & then we got some Great Feedback & Pix resulting from us sending Fishing Equipment to our Troops in Iraq. All of these compliments result from the efforts expended by YOU Fine Club Members. I should also mention, the great work being done by the Siletz Fish Trappers working with Roger Wilson of ODFW (See the recent Trap Report done by Duck’s Stout). Special Thanks to Bob Abbott, our Goodwill Ambassador, for agreeing to store various articles we will be selling at next years 2^nd Time Around Sale.

 

Now for the Saga of the “Christy Belle”>>> You really must read the terrific story, posted on our Web Site, that captures the experiences of Surveyor Dudley as a working deck hand on Hank Bryson’s Boat the “Christy Belle” !!! It is now public knowledge, that Hank, in addition to being a very capable Boat Captain & Commercial Fisherman….Can also cook up, at sea, a mean batch of Bacon & Eggs !! It also now known (See the Pix) what a Yellow Ping Pong Ball Deck Hand looks like !!!  I think it is incumbent on us all, to have The Surveyor expand on what he means when he says, “Marine Heads must be some form of punishment for past misdeeds” ! ? !    

 

Then there is the Story of the “Torpedo Express”>>> The General & 2 of his Stalwarts (Mac & Frank) recently made a run down coast to Siltcoos Lake. The intent, without clear definition, was to catch some “kind” of fish !!!  This endeavor, as many of us have experienced, went along reasonably well (although fish less) until, later in the day when the wind shifted on the lake…..Now these lads were faced with getting back to the “safety” of the boat ramp…...I could tell you how this ended, but you would enjoy this story much more if you get The General’s Version in person. To add insult to injury, late in the day after they finally arrived at the boat ramp, these stalwart fishermen learned of a Killer Lure know as “The Torpedo Express”…..That’s a story in & of it’s self !!!!!

 

Let’s take a look at what August holds for us & then I’ll tell you about “An Inconvenient Truth”……..We look forward to our usual fun Breakfast & then a BIRTHDAY PARTY, on the 16th >><< yes…Our Club is going to be 3 years old. It only seems like yesterday, that we bid Jack & Ginny Scherer bon voyage on their new life in the State of Washington. Some of you will remember the 1^st Club Meeting which Jack held on the 19^th of August 2004. I believe there were about 6 or 8 guys that showed up for the kick off meeting !!!  Here we are, about 3 years hence, with over 60 Members, 4 Honorary Members, a bunch of Special Friends & an Outstanding Reputation as a group of Men & Women who can be counted on to contribute to our own Longview Hills Village & the Surrounding Communities. I think that’s worth “Tooting Our Horn” about & I for one, am very proud to be a part of such a fine organization. We are also pleased to have one of our Special Friends, Ryan Miner, be our Guest Speaker on the 16^th. Ryan’s Topic will be “Salmon is the Game”……..Don’t miss this fun Birthday Party & Ryan’s great Salmon Fishing Presentation !!!

 

Now….let me tell you about our 2248 Mile Montana Adventure. Yes…We had a nice time, but it came with a price !! The day we arrived at Rock Creek (22 miles East of Missoula) it was 106 in the shade & the temperatures remained in the high 90’s with swings into the triple digits for the next several weeks. This resulted in the closing of Most of Montana’s Blue Ribbon Trout Rivers (Water Temps. 73 degrees for 3 days, closes the rivers). The only Good News was that Rock Creek was fishable, early AM & Late Pm, maintaining mid-60 degree water temperatures….The Bad News was that every Angler in Montana showed up at Rock Creek with a Fly Rod !!!  My perspective is that Montana >> THE LAST BEST PLACE << Is in serious trouble>><< AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH >><< Drought, Forest Fires, Whirling Disease, Rock Snot & Extreme Fishing Pressure !!!  It makes me very sad to see what is happening…&…I am very concerned, that, if as Oregon Anglers, we do not take Sustainability Measures Very Seriously…We could begin to see our State experience the same decline. It is incumbent on each one of us to do our utmost to ensure we are part of the Solution & not the Problem. With all of that said……..

 

In Closing, let me leave you with this thought ( As I Dip my Waders & Boots in an Iodine Solution ) the Greeks thought that, “We suffer our way to Wisdom” !!!

 

Well……That’s the Top of the News as it looks from Here >><< Hope to see You “On the Water.”                THE HOOK