Sunday, July 23: Another Morning At The North Fork

"Sunday. North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River. Tenkara Bug Out Section 14."

That's what I had scribbled in my notebook the night before while planning my fishing agenda. I'm not exactly sure what drew me to that section of the river... perhaps it the was fact that it was really close to section 15 that fished well the prior morning... maybe it was the way the entry point was perilously described in the Tenkara Bug Out materials:

"Park and follow flagging just up the road from parking. The "trail" down is a bit rocky and slippery at this spot. Please use caution!"

Whatever it was, off I went, however, I did sleep in a little bit and didn't hit the water around 9 AM, about an hour and a half later than the previous day.

Much like section 15, the wading was more difficult than I was used to. I don't think it was the speed of the water so much as it was the depth. There were A LOT of deceptively deep holes and gaps between boulders that made keeping my wader waistline above water a real challenge.

That said, it was a beautiful morning. The temps were quite nice in the mid to upper 70s, and the sun was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds overhead.

As for the fishing, I'm not going to lie, it wasn't quite as good as Saturday. While I did have success with the same kebari I used the prior day, the bite wasn't near as consistent. There were definitely some longer than I liked stretches of little to no action. (I know, cry me a river...) Now I don't want to make it seem like the fishing was awful, as I did manage quite a few nice rainbows, one of which put up an almost 4-minute fight while running in and out of some deep and fast current.

A little bit further upstream, the water began getting much slower. At one point reaching a stretch that was about 30 yards long and super deep; not really wadable. I'm not certain how deep it got in the middle, but I'm guessing it had to be at least 15-20 feet, probably more. Looked like a killer swimming hole - either figuratively or literally - as I'm not sure if people would recreationally swim there or not. It's Oregon, so I'm sure they do.

Steep drop off

Anyway, at the foot of that stretch was some really nice moving water. First, I approached it with some of those yellow sallies on top to some level of success...

And followed up using one of the few tungsten bead prince nymphs I brought to try to tempt the bottom dwellers. A few fell for it, including this one...

After that, the fishing pretty much stopped. Realizing it was almost 1 PM and the same thing happened yesterday, I called it quits. Ok, that may have been part of it, but who am I kidding, I was hungry and wanted lunch.

And about an hour later back in town, I was happy with my decision.

The "58" Burger
Local grass-fed 1/3 ounce beef patty, Stewart's 58 BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar, Swiss, 
lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, and Jalapenos

Saturday, July 22: Fishing Salt Creek Along Route 58

I know... "but you already fished Salt Creek?"

Yes, that's true, but that was at high altitude above the Falls, quite a few road miles and feet in elevation away. This portion of Salt Creek flows right alongside Route 58 almost immediately as you exit Oakridge and begin the ascent into the tree-lined shadows of the Willamette National Forest. It must be a popular stretch for anglers (or teenagers who like to drink in the woods at night), because there were numerous pull-offs along the highway, with well-worn trails down to the water.

It also happens to be a bit smaller and tame than the North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River I fished on Saturday morning. So after a quick Dairy Queen $5 value lunch, and still a little fatigued, I jumped at the chance at easier wading, fewer bumps and bruises, and might I suggest, a stretch of almost perfect tenkara water.

Upon entry of the creek, I was greeted immediately by an eager little rainbow on my second cast. "Ooh, this is going to be fun," I thought to myself.

While the fish were a touch smaller here, they were also in no short supply and quite easily obtained by probing the pools beneath the various tumbling waters.

Most trout were caught on the same bead head kebari that were so successful in the morning, but I also took the opportunity to fish some dry flies on many of the smoother runs of water. The folks at The Caddis Fly back in Eugene suggested some yellow sallies for the area and that turned out to be a "golden ticket" to takes up top.

Three hours and dozens of fish later, I did need to exit the creek, as I had finally approached a section where the water started getting deeper than my waist-high waders. Dusk was also rapidly approaching, so it seemed like a perfect time to pack it in, reflect on the day during the drive back to the motel, and start the plans for Sunday... 

Saturday, July 22: Fishing The North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River

Before we start, let's just leave this here for a second...

Gorgeous, right?

The fishing part of the 2017 Tenkara Bug Out was centered around "self-guided" sections of the North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River. For a guy accustomed to fishing much smaller streams, this provided some big boulders, deep pools, and fast water opportunities, all within a picturesque canyon setting.

John Huber describes the North Fork as follows in the Flyfisher's Guide to Oregon: "The North Fork offers a fly angler 30 miles to wade and fish, as well as tributaries worth exploring... Fish are generally smaller here, with an occasional fish up to 19 inches caught... Most of the smaller rivers and tributaries can be fished with basic dries and nymph patterns and techniques..."

Bug Out host, Jim Vandagrift did a great job assigning everybody beats of the North Fork to fish and made the entry and exit points easily visible from the road that ran alongside the stream. On Saturday morning I was fishing section 15, and on Sunday morning I fished section 14. This post will be about Saturday.

As well marked as the entry point for section 15 was, once down by the water, it was a little tricky for me to navigate. I really wish I brought a wading staff. It will definitely come with me the next time. The combination of deceptively deep water and the speed of the current beat the crap out of me, especially my lower body and knees. Fortunately, I was able to scrounge an adequate "staff" out of a downed branch, and more or less waded close to the bank. Without it, I probably would have been in pretty bad shape in several spots along the river.

That said, there was nothing to complain about when it came to the fishing! Seeking out soft (or calmer) spots in the current, I got into fish almost right away using the Tenkara USA Sato, 3.5 level line, and a size 12 bead head Road Kone kebari. 

I'm not going to lie, I was initially having a little bit of problem with my hook sets, and probably lost my first half dozen fish, including a really nice one that leaped a few times then took me deep into a powerful rapid. However, once dialed in...

So many fish. Both dead drifts through deeper water and pulsing the fly through the shallows seemed to work with positive results. It was one of the best days I'd had on the water in a very long time. Skunk far in the rear-view, I even decided to put the rod down for a bit, and take a nice little rest in the shade atop a moss covered rock, to just admire the surroundings.

Once the sun got high in the sky, around 11:30 am, the fishing started to slow down. Anyone who has fished with me before knows I'm not one of those guys who needs to be on the water non-stop from dawn to dusk. 6ish hours is probably my sweet spot, so being very satisfied (and hungry for lunch), I found a spot to climb out of the canyon and walked back to the car, happy as could be. 

Plus, I knew I'd visit the North Fork again on Sunday, so no reason to push it. As for the rest of Saturday, well... I wanted to try a different body of water after lunch. 

And more on that to come...

Opening Act: A Visit To Salt Creek Falls

In preparing a loose agenda for the recent trip out to Oregon, I was looking for something to do in the short amount of time between the time the flight arrived and the evening "check in" for the Tenkara Bug Out. Outside of driving 45 minutes from Eugene to Oakridge, which would serve as my base camp for the weekend, I'd have about 3 or 4 hours to burn.

Fortunately, one of the more prominent tourist attractions was very close by, Salt Creek Falls, just a half hour down the road on Route 58. Billed as the "second tallest" falls in Oregon, Salt Creek flows through a wonderfully maintained piece of forest, with hiking trails, picnic areas, and of course, a prominent stone overlook that provides a fantastic view of the falls.

This photo does not do the falls justice...

Even when not marveling at the falls themselves, the view of the canyon was absolutely stunning...

Now having the fishing gear in the trunk of the car, it would have been downright negligent of me to not give the stretch of water above the falls a quick peek for fish. The fly fishing guide book had mentioned that there wouldn't be any "trophies" above the falls, but there should be plenty of small wild rainbows, and the occasional brook trout.

So a short walk upstream down this beautifully groomed path...

...yielded this nice little stretch of water...

...and tons of aggressive little fish. Just as advertised!

Even found a few of those "invasive" brookies!

So much fun!

After about an hour and a half of fish after fish after fish, I really needed to collapse the rod, pack up and head over to the Bug Out before it got too late. While nobody ever likes to leave an active fishing spot, it was easy to walk away both satisfied with this side trip and extremely optimistic for what the rest of the weekend had in store.

If you're ever in Central Oregon, I highly recommend a visit to Salt Creek Falls. Sightseeing, fishing, and the simple beauty of Mother Nature. It's tough to beat; a memorable trip for certain.

For more on Salt Creek Falls and the Willamette National Forest, check out the US Forest Service's website HERE.

The 2017 Tenkara Bug Out

What an awesome weekend in Oregon. It's actually not over (for me) yet, if you're reading this on Monday, I'm probably wandering somewhere around Crater Lake National Park.

Back to business, the primary reason why I'm in Oregon is that I've always wanted to fish in the Pacific Northwest, and had an awesome excuse with the first Tenkara Bug Out being held in the Oakridge/Westfir area... which is quite the paradise for the outdoor recreation crowd.

The Bug Out was spread over Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning, and unlike other tenkara events I've attended in the past, it was less "classroom," and more informal get-together, and more importantly... fishing!

I think the turnout was in the mid-30s, the perfect size to walk around and meet almost everyone. It was nice to see a good mix of attendees, from tenkara novices all the way up through the seasoned. Our host Jim Vandagrift really went above and beyond and did a fantastic job setting up the event program and actually organizing (and clearly marking) nearby sections of the North Fork of the Willamette River for all of us to fish. That was HUGE for an out-of-towner such as myself.

As I mentioned, while the event format was very informal, there were several touch points where we all got together as a group.

Friday night was very brief, reserved for registration, ground rules, door prize raffles, fishing assignments, and beer. Lots of introductions, hand shaking, and meeting my tenkara brethren from the other side of the country.

Jim addresses the group

Lucky raffle winner

Saturday was the most eventful of the 3 days. Most people started the day by fishing the sections of the river they were assigned the night before. However, those that wanted a little bit of "intro & how to" were able to stay behind and watch a tenkara seminar from Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA.

I was out fishing, so this photo of the "Tenkaravan" will need to stand in for Daniel's seminar

Later in the day, we all regrouped for lunch, drinks, and the exchanging stories of how the morning fishing went (awesome!), as we awaited our evening fishing assignments.

Finally, Saturday wrapped up with a pizza dinner, more beer, more raffles, even more fish stories, and the ever important Sunday fishing assignments. For all intents and purposes it was really the end of the organized portion of the event as the only scheduled activities on Sunday morning was fishing.

So much fun, so much camaraderie, just an awesome time. HUGE kudos to Jim (and Adrienne) for putting on and hosting a top notch event. Can't imagine anybody leaving disappointed. Honestly, I think the only thing that surpassed the Bug Out itself this past weekend was the fishing... but that's going to be a whole post unto itself...