*   Wine dinner at Brookside Inn – On Sunday, June 15, we are hosting a unique ‘Catch and Cook’ dinner here at the Inn.  Guests are invited – but not required – to spend the afternoon fishing Brookside Pond for trout and bass.  That evening, Chef Paul Bachand of Hunters Ridge Bistro and Lange Vineyard on Dundee Hill will collaborate in a dinner showcasing trout and other local bounty of the Northwest and Lange’s unique approach to wine making.  The details are (or will be shortly) on our website - http://www.brooksideinn-oregon.com.  Please contact me if you are interested.  Seating is VERY LIMITED and I like to give OFC members first chance.

    The Chef - Executive Chef Paul Bachand has over 15 years of progressive culinary experience with focus on regional American cuisine deeply rooted in Classical European cooking methods and techniques. As an avid supporter of SLOWFOODUSA, all products are made in house to assure the finest quality and care going into each dish.  With an agricultural playground virtually at his back door, Paul and his culinary team can be found in pursuit of the finest locally grown produce, wild game, mushrooms and seafood while supporting our local dedicated farmers.

    The Wine - Lange crafts beautifully balanced wines from fruit grown on the Winery Estate, located in the heart of the prestigious Dundee Hills appellation. Lange also purchases additional fruit from the best vineyards in the surrounding area. Long-standing relationships with these talented and dedicated growers have helped the winery establish a well-deserved reputation for consistency and complexity in the wines. Currently, Lange bottles six different Pinot Noirs, Tempranillo, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.

    Given the self proclaimed fishing prowess of both the chef and the wine makers, this should be a very interesting experience.  We are looking for OFC members to challenge these two.

    Contact: Bruce Bandstra,  Brookside Inn on Abbey Road,  8243 Abbey Road,  Carlton OR  97111,  503-852-4433,  www.Brooksideinn-oregon.com

 *  Eagle Creek #1 lower end has been sold. By agreement, we still have access through the end of June.  The fate of our agreement beyond June is unknown at this time.  Hopefully, the new landowner will see the value of having us around and will choose to allow us continued access.  The upper end landowner has assured us that we will still have access to the upper end (bridge on up).  If any news develops, we will pass it on to members.Calendar:May 2 - Kings for the Kids salmon fishing derby  … call Rick King 503.709.6603.  http://kingsforthekids.org/May 10 - Work Party at Trask #3/Burdick Pond…10am-2pm.

    The fish are hungry and active; especially on warmer days, but more selective.  Fresh, uneducated fish are being delivered today to most of the Highland area ponds.  Big hatches of midges are coming out of the ponds. The fish love ‘em and can be seen sipping the emerging adults off the surface. Dragon and damselfly larva are getting fat and more active as they prepare to emerge. Scuds, tiny shrimplike crustaceans, are thick in the weeds at the Trees, and the trout will cruise the edges of the mats looking for stray morsels.  Bugs will be most active on sunny afternoons.  Spent Saturday afternoon, after the work party, at the North Santiam Pond (thanks Paul for your extra help).  We ended up fishing a little.  It was very good and the fish are in excellent shape.  We had a spinning rod (w/ one super duper) and a flyrod.  The best spinner technique was to let it fall to the bottom, lift it a little and then let it settle back down.  The trout were picking it up off the bottom and it felt like a bait bite…tap, tap, tap and pull.  Very bizarre, but I’ve seen it before.  The best fly bite was also close to the bottom.  At Colton Pond on Friday night there was a massive hatch of super tiny midges in a blue dunnish color. The trout were tearing up the surface.  There is also a flock of nearly a thousand swallows that circles the pond in the evening…very fun to watch.  Twin Oaks looks great and the water is still clear.  Report any damage or issues you may encounter.

The Rivers:

   Summer steelhead are here!….Springers? … not so much.  The Willamette has good numbers of summer steelhead in and they are spreading out into the Clackamas and Santiams, etc.. The springer bite has been almost non-existent.   The Clackamas has been good for both late-arriving bright, hatchery winter steelhead and summer steelhead.  Eagle Creek might receive it’s first hatchery spring Chinook returns this year. Conditions were poor when the fish went in, but we might see as many as 3,000 fish return to the creek this year.  We need reports of springers in the Clackamas to get excited about fish entering the creek. The Sandy has been good for summers and springers should be arriving soon.  The Molalla, the ‘House Hole’ is the deepest hole for quite a stretch, and a good place for stray summers & springers or smallmouth bass when things warm up a little.   Big Creek continues to return the occasional spring Chinook.  Call Howard Kem at 503.318.4804 or 503.397.0213 to make a reservation.  $10/OFC angler … $20/guest … kids 12 and under free.  Lodging available at $45/night/person … $20/kids 12 and under. Santiams, both the North and South got easier to fish this winter. Summers and springers take a week or so to get from the falls at Oregon City to these sites. (see link below under Fishing for counts).  A local Club member at the North Santiam who fishes there regularly has caught a fair number of winters, but has yet to land a summer. Willamette, can be a super smallmouth fishery in the spring. The road down to the river is torn up by the recent passage of a large tractor. Best to park at the top of the hill and then walk down the hill or you might get stuck. Launch a small boat, one you can drag up a hill 100 yds., and fish the seam where the river enters the slough. (1/4oz -1/2oz jigheads w/ 2 inch white doubletail rubber grubs are a known fish catcher.)  The Wilson, is still producing the occasional fish.  Trask, wild steelhead predominate.  No springer reports, yet … still a little early. The Nestucca is also still producing the occasional bright hatchery steelhead. #1 is easiest to fish below the Hwy 101 bridge, but two sets of cable stairs exist above Hwy. 101.  Nestucca #2 is good beneath 3rd Bridge and at the ‘Red House Drift’ on the upper end, but is difficult access.  Stop in Hebo at ’the Original Nestucca Valley Sporting Goods’ and ask Pat Gefre what’s going on in the river.  Call after hours for Pat’s daily? report (503) 392-4269.  http://www.nestuccariveroutfitters.com/  The Washougal, is closed to all fishing from March 15 until April 16. From April 16 to June 1 it is open only downstream of the Mt. Norway Bridge and for selective gear only. Fishing at the Club property is closed until June 1.

Go fish

Brian

Oregon Fishing Club

877.521.8947

Referrals: Do you know someone who’d like to join OFC?  Send us their name and phone number.  You’ll earn a $50 reward for your efforts.

Links:

Oregon Fishing Club Member’s Bulletin Board -  http://members.ofc.org/

Weather - The NOAA home page http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ or http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/weather/10_day.cgi  (A great 10 day look at the future with color pictures)

Tides - http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/oregonsites.html  orhttp://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/sites_uswest.html River Levels -http://waterdata.usgs.gov/or/nwis/current/?type=flow  (USGS Oregon River Levels)orhttp://ahps2.wrh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=pqr  (NOAA’s Advanced Hyrologic Prediction Service - NW OR)

http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/roman/meso_base.cgi?stn=EGKO3&time=GMT   Eagle Creek  weather report.

Oregon Fishing Club Prostaff -http://home.comcast.net/~grantsnwguideservice/  (Grant Scheele) scheeleteam1@comcast.net   (541)990-6358  http://www.fishonnw.com/  (Shane Groshong) shane@fishonnw.com   (541)338-8362www.FishYFS.com  (Jack LaFond) Jack@FishYFS.com   (800)270-7962

www.theflyfishinginstructor.com  (Ron Lauzon) ron@theflyfishinginstructor.com   (503)622-3634

www.CatchSomeFish.net  (Chris Nordling) ChrisNordlingFishingGuide@comcast.net   (503)866-0971 (cell); (503) 659-1401

Fishing -

www.ifish.net  (Jenny Logsdon-Martin) (The premier Oregon fishing website.)

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/fish_counts/willamette%20falls.asp  Willamette Falls fish counts

2008 Chewaucan Challenge -   What … no interest?  We’ve recv’d zero, zip, no interest in this and I don’t get it.  Looks like a lot of fun.  Take away the competition thing … go planning on losing … bad!  A little town is going to bust there collective behinds to throw a big party and there’ll be a unique opportunity to fish otherwise unaccessible waters. Check it out at http://www.paisley.presys.com/fish.htm .  Send us an email, if you have interest and maybe we can help get a team together. Scheduled for June 15-18, 2008. The Chewaucan basin flows from the Gearheart Wilderness, high in the Cascades, to the little city of Paisley in Southern Oregon on the edge of the Great Basin. The Chewaucan River has over 40 miles of walkable, wadeable, fishable water with a diversity of challenges from fast boulder strewn rapids to the slow meandering holding waters. The past five years have seen over four million dollars in improvements to the river from local ranchers and state and federal agencies, which has allowed the wild red band trout to return to its historic runs. A BBQ (tritips) kick off dinner is held on Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 5pm, and morning briefings will be held daily.  Package also includes 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and an ‘all you can eat’ spagetti feast. Bag lunches, T-shirts and assistance with lodging, meals and amenities will be available. Registration is $170 per person (3 person teams).  A trophy and cash prizes will be awarded. Paisley is a tiny town and this is one time of the year where they all get together to throw a big party…should be a lot of fun…even if you don’t catch fish.