Deleted User
08-02-2001, 02:30 PM
After staying at Eagle Crest for a few days of golf and activites, we spent mid-afternoon to almost dark enjoying the incomparable Metolius River last evening, on our way home. For shere natural beauty and serentity I think this river is tops - and I have fished a lot of rivers in Montana, B.C., and AK that are great.
It is no longer the trophy fishery it once was. There are still regularly planted rainbows, mostly from 8 to 12 inches, but they do plant a few huge brood stock 'bows up to 10 pounds to spice up the anticipation a bit. [At least they used to.] - The Wizzard Falls hatchery where they grow these fish is a must see. Many ponds of seperate sized trout, including the huge ones, that they charge you 25 cents a handful to feed pellets to. It's worth every penny and then some. My son hadn't seen these ponds since he was little, and he got a big kick out of tossing a bunch of pellets at a time to watch the incredible feeding frenzy last night; and this is a true 'frenzy'! - There are also some large native bows and some very big native bull trout (inland dolly varden) to be caught and released. There used to be native spawning steelhead and chinooks in it many years ago, before the building of Pelton Dam on the Deschutes River that formed Lake Billy Chinook and electricity. I can just imagine seeing schools of these huge native fish laying in the deeper pools, exposed by the clearity of the spring fed water. I wish I could have been there in simpler and purer times.
But as I've posted before here, for me, this is one river where fishing takes a backseat to enjoying the awesome beauty and aura of this scene! It is surrounded by the tall reddest bark Ponderosa Pine forests (my favorite forests), and the accompanying smell of natural pine wood. It is flanked in the near distance by perhaps Oregon's most beautiful section of Cascade Mountains in the Mt. Jefferson and Three Fingered Jack wilderness areas, as well as panaramas of the Three Sisters Mts., Mt. Washington, and Broken Top mountains; viewable from some less traveled higher spots right near this river. Perhaps the most unique thing is the river itself. It comes from out of the ground at it's headwaters as pristine blueish hued clear 'drinkable looking' spring water; and it grows along it's path to Lake B.C. with many spring fed tributaries that keep it such a beautiful pristine running river. It has a myriad of little green growth islands and fallen ponderosa's strewn throughout it's length that add such character - and trout hiding habitat. I am not a naturally patient guy, but this place sets me right into a relaxed and pleasured mood such that I can just sit and watch this scene for hours and not get into the move around mode. It's abundant deer, 'chipmonks' (golden mantel ground squirrels that will take peanuts out of your hands in the few campgrounds), and brilliant colored blue jays join other wildlife to enjoy being in the presence of.
Like many people, I first learned to flyfish here; not only because my parents loved to take my brothers and I there, but also because for most of it's accessable length it is flyfishing only regs. The trout were more numerous back in that era and thus easier to catch with minimal flyfishing experience. The hatchery trout are still fairly easy to come by at certain times, but the elusive large 'bows and dollies are the challenge for the experienced trout flyfishers. They are in there!
Camp Sherman is the small townsite on the banks of the upper river. The general store has all you need in the way of fishing supplies, and fly pattern and presentation suggestions; as well as covering most of your culinary needs; including Ben and Jerry's ice cream images/icons/grin.gif ! There is also a first class resterant just across the bridge a couple hundred yards. The river there has a section closed to fishing that has been a long time sancuary for huge rainbows; most from 2 to 10 lbs., with occassional monsters bigger that that! Last night we saw a couple monster bows there thanks to a nice family with 2 enthusiastic young boys that were collecting live salmon flies and throwing them over the viewing platform onto the water's surface. Most didn't last long as they briefly fluttered there, only to have a big mouth surface to engulf them; leaving a big swirl ring in their place. A few survived several feet further along on the surface to just under the upstream side of the bridge where the biggest fish often hang out behind some small boulders. We saw some 8 to 10 pound rainbows rise to swallow the free treats that were the offering of this particular evening. They are used to, and maybe even a bit tired of, the usual fare of fish feed pellets from the 25 cent box of fish feed there. Live salmon flies to these big trout are like a combo of broiled filet mignon steak and lobster tail to us. I did give them a nice desert one year by tossing them many Pautzkie's red single salmon eggs. These are gulped up almost as quick as the fluttering salmon flies.
I digress to a moment of immature fishermen's weakness many years ago in my late teens when I sneaked into the stream behind some overhanging pine branches about a hundred feet above these big santuary 'bows and slowly stripped my flyline all the way down into those big fish; with nobody around of course. What I 'fed' them was a size 8 muddler minnow with a dulled barbless hook. It took, oh, about 1 second after the muddler came into view for it to get smashed as hard as a good steelhead take and briefly play the big bows before they easily tossed the blunted dulled hook. I know, not nice - and illegal. But I was young and didn't think about a big fine and losing my fishing equipment back then - but it was a thrill.
For me, and my family and many others, the whole Metolius experience is at once a thrill, a joy, and a serenity that belies description. It is one of my very favorite places in all the world ... to just be.
Steve
[ 08-02-2001: Message edited by: RT ]
It is no longer the trophy fishery it once was. There are still regularly planted rainbows, mostly from 8 to 12 inches, but they do plant a few huge brood stock 'bows up to 10 pounds to spice up the anticipation a bit. [At least they used to.] - The Wizzard Falls hatchery where they grow these fish is a must see. Many ponds of seperate sized trout, including the huge ones, that they charge you 25 cents a handful to feed pellets to. It's worth every penny and then some. My son hadn't seen these ponds since he was little, and he got a big kick out of tossing a bunch of pellets at a time to watch the incredible feeding frenzy last night; and this is a true 'frenzy'! - There are also some large native bows and some very big native bull trout (inland dolly varden) to be caught and released. There used to be native spawning steelhead and chinooks in it many years ago, before the building of Pelton Dam on the Deschutes River that formed Lake Billy Chinook and electricity. I can just imagine seeing schools of these huge native fish laying in the deeper pools, exposed by the clearity of the spring fed water. I wish I could have been there in simpler and purer times.
But as I've posted before here, for me, this is one river where fishing takes a backseat to enjoying the awesome beauty and aura of this scene! It is surrounded by the tall reddest bark Ponderosa Pine forests (my favorite forests), and the accompanying smell of natural pine wood. It is flanked in the near distance by perhaps Oregon's most beautiful section of Cascade Mountains in the Mt. Jefferson and Three Fingered Jack wilderness areas, as well as panaramas of the Three Sisters Mts., Mt. Washington, and Broken Top mountains; viewable from some less traveled higher spots right near this river. Perhaps the most unique thing is the river itself. It comes from out of the ground at it's headwaters as pristine blueish hued clear 'drinkable looking' spring water; and it grows along it's path to Lake B.C. with many spring fed tributaries that keep it such a beautiful pristine running river. It has a myriad of little green growth islands and fallen ponderosa's strewn throughout it's length that add such character - and trout hiding habitat. I am not a naturally patient guy, but this place sets me right into a relaxed and pleasured mood such that I can just sit and watch this scene for hours and not get into the move around mode. It's abundant deer, 'chipmonks' (golden mantel ground squirrels that will take peanuts out of your hands in the few campgrounds), and brilliant colored blue jays join other wildlife to enjoy being in the presence of.
Like many people, I first learned to flyfish here; not only because my parents loved to take my brothers and I there, but also because for most of it's accessable length it is flyfishing only regs. The trout were more numerous back in that era and thus easier to catch with minimal flyfishing experience. The hatchery trout are still fairly easy to come by at certain times, but the elusive large 'bows and dollies are the challenge for the experienced trout flyfishers. They are in there!
Camp Sherman is the small townsite on the banks of the upper river. The general store has all you need in the way of fishing supplies, and fly pattern and presentation suggestions; as well as covering most of your culinary needs; including Ben and Jerry's ice cream images/icons/grin.gif ! There is also a first class resterant just across the bridge a couple hundred yards. The river there has a section closed to fishing that has been a long time sancuary for huge rainbows; most from 2 to 10 lbs., with occassional monsters bigger that that! Last night we saw a couple monster bows there thanks to a nice family with 2 enthusiastic young boys that were collecting live salmon flies and throwing them over the viewing platform onto the water's surface. Most didn't last long as they briefly fluttered there, only to have a big mouth surface to engulf them; leaving a big swirl ring in their place. A few survived several feet further along on the surface to just under the upstream side of the bridge where the biggest fish often hang out behind some small boulders. We saw some 8 to 10 pound rainbows rise to swallow the free treats that were the offering of this particular evening. They are used to, and maybe even a bit tired of, the usual fare of fish feed pellets from the 25 cent box of fish feed there. Live salmon flies to these big trout are like a combo of broiled filet mignon steak and lobster tail to us. I did give them a nice desert one year by tossing them many Pautzkie's red single salmon eggs. These are gulped up almost as quick as the fluttering salmon flies.
I digress to a moment of immature fishermen's weakness many years ago in my late teens when I sneaked into the stream behind some overhanging pine branches about a hundred feet above these big santuary 'bows and slowly stripped my flyline all the way down into those big fish; with nobody around of course. What I 'fed' them was a size 8 muddler minnow with a dulled barbless hook. It took, oh, about 1 second after the muddler came into view for it to get smashed as hard as a good steelhead take and briefly play the big bows before they easily tossed the blunted dulled hook. I know, not nice - and illegal. But I was young and didn't think about a big fine and losing my fishing equipment back then - but it was a thrill.
For me, and my family and many others, the whole Metolius experience is at once a thrill, a joy, and a serenity that belies description. It is one of my very favorite places in all the world ... to just be.
Steve
[ 08-02-2001: Message edited by: RT ]