MattyFlavor
10-05-2005, 10:37 AM
So three weeks after the birth of my daughter :dance:, countless hours this summer and early fall laying tile and laminate floors, gutting and reorganizing the shed, tearing out the crumby old sod in the front yard, painting... (and so on, and so on...) :crazy:
I got me a half-day pass (+ a full day in two more weeks), so the question is What Would You Do? :whazzup:
Gas and time being what they are - in short supply - I'd love to hear your thoughts! I'll be leaving Eugene at O-Dark:30 arriving whereever at 10-til-dawn, fishing :smash:(not casting or flogging the river with a string, darn it! :hoboy:) until 10:30 - 11:00AM and getting back to the Eug for noon, is the projected itinerary.
So the question and options would be:
MF Willie below Dexter? (Pros - fairly close and relatively uncharted by me personally, good learning opportunity, should be some steel piling up after the rain, could double up a run to the NF of the MF (could be an option unto itself) early and swing below the dam later; Cons - bite has been unspectacular for far too long and if it is on it can be crowded)
McKenzie Below Leaburg? (Pros - again, fairly close and much more familiar, should be some steel piling up after the rain, can always drive up or down stream for trout if the steelie bite is slow; Cons - not new territory and guides/crowds could be an issue if the weather is good)
Alsea just above the tidewater? (Pros - fish are moving in after the rains, cuts and salmon should be in decent numbers; Cons - not familiar at all with good spots (feel free to PM ideas!), considerably longer drive means considerably less time in the river available)
Siuslaw above the tidewater between Mapleton and Tide? (Pros - some good spots I promised myself I would explore more, drive time is better than the Alsea and not too much more than the Mac or Willie spots, should be fishing pretty good with recent rains and fish on the move; Cons - familiarity is not ideal, could be a little over my head skill-wise and gear-wise with just an 8/9 wt. and more steelie flies than salmon flies, drive time is longer than Mac or Willie, and the fish may not be in as high as I am figuring...)
Other Options - I could think about and/or be talked into the Santiam system, the Umpqua system, perhaps the Siletz and even coastal lakes (if I were inclined to load up the canoe)... but all of the above figure into the equation.
So, What Would You Do? with this far-too-rare pass, if you were in my waders?
I will absolutely report back with what happens and how I do! :wave:
Thanks in advance!
MattyFlavor
I got me a half-day pass (+ a full day in two more weeks), so the question is What Would You Do? :whazzup:
Gas and time being what they are - in short supply - I'd love to hear your thoughts! I'll be leaving Eugene at O-Dark:30 arriving whereever at 10-til-dawn, fishing :smash:(not casting or flogging the river with a string, darn it! :hoboy:) until 10:30 - 11:00AM and getting back to the Eug for noon, is the projected itinerary.
So the question and options would be:
MF Willie below Dexter? (Pros - fairly close and relatively uncharted by me personally, good learning opportunity, should be some steel piling up after the rain, could double up a run to the NF of the MF (could be an option unto itself) early and swing below the dam later; Cons - bite has been unspectacular for far too long and if it is on it can be crowded)
McKenzie Below Leaburg? (Pros - again, fairly close and much more familiar, should be some steel piling up after the rain, can always drive up or down stream for trout if the steelie bite is slow; Cons - not new territory and guides/crowds could be an issue if the weather is good)
Alsea just above the tidewater? (Pros - fish are moving in after the rains, cuts and salmon should be in decent numbers; Cons - not familiar at all with good spots (feel free to PM ideas!), considerably longer drive means considerably less time in the river available)
Siuslaw above the tidewater between Mapleton and Tide? (Pros - some good spots I promised myself I would explore more, drive time is better than the Alsea and not too much more than the Mac or Willie spots, should be fishing pretty good with recent rains and fish on the move; Cons - familiarity is not ideal, could be a little over my head skill-wise and gear-wise with just an 8/9 wt. and more steelie flies than salmon flies, drive time is longer than Mac or Willie, and the fish may not be in as high as I am figuring...)
Other Options - I could think about and/or be talked into the Santiam system, the Umpqua system, perhaps the Siletz and even coastal lakes (if I were inclined to load up the canoe)... but all of the above figure into the equation.
So, What Would You Do? with this far-too-rare pass, if you were in my waders?
I will absolutely report back with what happens and how I do! :wave:
Thanks in advance!
MattyFlavor