brookid,
Your experience on the oars should prove very important. I’m not sure but that timing might be good on the Deschutes river.
Doug
brookid, sounds to me like you’ve got all the bases covered, even the salt should you want to go. Be sure to check back with me when the time draws nigh and I will be happy to show you what little I know around Eugene (east of I-5) and Roseburg (North, South, Main stem Umpqua. Might get lucky and be around when the giant stones are present. Keep in touch, pm is fine too.
Couple of fly shops in Eugene…here’s one I’ve been in that does guided floats… www.thecaddisfly.com
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Thanks Moose…will do!
Lots of nice rain has the North Fork muddy and a bit high. I’ll wait till the first of the week and watch to see if it drops and clears a bit then I’ll be on the river up high. Meantime, I’ll try for LMB nearby.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Well I finally got out on The North yesterday evening and will go again today with luck. The water is perfect, maybe even a little TOO clear. Steel are being caught, though I didn’t connect last night. I did get a ‘bump’ though I’d guess it was a downer.
I’ll go upriver some here in a bit and try a favorite stretch or two and will report back tonight or in the morning.
Oh, anyone close by that wants to go, respond here. I’m going in an hour or so.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Have a ball and definately let us know how you do. 
Rich
I will Rich…gotta smile too, I looked back at your other post in this thread…well it’s not like I can ‘saunter over’ where I’ll be going today…I have to drive 17 miles each way. The upside…(well, if 17 miles is a downside driving distance for steel)…is that I’ll likely have the entire park to myself save for a drift boat or two coming through.
Also, the ‘waits till noon’ part is because weekdays I work till noon. Bummer huh… :))
I’ll talk with you later good buddy !
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Ok, back from the river, as predicted couple driftboats went through…one had caught steelhead, the other not. Same for me, no steel but three trout checked out the #4 stone pattern one of which took solidy while swinging the stone. The other two came up for it while I was drifting it on top. Those were no doubt cutts or cuttbows.
That was the second half of the afternoon/evening, the first half I tried an egg sucking leech pattern with no results. The #4 wet/dry stone pattern I use really does the trick at times, not just on The North either.
Aside from no steel, it was a great afternoon…put in about 5.5 hours on the water and it was mostly sunny but cool, prolly 50. The water was a bit high for my liking but very fishable while wading. Oh, no other fishers of any kind at the park at all. Just some ppl walking dogs and such.
Next trip up, I’ll go higher and concentrate on fishing stone patterns since it’s getting close to that time and the steelhead and the trout will be looking up. Tomorrow it’s LMB day at the lake.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Thanks Moose. Keep on flingin, you lucky dawg!
Rich
Oh boy, here we go…it’s the trout opener and The North is in really good shape…I’m saddlin’ up directly and will up there all day…high and low…stop in at the Blue Heron Fly Shop and visit Joe too.
It’s even a little overcast and cooler than it’s been…50’s right now…man am I excited ! Ok, I’m outta here. Report to follow.
Double cheers,
MontanaMoose
Just got back about an hour ago. What a day ! Perfect weather, no one at any of my fav reaches, caught trout all day…nothing huge, biggest to hand was about a 12, mind, these are wild trout. Very pretty 'bows, cutts and cuttbows. Juvenile steel too. I couldn’t believe the lack of fly fisherman. No one showed up at any of the places I fished, only rafters. Yeah, that’s getting very big here on the North Umpqua. Surprisingly, the outfitters here tend to move to the far side when they see a fly fisherman (much of the North is fly only).
I think I tagged about 6 or 8 trout, 5 or 6 to hand, rolled a couple of really nice ones. Flies used (in this order) were elkhair caddis, Joe’s Hopper, giant dry stone and a golden stone. The hopper and the giant stone were the producers. I’m thinking that since the river is nice and high though clear, the trout are well fed so it’s going to take a ‘big meal’ to get them to the top. It worked and I’m happy, my pedometer says I hiked and waded nearly 4 miles and it feels like 7. I’m beat and the steak is done.
Cheers !
MontanaMoose
George,
Great Report! Glad you had some elbow room!
Thanks Doug, yeah it was neat ! Hard to believe for Memorial Day weekend…maybe the cost of gas ruined some vacations. How 'bout this…one fly fisher at Steamboat…how weird is that? Can’t wait to get back up there !
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Fished up on the North a ways for a few hours, I with my 3 wt. and dries, the fishing bud with his 8wt. and steelhead flys. No steel, but we each got a few small trout, one small coho and the bud got one nice trout of about 13 or 14 while swinging for steel. Great day, no one there in the fly water, at least where we went…not a full 100 mile turn, just the 55 mile turn this trip.
Will check back in as the river is in really good shape and beginning to produce for me on top. Will also try for steel with the 9 wt. and #4 stones, big hoppers etc. I do that with a 1X or an OX tippet and I’ve raised a number of steelhead up to about 10 lbs. that way and it has become my favorite method of hooking them but I’m not adverse to swinging traditional steelhead patters either.
I’ll keep updating as in the near future trips upriver take place.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
George,
Thanks for your report! It sounds like you guys had a nice trip! Why do you think no one was on the Fly Water? Too early?
Doug
You’re welcome Doug, yes we did have a great trip. Well I think it’s the ‘slow time’ between steelhead runs up in the flywater. The area below the flywater was busy though. The bait guys are active, trying for springers. It always picks up on the weekend in the fly water too and generally I avoid Sat and Sun as days to go up unless I go fairly early and leave by noon or 1. There’s a lot of room up there at just about any time though so even on weekends it’s not what I’d call crowded.
Right now I’m into trying water that I’ve never bothered with and it’s paying off. The run we found yesterday was one I’d always passed up but the water was just right and I can’t wait to return during some hatches. Lots of backcast, easy wading and hiking yet no one was there. I don’t think we were even two miles into the flywater and I know there are at least 30 or 40 more pullouts that I’ve never bothered with, always favoring places I’d done well at. That makes a hundred mile turn out of it and a longer day. Yesterday was easy…so easy after I got back home, had something to eat, rested a bit and checked email I went back out again, this time to the ‘park run’ on the N. Umpqua. Too weird there too, two fisherman at both parks (they face each other on either side of the mouth of the North)I was the only one I saw catching anything and even that was just a dink trout but it was great being out till near dark…got to watch the osprey go to work on the evening shift and then I had to dodge the skunks on the way back to the car. Have you been out lately Doug?
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
I haven’t fished yet. I have been spending time visiting my friend who is recovering from prostate surgery. When he gets well I might fish with him somewhere. I finally got the rest of my fishing stuff from my prior residence, so that’s a relief. See My Library Post and that was part of what I recovered.
Keep us updated!
Doug
Will do and well wishes for your recovering friend…hope when you get out on the water that he…and you… get into some good trout. Yep, read your book list, good stuff !
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
The only time I fished the Fly-Only water, I parked at the pull-off just downstream of Steamboat. There was a beautiful gravel bar that I only slipped on a few times! That is some gorgeous water you have at your doorstep, boys.
Marty
I went up the North again Sunday, pardon the late but man, summer has me swamped with all kinds of fun stuff ‘to do’. Sunday was one of the OR free days, no license required, the wife actually asked to go along ! Yep, wife caught a little trout on my Sage RPL 390. I was delighted and it was a fun few hours. This happens about once every couple of years. I have the distinct pleasure of teaching wife how to fly cast each time and it is always the same with the main question being, ‘how do I get more line out’? Then I get to show wife about pulling line off the reel, letting the line slip through the fingers of her off-hand etc. By the end of the few hours, 30 ft. casts are being made and nice floats are producing rises to the humpy/fly dejour. Funnest times.
Hello MFTG, yep, isn’t it something? Imagine my surprise the first time I checked out the North Umpqua back in the early '90’s, thinking I’d already seen the world’s most beautiful rivers ! I keep looking though and if I find a prettier one I’ll move there just like I did for the Umpqua and the rivers before that !
Hope you get a chance to come out again sometime MFTG !
Cheers,
MontanaMoose