Protect Wild Steelhead on the Umpqua River

North Umpqua photo by Mia

After recent pressure from local anglers, guides, and conservation groups, the State Commission closed the Umpqua System to harvesting of all wild steelhead this winter. This closure has sparked a heated debate that ultimately will decide the fate of the river’s wild steelhead stocks.

Please sign the petition to show ODFW and the State commission that the harvest of wild Steelhead WILL NOT be tolerated. http://www.petitiononline.com/umpqua08/petition.html

To read more visit Scott Howell's website.
Big Bend Pool photo by Marty

home sweet home

The trip to the Clearwater River was great. Mia, Tegan, Cedar, and I enjoyed so many different aspects of the adventure. All the good friends and new ones made shared similar passions. The whole Poppy family and their warm hospitality was nice.

We showed up 4 days before the clave and had the opportunity to fish a bunch, socialize a ton, and see the transformation of the wave of "spey" addicts coming to fish this great river.

Some fine photos from the trip:

A 14 foot rod is short. 90% of people throw 15' 7/8 weights here on the Clearwater. We fished 12 1/2 and 13 footers. This worked to.

• Bruce Kruk bombs one out!

  



• Miriah tying some flies.

  

• Tracy Allen is a really funny man! (good guide too.) He works with Ryan Pitcher who runs a great guide service http://www.clearwaterrivercompany.com/ . Ask Mia about her chrome wild b-run hen!

  


• Greg judges the distance.
• 

• I am a farther caster than Mia by exactly 1 foot according to the the record books of the "redneck" distance casting competition. Glad I don't have to hear about that for the next year. Here is Poppy setting up the course.
  

  
• You can play a nice big Steelhead for two minutes and even get a big jump out of it on a hook with its tip broken off. You have to ask Mia about that one.




• Cookies must grow on trees over there.
  

  
• Tegan loves everyone! Here she rows Molly down the river.




• Mike Kinney is a very good character with innovative instructing ideas that WORK.

  

• George Cooke wants a piece of you!

  


• Redneck casting crew


She's looking like a lefty.

Miriah, Tegan and Josh. Kids Rock!

Loving the Clearwater!

Photos from the road.

Just a barn on the way to Lewiston, IdahoMia in Peck, Idaho blogging on Mr and Ms Poppys deck.
MS Poppys cookie list as on the fridge

My first Steelhead came to a Skater!

The fishing has been slow. but....

Mr. Campbell bag piping it up!

The great minds of our times.

Salmon Watch

Salmonwatch is a program through the Freshwater Trust that educates kids about the value of wild fish and healthy watersheds. Kids get to watch Salmon spawn, see a red, learn about macroinvertebrates, riparian, and water quality.

Our first stop to the Clearwater was the John Day River. With a generous donation of two Coho Salmon from Cedarcreek hatchery on the Sandy River and a hatchery from the Deschutes River that our friend caught, Ian, a fish Biologist and I spent the day showing Condon High school students the anatomy of Salmonoids. We also taught the students the difference between hatchery and wild fish, demonstrated what a red looks like and shared the life cycle of a Salmon. The students also learned about riparian and macroinvertibrates that make up the John Day watershed. Such a great program to get kids familiar with the rivers they live near. Next stop the Clearwater.Jedi shades

ROAD TRIP!!!!

Clearwater here we come!

We are off today on a Steelhead road trip for the next 9 days. We will do our best to update you on our adventure from the road. Our destination will be the Clearwater River in Idaho before we head home. Who knows what things we will run across on our way. I think we might find some steelhead up there! The counts are crazy!

We will certainly be skating some dries! I love the anticipation of a good trip that feels like everything is lining up just right!!!!

1st road trip stop

Right now Mia is doing a project at Cottonwood bridge on the John Day River with the Freshwater Trust.

Since 1993, The Freshwater Trust's award-winning Salmon Watch has been an effective environmental education program serving middle and high school students in Oregon. Enabling students to witness spawning salmon, one of nature's great spectacles, coupled with classroom instruction and service learning projects, the program is designed to instill a deeper appreciation and understanding of the value of native wild fish, watershed conservation and environmental stewardship.
Look for a report soon from Mia as we update our blog live from the road.

Reminiscing

Digging into the photo archives I came across a few photos of Tegan and I fishing. I miss the days when I could carry her on my back and fish. She's a bit to heave for fishing but a little more independent and plays in the sand while I fish a run now. It works, but it's even better when daddy is around to watch her.

e

McMillian and the Grande Ronde

March 2, 1992

Been watching 2 male mergansers working as a team at the head of the island. It is very shallow there, but a bush that clings there provides good cover for juvenile fish when inundated. The mergansers are really working it over and have come up with 3 wriggling slivers of silver so far. Like all good fisherman they too work the water that produces till it goes dry. So often I see anglers leave a specific piece of water after catching but one fish there supposing they have taken whatever was there. That's both arrogance and ignorance. Not so the heron, kingfisher, or mergansers - Bleed it for all it's worth!

Excerpt from a diary Bill McMillian keeped while fishing the Grande Ronde.

Savage Rapids Dam Celebration

After of 20 years of hard work, Savage Rapids Dam is soon to be a memory. Join Waterwatch for an evening of music, an outdoor dinner and a silent auction to celebrate the hard work of so many people!
Saturday, October 10th5:30 PM - 10:00 PMVoorhies Mansion, 2310 Voorhies RoadEden Valley Orchards, Medford (map)

Reservations:Call or email Laura Rost to reserve your ticket today! 503-295-4039x207 laura@waterwatch.orgTickets are $25, reserve by September 25th.

Optional daytime dam site activities include:9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Float-through of dam site.1:30 PM - 2:30 PM: Tour of dam site
Please RSVP whether you intend to float with us using your own boat, if you have additional room in your boat, or if you would like a seat in another boat.You must register to participate.
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Bob Clay

My first two handed rod was made by Bob Clay. It was the mid 90's and I was on Skeena Steelhead journey on my way home from Alaska one fall. I stopped to fish the Kispiox and saw a sign that read "riverwatch rods." I walked away with a 15' 10 weight and an old "allcock" reel loaded with a windcutter. Bob was awesome to meet and it was inspirational to spend time in his shop. A bunch of old timers were hanging around playing with bamboo. No, I did not get a cane rod. Mine was a graphite model. I still have it! Turkey emblem and all.

Riverwatch Rods is owned and operated by Bob and Kathy Clay in the Kispiox Valley in northern B.C. Bob started flyfishing the Kispiox in 1971 and later moved there in the spring of 1977. Kathy arrived on the scene in 1977 as well and they were married in 1978. Raising four children and guiding has kept both Kathy and Bob busy. Bob guided through the 80’s and 90’s, later selling his guiding business, to Wilfred Lee, to pursue rodbuilding. Bob continues to guide for Wilfred and when the kids grew up Bob started guiding on the Lower Dean for the Blackwells. Instructing a flyfishing course at the local college has also help pay the bills.
read the rest here:
http://www.riverwatchrods.com/

The Speypages Interview :

http://www.speypages.com/bobclay.html

Kateri Clay, using a 15 foot Riverwatch bamboo rod won the ladies division in April 2007 in at spey o rama.

NICE!

Are You a Metalhead?

Are you a
?

Is Ed ?

Check out his hand!!!!!!!!

How about Scott? For sure!

and Mike?

I think so!

Dec?

Yep!

Us? Ohhhh Yeah!

Tegan?Play it...Like YOU have big hair!