fishing – Page 4

October 6, 2024October 6, 2024

Some Fall Color

Fall has descended on Central Oregon.

The high desert isn’t known for its foliage displays, but there are spots of color. Morning temperatures have dropped to near frost level chill, but the skies are clear, and by noon we are in the mid-seventies.

It’s a great time of year.

Early in the week we headed over to Summer Lake only to find that it’s locked down in preparation for waterfowl hunting season. Didn’t really see many birds, wonder why?

Undaunted we swung up to Winter Ridge for the trip home.

A favorite pull off on the Chewaukan River

Large swaths of the forest were ravaged by wildfire three years ago and yet some sections were untouched. Wildfire is a tricky beast.

Aspen leaves hold a distinct shade of yellow/orange in the falll

The area is peppered with marsh land, which in turn is home to numerous Aspen groves. This was our fall color and while mainly just shades of yellow. It was beautiful.

Later in the week, we headed back to Maupin for an additional attempt at Summer Steelhead.

This week’s trek began at first light . . . or at least early morning.

My cast count must be getting close to that magic “1000” number and still no steelhead. Instead, I settled for a stand in the river, taking in the wildlife and practicing those casting moves.

It’s the height of apple season and we were hoping to get some more cider.

There are around a hundred boxes of different apples and pears at Kikawa Orchard

If apples with redish flesh are pressed you get red cider … tastes just as good.

From the Deschutes River it’s a short jaunt to the orchards in Hood River.

On the slopes of Mt Hood there are a great variety of deciduous tree species and thus more fall colors.

Trees are still loaded with fruit, though mostly pears and the harvest is in full swing.

We did find some cider, as well as a few different variety of apples and pears to complement a growing fall fruit basket. Ladened with seasonal fruit, we headed home.

September 8, 2024September 7, 2024

Under a Smoke Filled Sky

The predominate winds shifted this week and nearly the entire state was veiled in smoke.

This turned the morning sun orange, obscured the Cascade Range and generally muted our view. However, it did not keep us at home. It never got that toxic.

At the start of the week we took an afternoon trip to the Crooked River. After an early dinner at the Tastee Treet, we found our favorite parking spot vacant.

I was looking for an evening hatch and some dry fly action, a much anticipated part of summer flyfishing.

There were far more strikes than hook sets, but we’re not looking to catch. The river provided a couple of hours of action, ending in a cold beverage and relaxing time sitting on its’ bank.

Later in the week we headed West, over the mountains and into the farm rich Willamette Valley.

Sweet white corn near fresh from the field

Schlecter Farms corn was the primary objective . . . sweet corn that shouldn’t be missed.

There was farm fresh produce available and a visit with my sister in Tualatin.

Fall has started to spread it’s amber hues.

The weather got warm again, but it’s only false summer. Frosty mornings aren’t far off and we are looking forward to this change in the season.

September 1, 2024August 31, 2024

Preserving the Season

A couple of things this week, Steelhead and seasonal fruit canning.

If you’re a regular on this blog, you might recall we’ve combined trips for Summer Steelhead on the Lower Deschutes and orchard visits before.

Well, it’s that time of year again. Fishermen refer to Steelhead as a fish of a thousand casts. It can take that many or more to actually catch one.

Our favorite stretch of the Deschutes River.

In simple terms, this is a Rainbow Trout smolt that spent a few years in the ocean and then comes back to the fresh water river of it’s birth to spawn and repeat the cycle.

Late summer on the Lower Deschutes offers a chance to add to your cast number in pursuit of large fish. Mostly, I’ve been trying out fly patterns, improving my casting skills, and a little more.

This week I did manage to hook up a large fish, but lost it before a positive identification. In a week, I’ll try again. The Lower Deschutes Canyon in late summer is worth the trip.

Suncrest peaches feature in a new recipe, Ginger Peach Butter

August and September are huge canning months as farms and orchards overflow with new harvests. We eat “seasonally” which requires the preservation of some of what you are enjoying at the moment.

Pickling and fermenting are on this month’s menu

Stone fruit have started to show up at the Hood River orchards so that is what we gathered extra of this week. Peaches, plums and some crabapples are getting sliced for breakfast today and loaded into jars for meals this winter.

Tree ripened fruit from the farmstand outshines anything you’ll find at the mega-mart. It is always worth the trip.

May 19, 2024May 19, 2024

From River to Market . . .

The Lower Deschutes is open to fishing year-round. However, as winter turns to spring, fishing improves. Run-off hasn’t started, but water temps rising triggers the metamorphosis in aquatic insects.

By the middle of the month insect activity has come full swing. Most anglers await the big stoneflies to crawl on to riverside bushes. This week we’re content to chase Blue Wing Olives and the Baetis hatch.

Salmon flies, a giant variety of stonefly, attracts more fishers than fish. It also marks a point when the rafters start to flood the stream and camp sites.

We try to get at least one trip to the Lower Deschutes during the big stonefly emergence, before heading to less crowded water.

At a favorite parking spot on the Lower Deschutes

This week was that trip. We had a blast. There could still be a trip to fish over salmon flies, but river spots are already getting a bit too crowded for us.

The real highlight of this week’s travels was a trip to a grocery store. Just half an hour north of Maupin, in the town of Dufur is a unique market.

Years back, while researching whole grain suppliers, JQ came across Azure Standard. At the time they offered local delivery of a limited variety of bulk grains. We ended up getting our wheat berries from Bob’s Red Mill, as it was easier and closer.

Jump ahead a dozen years, our lives have changed, but not a need for organic, clean products.

In that time Azure’s offerings have expanded and are being trucked nationally. Turns out one of a growing number of ‘local drop sites’ is a five minute drive from our house. We’ve become Azure Standard regulars.

A wide variety of grains and beans fill shelves in the market

This last week, JQ discovered the company operates a brick and mortar store in Dufur, Oregon . . . The Dufur Market. The Azure Standard catalogue is quite extensive, with some items we’d love to try, but on a smaller scale than the delivery order.