Nature – Page 15

October 9, 2022October 9, 2022

Bass Fishing the John Day River

Priest Hole is a primitive site along the John Day Wild and Scenic River. The nearest town is 45 minutes away … so you are on your own here.

If you exclude the Deschutes River bridge at Shears Falls, the John Day River is likely the river we have crossed the most. It is also least fished. This week we fixed that.

The John Day River travels, undammed 280+ miles from it’s headwaters. It’s summer steelhead run has dwindled because like most Central Oregon rivers, dry years and irrigation pressure has taken a toll.

The flip side of increased average water temperatures is an abundance of Smallmouth Bass. When the climate gives you lemons … go bass fishin’.

Perfect conditions for reeling in smallmouth bass.

I always thought of bass fishing as a subsurface pursuit. Streamers on heavy lines and lots of weed beds to deal with.

Come to find out that is more about Largemouth Bass. On the John Day, Smallmouth repeatedly hit Chubby Chernobyl and Foam Hopper patterns tossed near the river’s grassy edge.

The road to Priest Hole is steep and narrow … it is especially challenging if you meet another vehicle. Beyond the risks, this is an incredible area with amazing river access and stunning views.

Previous encounters with the John Day involved bridge crossings or looking at the bottom of a canyon. JQ made note of a potential access point during a previous crossing. Seemed like a good destination for some warm water fishing. If you’re interested, downstream from Kimberly to Service Creek, about 25 miles, has lots of wadeable access.

Surrounded by the sweet scent of cottonwood trees, it was an idyllic day. The temps were in the low 80’s and both Jack and Tip spent most of their time wading and swimming.

Small Mouth in the John Day can be five pounds though more often they are under a foot in length. Bass aggressively surface feed and put up more fight than their size suggests.

The John Day carves its way though old volcanic flows, creating canyons and exposing geologic layers.

This was the first time I’d actively cast for bass. It won’t be the last, in fact we are are planning a couple more fall excursions in the Clarno and Kimber stretch of the river.

October 2, 2022October 1, 2022

Oregon Geology

This week brought the Fall Equinox, officially ushering in the season. Before the first snow and at the end of tourist season, we plan trips over roads that will soon become impassable. Rockhounding trips get back on the schedule, as the days cool down. This week we headed to Painted Hills.

US 26 West out of Prineville over Ochoco pass takes you through a beautiful pine forest. On the Mitchell side of that pass, high desert sage and juniper plateaus are cut into canyons by the John Day River.

Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument sits just west of Mitchell. The national monument is actually represented by three units each with a visitor center. These points of interest are situated 60 land miles apart. This rather large triangular section in the middle of Oregon is bristling with geological marvels and fossils are only part of that.

Daylight plays across these undulating hills

There are places we revisit seasonally and its been well over a year since we traveled to the Painted Hills. JQ is getting good at capturing High Desert landscapes with her camera, but there are places you need to visit in person to really appreciate them. This region of Oregon is one of them.

Rounded hills made of red, green and yellow layers sparked our interest in this unique landscape. Depending on the time of year or even the time of day, there are different tones to each layer. All of the monument units offer prospective on the ancient inhabitants of this once tropical forest land.

September 25, 2022September 24, 2022

Breath of Fresh Air

Wildfire smoke finally dissipated so we headed east to Summer Lake. We have been waiting for a chance to go birding before waterfowl hunting season.

Cedar Creek Fire still threatens, but a few rainy days and a shift in weather patterns have us breathing easier, literally.

Summer Lake had an afternoon thunderstorm forecast. Ahead of any storm clouds, the valley was mostly basking in late summer sun.

A few migratory flocks were present. We caught a squadron of pelicans lumbering across the sky. Actually we’re so used to raptors and bug eaters darting across a river it gave us pause.

The squadron will hold pretty tight ranks in the air but they are gliders. There are minimal wing flaps which might account for the slow pace they took to pass overhead.

Marshland along the southwest loop road was dry. However, the canals were actively directing water onto land between Windbreak and Bullgate Dikes.

There were a lot of ODFW (Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife) workers, but only a couple of cars. Without the worry of someone needing space on the narrow road, we can pull over anytime something is sighted.

One stop was to watched Ibis feeding. We also spotted White-fronted geese whose size is evident by the tiny ducks next to them. They breed near the Arctic Circle and migrate along the Pacific Flyway to winter in freshwater marshes.

The north half of the refuge’s loop road is closed for the season. But it’s easy to drive along Windbreak dike to a camping site on the SE side of the refuge.

As we finished up lunch, the storm clouds were rolling in over Fremont Ridge. Guess it’s time to head home and stay ahead of the rain.

September 18, 2022September 17, 2022

Buried in a Cloud of Smoke

Twenty miles west of us is the Cedar Creek Fire. It started from a lightning strike on August 1. 45 days later its burned 91,103 acres and is still not contained. This is now the largest wildland fire in Oregon.

So this week we sat under a blanket of smoke. For most of the week air quality levels shifted between Very Unhealthy to Hazardous, with brief bouts of Moderate on the air quality index.

When the smoke gets this bad the only thing we can do is break out a good book and make sure the windows and doors are closed tightly.

There is a break in the forecast as weather patterns shift. However, until that happens we aren’t getting very far from home.

September 4, 2022September 3, 2022

Fall Yet?

Our screens are filled with Fall and Halloween, content but summer’s not giving in that easy. The PNW swelters under a heat dome and it does not feel even a little bit like Fall.

Wading rivers is a great way to beat the heat. Usually we can time our trips to take advantage of the cooler morning hours. Neither of these strategies worked this week. The day’s heat never gave way to a typical morning chill. We needed to find a different escape.

The Upper Deschutes is a perfect spot. Tip can enjoy a game of fetch and a swim. A dense lodgepole forest gives plenty of shade along the stream bank so it is a good choice for these last days of summer. The weatherman predicts a shift to more ‘Fall’ like weather in the days to come. For now we make do.