Tag: Steelhead

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Out of the Pan . . . into the Fire

We’ve had another week in relatively clear air, but remained surrounded by a smoke plume. At one point this week the air quality index for Prineville was 500  .  .  .  that’s ventilator level bad.

This crummy summer got even worse with an early closure of Steelhead fishing on the Lower Deschutes. That season typically runs August to October and we get a couple of early fall attempts for the sea-run trout.

Better days on the river

The fires remain mostly to the east of us and the smoke map was showing some better air along the Cascade Range. 

With time running out for even a day on the river swinging for Steelhead, we were looking for an opening in the weather around Maupin.

South of Maupin, Lower Deschutes River shrouded in smoke

The SmokeWX map seemed to offer some chance, which was better than none, so we took it.

Turns out winds can shift quickly, so the light smoke cover had turned to a thick cloud by the time we got up there. 

Highway 197 looking east

One poor choice down, we made a second and decided to see if we could get some images of the Grasshopper fire from Highway 197, east of Dufur.

The answer to that question is  .  .  .  yes, a resounding yes.

We managed to drive right into a level three “evacuate now area  .  .  .  oops. But the images were good and as long as you stayed in the car and kept your mask on it wasn’t too bad.

Fire watch adventure aside, we’ve been lucky with the air and at least to the south and east of us the air quality remains good.

Here’s hoping it stays that way.

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Preserving the Season

Another cast at summer steelhead

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.

Sage lines the river’s edge

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.