Video

July 19, 2026July 18, 2026

Fishing the Dry Fly

At least one excursion a week is focused on fishing. From May to August those pursuits are primarily in search of dry flyfishing opportunities.

We started flyfishing on the North Fork of the Flathead River, casting Royal Wulff patterns to West Slope Cutthroat Trout. Catching a fish off the surface of a river is, to me, the most fun.

These last couple of months we’ve been chasing the Caddisfly hatches on the Crooked River.

Starting around Mother’s Day and extending to early July, there are a series of these emergences nearly daily. Just before and during the hatch, fishing is optimal.

The biggest challenge with Caddisflies is they hatch, shuck out of pupal skin, and fly off to the bushes at dawn and dusk.

On the Crooked dusk in July is hot and windy . . . kind of miserable and not the best fishing conditions. But on the high desert mornings are typically much cooler and calmer.

All these insects are a boon to the birds, as well as the fish

We’ve been very successful leaving the house about 6:30 (yes after sunrise, so not technically dawn) and being on the river about an hour later. This has connected us with some really successful fishing.

By the time the afternoon wind picks up, we’ve had nearly four hours on the water and are ready to have a cold one and call it a day.

We’re not going to stop spending mornings on the Crooked, but as we move into July and August the target species shifts to Small Mouth Bass on the John Day River, and then the futile pursuit of Summer Steelhead on the Lower Deschutes.

We’ll take you along on those journeys as well.

July 5, 2026July 4, 2026

Windy Day on the River

We spend a lot of time on the Crooked River. The drive is short and we find there are very few people mid-week. Plus, we never get tired of sitting by a stream.

Fishing is only part of it. We have a couple of spots that offer good access and plenty of shade. These places are familiar, and regularly offer up a surprise or two.

This week’s trip started early. We wanted to avoid the summer heat, nab one of our favorite spots, and avoid the early afternoon when the wind kicks up.

Willows starting to crowd the bank and obscure our views

The gusts got pretty strong. The willow bushes that line the bank were tossing little Lincoln Sparrows around, though these delicate birds never lost their steely grip.

The bird population was really active. Fledglings are out and about, so there is a mix of watchful parents and opportunistic predators.

It was nice to get reacquainted with the local fauna. This time of year activity picks up and we have great fun watching the circus.

After the July 4th holiday the campgrounds get a lot fuller and for longer stretches. We will start looking for more remote sites to keep out of the fray.

This is what ‘sitting by the stream’ looks like.

That said, we try to make a trip to the Crooked at least once a week . . . just to sit by a stream.

March 15, 2026April 18, 2026

Winter’s end or False Spring?

We just walked in the door from Tip’s daily. There’s a winter storm warning in effect. However, the sun was out and it’s 50º. We’re beginning to think that we’ve seen all the winter there’s going to be.

Its the middle of March and while winter has returned in the past, that doesn’t seem likely this year.

Of course now we’ve jinxed it. Long range forecast calls for warmer than normal temperatures in the Northwest. So it’s a false spring or maybe the change of seasons?

Beautiful March day on the Crooked River

Any un-seasonal weather just means we get outside. A majority of the week was taken up with errands and finishing unfinished projects. But we picked the nicest of days and headed up to the Crooked.

Recharging on the river has become integral to our sanity. We’d expected to just enjoy the water and a picnic lunch. But the river had other things in mind.

There was increased water fowl population. We suspect they are getting ready to nest. And while JQ was capturing images, fish started to feed on the surface.

It’s rare to fish over a surface hatch in winter months so we took advantage of the moment.

The sun warmed the air around us, but the water was really cold. That said, we got an hour of really good fishing before needing to warm up.

The week ahead offers more mild temperatures so even with cloudy skies we’ll have opportunity to do some more exploring, now that most of our winter chores are completed.

March 1, 2026April 18, 2026

Winter Refuge

The perfect spot for shore birds . . . except this day

Winter may actually come to Central Oregon in the next couple of weeks, but at the moment it feels more like spring (false spring to be honest).

With a break in the weather, we decided to take a drive over to the wildlife refuge at Summer Lake. There’s no anticipation of great birding,

It’s between migrations. However, the sun was out, the roads were dry, and we really needed a road trip.

Summer Lake, even in the winter, has some avian population. After all, there are year-round residents, just not many. The draw this time of year, well anytime of year, is the quiet solitude.

You hear wind in the reeds, water bubbling between canals and the occasional bird song. Most of the time there are no other humans around.

Hunting season is over so the loop gate is open allowing access to the eastern dike road. This narrow track, literally the width of the dike, runs between two ponds that always have at least a thin layer of water.

This is also a stretch that on most days would have a variety of shore birds; Stilts, Avocets, Dippers and the like . . . not this day.

We got the scope on a couple of hawks, Red Tails, we think. They were a distant challenge, even for the spotting scope.

There was a bevy of swans, paired up, but still too early for cygnets. There were plenty of ducks and a couple gaggles of geese.

Wildlife was keeping a distance from humans and cars. That’s fine . . . we were there to take in the day.

The telephoto lens and spotting scope offered plenty of opportunity to watch the action. It does make us more anxious for the spring migration to start.

We definitely will be back . . . Summer Lake is our refuge as well.

November 30, 2025November 29, 2025

Return Again

Any reader of this blog will have figured out we venture to the same places with regularity. This is by design.

Our explorations are, to some degree, dictated by the change in seasons. Like the adage ‘you never step in the same river twice’.

We go to canyons to explore rivers, the high desert to find wildlife and mountains to uncover minerals.

There’s interest in the place, but of equal importance is the journey there.

A spot in the winter offers something different than it will in the summer. This is less a measure of temperature and more a matter of a shift in flora and fauna.

There are times when roads are impassable or the sun’s heat becomes unbearable. We time an excursion, when possible, to variants of weather. One can fish the year around. The only obstacle . . . road conditions.

Rivers in warm months are a pleasant picnic. As the season turns cold, there are fewer fishers but just as many fish.

Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge at start of fall migration.

Migratory patterns help predict when Summer Lake will have its greatest number of species.

But there are always birds and Winter Ridge makes a very photogenic backdrop capped with snow. Each season offers it’s own photo op.

Rock hounding is great adventure to unique locations. We’ve uncovered interesting stones while being treated to beautiful views.

Summer’s heat is not the best time to be chiseling away at a rock face or scraping a hole in the desert floor. But from winter to late spring the road in is a mud trap. Again . . . it’s a matter of timing.