TV Trout Unlimited

What happened to the christmas trees?

2012-02-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

We hauled the trees we collected to an off channel wetland complex site on the Necanicum River. Byron Thompson and his family placed the trees into the complex as soon as they were delivered. Byron has been making underwater video of the action at the site. Here is a link to one of Byrons videos from August 2010 of activity at the site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHwZv00EZAg&feature=g-all-u&context=G2d85f21F

Here you see some of the trees we collected placed in the off channel complex

(photo by Michael D. Ellis)

Here you see a christmas tree after being in the water for about a month

(photo by Byron Thompson)

Here you can see that the trees are being utilized by the Coho fry

(photo by Byron Thompson)

Tualatin Valley Trout Unllimited will be having a work party on March 11 (Sunday). We will be helping to place woody debris, like christmas trees, in stream areas as well as planting some willow trees at the Neitzel Farm site. There should be newly emerged coho coming out of the gravel and seeking off channel habitat so we may get to see some of them. The young of the year pre-smolts will be on a diurnal schedule by then so we should get to see some of them too. Also, Mike Gentry, our President, will have just returned from a trip to Patagonia so there should be stories aplenty to share.

You will definitely need rain gear, gloves and a lunch. You may want to bring waders too in case we anchor material in the water. We will rendezvous at our regular spot in Hillsboro (Sunset Fred Meyer, 22075 NW Imbrie Dr., Hillsboro, Oregon). Meet by the can return area. We will leave by 8:15 am and will arrive at the work site around 9:45 or 10 am. For those who want to carpool/caravan from Portland. We can make a stop at Klootchy Creek park on the way to meet people already at the coast.

Please respond by e mail if you would like to attend to: tvturestoration@gmail.com

Michael Ellis

Last chance to drop off your tree for Ecocycling

2012-01-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Mike Gentry and Michael Ellis await the first tree

Saturday, Jan. 7th, we collected used christmas trees at Northwest Flyfishing Outfitters, located at NE 108th and Halsey. We will be taking these trees down to the coast for placement on the Necanicum system.

Alan Moore, right, helps another tree find a home on the coast

A big thank you goes to TVTU volunteers, Mike Gentry, Ron Reinebach, Terry Turner and Alan Moore, who helped staff and make this project happen. An even bigger thank you goes to Jack Hagen and the folks at Northwest Flyfishing Outfitters for allowing us to use their store as a drop site. Be sure to let them know you appreciate their help the next time you are in their store. Thanks are also due to Cassandra Profita at the OPB Ecotrope blog for helping us get the word out.. Many of the folks dropping off trees heard about this through OPB or the Ecotrope blog.

Terry Turner and Ron Reinebach with a gradually filling trailer of Xmas trees

We will be collecting trees again next Saturday, January 14th, at Northwest Flyfishing Outfitters from 10 am to 4 pm, so if you haven't gotten rid of your tree yet or know someone who hasn't, here is your last chance! Also, I am the only person who has volunteered for next Saturday and could use some company! If you have the time, volunteer to staff the site for an hour or so next Saturday. My e mail is tvturestoration@gmail.com.

These trees will be fish habitat by Monday night!

There is a lot of interest in using ex christmas trees in this way and the response this year was good enough that we will be expanding our pick up sites and trying to get a lot more trees next year. If you would like to help out, let me know (tvturestoration@gmail.com). We would like to have at least one site on the west side of town in addition to an eastside dropoff and will be needing volunteers to staff the sites as well as volunteer co-ordinators to find sites, co-ordinate volunteers, and help arrange for delivery to the coast.

ADDENDUM: Jan. 9, 2012

The Christmas trees have all been placed in an off channel habitat area on the Necanicum River. There they will begin to break down both chemically and through biological processes. Biofilm will begin to grow on the needles and provide food for micro and macro organisms, allowing the Coho fry to have a ready source of food in addition to the cover the Christmas trees provide.

January / February Chapter Newsletter Available

2012-01-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

The latest (January / February) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

Spawning Salmon on Thompson Creek

2011-12-31T07:52:00.000-08:00

Here is some video of Coho spawning at Thompson Creek provided courtesy of Conservationist and Board Member Extraordinaire Jeffrey Gottfried. Here is Jeffrey's description of the action:

As this footage begins, notice that there is a female and male pair. This male thinks that he has it made: he has followed this female upstream and is not lined up next to her ready to spawn. But wait a minute! An intruder, a larger redder, more handsome/fitter/studlier male suddenly shows up on the scene and squeezes himself between the femaie and male. He then bites the male, pushes him aside and them bites him again and drives him off-no genes in the next generation for him!
This footage illustrates how in the wild, the fittest male gets to spawn. In a hatchery, a person decides which genes make it to the next generation without regard to fitness

Christmas for Coho

2011-12-30T19:56:00.000-08:00

Yes folks, you too can join the elite group of beaver believers and North Coast Land Conservancy advocates in helping to create habitat for young Coho Salmon smolts at our projects on the Necanicum River and it’s tributaries.

Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited, in conjunction with Northwest Flyfishing Outfitters are, offering a drop off site for your old christmas tree. For a suggested donation of $10.00, you can drop off your tree Saturday January 7 or Saturday January 14th at Northwest Flyfishing Outfitters, 10910 N.E. Halsey, Portland, Oregon, between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. We will be in front with a trailer. Instead of chipping the trees into mulch we will transport them to the coast for placement in the streams to provide habitat for the young smolts. The donations will be used to further our restoration projects on the Necanicum and it’s tributaries.

For an excellent article on the conservation aspects of this project please see the OPB Ecotrope blog: http://ecotrope.opb.org/2011/12/how-to-turn-your-christmas-tree-into-salmon-habitat/ .

We are also looking for volunteers to staff the pick up site in two hour shifts for both days. If you are interested please let me know what day and hours you would like to volunteer for at TVTURestoration@gmail.com .

What a great opportunity to help out our habitat and also have an excuse to visit a fly shop! I hope you can all take this opportunity to get rid of your tree with us.

A Day of Work on Thompson Creek with TVTU

2011-12-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

By Jeffry Gottfried

On Nov 19, volunteers from TVTU and the North Coast Land Trust met at Thompson Creek near Seaside for a day of stream rehabilitation . Thompson Creek, a small tributary of the Necanicum is a waterway heavily impacted by development. As I drove to the work site, located within a recently-developed community of homes, a noticed what appeared to be a ditch flowing through the backyards of a number of homes, little did I know that this was a coho salmon spawning stream.

Once on-site, I was impressed to learn that Neal Maine, founder of the North Coast Conservancy had negotiated with the developer who had agreed to construct fewer homes on his land than originally planned, and to donate or sell riparian lands to the Conservancy for protection of fish spawning habitat.

Upon arrival, volunteers went to work with project #1: feeding the beaver! When the North Coast Land Conservancy obtained the property, they planned an elaborate project that would raise water levels, drown-out invasive species and provide slack-water habitat for juvenile coho. Because they had spent all their money on paying for land, they put these plans on hold for a year. During this time, the beaver set-up shop in the riparian strip on the Conservancy’s new property and managed to accomplish all of the goals set forth in the restoration plan: and without a permit or a licensed civil engineer on staff! According to Doug Ray, who led the day’s work, the current problem was the fact that the beaver were eating themselves out of house and home and this stretch of Thompson Creek was in danger of losing its stream rehab team (ie the beavers). Doug and other volunteers provided truck loads of willow cuttings (aka beaver French fries). TVTU volunteers and others tossed arm-loads of cuttings into the pond behind the dam. It appeared to be the makings of a winter-long beaver feast as well as great dam building and maintenance stuff.

Project #2 was designed with the future, beyond this winter in mind. We planted more than 1000 additional willow cuttings in a nearby wet meadow, behind beaver-proof fences so that future populations of beaver and coho salmon that depend upon them will hang around and prosper for years to come.

To inspire us in our work, Doug took us on a short walk up Thompson Creek where we viewed gatherings of spawning salmon that reminded me of trips to Alaska. It was truly spectacular. I ended the day tired but so proud of TVTU’s focus on the enhancement of the Necanicum watershed and my association with TVTU. I went home and made a donation to the North Coast Land Conservancy as well as to TVTU.

November / December Newsletter Now Available

2011-11-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

The latest (November / December) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

Volunteers needed for work party at Thompson Creek

2011-10-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

On November 19th, Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited will be participating in a work party with the North Coast Land Conservancy at Thompson Creek in Seaside, Oregon. We will be supporting the local hydrologists (the Beaver population) by planting willow starts to provide the beavers with food and building materials. The starts will already be cut, so our tasks will be to auger holes and plant the cuttings. This goes really quickly and makes a very visible impression. (see blogsite: http://tvtroutunlimited.blogspot.com/ )

You should wear work clothes and bring a lunch and raingear. Waders or hip boots will help to plant close to the water line. We will meet at the Sunset Fred Meyer, 22075 NW Imbrie Dr., Hillsboro, Oregon and carpool/caravan from there to the worksite. Meet by the can return area. We will leave by 8:15 am and will arrive at the work site around 9:45 or 10 am. Let me know if anyone wants to meet at Seaside. Please e mail me( tvturestoration@gmail.com) to let me know if you are coming as we would like to have an idea of how many people will be attending.

I hope you can all make it. It should be fun.

Return to Thompson Creek

2011-09-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

Four volunteers came out on September 3rd to help plant beaver food at Thompson Creek. In attendance were TVTU members Eric Thompson, Jeff Disney, Travis Walters, Doug Ray and Michael Ellis. It was an incredibly hot day for the coast.

From left: Travis Walters, Eric Thompson,Austin Tomlinson, Celeste Coulter, Jeff Disney, Michael Ellis, Doug Ray

We met up with Celeste Coulter and Austin Tomlinson of the North Coast Land Conservancy and headed out to the Seaside airport to cut some willow branches.

We quickly filled two pickups and returned to the Thompson Creek site.

Several people started running augurs and the planting began.

Within a couple of hours we had created a nice little forest. Some of the starts were screened but a lot was left un screened so the beavers could access and use them.

If you haven’t been by this site for a year or two you will notice some extraordinary changes. Beavers have built a dam and flooded a large portion of the area. I was gratified to see that the area we have dug blackberries in the past is now fairly clear of blackberries.

All in all it was a fine day. Jeff, Eric and Travis went fishing for searuns after the work party. The bright sun didn't help and yet I heard that several fish were caught with one going over 12 inches.

Be sure to check this site for info on our upcoming joint work party tentatively scheduled for November.

September / October Newsletter Now Available

2011-09-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

The latest (September/October) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

Volunteers needed for work party at Thompson Creek

2011-08-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

TVTU is planning a work party September 3rd at the Thompson Creek restoration site in Seaside, Oregon. We haven't worked on this project for several years now but I hear that Beavers have moved in and are hard at work in our stead. We may be helping place woody debris in the stream or other maintenance work. You will need to bring work gloves and a lunch and dress appropriately for the weather and the work. We will do our usual carpool from Hillsboro or you could meet at the site. I'll update any interested volunteers on time, location, whether we will need waders etc. so if you would like to attend please reply to me at tvturestoration@gmail.com and I'll put you on the list.

July/August 2011 Newsletter Available for Download

2011-07-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

The latest (July/August) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

Help reintroduce Bull Trout into the Clackamas River drainage

2011-06-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

There is an exciting volunteer opportunity coming this July. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, after years of permitting and groundwork, will be reintroducing Bull Trout into the Clackamas river watershed and they would like our help.

The electrofishing and minnow capture will take place on the Metolius River. The reintroduction will be on tributaries of the Clackamas river. You will need waders for both events.

Here is the schedule of dates and locations:

July 11th and 12th electrofishing and minnow trapping on the Metolius

July 14th backpacking Clackamas tributaries to release fish.

July 18th and 19th electrofishing and minnow trapping on the Metolius

July 21st backpacking Clackamas tributaries to release fish.

July 25th and 26th electrofishing and minnow trapping on the Metolius

July 28th backpacking Clackamas tributaries to release fish.

For the Metolius work, meet at the Camp Sherman Store at 8:30 am each day.

For the Clackamas River work, meet at the Idanha Grill and Country Store at 11 am each day.

Be aware that the schedule may change. I will update the blog post and also the volunteer e mail list as new information becomes available.

As you can see it is a busy schedule. If you are able to help out let me know which day(s) by replying to Michael Ellis at tvturestoration@gmail.com

This will be a great opportunity to learn more about these fish and to work with our State wildlife biologists. I hope many of you will take this opportunity.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis
Conservation Director
Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited

May/June 2011 Newsletter Available for Download

2011-05-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

The latest (May/June) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF VOLUNTEERS

2011-04-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited has scheduled two work parties at Thompson Creek in Seaside Oregon on April 16 and May 21 and we need volunteers. We haven't had a work party at the Thompson Creek site for 2 years and it should be exciting to see what the beavers have been up to. I hear they are taking out the blackberries!!!

The work on April 16th will be planting native vegetation and the May 21st work will be eradicating scotch broom.

If you want to carpool from Portland, meet at the Sunset Fred Meyer, 22075 NW Imbrie Dr. Hillsboro, Oregon, by the can return area, at 8:00 am both dates, to leave by 8:15. If you would like to meet at the coast, we will meet at Klootchy Creek State Park at 9:30 am. We will caravan to the work site from there.

Bring work gloves and a lunch and wear appropriate clothing.

Please reply if you will be attending so we have an idea of how many people to expect.

Thanks for volunteering.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

Sign up for the volunteer e-mail list

2011-02-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Looking for something fun and rewarding to do with your spare time? Would you like to be able to help with some meaningful stream restoration work? Our chapter of Trout Unlimited is involved in several very exciting restoration projects on the Necanicum River (see earlier posts) that are already paying off in visible ways.

We are trying to develop an E-Mail list of volunteers who would like to be kept informed of upcoming volunteer opportunities. If you would like to be on this list please e mail me at tvturestoration@gmail.com
and I will put you on our e mail list.

January/February 2011 Newsletter Available for Download

2011-01-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

The latest (January/February) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

November/December Newsletter Available for Download

2010-10-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

The latest (November/December) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

Volunteers needed for a Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited work party December 11th

2010-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

Our last work party of the year is scheduled for December 11th. We will be working on the Ecola creek watershed planting Cedars. Trout Unlimited has recently entered into a partnership with the city of Cannon Beach and this will be the beginning of work on a watershed that provides habitat for Wild Winter Steelhead,Fall Chinook, Cutthhroat Trout and Lamprey. This event is weather dependent and if we get rained out we will re schedule for January.

There will be a carpool from Portland and possibly some fishing opportunities afterwards.

If you would like to participate in this work party please respond to Michael Ellis at tvturestoration@gmail.com.

Volunteer Opportunity

2010-10-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

2010 Salmon Spawning Survey Training – October 16^th at the Gales Creek Elementary School, 1925 NW Sargent Street, Gales Creek, OR

(GC Elementary School is approximately 7.5 miles from Forest Grove on Gales Creek Rd aka Hwy 8, or 2.3 miles south on Gales Creek Rd from the intersection of Gales Creek Rd & the Wilson River Hwy aka Hwy 6).

Interested landowners and volunteers are invited to this hands-on training session with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel on how to identify fall coho, winter steelhead trout, native cutthroat trout, spawning redds and other aquatic life in Gales Creek, its tributaries and other Tualatin basin tributaries.

This is part of the spawning monitoring program ODFW and TRWC have initiated to gather information on important fish resources in the Tualatin basin. We are recruiting volunteers and landowners to conduct surveys in specified stream reaches from October 2010-December 2010 and from March 2011 through May 2011.

Classroom: Information session and volunteer training: 10 am until 11:15 am Field session: 11:15 am – 2:30 pm in upper main stem Gales Creek.

Dress for the weather. Chest or hip waders are required for performing surveys.

Benefits: This is a great chance to get hands on experience in helping collect data about fish presence in various Tualatin basin streams to help us plan projects; learn how to recognize various fish species and spawning redds; and better manage these important fish runs.

More information: 503-846-4810 or trwc@easystreet.net

Engaging the community to sustain our watershed

Volunteers install Circle Creek bridge deck

2010-09-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

The volunteers, from left, Michael Ellis, Tom Scoggins, Bob May, Burt Went, Mike Gentry, Bobby Hayden, Tom Wolf, Alan Moore, Roy Caulfield. Not pictured, Troy Laws, ODFW
Photo by Troy Laws

On August 18, ten volunteers from The Rainland Flycasters, the Clackamas and Tualatin Valley chapters of Trout Unlimited, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and, Save Our Wild Salmon met at Seaside golf course to continue work on the bridge to replace the culverts on Circle Creek.

We started by tightening the bolts on the crossbeams and laying out the support beams.

We had great cool weather and a spectacular group of volunteers. By the end of the work party the bridge was ready to have the approaches and railing installed. After that, the culverts come out.

This was a very rewarding day for all the volunteers. If you would like to be notified of upcoming volunteer restoration opportunities, send an e mail to Michael Ellis at tvturestoration@gmail.com and ask to be on the e mail volunteer list.

Thanks go out to Troy Laws for being the driving force behind this project as well as all the volunteers and other partners who have made this project come to fruition.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

September / October Newsletter Now Available

2010-08-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

The latest (September/October) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

Update on the Circle Creek culvert removal and volunteer opportunities

2010-08-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

The work at Circle Creek continues. Here is Troy's update:

"Project update: The footing work went very well, with the abutments now completely in place. Wayne Fulmer’s dad passed away this past week so coordinating the next step in the construction sequence was put on hold. Wayne is the Golf Course owner. They had their memorial this past weekend so I will be getting in touch with him this week to further schedule this out. Ideally, Wayne would like us to minimize disturbance of golf play so we must maintain a crossing as best as we can to keep play going. I’m working on seeing if he will let us put the bridge approaches in as the next step (another volunteering opportunity) so we are ready for golf traffic onto the bridge right away once we are done with our decking work. If allowed to do this way, I see us as being able to keep the heavy equipment on site to remove the culverted crossing once the bridge is put into play. Also in the works is the Oregon division of state lands has our easement permit out for 30-day public review, with the comment deadline of August 28. I am assuming we will get the easement approved with no problems so I am proceeding forward with construction as best as possible. Right now, it is looking like the last week of August for our volunteer work party planning purposes."

Based on Troy's update, Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited is planning a work party for Saturday August 28. There will be fishing opportunities before and after. I plan on trying for the (to me) as yet elusive Searun Cutthroat Trout. The work will start at 10 AM. Plan on bringing a lunch and gloves and appropriate clothing. I'll send out updates as plans solidify.

It would be nice to have an idea how many can come so please reply to Michael Ellis at tvturestoration@gmail.com if you can attend.

It is possible to float tube from the ODFW put in on Hwy. 101 and float to the mouth of Circle Creek. With fishing it could take 3 hours at least. This would be great after the work party! I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

Culvert replacement work at Seaside golf course begins

2010-07-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

After over a year of delays our chapter was able to start work on the culvert replacement at Circle Creek last Saturday, July 17. TVTU Members Mike Coddington, Alan Moore, Mike Gentry, Bill Schoen, Tom Wolf, and, Michael Ellis joined Troy Laws of ODFW and two members of the Rainland Fly Casters, Bob May and Ernie Rose to clean up the main support beams for the bridge.

We pulled nails, removed bolts and pressure washed. Troy, with Bob and Ernie's help, measured and cut the beams to length. More work will be needed this summer/early fall to install the deck surface and restore the area where the culverts have been removed.

Most of the crew, from the left,: Mike Gentry, Alan Moore, Bill Schoen, Tom Wolf, Troy Laws, Mike Coddington, Michael Ellis. Managing to escape being photographed are Bob May and Ernie Rose.

Next work party set for July 17/18

2010-07-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

Our next work party will be the weekend of July 17 and 18 and will be a weekend long event planned around fishing for native Sea Run Cutthroat trout! We can begin gathering Friday evening. The schedule will be fishing early and late, with work in the middle of the day. You can camp or stay in a motel and there will be a hosted barbecue Saturday night. Stay tuned to this site for more information, or, e mail tvturestoration@gmail.com and ask to be put on the e mail list for the next work party/fishing trip.

I hope we will be working on the bridge at Circle Creek, but if that doesn’t work out we will work at either the Thompson Creek site or at Neitzel Farms. This should be a great opportunity to help improve habitat and go fishing too!

I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

July/August Newsletter Available

2010-07-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

The latest (July/August) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available. Click on the link to the right to download.

Help a smolt, volunteer today

2010-06-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

Neitzel Farms work party a huge success

2010-05-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Eleven members and friends of the Tualatin Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited met at Neitzel Farms near Seaside Saturday, May 15 to further the restoration of this stretch of the Necanicum river. In attendance were Site Manager Doug Ray, as well as one of the Neitzel family, Les, who dedicates countless hours to maintaining the restoration work on the farm. Our volunteers included Jeff VanHoy, Don Kaster, Mike Coddington, Bill Schoen, Jeff Disney, Sharon Cook, Tyrone Snelling, George Wilson, Alan Moore, Michael Ellis, and, the man who attends EVERY work party, John Burger.

We planted several hundred Cottonwoods along the off stream wetland and about eighty Ninebark plants near the mainstem of the Necanicum. We also maintained some previous plantings of conifers by mowing and mulching. The weather was most cooperative. It didn’t rain or get too hot. As you can see from the before and after photos, the entire crew came through with all limbs and body parts intact in spite of the fact that several were operating power tools!

We all had a great time listening to Doug’s plans for the Necanicum and how the work we are doing will help shape the restoration of the watershed. There are some exciting opportunities coming up on the Necanicum and it is exciting to be involved in this restoration work.

The Coho fry that over wintered in the off channel area are gone now and have been replaced by the this years hatchlings. It was really nice to see the structure being used by the fish.

Mowing non native vegetation

Planting Cottonwood trees

Planting Ninebark

Spreading mulch

After the work was done, Doug took us over to the North Coast Land Conservancy's Circle Creek property and showed us some primo Steelhead and Sea Run Cutthroat runs. This kind of info is just a side benefit of participation in these work parties.

Our next work party will be in mid July and will be a weekend long event planned around fishing for native Sea Run Cutthroat trout! Stay tuned to this site for more information, or, e mail tvturestoration@gmail.com and ask to be put on the e mail list for the next work party/fishing trip.

We really need to do a fishing survey of Spirit Lake.

2010-05-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Thirty years ago Mount St. Helens exploded and reconfigured the landscape, and transformed Spirit Lake. Here's a link to a fascinating story from National Geographic about the remaking of the lake, and the mysterious reintroduction of rainbow trout--which are now averaging only 2 1/2 pounds, down from 4-5 pounds. The lake is still off-limits, despite a 95-1 Washington house vote in favor of opening up a limited number of annual permits for fishing. Someone ought to call SW Washington Fish & Game biologist, John Weinheimer, about doing a creel survey soon. It's all in the name of science.

Circle Creek work party undergoes metamorphosis, becomes Neitzel Farms work party

2010-05-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the permits for the bridge are still stuck waiting for some engineering work and it looks like we won't be able to work on the bridge project May 15, but wait! Fortunately TVTU is involved in more than one restoration project in the Seaside area, so, the Circle Creek work party has morphed into the Neitzel Farms work party. Same date and time, even the same general area and I hope that you all will be able to come.

We will still carpool from Portland. I don't have good directions to Neitzel Farms yet, but will provide them within a week or so If you want to meet at the work site. Here are my woefully lacking directions for your amusement: From Portland Neitzel Farm is on highway 26 on the North side before the junction to Cannon Beach. Look for the trees with their root wads in the air!

There is mulch to spread, native plants to plant, and canary grass to be removed so a pleasant time is guaranteed for all! Plus, you will be able to meet Doug Ray, the Project Manager for Neitzel Farms, who will be delighted to fill you in on the details of his plan for this project. Doug is thinking on a very long term time line and it is incredibly interesting to hear him talk about the work we are doing.

If you want to carpool from Portland, meet at the Sunset Fred Meyer, 22075 NW Imbrie Dr. Hillsboro, Oregon, by the can return area, at 8:30 am May 15. We would like to have an idea of how many people will attend, so, please respond by e mail to Michael Ellis (tvturestoration@gmail.com ) if you are interested.

Bring gloves, a lunch, and appropriate clothing (raingear).

As for the Bridge at Circle Creek, I am hoping that it will get done this season and am starting to plan for a work party in July, permits pending.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

Jeff Gottfried presents Self-Guided Alaskan Tours at May 12th meeting.

2010-04-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I am looking forward to presenting a talk on self-guided fishing trips in Alaska at the next chapter meeting of Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited on May 12.

I have taken 13 trips to Alaska with groups of friends. The trip that I will be highlighting in my presentation will be a 90- mile rafting journey on the Kisaralik River in the lower Kuskokwim watershed.

On this trip each of our four anglers caught 10 species of fish on flies and caught at least one of every species on an egg-sucking leech! We saw lots of bears (black and brown), musk oxen, caribou, beaver, moose, wolves...it is the wilderness trip of a lifetime for me.

The Kisaralik allows no guides, so if you choose to make this trip, you are on your own. I'll be showing images telling our story and giving suggestions for self-guided trips.

Jeff

Ecologically speaking, beavers don't totally suck.

2010-04-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, beavers are actually good for something besides hats no one wears anymore, or knocking over on your way to the Rose Bowl. Below is a nice story from the North Coast Land Conservancy Stewardship Director, Celeste Coulter, about how beavers can lend a hand and their big buck teeth in improving native habitat. Huzzah, beavers!

Are You a Beaver Believer?
by Celeste Coulter, Stewardship Director

February 8, 2010, 11 a.m.:

Running late, I turn off Lewis and Clark Road and park next to our property called Thompson Falls (80 acres), located on the northeast side of Seaside. I’m meeting NCLC board member Doug Ray of Carex Consulting and Alan Moore from Trout Unlimited.

A cacophony of sound surrounds me as I step out of the car. It could only be one thing: the Pacific chorus frogs are breeding. Although one of the smallest frogs in Oregon, the Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) has one of the loudest calls. Male chorus frogs call throughout the lengthening daylight hours during warm rain showers when breeding is taking place and females are laying eggs. The calls are produced by a dark gray inflatable throat patch that develops on males during the breeding season, allowing them to serenade their female companions with loud “ribbets” and seductive, high-pitched trills. Studies have found that one male frog will act as a chorus master by leading the others males to begin calling. My attention is fixed on this seasonal symphony when Doug drives up in his truck. As usual, he greets me with a big smile, brimming with excitement over the project we are about to discuss.

Before Seaside became a coastal settlement, Thompson Creek used to flow down through the canyons of the Coast Range, meandering out into the flat, coastal terrace of the estuary. Today the floodplain is filled with reed canary grass (an invasive introduced species) and resembles a vacant lot. We’re hoping to change that, which is the reason for our meeting. Alan soon catches up with us and we begin wading through the grass toward beaver territory. Beavers discovered Thompson Creek in 2005. One of the largest beaver dams in the area is on a creek just south of here measuring over 100 feet in length. Because of these dams, native plants are beginning to thrive and non-native plants are decreasing in abundance. The Thompson Falls property is unique in that it is dissected by a housing development. The unusual property boundaries were determined to maintain the site’s ecological integrity—in other words, to make sure that the existing streams, tributaries, swales, and ponds are all connected to each other.

Alan walks a few paces behind Doug and me while we chatter back and forth. Our enthusiasm soon infects Alan as we share the information we learned at a recent conference on beaver ecology. Research has repeatedly shown that beavers are able to restore wetlands and juvenile fish habitat in a way that far exceeds any human-engineered project—and at a fraction of the cost. The project currently under way at Thompson Falls is a beaver habitat enhancement project. We had planned to install startup dams made out of logs and stumps to entice beavers to colonize the lower meadow and thereby restore the Thompson Creek floodplain, but to our surprise, the beavers beat us to it. We reach the southern boundary of the property where a large drainage ditch has been dug to divert water from the pasture (floodplain). Standing on the edge of the ditch, we view signs of beaver activity: carefully stripped stems of blackberry and Scotch broom, fallen red alder saplings, and, of course, beaver dams. At Thompson Falls, beavers use what is available, and because blackberry is the most common woody shrub, beavers are making good use of its canes. The dams are packed with mud, blackberry, Scotch broom, and what little red alder and willow the beavers can find.

Our excitement grows as we find two more dams. Doug and I discuss the possibilities. With the current beaver activity, the wood placement is sure to succeed. But it doesn’t take long for all of us to be sobered by the abundance of non-native plants at the project site. Unless there is enough food for the beavers to eat, they won’t stick around and reproduce, which means they won’t restore the floodplain back to a wetland meadow. To make this project work, we’ll need to plant a lot of willow—in fact, thousands of willows if we’re going to keep a colony of beavers happy. That’s where Alan can help. Unless we can protect the plants until they can become well established, the beavers will wipe out the entire planting effort. Trout Unlimited adopted Thompson Creek as a project site a few years ago when they discovered that one of the largest runs of coho salmon along the North Coast spawn in the upper reaches of the creek every year. Since then, our partnership with Trout Unlimited has brought volunteers from the Tualatin Chapter out to the coast to remove blackberry and Scotch broom and to plant native plants. Without their support, much of the work that has been accomplished at Thompson Creek would not have been possible.

A herd of elk, flushed out of a nearby dune ridge, suddenly interrupts our conversation. At least 40 large animals stampede by us to get to safe ground. Our habitat development plans will not only help beavers and coho, but other wildlife such as elk will thrive in the native shrub-scrub habitat and in the open meadow habitats we hope to establish. The sudden rush of elk stills our movement as the afternoon sunlight warms our backs and chorus frogs sing in the distance. Thompson Falls is only going to get better; signs of beavers have sealed our fortitude. We are beaver believers. Our conversation turns to the future of this floodplain, where native plant communities intertwine with slow winding channels intercepted by beaver lodges and willow thickets, providing a place where people and wildlife alike can thrive.

Volunteers needed for a Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited work party at Circle Creek

2010-04-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

The permits are still being worked out and construction schedules still need to be finalized, but, we are planning a work party on May 15 (alternate May 22 in case of severe weather) to help replace culverts on Circle Creek a tributary of the Necanicum River at the Seaside Golf Course. The culverts will be replaced with a donated bridge. Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited has provided funding to help restore the bridge but there is a lot of labor involved also. We will be either building forms, pouring concrete, or, replacing/restoring the deck of the bridge.

This is an exciting project because it will open up more rearing habitat for Coastal Coho Salmon, as well as restoring the influence of tides to the creek. Circle Creek is already one of the most productive tributaries of the Necanicum for juvenile production and removing these culverts will increase that productivity by a large amount.

It was recently determined that tidal influence penetrates much further up Circle Creek than was previously known. Removing the culverts will not only allow passage up the creek for Coastal Coho, Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead and Chinook Salmon but will allow the juveniles to “ride the tides” in and out of the creek as these species once were able to do.

If you want to carpool from Portland, meet at the Sunset Fred Meyer, 22075 NW Imbrie Dr. Hillsboro, Oregon, by the can return area, at 8:30 am May 15. You can also just meet us at the Seaside Golf Course (451 Ave. U, Seaside Oregon) at 10 am.We would like to have an idea of how many people will attend, so, please respond by e mail to Michael Ellis (tvturestoration@gmail.com ) if you are interested.

Bring gloves, a lunch, and appropriate clothing (raingear).

Crooked River Outing Set for October 23-25

2009-10-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ready or not, the outing that's so nice we're doing it twice is here again. Join us for the fishing fun on the Crooked at the Poison Butte Campground. Yes, Andy will be there, along with Roadkill Grill for the Saturday night barbecue. Please bring a side dish, salad or dessert. Also, prepare for central Oregon fall weather.

It has been reported that fish on the Crooked are currently being caught with dry flies. You'll want to match the hatch, which could alternately be PMDs, Mahogany Duns, Parachute Adams, and October Caddis imitations, depending on the location and the time of day. Of course, it's always smart to also have some orange scuds, baettis patterns and PTs in the box. Smaller sized patterns seem to be more effective, so tie on one size smaller than normal.
Tight lines!

East Lake Outing set for August 20-24

2009-08-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you've heard about the lunker brown trout anglers annually brave the frigid elements to target at East Lake at ice out. It would be nice to put a picture of one up here, but we hear they're too big to fit on the internet. Well, such is the lore about what you'll find waiting for you at the East Lake Outing.

One thing is for certain, however, and that is you won't find finer camp hospitality than what Andy Andrews serves up at the Road Kill Grill. Andy will be setting up our base camp in the Cinder Butte Campground on August 20th, and breaking camp on Monday the 24th. On Saturday night he will be hosting the camp barbecue, so bring a side dish and your carnivorous appetite.

For those who haven't fished at East Lake before, here's some handy info. Besides this, I can vouch that probably all the stories you may have heard about the great fishing at East Lake, along with the sudden stormy weather, are true. Prepare to have your arm pulled off by fish and/or get blown off the lake. Actually, I also heard it can be quite pleasant. Did I mention the bears? Oh, this is a wonderful place, and I only wish I weren't stuck on a houseboat in California while you guys get all the fish. Someone take some nice pictures for me. Tight lines.

Crooked River Outing Report: "You should have been here yesterday. Well, ten years ago, actually."

2009-07-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the cruel winds which suddenly arise that keep me from fishing actually do me a favor. Events conspired to keep me from the Crooked River Outing. Here's a report from last weekend of what I missed filed by our Outings Chair, Andy Andrews.

NEWS FLASH FROM THE CROOKED RIVER, OREGON

On Monday, July 13th, this reporter for HHS News interviewed expert fly fisherman Andy Andrews (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha) as to fishing
conditions on the Crooked River in Central Oregon. Mr. Andrews reported that he and two others in his group failed to land one fish during their stay. Reports from other fisherman seemed to confirm that catching a fish on the Crooked was a very unusual event during the weekend. Opinions varied as to why fishing was...slow! Mr. Andrews was told a variety of reasons for the lack of other fishermen's success with the primary reasons being:

1) the water was too cold.
2) the water was too warm.
3) the water was too clear.
4) the water was too cloudy
5) there was a full moon.
6) barometric pressure was falling
7) barometric pressure was raising.
8) the 'shocking' of the fish for sampling two weeks earlier had disturbed them.
9) the number of fish was incorrect (presumed to be somewhere between 1000 to 8000 per mile, depending who you interviewed)
10) Mr. Andrews own observation: they (the fish) knew he was comin' and that scared them so the fish were in hiding.

This reporter did interview one other camper who arrived at the Poison Butte Campground late in the weekend and stated that he could catch as many fish as he wanted, any time he wanted in the Crooked, but he was satisfied to just set and watch the river roll by. After a while, he stated he became bored with the catching of fish on the Crooked because it was too easy.

The weather on Friday and Saturday was very warm in the afternoon, with thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon. One hailstorm dropped nuggets of ice between 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Some rain fell overnight and continued on Monday morning. Each evening, Mr. Andrews and his party enjoyed good food and drink, had great campfires and enjoyed each others company.

Each afternoon there were hatches on the river of BWOs and caddis, but there were no rises by the 1000 to 8000 fish (per mile) to indicate the presence of fish.

The lack of fish remains a mystery on the Cooked River in Oregon.

Editor's note: Tom Wolf, seen here studying the futility in his fly box and the refuge available in alcohol, offered the following addendum to Andy's report:

As one who was there, I think it was a combination of many of the reasons Andy has mentioned. The water was 48 degrees, the clearest I have ever seen the Crooked, with an incredibly bright full moon, and there was the electro-shocking a few weeks before. It was the worst "catching" I have ever had on the Crooked.

Still, the weather was nice, the company was good and the food great. So I still enjoyed myself immensely, reinforcing that old barb: "The worst day of fishing is better than the best day of working."

A wonderful way to spend the weekend.

See A Tale of Two Rivers (Free!) on August 10th

2009-07-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a fascinating program sponsored by our good friends at Educational Recreation Adventures about the Willamette and Deschutes rivers.

This event is free and open to the public. Although donations to the ERA Youth Scholarship Fund are encouraged. Please feel free to contact Jeffry Gottfried with any questions.

Jeffry Gottfried, Ph.D.
Executive Director/Lead Educator
Educational Recreational Adventures
7040 SW 84th Ave, Portland,OR 97223
www.edurecadv.org 503-750-2416

Timothy Lake Outing Report: Very happy campers; many unhappy fish

2009-07-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

Always one of our favorite outings, Timothy Lake did not disappoint this year. The weather, fishing and camp hospitality were all one could ask for, and judging from the rods on the water I witnessed during my Saturday morning drive-by fishing, the turnout was similarly excellent.

Regrettably, I was unable to stick around for the barbecue that night, but I did get in on the second best bite of the day around 10am when I landed rainbows on four successive casts. I had nine fish in the first hour, but only 14 on the day--all 'bows, including a couple wild ones. The water was high and clear, and the NE corner of the lake was covered with wind-blown remains of billions of size 28 midges (lime green bodies and cream wings--in case you'd like to match the hatch), which seemed to interest no one. The cloudless sky and clear, calm water offered some unusual opportunities to spot fish, and we saw many. Several times I spied schools of 30-40 brookies, including some that were at least 16 inches, distractedly cruising around, doing nothing much. All I could managed to do was spook them with my line. Others reported similar success. But it's still cool and exciting to sight cast to fish.

The bite was sporadic throughout the day, but there were a few slim moments of urgent feeding and mysterious aggressive rises to a hatch unseen. Mayfly emerger patterns got lukewarm response; same with peacock soft hackles. It was time to go home before I saw the huge dark caddis fluttering about. It was nearly as big as an October caddis, with brown wings and charcoal body. I quickly tied on a black bodied Carey special to troll the remaining short distance to shore and hooked up with a thick 14-incher to end the day with a fish on my last cast, and maybe a clue for what to go to in the future at Timothy.

As for how others did, I think everyone was sporadically hooking fish on all days. I was somewhat surprised to hear of no big fish hooked, but I have no doubt they're around and will keep me coming back again and again.

TVTU Picnic this Wednesday, July 8th!

2009-07-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and so is our annual TVTU picnic barbecue and silent auction fundraiser. Once again we have reserved picnic shelter #3 at Cook Park (next to the Tualatin River) in Tigard. Below are maps of and to the park so you can navigate directly to picnic central.

This event is free and open to the public. The chapter will provide the grill and the burgers, hot dogs and soft drinks. You are invited to bring a dessert, salad or side dish. Also, you may bring adult beverages.

The party kicks off at 6pm and we'll start grilling right away. The silent auction will have about 35 excellent items and bidding will continue through dinner. Spouses, family and friends are welcome.

As always, the picnic takes the place of our regular July chapter meeting. Also, there is no chapter meeting in August. Of course, there are outings, including one to the Crooked River just days from now. We hope to see you at the picnic and on the river.

Timothy Lake Outing set for June 26-28

2009-06-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

The smiling man holding the 23-inch brook trout is Don Kaster. He brought this brute to hand at our TVTU Timothy Lake Outing in 2007. Are there more brookies like this in Timothy? Probably. Will you catch any? Certainly not if you miss our annual assault on the North Arm of Timothy happening June 26-28.

For anyone unfamiliar with Timothy, here's an overview courtesy of the Fly Fishing Shop at Welches.

This year we'll establish our base camp at the formerly harder to find and less developed North Arm Campground. Here's a map to guide you directly from Hwy 26. For most people coming from Portland, this is the fastest route.(Click on this map to enlarge.)

Here are the basic directions: Follow Hwy 26 past Government Camp to the Skyline Road/Timothy Lake turnoff (near milepost 67) and turn right (south) onto Skyline (also known as NFD 42) Road. Follow Skyline downhill for approximately 4.1 miles to NFD 58, a narrow paved road to your right that goes past Little Crater Lake. Follow NFD 58 about 4.5 miles to the gravel intersection of NFD 5890. Turn Left and follow 5890 roughly 2.5 miles to the dirt road on your left that takes you to the North Arm Campground. This dirt road used to be marked 012, but now there's actually this campground sign you see pictured here.
Andy Andrews will be setting up our base camp on Thursday night, June 25, and will try to claim sites 2 and 3 for our group. Camping fee here is $12 per night. Unlike other Timothy Lake campgrounds, reservations are not taken for the North Arm campsites.

Feel free to arrive early on Thursday and fish with Andy. This will be his first outing of the year, and that means the Roadkill Grill will be in operation along with the bar. Also, take special note: there is a group BBQ dinner on Saturday night. Often this means bacon-wrapped shrimp appetizers and a mixed grill of beef, chicken and pork. You're welcome to contribute a side dish, dessert and/or quality wet goods. Expect a very good time, as evidenced by happy campers, Jeff Horton and Alex Barkume, pictured here at our 2006 Timothy outing.

As for fishing, Timothy seldom disappoints, but there are some things you may want to consider in making preparations. Timothy is huge. You'll find no shortage of water to explore. If you want to access the whole lake, you'll want a boat with a motor. Most of us use float tubes and concentrate on the channels in the North Arm. This is a very good area to fish, holding some wild, native rainbows and cutthroats, as well as self-sustaining populations of brook trout and kokanee. Timothy is also regularly stocked with rainbows. Some claim there are also some browns here, but I've never caught one or seen one. I think there may be some browns in the Oak Grove Fork above the lake, but I expect to see them about as much as I do Sasquatch.

Most of the water you'll want to fish is 5-8 feet deep. A clear intermediate line is ideal. A floater is nice if the fish are pounding a terrestial fall, like the big carpenter ant hatch one can expect this time of year. The best time of the day to fish at Timothy seems to be between 10am and 3pm. Hitting the water at the crack of dawn has never been very rewarding, and the bite seems to crap out after 5pm--with rare exceptions.

As for flies, olive and/or brown seal buggers produce well, as do carey specials, AP emergers and Cate's turkey patterns. The hatchery rainbows seem to find green and black krystal buggers irresistible. Brook trout tend to go for brown patterns. Handtwisting small (#12-18) nymph patterns, like PTs, Cate's turkeys and AP emergers in olive and brown shades consistently produces. The lunker trout here are undoubtably feasting on crayfish and kokanee. I've lost a couple steelhead-sized rainbows that took dragonfly nymphs. The largest rainbow I've landed here took a damselfly nymph. There's a tiny midge hatch that comes off almost nightly. Tiny black chironomids can be handy flies. Your mileage may vary. Sometimes everything works, other times, not so much.

Most of the fish you'll catch here are 10-15 inches, but it's not uncommon to find fish over 18 inches. Most of the wild rainbows go 14-17. I used to find more cutts, but they seem to be dwindling. They're probably too aggressive for their own good. More people fish Timothy these days and harvest is the rule with most.

As you can see, Timothy is a very pretty lake. If you haven't fished it before, you're in for a treat. One word of warning: the skeeters were bothersome in camp in early June. Plan accordingly. Tight lines.

Here's the lowdown from Salem from Oregon Council Chair, Tom Wolf

2009-06-15T23:56:00.000-07:00

When Tom Wolf (pictured here on the right) isn't knee-deep in fish conservation field work, he's getting his hands even dirtier dealing with politics in Salem. Here's a compilation of his latest action reports from June 11.

Things are winding down in Salem and barring any last minute theatrics, which are always possible, the session should end by next week. Here is a report on some important bills still going on.

HB 2220 and HB 2020- The border station and immediate response fund bills are still going on. There is a movement to get funding for these bills through a variety of sources. At the Ways and Means Natural Resources Committee hearing on Tuesday, we will find out more. Hopefully these will be funded--worse case scenario is that they will be passed unfunded so we at least have them in statute.

HB 2220(border stations) and HB 2020(Rapid response funding) are both very much alive and I need your help in making sure these bills pass.

On Tuesday, the Ways and Means Natural Resource Committee will be discussing both HB 2020 and HB 2220. If they decide to pass 1 or both bills out of committee, either funded or unfunded, than they will go onto House and Senate floor votes. So you need to contact the co-chairs , Senator Vicki Walker and Rep. Bob Jenson to urge them of the importance of passing these bills out of committee, even if there is no funding attached. The good news is that Chair Walker is working on funding for these bills and they will talk about it Tuesday. Their email addresses are - sen.vickiwalker@stste.or.us ; rep.bobjenson@state.or.us . Other committee member addresses are - sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us ; rep.bencannon@state.or.us ; rep.brianclem@state.or.us ; rep.chrisedwards@state.or.us ; rep.peterbuckley@state.or.us ; sen.davidnelson@state.or.us ; rep.jimthompson@state.or.us

Second, contact your own senator and representative and urge them to support both 2020 and 2220. Both these bills will be of great help in stopping the spread of nasty invasives into our beautiful state.

FYI--When you send an email, especially to the Ways and Means Natural Resource Committee, be sure and mention how important these bills are in stopping invasives. And if you have a personal story, that would be good to add.

HB 3289- The Metolius Protection passed by a 16-12 vote. Now has to go back to House for concurrences on amendments made on Tuesday. Please contact your state representatives and urge them to vote for HB 3298.

SB 76-Klamath Dam removal funding bill will have a vote in House soon and then the new amendments will have to go back to Senate side for discussion. The fate of this bill is too close to call.

HB 3089- Anti Poaching bill -Passed in Senate yesterday but has to go back to House to discuss amendments. Some deals must still be worked out for this to pass.

SB 869-Blue Ribbon Waters bill- died Wednesday and will not go to House vote. I am working with Senator Morse's office to see what can be done in between sessions to either get ODFW to adopt Blue Ribbon policy, or try to pass a bill like this next session.

HB 5014 and HB 2223- ODFW budget and license fee increase- Both still have to pass Ways and Means and then go to House and Senate for floor votes. They both should pass.

Water Resources budget and SB 788(fees bill)-Still in heavy discussion. 50/50 chance on this going well.

If you have questions let me know. I will make a much deeper and detailed report at Oregon Council meeting on June 20.

Tom

Tom Wolf, Chair
Oregon Council Trout Unlimited
503-640-2123
503-883-1102 cell
tmilowolf@msn.com (email)
www.tu.org website

Timothy Lake reconnaissance tour on 6/2 finds water, campsites, and even a few fish

2009-06-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Andy Andrews, in his first time out on the water all year, invited me along to scout Timothy Lake in advance of the chapter outing scheduled for June 25-28. Our first interest was mapping the route to the sometimes-hard-to-find North Arm Campsite. You know, we hate to hear about folks getting lost and frustrated. But a close second to this was our desire to see what kind of early-season, mid-week fishing we could find at a lake that is known for holding some very nice fish and seldom disappoints those familiar with its ways.

Mission #1: Accomplished! Check back here shortly for a detailed, fool-proof map included with the Timothy Lake Outing announcement.

Mission #2: WTF!

I don't know what was wrong. The lake was full of water--as you would expect at this time of year; and there was some algae bloom in the water, plus the water back there where Crater and Cooper creeks flow in was COLD. Even so, I expected some hungry fish. There wasn't much bug activity, either, just a smattering of tan caddis and some callibaetis. We saw a handful of rises all day, and half of them appeared to be fish launching themselves skyward merely for distance. Anyway, it's a rare day when I can't pry at least ten fish out of Timothy. So I'm forced to blame this slow/no bite on sharing a boat with Andy and the curse that follows him around.

Then again, he did manage to pull this out of one of my favorite holes.
What a beautiful, wild, 18" rainbow! He got it on some dark, fuzzy soft hackle with a red butt, and the fish gobbled it about two seconds after it hit the water on the first cast. It ran and pulled on Andy pretty good. I netted it for Andy in the new Fisknat I've had for two years and had never used. Perhaps bringing out the new net offended the fish gods. Who can say? By the way, before you start tying fuzzy red-butt patterns, you should know that fly got zero hits after that fish.

In fact, zero hits was pretty much the story for most of the day. We covered the lake in Andy's boat. We looked for warmer water areas, inlets, stump fields, ledges, wind drifts; we pounded a lot of typically productive water with sinking and floating lines, but we couldn't find any customers.

It was a very pretty day for a boat ride, though. Here's Andy hopefully working a Chernobyl Ant not far from the Oak Grove Fork inlet.
I refused to say the word, but as the evening came on I was thinking hard about how I had never been skunked before at Timothy. I should say at this point, that I think this was just an odd, aberrant day, and I would expect fishing to be much better than this for our outing.

Finally, upon return to where Andy hooked up, I landed this 16" wild rainbow. Skunk averted, I was ready to call it a day. Andy and I also talked about how we would spin the fishing report that the smallest fish we caught all day was 16 inches.
But then I asked Andy to let me troll back through the channel on our way in to target brook trout that seem to fall for brown patterns like the seal bugger I was towing. Halfway in I landed this chunky fellow, who was somewhat smaller.

Right. So what do we learn from this? Nice fish are available here even on the worst of days. And even the curse of Andy Andrews is not insurmountable. Just the same, come the outing, I'll be back in my float tube.

Wayne Orzel will spill the secrets of the Kalama at our meeting on June 10th

2009-06-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

If you've ever wandered into Prichard's Fly Shop on your way to fish SW Washington's Kalama River, you've met Wayne. He's been holding down the fort there forever. And he know this famous steelhead river like nobody's business. He's going to tell us what we need to know to hook up with them, or with the fall run of coho and chinook that also can be had on a fly.

Speaking of flies, here's Wayne's variation of the Skunk pattern that he developed for the Kalama called Prichard's Western Angler.

And here's a picture of a bright hatchery coho taken by me in the Kalama's fly-only section.Plus a familiar shot of Rod Lundberg fighting
this healthy Kalama fish.
Anyway, the fun starts at 6:30pm this Wednesday at the Lucky Lab, located at 7675 SW Capitol Hwy. Come by and have a beer.

TVTU unleashes mighty effort to restore Necanicum River and its tributaries

2009-05-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Behold Thompson Creek--one of the first tributaries of the Necanicum where TVTU has focused their muscle to restore and improve riparian habitat as part of a much larger effort to make things more hospitable for wild salmon and trout.

If you haven't heard, a couple of years ago the Tualatin Valley Chapter adopted the Necanicum River as its "home water" restoration project, working with partners such as the North Coast Land Conservancy, ODFW, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service--as well as some very interested local private landowners. Many thousands of dollars and man hours will go into this ongoing project over the coming years, and our chapter will continue to enlist volunteers to help throughout the coming summer and fall on a number of weekend project work days.

Much of the work so far has involved clearing invasive, non-native vegetation and replacing culverts, but we're also going to be reclaiming stream bed, enhancing spawning and rearing habitat, and monitoring water temperatures and fish counts. It's definitely not all battle with blackberry brambles and knotweed.

But there is something deeply satisfying about ridding the land of this pox, as evidenced here by Emily Nuchols, a staffer from Save Our Wild Salmon.
And here's a pile of what TU's Western Regional Director, Alan Moore, calls wood porn--the stuff that will soon add instream structure and refuge for happier fish.
This is at the Neitzel farm. Mrs Neitzel (86) still lives here, and is thrilled about this project. And here's more wood, and a wider view of the Neitzel field, the site of the upcoming BIG 23-acre off-channel wetland complex restoration headed by Doug Ray.

Alan Moore further commented: "TU is now an official partner in this project, which is set to break ground this summer. Most of the large wood staged at the site (much of which was contributed by TU) will be placed in the restored historic channel once it is completed. From this wood pile to roughly the treeline you see in the background (that's the mainstem Necanicum) is where the historic meander used to be before it was cleared and filled for farming. While the channel will be watered all year by groundwater percolating up from below, also creating a gentle flow toward the river, the wetland will also connect to the mainstem during higher flows allowing passage of juveniles who overwinter in the wetland, getting fat and happy from the nutrients provided by the wood and native veg, and hiding from predators amongst all the cover."

Already our efforts are paying off. If you look closely at the photo below of previous wetland restoration done by Doug Ray on Thompson Creek, you can see clear, cold water, healthy aquatic vegetation and a half dozen juvenile coho. That's what it's all about.

TVTU 2009 Outing Schedule

2009-05-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the complete 2009 schedule of TVTU/CRTU outings for 2009 still to come. You may be smart to mark these dates on your calendar.

June 26-28
Timothy Lake Outing

July 10-12
Crooked River Outing

August 20-23
East Lake Outing

September 13
Laurance Lake Outing

September 23-30
Fall River Outing

October 2-4
Metolius River (State Project)

October 23-25
Crooked River Outing

Super Fly bedazzles fish at Rock Creek Reservoir Outing

2009-05-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Is it really a club outing when it's an outing of one? CRTU outing chair Jeff Horton must have been asking himself exactly this while occasionally kicking back to dock from the far (fishy) side of the lake to see if anyone else had shown up. I had bailed on this outing earlier in the day when I was the only TVTU-er at the Big Red's rendezvous at 7am on Sunday morning. I sat there for 20 minutes waiting and wondering how much I really wanted to drive alone to join the armada of weekend anglers chasing those planters on that aesthetically challenged fish hatchery dumping grounds. I was torn, but decided I'd rather spend a rare, beautiful, sunny spring day with my wife and dogs. So, more fish for Jeff. He says he landed 20-plus on the pattern seen here in his hand that he and his pal Al call the Ana Special (for the Ana River and Ana Reservoir). He describes it thusly: "It's really just a bastardized soft-hackle with a silver bead and antron trailing shuck. Hen hackle instead of partridge makes it fairly indestructible." Maybe he'll swap one with us at the upcoming Timothy Lake Outing. Then again, considering how we all left him on his own, maybe not. I'm hoping some fishing will help any lingering bad feelings pass. See you all at Timothy.

Snow Closure on 48 Reroutes Access to Rock Creek Reservoir

2009-05-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Hood River Ranger Station reports there is 4 feet of snow in places on 48 above 3000 feet, so instead of taking Hwy 26 over Mt. Hood, reroute your trip to Rock Creek Reservoir via I-84 to The Dalles, then take Hwy 197 south to Tygh Valley, then follow 48 west to the lake. This may actually be a faster route, anyway--although slightly longer.

Rock Creek Outing carpool rendezvous changed to Big Red's Restaurant

2009-05-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Anyone wishing to carpool with us over to Rock Creek Reservoir for the fabulous chapter outing on Sunday should meet at Big Red's, located near Sylvan off Hwy 26 at 5515 SW Canyon Court. We'll be there at 7am (parked in the street out front, actually), NOT at River City Fly Shop. Plan to navigate accordingly.
Hope to see you there or at the lake.

Rock Creek Reservoir Outing, May 17

2009-05-12T01:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the sun coming up over Rock Creek Reservoir. We probably won't get there early enough to see this, seeing as our group will rendezvous this coming Sunday morning at 7am in the River City Fly Shop parking lot; from where we can carpool past Mt. Hood and down into Tygh Valley to this 88-acre reservoir loaded annually with large hatchery brooders. There are already reports of fish caught over ten pounds.

I fished Rock Creek Reservoir once years ago early in the season and found high, cold water and several 12-15 inch rainbows. There are also bass in this lake. Maybe it will be warm enough to turn some of them on. If you go for that sort of thing.

Here's a link to some helpful info on Rock Creek courtesy of our good friends at the Fly Fishing Shop in Welches:
http://tinyurl.com/pap6ge

Here's what Rock Creek Reservoir looks like without such dramatic lighting. (This shot looks like lower water found later in summer.)

And here's a map from Hwy 26 that shows where to find the place in case you want to drive up on your own ahead of us and get first shot at the hatchery behemoths.

The weekend weather is supposed to be nice on Sunday. Why not enjoy it getting towed around by net-stretching brutes? Hope to see you there. Tight lines.

TVTU May 13 Meeting Program: Fishing for Sea-Run Browns in Tierra del Fuego

2009-05-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Holy crap, Alex, that's a big fish! Did you have to go on disability after you lifted it for this picture?

Attention fellow TU-ers: We have a meeting this Wednesday and Alex Barkume, smiling proudly here, will continue his report of the Three Amigos' adventures in Chile and Argentina with photos and film of fishing for these beast fish that know almost no fear of humans. Also included will be additional commentary from Mike Gentry and Andy Andrews, who can attest to how many fly rods were broken by their fishing party.

As always, doors upstairs at the Lucky Lab open at 6:30 for social drinking, with the meeting formally starting at 7pm. This program is free and open to the public. See you there.

South Twin Outing: The weather was changeable, as was the fishing

2009-05-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

Spring time high lakes fishing is often a crapshoot. The barometer can drop in an instant and take the fishing with it.

The weather report for our weekend at South Twin Lake was not encouraging. Cold, rain, and wind gusts up to 30 mph. Why the hell would anyone sign up for that kind of misery? Paul Ellis and I asked each other several times on our way over the pass that Saturday morning. For myself, I think it was the hope for big browns across the way at Wickiup. That and the fact that one only gets so many early-season days to fish, and I had a weekend pass from the wife. I dressed for the worst.

Driving from Portland down I-5 to Hwy 58, over the Willamette Pass to the Crescent Cutoff, to Cascade Lakes Hwy, to S. Century Drive to South Twin took only three and a half hours. We pulled into camp and were greeted by Paul Vitello. He gave us the lowdown on who all was there and where the fish were found. According to his fish finder, they were sitting down 20 feet or so. No big fish had been landed yet, but lightning had nearly struck twice for Vito, as he almost had his rod yanked into the lake by a vicious strike while rowing along the south shore. Alas, no hook up. And no great argument for us to forsake Wickiup for the few hatchery fish found so far at South Twin.

As promised there was cold and rain and wind, but not nearly as much wind as we feared. And the rain was just few drops here and there at first. Once Paul and I got into Wickiup and kicked our tubes up into the north end where the Deschutes comes in, we found a few browns running 12-14 inches, and one very chunky rainbow that was all of 20 inches. The fishing was slow, but there was just enough action to keep it interesting. Unfortunately, after over four hours in the water our frozen hands no longer wanted strip that wet line. When we got back to camp we compared notes with everyone else and found that we had the better fishing.

Here's a shot of Paul working Wickiup's Deschutes Channel.

Despite the absence of Andy and the Road Kill Grill, the nine of us put together a pretty decent group smorgasboard. We shared drinks and stories around the raging campfire provided by the downed tree bucked up by the Hollenbecks.

Then the rain came. All night we could hear it pounding the tent fly. Or so we thought. When I poked my head out the tent at 6am, instead of rain I found falling snow. I hunkered back into my sleeping bag to rest up for what I expected would be a frenzied camp-breaking retreat at the first break in the weather.

Here's the view out the front of our tent at 9am.

Three hours later we emerged, ate breakfast and assessed the situation. Ron and Carson donned their gear and headed for the lake. I wished them well. Here's a photo of them set to launch, with Ron extending to me the traditional angler's salute; and another of them on their way to cold futility.

While I didn't have much hope for fishing success, as breakfast settled in and Paul and I broke camp, not only did the weather seem to be fining up, but with everyone else bugging out, the lake seemed very pristine and inviting to me, and the thought of spending a couple hours dragging a line seemed more than reasonable. I know Paul was still thinking about how cold and useless his hands got the day before--when the weather was better. Yet somehow I gently persuaded him to go for it. Maybe it was the offer to let him use my Type V sinking line to get him down that 20 feet or so where the bigger fish were supposed to be.

I hit the water with my Type II and counted it down for a minute and slowly worked an olive seal bugger in 10 inch pulls. I wasn't in the water five minutes before I met Ron and Carson on their luckless way back in. Moments after they relayed their sad report I hooked up and landed the first of 13 9-12 inch hatchery rainbows that slammed that bugger in the 150 minutes it took me to circle the lake. Paul did the same, I think. We found fish further from the edge than what we expected. There were some places where we found more fish congregated, but we never hooked anything big.

Fishing aside, the wildlife viewing was excellent. I saw bald eagles, ospreys, a plunging kingfisher, many ducks, a spectacular wading white heron, and even two otters working their way around the lake in the opposite direction I was heading. We even heard the haunting call of loons.

The weather was interesting, too. While we were on the water we got alternate bursts of rain, sun, hail, and even a little wind. I took this photo of Paul with some blue sky in the background to show all you guys who abandoned the effort early what you missed.

Paul and I agreed, all in all, it was a pretty good time on the lake. We were glad that we gave South Twin a shot. But I couldn't help thinking about the bigger browns we probably missed out on over at Wickiup. D'oh!

South Twin Lake Outing, May 1-3

2009-04-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

The much-anticipated South Twin Lake Outing in recent years has marked the annual debut of the Road Kill Grill. Sadly, this year due to an act of God (edict from wife/mother-in-law to be elsewhere), Andy will not be there with the grill to host the Saturday night feast of mouthwatering delights--or more importantly, unload the bar. So we're on our own, food and drink-wise this year. No matter, the lake is still full of fish, including some hefty holdover rainbows pushing past five pounds. No lie, Paul Vitello got one that was 28" a few years ago. That should give everyone hope. Here's a photo of Dick Hollenbeck holding an early season lunker at South Twin.

Dick annually targets these beasts soon after ice-out and has pretty good success. He'll be there to show you how he does it trolling long lines deep. If you can't hook one of these, there are still plenty of 10-15 inchers willing to play.

On the other hand, why bother with the fishing derby at South Twin when you can go across the road and fish for big browns in Wickiup? Paul Ellis seemed fairly pleased here when we hit the Deschutes Channel arm of Wickiup in May of 2007.

We'll be seeking browns that would beat this relative guppy up. Afterward we hope to see everyone huddling by the campfire at South Twin for a session of toasting our success, and sharing lies and bitter recriminations. Hope to see you there.