Northern California & Oregon - June & July 2025

[ski3pin]

We were asked to be angels and we agreed. Then we went fly fishing. A surprise for you. No waiting. The trip story is completed and both chapters are posted to our blog -

Northern California & Oregon - June & July 2025 - Part One

Northern California & Oregon - June & July 2025 - Part Two

Keep an eye out for rattlers and poison oak and come along. Watch your fly rod climbing over talus.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

So far great TR.I'll get to part two after lunch snack.
Frank

 

[fish more]

Good choice on the Winston rod, and the cuts in the Wildhorse are beautiful !! Bummer on the broken rod, while on a trip to Montana fishing the Missouri River, I broke two rods !! GLoomis replaced both free off charge !

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Very nice stories.What a bummer with the broken rod.I,like you use Ross Reels.
Mine are about the age of yours.I have a whole vest full with reels but my favorite
are the Ross. Rods I also have more than I can fish with.I had a 2 piece Sage which I broke
while fishing Heenen for the cuts.Stupid move had it laying in the canoe and did a slip and stepped on it.Sent it back to them and they replaced it.Second rod I broke is a 4 piece 4/5
Thomas & Thomas my rod from TU for being a life member.Broke that on the Williamson
river while fishing at Chiloquin Or.Once again the company sent me a new tip plus a spare.
I just paid for the spare tip.Then there's my faithful 2 piece custom 6' bamboo that
a dear friend's father made.Broke the very tip eyelet but that rod came with a second tip.
All this said I never had a fish break a rod,just all my stupid moves. The only rod I haven't
broken is the L.L.Bean 4 piece 4/5w I got from Frito-Lay when I retired in 2001,but I haven't used that one very much.Anyway some great looking fish and country.
Thanks for the stories.I enjoy reading about fly fishing.I haven't been for a few years now.
Mainly there aren't any streams around me to fish.Except maybe Steelhead in the Salinas/Carmel/Big Sur rivers,but those fisheries are almost gone.
Thanks for taking the time for bringing us along on your trip.
Frank
sorry to ramble

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Beautiful fish in beautiful country, and it was great to get to see you. That Winston wiggle stick is an awesome rod, and a Ross reel is is the cherry on top of the ice cream.

 

[CPT Davenport]

Thanks for sharing the great photos and stories. That sunset pic is unhinged! I could read about and look at trout all day everyday. I'm always amazed at how different each individual trout is from the colors to the vermiculation. SUPER sad to hear about your rod, and my condolences for your loss. Some things can be replaced in substance but never in spirit. Those things crafted by ones own hands are of the most cherished.

At 19 after high school, all of my buddies went off to college. School was never my strong suit so I instead went into a boat building apprenticeship. My first project was a redwood, strip plank canoe. It came out beautiful if I do say so myself. I used a variety of fine hardwoods for the gunnels, thwarts, decks, seats, ribs and yoke. Last year, after an amazing fishing trip in that very canoe, when I got home I realized that the yoke was snapped in half and badly splintered (never use ratchet style straps as tie downs for wooden boats)! She was christened "Shillelagh" and I had hand carved it across the yoke with along with some stylized shamrocks. I will admit I actually cried when I saw it shattered after so many years. That canoe represented so much more than just a boat. It was my "college" my friend, and a right of passage that shaped my life.

 

[ski3pin]

Thanks for sharing the great photos and stories. That sunset pic is unhinged! I could read about and look at trout all day everyday. I'm always amazed at how different each individual trout is from the colors to the vermiculation. SUPER sad to hear about your rod, and my condolences for your loss. Some things can be replaced in substance but never in spirit. Those things crafted by ones own hands are of the most cherished.

At 19 after high school, all of my buddies went off to college. School was never my strong suit so I instead went into a boat building apprenticeship. My first project was a redwood, strip plank canoe. It came out beautiful if I do say so myself. I used a variety of fine hardwoods for the gunnels, thwarts, decks, seats, ribs and yoke. Last year, after an amazing fishing trip in that very canoe, when I got home I realized that the yoke was snapped in half and badly splintered (never use ratchet style straps as tie downs for wooden boats)! She was christened "Shillelagh" and I had hand carved it across the yoke with along with some stylized shamrocks. I will admit I actually cried when I saw it shattered after so many years. That canoe represented so much more than just a boat. It was my "college" my friend, and a right of passage that shaped my life.

Yes, it was so hard to even write the story about the rod. I would have fished with it until the day I died. It is wonderful to have so many kindred souls on WTW.

 

[goinoregon]

I can truly say that my gal has never said to anyone - 'greg has a kind heart'...... sheesh.
we stayed at a FS campground in the wallowas a couple wks ago, and the payment stub had a tag for the campsite, as well as a tag for our van. on both you put your site number, and date(s).
glad u found a replacement for your rod. it happens. if you use a rod, something will happen sooner or later. just reading about yours is getting me motivated to wrap a fiberglass rod kit i have had for about a year. epic rod from new zealand.
oh, and is the castle crag campsite the closest you have camped to an interstate ???

thx for the trip report. luv em.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Over these last several years I always take a photo with the phone of the campsite tag just to have some proof the site is mine.
Frank

 

[DesertDog]

Looks like I missed you by 2 weeks. Here are more pics of the Summit Tunnels from my visit in mid-July.

Details of the stonework on the China Wall - all hand laid with no mortar and yet capable of supporting weight of passing locomotives for 100+ years.

Inside Tunnel 6 looking the 1680 ft towards the western portal. Mostly dug by Chinese laborers with hand drills, sledgehammers and enormous amounts of black powder.

Historical marker near the western portal.

Many more interesting historical notes about how the near impossible was overcome to build these edifices may be found here:
Link to more history

 

[Vic Harder]

wow, awesome TR. Soooo sorry about your irreplaceable fly rod! The picture of you on the shot-up car shows a suitably unhappy fisherman.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

wow, awesome TR. Soooo sorry about your irreplaceable fly rod! The picture of you on the shot-up car shows a suitably unhappy fisherman.

Shot up car? Why that is a fine example of vehicular art, not to overlook, a rallying point for fly casters galore. I present the world famous Burned Car.

Years ago it was a 2 hour 4x4 drive or a mountain bike ride to travel the 7 miles from the main road to reach this monument. Two of the gang have now passed, but the memories remain. This was the day I had (including long line releases) my first 100 fish day.

 

[Vic Harder]

which one of those clowns is the younger version of you?

 

[ski3pin]

any fly rods broken during the ride?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Shot up car? Why that is a fine example of vehicular art, not to overlook, a rallying point for fly casters galore. I present the world famous Burned Car.
View attachment 1940501

Years ago it was a 2 hour 4x4 drive or a mountain bike ride to travel the 7 miles from the main road to reach this monument. Two of the gang have now passed, but the memories remain. This was the day I had (including long line releases) my first 100 fish day.

I am behind the camera. Bob Seevers, my skiing buddy and Chem Prof and his wife in back, Lynn Skinner on the roof, Bob Harvey in front. Bob Seevers and Lynn Skinner have both passed, and I suspect cutting tele turns in waste high powder somewhere in the universe. Yvonne, Bob H and I all remain close.

any fly rods broken during the ride?

Only two, and that’s a story for a camping trip. It was another person, not me, who broke both while mounting the mountain bike. The bike on the far right, with the orange rod sock strapped to the top tube is the instrument of wiggle stick death.

 

[ski3pin]

The old car sure was in better shape back then.