Fly Fishing Northeast Oregon

Before our evening's presentation and business meeting began, this writer counted 16 Walla² Fly Fishers and guest breaking bread together. Most of us were sharing our far flung "tails" and current memories of fish that had swam away having given up on a nice fight. Tom brought with him some fishy pictures of a recent fishing trip he had made across snow covered river banks in Sun Valley, ID. The food and beverages this evening at the China Buffet seemed exceptionally good. We do not eat fancy here, but we do eat well, and it is all-you-can- eat, which is what a water frothing fly fisherman needs after a good day on the river.

While eating dinner, this area's long time, and very avid fly fisherman Gale House brought out some beautiful antique Atlantic Salmon flies, that were tyed just over 100 years ago (1909) in the UK.

Gale tells us… “It was sometime around 1985 while attending the NW Flyfishing Show held in the Kingdome in Seattle, I purchased a flybox holding about 65 of these Salmon Flies. The vendor was a cheerful little fellow, Jamie Maxton Graham from Peebles, Scotland whom we visited a few years later at his home in Peebles. He had interesting tales about the flies which mostly have been forgotten, maybe somewhat made up, but at any rate it made the ownership more prideful. The flies were tied by fly tiers either at Hardy's or Farlow's and it is noted that most of the Farlow tied flies were tied in 1909 whereas those by Hardy were mostly tied in 1918. I think these large 2/0 and 3/0 flies were mostly designed to be used on those annual trips to the rivers around Trondheim, Norway holding Atlantic Salmon up to 50 plus pounds.”
Thank you Gale for sharing these beautiful antiques with us.

This evening we had a bit of technical difficulties getting the computer with program presentation to make a connection with the digital projector. President Scott had to make two trips out to retrieve some hardware and computer cables, but in the end we got it together and had a great PP Presentation from angler Bob Wolfe on the many fly fishing opportunities available in NE Oregon.

Club Secretary Dale called the meeting to order at 7:20 p.m. There were 26 FFF members and guest in attendance.

 Dale, conducted the fly boxes -door prize giveaway and raffle fund raiser- during our wait for the computer hardware to arrive. This evening Jan won the door prize fly box, Tom and Mike won the two (2) raffle fly boxes, and we almost slipped in one of Bob Wolfe's chironomid fly boxes for a bonus prize, but he caught us.
 Club Treasurer Barry gave his report of the club’s bank account, telling us we now have a very nice nest egg of funds in the bank, but by no means are we rich. It was mentioned that in the very near future we will have to expend funds from this account for FFF liability insurance for club protection, when we begin our seasonal outdoor activities.
 Thereafter Dale brought up the idea once again of having a club banquet and trying to secure a date with the notable world traveler/fly fisherman/photographer Brian O’Keefe to be our keynote speaker with presentation. Dale expressed that he would make contact with Brian and FFF to put the gears in motion for a banquet, but we would need a lot of help from this Walla² club citizenry to make this happening in Walla Walla. It was discussed that we would project this banquet for September or October 2010, depending on Brian’s availability.
 Since the evening was being pressed for time by our technical difficulties it was decided to wait until next month to conduct the FFF rod-raffle for a Lefty Kreh’s TiCR X Rod. From FFF we have available a TFO 5904TX (9’ 4 pc 5 wt) -or- a TFO 08904TX (9’ 4 pc 8 wt) --- please see survey forthcoming concerning this rod raffle.

Bob Wolfe, past president of Blue Mtn. Flycasters (FFF), now retired from the USFS – Umatilla National Forest, showed us around some northeast Oregon fishing spots from his pivot point/ home in Pendleton and his former forest service bases of Ukiah, OR and Walla Walla, WA. Bob's presentation was in detail of fishing Oregon -- that part of the NE Zone as listed in the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife fishing regulations and that governed by SE Zone regulations. Bob pointed out that part of NE Oregon is listed in the SE Zone regulations, because it is located on the Snake River drainage, and does not carry steelhead and salmon runs in those waters. In both of these zones Bob pointed out the very numerous opportunities to stillwater fish for nice rainbow and brook trout in well stocked ponds of little exposure and very little fishing pressure. In Bob’s presentation he also showed us some of the nice, steelhead, salmon, trout, and Dolly Varden we have biting fly hooks in this part of Oregon. After the presentation, Bob invited everyone of interest to join him and make plans to go fishing in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon. As Bob often does… he had a small group form around him after the meeting to discuss the flies he tyes and catches fish with. They work.
This writer having fished many days in northeast Oregon with Bob knows.... on most day, Bob is one of those guys in the 10% club of fishermen that can hook 90% of the day's catch. Bob and this writer both learned together, that in northeast Oregon a 100 -200 and sometimes 300 fish hookup day is not unusual, when you are fishing the Oregon Territory with no one else in sight.

Thank you Bob for an excellent evening's fly fishing presentation.

It was 9:00 p.m. as this evening’s meeting came to adjorn, with a number of folks discussing fly fishing until 9:20 and later.

Respectfully submitted,
Dale McKain
Club Secretary

Tight lines and good fishing.

Walla² Fly Fishers

Contact Us

Scott Peters - President

Skip Pritchard - Co-President
Barry Gould - Treasurer
Dale McKain - Secretary /Blog Master