Was that thunder?

Diane - Fish ON!

Again last week club Secretary Dale sent out an APB email to form a group fishing trip to Jubilee Lake on the 16th. Dale always try to give at least a week Heads-Up, so everyone interested can make a vacation day request, or take a break from their regular retirement chores in order to go fishing.

In response to that email Heidi and Diane replied with a YEA - Let's Go Fishing.

Thursday noon Diane, Heidi and Dale met at Dale's house.  Along with Dale's Buddy, we headed for the mountains. 

Wildfire smoke was still rather thick in the Columbia Basin and the afternoon temperatures were heading for 100* again.

Weather forecast for the day was calling for a chance of rain across the northern Blue Mountains. When we got to the lake the skies were partly cloudy, but appeared no chance of rain, which we have a great need of. During the afternoon a rumbling thunderhead did approach the lake from the south, which shaded the sun a bit -helping us with catching of a few nice rainbows- but there was no rain in sight for this day. When the clouds moved on, catching slowed down.

Diane heading out

Heidi with Fish ON

Dale waiting for the next bite

Heidi made a nice entry on her facebook page of our success of the day; this is a copy thereof...
The four of us convoyed out of Dale driveway at high noon for a most enjoyable Thursday afternoon at Jubilee Lake!  FINALLY getting away from the thick smoke that had blocked our views and stung our throats for days and days, and entering the much cooler and fresher air at 4700 feet elevation. It was 80 degrees when we arrived at the lake about 1:30, water near surface was about 74 degrees by my thermometer, (felt SO good on feet and legs dangling in the water and making boat go with swim fins! ) and air temp had dropped to 70 by the time we left the lake! This natural treasure is only about 50 miles away, an hour and a half drive (although the last 7 or 8 miles -20 minutes drive- of badly washboard gravel road may make it feel considerably further!) Fly fishing friends Diane and Dale also enjoyed the outing, and Diane got to try out my float tube, take my blue inflatable boat for a "spin", and try Dale's backpacker type small pontoon boat. She'd never been in watercraft like any of them before. She way out-fished me, (she caught and released at least 9 trout) but I was still having a great time even though I only caught 4 trout. 

Heidi netting a beautiful rainbow

Dale caught 12 rainbows, with the last 4 being small enough to slip out of the holes of his landing net. 

I got many "nibbles", bites and strikes throughout the afternoon, but fish were being challenging for all of us!

We enjoyed a most glorious bright color to western sky, including several minutes of seeing the sun looking striped/layered horizontally in various shades of intense red and fuscia and maroon tones on the drive back down the mountains!  What an awesome way to relax and recharge the spirit!  So glad Diane was able to join us for her first time on this lake!  She has taught many, many people how to fly fish, and especially how to tie flies!  We were all fishing with flies we tied ourselves of course!  I am including a picture of the fly I used all afternoon! 

 Ahhh, NATURE THERAPY is awesome!  
OHHH! the "spec in the sky" in at least one photo, is one of the several Osprey that were flying around and over the lake, swooping in to catch fish, and circling over our heads throughout the afternoon! 

Osprey along with Herons and an Eagle

Also saw at least one Heron, and one Eagle! First time I ever saw one of them perched high in an evergreen tree!  Heard many song birds (ones I could identify include nuthatches, chickadees, etc., but many others too) Always enjoy watching the ducks flying and paddling around too. 

Last time I was at this lake was 5 weeks ago, and there were still several smallish ducklings with parents, but they've grown a LOT larger since then! LOVE seeing and hearing birds, to go with the lapping of the tiny waves!  

Yup, a wonderful day indeed!

Jubilee Lake is a USFS fee area

Once Lifetime Fee for Seniors
-or-
A Daily Fee

Report of another day's fishing 8-16-18

Tight lines and good fishing -

Walla² Fly Fishers

Contact Us

Elk on the left ~ Elk on the right ~ Elk in the road

Last week Prez Dave was discussing with Sec Dale about the possibility of making a fishing trip to Anthony Lake this week. We were ON for Tuesday.
Sec Dale put out a APB to all other club members of plans to go fishing Tuesday to Beat the Heat, and asked who wants to join us?
A couple of days later, Dave called back and said his wife reminded him of a previous obligation - can't go fishing.
By this time several members replied with Heidi and Harold saying YEA, "let's go fishing" but maybe not Tuesday. We decided on Thursday, which was to be a few degrees hotter than Tuesday.
A couple of days later, Harold emailed back saying, his wife reminded him of a previous obligation - can't go fishing.

Heidi, and Dale went fishing Thursday for R&R, and to Beat the Heat of the Columbia Basin.

The HIGH temperatures 

of the day

Leaving Walla Walla at 10:00 am it was getting hot; we made our way through Summerville and on to La Grande to pick up a bite of lunch for Dale and Buddy. The entire NE Oregon area was very smokey again this year, much like last year.

The Elkhorn Range shrouded in wildfire smoke -
view from 3,250′ elevation looking at 9,100' mountains

 We arrived at the lake at 1:00, and it was beginning to get quite warm as we put our boats on the lake and Buddy went for a short swim.

Today there was a lot of mid-week "traffic" on the lake, and with the oppressive heat wave of the past week we found the early afternoon catching to be slow. Dale took some temperature readings with his ole mercury angler's thermometer and found the water temperature at 2' deep to be 67* (too warm for trout to hold in) and the air temperature while sitting in the sun to be 88* (hot enough to order an onboard icy Gin & Tonic to be served if possible).

Trying to keep his feet DRY 

Today was Heidi's first day of fishing Anthony Lake and catching Brook Trout

After an afternoon at working the lake, Heidi came out catching 1 Brookie; Dale caught 2 Brookies and came back to shore with 2 triploid rainbows. We both had a good number of strikes at our flies, but the heat seems to be slowing the action down. While on the lake, Dale was talking with another anglers who told him that he had fished the lake regularly since the 4th of July; and for 2-3 weeks he was catching 3x maybe 4x more fish, than he has been catching since the weather turned HOT. Even though our catch rate today was slow, Dale's last hookup of the day perhaps gave him the best trout fight of his life... using his 2-wt. lake rod this one was much like fighting a summer steelhead, but the fish took flight when it's nose touched the landing net. 

The things that dreams are made of.

We were driving away from the boat launch at 8:00, for the 2.5 hour drive back to Walla².

To add a finishing touch to our day on the mountain, as we got to "the bottom of the hill" standing in the middle of the road are 3 elk - off to the left is 5 or 6 elk - off to our right is about 25 elk standing in a field of alfalfa, with at least one branch bull standing in that mix with antlers 3' long.
It was a good day - we'll be back.

Anthony Lake is a USFS fee area

Once Lifetime Fee for Seniors
-or-
A Daily Fee

Report of another day's fishing 8-9-18

Tight lines and good fishing -

Walla² Fly Fishers

Contact Us