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Kyle's excellent adventure – Part II

Fishing and hunting

 

(Note: Steve Kyle rode forth from Sonoma recently on his motorcycle, armed with his fly rod, assorted tackle, and a change of clothes. His odyssey took him to Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Here is part II of his tale.)

 

“After a week vacationing in Sunriver, Holly and the kids headed home to Sonoma while I rode north and toward my next adventure. Avoiding the Interstate like the plague, I road along the twisty, narrow, farm-to-market roads of Oregon's high desert country to the little town of Maupin. There I met some friends from Oregon's, Native Fish Society for a planned two-day steelhead outing on the Deschutes River.

“The fellowship, hotel, food, weather were all great. The only things missing were the steelhead. I spent two 11-hour days standing waist deep in the Deschutes casting long line, letting the fly swing through the current, pulling up some line, taking two steps down river and repeating the entire sequence again.  

“On this trip, with 15 anglers ranging in fishing skills from the very good to the really great, we only hooked and landed three fish.  

“There's a reason why fly fishermen refer to these elusive critters as the ‘fish of a thousand casts.’ If one is lucky enough to land a wild steelhead, it becomes etched into your memory, representing a time and place in your angling life when, for the briefest of moments, it all came together.  

“On the third day, I headed east to Montana.”

(Steve's excellent adventure tale continues next Friday, Sept. 16.)

 

Leland Fly Fishing Ranch in Schellville is hosting a big striper and steelhead expo tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 10. Admission is free. Lots of instruction, demonstrations, equipment. It is a great way to spend a day.

Salmon are back in the local fishing news this week with good reports from the Labor Day Weekend, especially out of the Golden Gate, where many anglers limited. 

Capt. Rick Powers, of Bodega Bay Sportfishing, also had some good salmon action early in the weekend, but it slowed after the holiday, then picked up again midweek. I talked to Rick on Wednesday around noon. He was trolling near Elephant Rock with 10 clients on his boat and they already had more than one salmon a rod, with the afternoon left to fill out limits. Rick added that the rock fish and lingcod fishing has remained outstanding. Call Rick at 875-3344 for reservations.

Salmon were also biting inside San Francisco Bay near Paradise, but not in great numbers, said Keith Fraser, of Loch Lomond Bait Shop. Striped-bass fishing is especially good from shore near China Camp and along the levee near Loch Lomond. The baits of choice are live bullheads and pile worms. Halibut fishing was fair to good this week. Keith books party boats for the bay. Call him at 415-456-0321.

Clear Lake started producing some bass for anglers working close to the weed beds. Most of the fish are small, but there are lots of them. I saw a similar report for Lake Sonoma. Berryessa fishing was slow this week.

Fly-fishers are enjoying good August action on the upper Sacramento from Dunsmuir downstream to the lake. Bob Grace, at the Ted Fay Fly Shop in Dunsmuir, said most of the fish are hitting nymphs and wet flies and the bigger trout are in the waters closer to the lake.

Fly-fishing is also excellent now on the lower Sac between Redding and Anderson. Fall River and McCloud River fishing is good, as is the Pit, but you have to work hard on these waters.