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1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
WED 6-11-03 8PM

Weekday fishing, you know, when the boss call's the night before. "Can't work tomorow, engineering issues, be there 6 am Friday, we'll have to make the time up"
But you already tuned out when you heard the words "no work"! You hang up the phone as the weather guy is finishing up his "sunny and warmer" forcast. You check your wallet and find a couple of "double saw's" that you stashed for just such an occassion. "Yes" you repeat to your self quietly as you pass down the hall. about a foot off the carpet......"Yes"!
I loaded the truck and hit the sack, the alarm set for 4am.

THURS. 6-12-03

The Calapooia River runs east to west out of the Cascade foothills from its source at the base of Tidbits Mountain, following along the south side of Green Mountain Ridge. It sits just north of it's more famous cousin, The McKenzie.
It was on my trip list this year, as a possible long shot, and so I ventured there one rainy afternoon in early March, when Spring seems like a distant dream. But when I gazed upon its structure, its layout, I knew I would be back!
The lower section is easily accessed and a favorite swimming spot for the locals on hot days. But the upper portion, past Woodraffe and Dollar are priceless!
4:30 am
With a cup of homebrew to tide me over, I haed to my local mudbucks for some South Java Double X Peaberry to make the downhill run (100 miles, 161 kilometers) a bit smooooother!
The sun was already up as I drove through Brownsville (no station). This is covered bridge country, so bring your camera. The Weedle,Crawfordsville, Earnest, and Wending bridges are all close by.
Because of its low elivation and lack of snowmelt, the Calapooia is a good May-July bet, with depths and water flow droping in the fall. The upper reaches are designated C+R, Artifical, and the Trout agressive!
7:00 am
I pulled up to a straight stretch, about 1-200 yards long. It had 4 pools of varying sizes with good structure consisting of well placed rocks, cut away stone and earth banks, a few down trees, each ending in gin-clear cobled flats and tail-outs. At the bottom of this area, the river turned south for a spell through a "Stonehenge" section of up-right pillar rocks and spillway holes. I affixed a small (#20) Elk Hair Caddis to resemble the brownish flys, in small numbers, of which I could not get a specimin to I.D., that flew just above the surface.
Balistic, is how the fish reacted! At the top of my dance card were 2-12" and 1-10" Bows of destinction, with numerous 8"er's to round out the field. I stoped counting at around 20 landed! They brutalized the first fly, untill it was just a shreded pulp of it's former self, and still continued to hit it without remorse!
The larger fish skulking in the deeper sections behind the rocks, there little brothers and sisters working the riffles, flats, and tailouts in "Hit and Run" style gangs!

What?.....You think I should write more?
Look, this place is a Diamond in the rough, VERY low key, small town, one road in and out, "Don't screw up a good thing" kind of spot......so DON'T!
Just call the Boss, and tell him you dont feel good, Your job will be there when you come back, Dont you worry

Catch and Release, Care and Respect, Come....and Return
Oh, there'll be more later, were just gettin this baby out of first gear!
Deerhawk
 
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