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Don Rotsma, Bruce Slightom and a friend of Don's and I are headed up to the Owyhee on the Oregon/Idaho boarder - driving Thursday night for two days of fishing and a long drive back. Supposed to be a wonderful dry fly fishery - my first trip up there so will let all know what it is like
I can't wait for that report. I read the article about it and it sounds very good.
Got back late last night from the Owyhee - pretty amazing fishery. We left Reno around 6 PM on Thursday and got to the river around 2 AM - up at around 6 as a couple of guys did not have Oregon licenses. It was supposed to be hot the whole weekend and Friday sure was - in the mid 90's. Most action was on midges that day. The fishery is almost all browns and they are large - average probably 15" with many to 18" and some larger. We were fishing below the dam - probably the first 5 or 6 miles. There is a tunnel through the rock and most fishing was above the tunnel. We stayed at a small camp ground right at the base of the dam run by the irrigation district.
Water is very cold - low 40s. My only issue was the fish, for the most part, did not fight much - the hotter fish were often the smaller ones. That evening Don, his son Jeff and Don's friend Mike fished a long flat and hit the rusty spinners in large numbers and had a great night. Bruce and I were downstream in this big back eddy where there were probalby 150 fish going crazy on midges and we could not touch them!!
The next day was cool and by 8 clouds started to come in. Little did I know then that this would be about the best day of trout fishing I have ever had!! Bruce and I found a nice long flat with fish working on midges and did well - I had maybe 8 to 10 to hand by 10 - things slowed down so back to camp and breakfast - rain started around 11. Expected the bugs to go crazy but not much showing. The three decided to take a nap and Bruce and I drove down river - just past camp we saw fish actively feeding on a few pmds that were coming off so back to camp to let the others know. Bruce and I stopped at a couple of long pools and started fishing. I kept the midge on as the water was covered with midges and had a couple in the first 20 minutes. Then the pmds really started to show - around a size 16 - something I could actually see on the water. I put on a parachute and in the next three hours I had literally 30 fish to hand with a few over 20". I rarely went more than 2 casts without a fish or a take. The pool was very flat with no squirrly currents so you could make a 50+ foot cast with no drag. Did not matter if you cast upstream or down - they slammed that bug. I finally ran out of parachutes and tried cripples and sparkle duns with the same action It was rainy and cloudy through the afternoon but not too windy and rain was not too hard.
The three up at camp had a tougher time - the bugs were carpeting the water and the fish were much more selective but they had lots of fish working. Bruce had a great day in the pool above me.
The river has a very murkey color to it due to minerals in the water. It is a pool riffle configuration with long slow stretches similar to spring creeks with lots of weeds. We did not do much in the riffles though I am sure you could nymph fish if so inclined and do well.
Bruce and I stopped around 5:30 and went down river where the three did well on spinners the night before. They were in the water and hooking a few while Bruce and I sat in chairs on the road and heckeld!!
Near dark we went back to where we were that morning. The spinners did not come off that night but the midges were thick - I had another 4 or 5 to hand before it got too dark to see.
The place is a beautiful setting with high red and tan rock mountains that were absolutely covered with chukkars and quail! An October cast and blast trip would be a great treat I think!!!
I would go back though I do wish the fish fought a bit harder. I prefer the rainbows of Silver Creek!! We left early Sunday morning to rainy drizzly weather. Bruce stayed to see if the pmds would come off again - can't wait to hear how he did.
Excellent report Rick... :!: So the drive from Reno is about 8 hours..? Also Oregon licenses are required here then right..? How much was is it for a day license..?
Is camping pretty easy to get to or is 4x4 only..? Sorry for all the ques. just planning a fall trip, and this is starting to look real good.. :!: :D
From the report, it was mainly dries. Any streamers used on this trip, if so what was the fly of choice..?
Glad you had a banner day Rick..
Thanks for the great report Rick.
I too think that the wild Rainbow Trout is the greatest fighter plus they jump. Browns can be more spectacular looking though.
Ray,
It is in Oregon so you need Oregon license (Here they are on Idaho time though - an hour later) - I think a 3 day is around $30 but not sure as I have a year license from earlier in the year. There is road access all along the river - 4 wheel might be advantageous to go onto the gravel access roads to various runs but likely not really needed. The small camp ground was free though they asked for a donation. There are more elaborate camp grounds with showers up at teh lake.
Actual drive time from Reno is clsoer to 6 or 6.5 hours but we stopped and ate - around 420 miles. Go to Winemucca then take 95 north and sorta wind around until you get there!!
Bruce called me this am - the pmd's did not come off but he did real well on midges in the morning. When things stopped, he put on a size 12 royal wulff with a #18 bead head pt about 2 feet under and they slammed it for several more hours!! Even took the wulff a few times.
Bruce tried a few streamers the first day but did not hook anything. There are more fish but smaller above the tunnel and fewer bigger fish to 5#+ below the tunnel. They plant alot of rainbowss in hopes of getting them to start spawning so I think a small rainbow pattern on the bigger browns would be very deadly!!