may - jun 2004 trout line newsletter, tualatin valley trout unlimited

8/9/2019 May - Jun 2004 Trout Line Newsletter, Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited

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THE TROUT LINETualatin Valley Chapter News

May/June 2004 Editor: David Illig

CHAPTER MEETING Presidents ColumnMethodist Church - Wesley Hall

By Hank Hosfield12555 SW 4th St. Beaverton

I should have had this column finished twodays ago. As Im sitting here typing away at1:22 AM, Im hoping that my editor, DavidIllig has long since turned in and isntwaiting up by his computer for this digitalfile that Ill probably be sending sometime closer to dawn. Imvery sorry for blowing out on my deadline. Unfortunately, thatall too often the case anymoreespecially for club newsletter

items. Club responsibilities get pushed aside for other things. Aa guy who hustles to make a living as a freelance writer, I wellknow how life can get crazy busy all of a sudden with things thmust be done now. But I also know that this is no way tosuccessfully run a volunteer organization. And this bothers me

Chapter Meetings are held on the second Thursday of eachmonth at 7:00 pm with a social get-together and the formalmeeting at 7:30 unless otherwise noted in the newsletter

Board of Directors Meetings held just prior to our monthlyChapter meeting at 5:30pm Round Table Pizza, Beaverton.

JeffGottfried Thursday, May 13thFishing Alaska.If you've ever dreamed about fishing inAlaska, don't miss Jeff Gottfried's presentation on his trip to theKisaralek River. As a fly fishing instructor, outdoor guide,founder of Educational Recreation Adventures, head of YamhillCounty's Forest Educational Project, and as someone who hastaken nine self-guided trips into Alaska's wilderness, Jeff offers acomprehensive tour of this SW Alaska tributary of theKuskokwim River. Jeff's program details a 90 mile fishing andrafting adventure that included 10 species of fish, all caught on

flies, encounters with 8 bears, caribou, beautiful wilderness,impassible waterfalls, etc. He calls it the ultimate wildernessfishing experience on a river where no guides are allowed towork.This is the program everyone wanted to see that gotsnowed out in January, was rescheduled for June, and is nowpushed forward to May. Don't miss it.

As was previously announced at the March meeting, Imtransitioning out of the office of chapter president. KevinConnolly will be taking over the reins soon. Hell need all of ousupport to get up to speed. I think hes going to do a much bett

job of leading the chapter than I have. Anyone can see how smaand personable he is, and I can tell you about the good ideas hehas for moving our chapter forward, but none of these things is

as important as the commitment he brings. Commitment issomething we are often running short on. It takes a lot ofcommitment to do the hard things that need to be done to savethe fish and streams that define the mission of Trout UnlimitedWhile assessing his life recently, Kevin decided that it was reallimportant that he devote more time and effort to TroutUnlimited. Essentially, I think thats what it takes to do this jobright.

I dont apologize one bit for the quantity or the quality of thework that Ive done for this chapter, but most of what I did aspresident I did because no one else would or could do it.Thankfully, I had a lot of great support from my board. But wh

I didnt have was great support or commitment from themembership, nor a burning desire to lead. I was a most reluctanpresident. Im leaving now not so much because Im burned ou(although, I understand how that would happenas it hadhappened to the horses our club rode to death before I became dfacto president over three years ago), but rather because I neverhad the right passion for the job in the first place.

Brian O'Keefe Thursday June 10th,Fishing Photography A self-described fishing bumwith a camera, over the past couple decades Brian has shot someof the most stunning fly fishing still photography ever taken.You've seen much of it in books and magazines. In his nine tofive, he's the regional tackle rep for Scientific Anglers. Butwhenever he gets a chance, he travels the world searching for far-out, crazy places. Brian's going to take us on a photographic

journey to some beautiful fishing destinations that are off thebeaten path, both far away and close to home.

And Im leaving to devote more time to the writing career thatIve almost waited too long to get serious about.

To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North Americas Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds


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One thing Ive learned along the way is that we get out of thisworld pretty much what we put into it. I dont think theres oneof us wholl ever regret putting forth more effort toward thethings that are most important to us. Whats hardest for most ofus is finding enough time to devote to everything that we want todo. Of course, before one can do any of this one must decidewhat is most important.

Im sure many of you are familiar with the Lesson of the BigRocks. A teacher fills a gallon jar with big rocks and asks theclass if it is full. Most say yes. So the teacher proves it is not yetfull, and fills in the gaps with pebbles. Once again he asks theclass if it is full. Then again he demonstrates that it is not yet fullby adding sand. Now it truly does look full, but the students arecatching on. Most say it isnt full, and the teacher proves themright by adding water. The jar is now full, the teacher, says,what are we to take from this lesson? One particularlyambitious young sparky in the front stands up and answers:The jar is a metaphor for life. No matter how busy you are, ifyoure persistent, you can always fit more into your schedule.The teacher smiles and says: Not quite. The correct answer isthat you must put in the big rocks first, or youll never get themin.

Its far too easy to let the multitude of day-to-day things crowdout the big things we want to do. I dont know where TU ranksin your lives, but I see guys who care about TU even more than Ido who find the time theyd like to devote to TU squeezed out bylifes many little interruptions. Certainly this has been true forme as well.

But the good news is that things are changing for the better.Looking ahead I see a lot of good things happening with ourchapter. Weve got a calendar full of events and activities. There

are plenty of opportunities to get involved in conservationefforts. Our chapter will be joining forces with CRTU and TomHorning from the Estacada Ranger Station on May 8th to planttrees on small Clackamas River tributaries. Well fish the rest ofthe day once the planting is done. Of course there are alwaysletters to write on numerous environmental frontsespecially inthis election year. And on the horizon is our 2005banquet/auction. But more immediately we have a very excitingfundraising opportunity that requires almost no effort on ourpart. Please look at the Bid Brothers flyer included with thisnewsletter announcing the TVTU Auction Drive on May 22nd. Wecould make a nice chunk of change with a minimum amount ofwork. And lastly, believe it or not, our new web site,

tvtroutunlimited.com will be up and running before summer.

Yes, there is much to do. And as I conclude this final PresidentsMessage, my farewell wish is that you all find your big rocks, andmake it a priority to fit them in first. Now, please extend ahelping hand to my successor, Kevin ConnolIya guy who hasmade TVTU a big rock. Hank

Appreciation of and gratitude to Hank.Both the Board and the editor would like the membership tojoin us in sincerely thanking Hank for having stepped into

both the Presidents position and acting Presidents role.Hank is being typically self critical of his performance whenwe know he has done a stellar job even though drafted into thposition. He has come up huge. He moved the organizationforward, made frequent and many valuable contributions. Anwe pray he continue to participate while Kevin takes the title.Thanks much Hank!

Fly of the MonthCrooked River MagicOriginated by Russ SeatonContributed by Mark Williamson/HankHosfield

When Mark Williamson presented his Crooked River program tour chapter in February, he offered up a list of fly patterns oneshould carry, but he highlighted three somewhat unknown andrather unique patterns for special consideration. He talked aboeach, and promised to send us the recipes for anyone whowanted to tie some up before heading out to the Crooked. Markdelivered on his promise, and we will feature each in upcomingFly of the Month articles. Here is the first, the Crooked RiverMagic, a.k.a. CRM. Mark attests it has lived up to its name onmany outings.

Materials:

Hook: TMC 200RThread: Rusty brownRib: Fine silver or gold wireBody: Pheasant tail fibers dyed yellow or oliveShuck: Blended rust, brown, and olive Antron. Tie the materiain front of the body, but leave it long enough so it can run alongthe back of the fly and extend beyond the hook about the lengthof the shank. Wrap over it with the ribbing.Wingcase: Closed cell foam in orange, tan, or whiteLegs: Dark brown partridgeThorax: Rusty brown Micro-Brite

Uses This is a generic emerger pattern.

VariationsVary the size to imitate emerging mayfly species.

How to FishRuss Seaton says, "I like to fish this about 15 inches behind a

Parachute Adams or blue-winged olive imitation. I grease theleader, dry fly, tippet material, and--oh so very lightly--thetrailing shuck. I do not think that the color of the foam is asimportant to the fish as it may be to the fisherman. I like theorange because I can see it, but the other colors fish equally welIt has been very effective with few refusals. (photocourtesy of Westfly)



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the half-off introductory membership at $17.50 Lots of peoplearent members who would enjoy it.We still get something for new member signups. New memberscan sign up at www.tu.org/intro and entering code 633 forTualatin Valley chapter. If they prefer a paper membershipapplication, contact Erle to send it to them.



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Fishing for a New Public Image With thePortland Trailblazers. By Hank Hosfield*

*Not a real guide, but I play one on television.

Given the choice between wealth and fame, Ill take wealth everytime. Fame is over-rated. Fame is a burden. Fame is the shinypatina popular culture wraps around celebrity to add meaningand importance to lives that often have neither.

But here I am, riding the crest of the Portland Trailblazers latestadvertising campaign, featured prominently on both TV andradio spots. If you havent seen me yet (where ya been?!), youcan see and hear all of the spots at Blazers.com.

Then again, youre really not missing out on that much. The TVspots feature me introducing new Blazers, Shareef Abdur-Rahimand Dan Dickau to float tube fly-fishing. Damon Stoudamire alsoshows up in one ad. The radio spot is me telling Shareef how Imgoing to catch a spring Chinook on a fly for him. These ads arepart of a bigger campaign to introduce the new Blazers toPortland and the unique lifestyles of the Northwest. Other ads

feature Mayor Vera Katz, filmmaker Gus Van Sandt, musicianThomas Lauderdale, along with local streetballers, mountainbikers, kayakers, skateboarders and store people. The hope isthat these ads will portray the new Blazers as more connected tothe community, as likeable regular Joes.

So how did Iget mixed upin all of this?Someone Iused to workwith inadvertising--

one of my bestfriends,actually--called me up

and asked me to help him out. He (John) and his partner (Glenn)in Manhattan Beach had been hired by the Trailblazers Portland-based ad agency, Nerve, to concept and direct the Blazerscampaign, and they had less than two weeks to get it shot. Johnwas a little under the gun. Knowing my distaste for the publiclimelight and my disenchantment with professional athletes, hedidnt think Id go for it. But he was insistent that I was theperfect guy for these spots. John said Id be doing him a hugefavor, but he didnt want me to do it unless I felt good about it.

Yeah, right. Of course I knew he was totally sincere, but he hadto know that the bonds of friendship had taken my refusal optionoff the table. The last thing I told him before accepting was:You better make me look good. He promised he would. Healso said he would make sure that my participation would bepainless. Then he sent me to a casting agent for my screen test.

Id like to say that it was smooth sailing from here on out, but thetruth was that when I showed up at my appointed time forcasting, I sat on my butt in a warehouse in NW Portland waitingin a long line of other hopefuls for over thirty minutes before

anyone at the casting agency even said hello. I introducedmyself, explained my busy schedule and was told it would be aleast another 30 minutes before they could get to me. Then I goup, said, No, thanks and walked out. Then I called my friend

John and toldhim I was sorry,but I wasntgoing to be ableto do his spots. Ifelt kind of bad,but I couldnt sitaround all day.Those otherpeople waiting tobe cast were sentthere by theiragencies. Thats their job. I thought John might be upset withme, but instead he apologized and called the casting agent(whom he had hired) and explained emphatically that I was thedirectors choice for this role, and they should make the propaccommodations ASAP. My screen test was rescheduled, andwhen I arrived at the appointed time later that afternoon, withina minute I was standing in front of a video camera.

Im not a nervous guy. I dont get intimidated by speaking infront of large groups, nor do I geek when cameras are pointed mway. I entered that studio full of confidence. Although most ofmy advertising career has been behind the camerausually wabehind, writing scripts--Ive been on enough sets and in enoughads to feel pretty comfortable in this environment. All I had to was follow directions. The first direction was to stand on theblue spot, look into the camera and say my name, then turnprofile. Piece of cake. Next I was asked a few fly-fishingquestions while the camera rolled. It was matter-of-fact

conversation about what kind of rod I use, where I like to fish,what kind of fish I like to fish for, and what was the biggest fishever caught. No big deal, right? So how come Im starting tobecome hyperaware of how well Im coming across? I dont evecare if I get this job. In fact, I dont really want it. Im here dointhis as a favor to my friend. The next part of the audition wasme, looking off camera, doing a monologue about some aspect ofishing. My instructions were to not look at the camera, but topretend like I was talking to someone nearby. That sounds easyIt should be easy. I can talk and look in another direction. I dothis all the time in real life. So how come all of a sudden I feellike a complete spazz? And why am I forgetting parts of mystory, and stammering? And from where did that flop sweat

come? Hello nerves. I wonder how bad this looks on camera.But I hold it together and make the camera guy laugh a few timwith some intended humor, and get a big thumbs up when wewrap up shortly thereafter.

I called John later that evening totell him I bombed. But John hadalready heard from the castingdirector and was told I wasgreatby far the best. What Ididnt hear



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Maybe thats because one of my first concerns was whether ornot Shareef was going to fit into his waders. We honestly didnknow. The wardrobe gal found some 5XL neoprene waderssomewhere, but Shareef is 69, and his foot is 16 or 17. If theydidnt fit, I was instructed to make field alterations that involveme cutting the toes off the waders and taping neoprene bootieson with duct tape. The director was actually secretly hopingmaybe this would be necessary, because it could be hilarious. Bit would more likely be a disaster, as we would have ended upwith a very cold and wet Shareef, who would have been morethan justified in telling us to go jump in the lake. Somehow, Imanaged to squeeze him into his gear.

from John until later was that he and his partner were not totallycomfortable with my casting for a different reason. John was alittle worried that I might go off at the shoot and tell the truthabout how I really feel about the Blazers. His partner, Glenn,who doesnt know me as well, but knew I was a possible loosecannon, had total faith in me. By the way, my audition tape didlook a little nervous in parts to John and Glenn, but thats justbecause they know me so well they could notice I was a little offmy usual self. The Blazer folks who made the final castingapprovals thought I looked perfect.

I got a 1pmcall time forthe firstTuesday inMarch. Wewere shootingthe spots atVancouverLake Park inWashington.The locationwas a last

minute switch from a lake on Sauvie Island. We had to shootclose to Portland because the Blazer players only had about fiveor six hours of availability each day and there were multiplelocation shoots around the city each day of filming. Ill spare youall the tedious details involved with putting together even asingle location shoot. Lets just say our effort was a logisticalnightmare, and the producer earned his money.

Getting Shareef into his float tube was another challenge. I cansee why he thought he wasnt going to make it. To be honest, Iwasnt sure if his U-boat was up to the task, either. It was ratedfor 275 pounds, which I guesstimated to be just a few pounds tospare for safety. Still, for a second I thought he was going to baThen I cajoled him a little and he got in the lake. But he wasdefinitely out of his comfort zone.

Neither player had ever used a fly rod. Neither player lists anykind of fishing as a hobby. Neither player was overly curiousabout this new sport of fly-fishing, and I figured Id be doing w

just to get them out on the lake to kick around. The thought ofteaching them how to fish, let alone catch a fish, barely enteredmy mind. One of the grips actually covered the players hookpoints with duct tape so they wouldnt stick themselves. ToDans credit, he saw the tape on his hook and took it off.

Most of mytime in thelake wasspent

helping theplayersmaneuver.Early onShareef losta fin. I sawit floatingnear me; he didnt say a thing. And its loss didnt seem toimpede his already awkward progress. Then again, if youve gsize17 feet, do you really need fins? He spent the rest of the shokicking around with one fin.

The multiple-car accident near Delta Park that backed I-5 Northup three miles only made my arrival at the lake a few minuteslatebut way ahead of many other crew people. The good news

was we had perfect weather for the shoot. This was a hugeblessing, because NBA players tend to get fussy when you makethem sit in the rain. We didnt need to launch this friendly newcampaign with frozen, wet, grumpy pups.

One of the most interesting things about this ad campaign is thatit came together without any formal scripts. We didnt have linesto read. In fact, we had very little blocking or any concrete ideaabout where we were going. This was intentional, by design, toadd to the natural awkwardness of bringing professional athleteswho have just moved to a new and strange place together withregular town folk. We were keeping it real. I didnt even get tomeet the players before the cameras started rolling. They were

kept away, on the slope above the lake. My direction was togreet them, explain what we were going to do, get them into theirgear and take them fishing. There were three cameras rollingwhen the players started walking toward me at the truck wherewe met, and those cameras kept rolling. There were no cuts orretakes.

As they say in the credits, no animals were killed or injured in

any way during the production of this film. We (meaning me,mostly, as I was the only one with a chance or a straight line)didnt touch a fish. We probablywerent even covering fish. Butthere were some fish in thelakebig ones. Lunker carpwere jumping in the distance.Unfortunately, they were outsideof camera range. Carp can gopretty well on a fly rod. Thatwould have been great to get on

This would have been a good time to freak out. I mean if I weregoing to tank, like I nearly did during auditions, this was when itwould have happened. Happily, I felt totally at ease, not a hint ofnerves. I didnt even think about the cameras.



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film, but rather unlikely, as I gave it a shot for about an hour afterwe wrapped and got nothing.



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I was in the water with the players for about an hour. Webantered back and forth a bit, and these genuine conversationalmoments became the heart of the ads. Every now and then thedirector would ask players questions to elicit more animatedresponses, but they werent real talkative. That put more of theconversational burden on me. Shareef kept saying: We needsome worms. Theres one ad titled worms that hasnt airedyet, where Shareef repeats this to me as I float by, and I shoot hima half-withering glance and deadpan: Yeah, maybe you do.

One scene was staged involving Damon Stoudamire. The bit wasthat we were encroaching on his secret water. He was put in afloat tube in the lake and filmed by the third unit, so I didnt haveany interaction with him, even though were in the same adtogether. He didnt know what he was doing out there any betterthan my guys, but he did a decent job of faking it.

All of these spots really came together during editing. That was atwo-man job that didnt involve me. Although I did insist againthat they make me look good. There were over 40 TV spotsedited together out of the film shot on this campaign. There areseven fishing spots starring myself, and another ensemble titledWelcome to the Jungle that features everyone that was in thiscampaign. There was another whole evening of filming us at aBlazer game that may show up somewhere, but I sort of doubt itwill be on TV, as it really didnt match the tone of the unscriptedspots. I didnt enjoy that, as it came off forced and stilted. Im

just glad I got paid for an extra day of shooting.

So what did I get for doing this? Besides fame? I made non-union scale. Feel free to look that up.

One of the fears I had about doing these ads was setting myselfup as some kind of fly-fishing authority. We all know there are a

number of frauds out thereusually theyre pimping some kindof book or guide service. With the weight of media hype, I wasafraid that from here on out Id be identified as Hank Hosfield,Portland Fly Fisherman, as if I were the final word on the subjectin the minds of those who know little. I have enough humility toadmit that I regularly fish with people who are far more expertthan myself, and I regularly rub elbows with guys who are farmore deserving than me to be portrayed as fly-fishing pros. Ihope theyre not resentful of my little ad romp. I have to go backand live in their world. Id prefer not to be a joke for passingmyself off for more than I am.

The other fear I had was simply the worry of how Id look next to

these athletes. Some may disagree, but even as low as theBlazers star has fallen recently, I think NBA players hold solidpurchase to a certain level of cool that mere mortals can onlyaspire to attain. You cant deny their stardom. And if you try toupstage them you will only look more ridiculous. Oh, how I longfor the sweet comfort of obscurity.

My debut came suddenly. I was with friends in Lil'Cooperstown, a sports bar in NE Portland, watching my Duckslose a Pac-10 semifinal to Stanford on the big screen. Later on,Glenn and his editor Matt were going to meet us there and bringby dubs of my spots. I didnt have to wait that long. On another

set showing the Blazer game the screen was filled with my mugThere was no audio, but my friends were screaming so loud noone could have heard anyway. I saw three spots broadcastfeaturing me that night, including one that Glenn later explainedhadnt even been approved by the client. Who knows how it goreleased. From what I could see, the spots looked pretty good.But it is a very strange feeling to be out in public next to peoplewho recognize you as the guy talking to them from the TV theywatching.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from peopleabout this gig is, Were the players nice? The short answer isyes. But professional athletes are not like normal folks. Glenhas worked all over the world with many athletes for many yeaon many shoots, and has seen it all. Hes had soccer players inBrazil blow off shoots for days at a time. Which is veryexpensive, but may not be as bad as the times athletes or theiragents decide to rewrite their lines, get their posse involved, orrefuse all direction. Modern professional athletes withguaranteed contracts have very few people to answer to in thisworld. They tend to be surrounded by yes men. The only timethey hear no is when they ask: Will I ever be heldaccountable? That kind of pampering tends to make one ratheblas and disconnected from the real world. One can expect toget big timed. Thankfully, these new Blazers are as close toregular people as professional athletes can be. I worked withDan Dickau and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and they were greatsports. And we asked a lot of them. They werent gettinganything for being in these commercials. This was an extradistraction at a critical juncture of the season. They subjectedthemselves to this imposition in order to amend the teams imawithin the community. But I wouldnt characterize theirparticipation as eager, or their experience as fun, nor did my twhours on the set or in the lake with them forge new bonds of

friendship. But they were nice guys. Not at all hard to get alonwith, and people Ill feel good about rooting for in seasons tocome.


So how is my new fame settling in? Interestingly enough, Ihavent had a lot of people recognize me. That may be PortlandWe dont make a big fuss over celebrity. The famous arerelativelyunmolestedhere. Ofcourse, someof them go toextremes to

avoid us. Theguy whoproduced myradio spot wasrecentlychased out of aNE Portland boutique by Britney Spears gigantic bouncer. Hedidnt know he wasnt supposed to go in there; the door wasopen. As for me, Im keeping a low profile. Stripped of the safecomfort of anonymity, Im trying to not to get spotted doingsomething outrageous. Im on my best behavior. Not even theinconsiderate morons who fuel


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11 magnifying glass (the bottom of a beer bottle is not anacceptable magnifying device)

our road rage will get me to lift a finger. It occurs to me that mydistaste for the trappings of hype makes me appreciate even morethe safe harbor that awaits when I retreat to still waters. 1 Identification booklet

Oregon Trout sells a great compact booklet, chock full information for about $17. The booklet contains descriptions ancolor photos of 45 of the most common macro invertebratesReference books on macro invertebrates can also be found inmost fly-fishing shops.

How are the ads going over with the public? So far the buzz ispretty good. They got some good ink from The Oregonians

Jason Quick right after they broke. The feedback from the Blazersand the ad folks is very positive. The public seems to like them,and they seem to like the direction the team is headingasidefrom not making the playoffs for the first time in 22 years. Allthings considered, the campaign seems to be a hit. And all of myworries seem to be unfounded.

A note on the turkey baster, eyedropper suggestion: eyedroppecan be too small and the baster can be too big. I finally brokedown and purchased a trout stomach pump ($10 three times tprice of any similar device) that seems to be a more universal siwhen collecting samples. It has a clip that allows me to attach ito my vest so I wont set it down, and then accidentally step on Its possible that the guys who sell the eyedroppers had us inmind when they put two-per package.

Just the same, if this is my fifteen minutes, I fear Ive squanderedit very, very badly. Hank

PS--You can also see all of the ads and a bunch of other cool stuffat johnandglenn.com. If you want a collection net that is larger than the aquarium size

you can make your own by using two wood dowels and somescreening purchased from Home Depot. Just attach each edge othe screening to a dowel, leaving a few inches at the bottom ofeach dowel free of the screen so you can push the dowels into thbottom of the creek. If your not into building your own net, diaup the Acorn Naturalist on the internet and you will find theyhave pages of aquatic collection devices, including nets of variosizes.

How to Bag a Bug

Andy Andrews

Most aquatic insects hatch under water and may live there forone to four years before Mother Nature rips them out of theirexoskeleton, and changes them into flying adults. Withinminutes they go from breathing dissolved oxygen with the use ofgills, to breathing in an oxygen-saturated environment. Theyhave spent most of their lives in a relatively temperaturecontrolled liquid world, but their short adult life is lived in aworld of wide temperature swings from night to day. Its nowonder that the adult flies we see above the water line live only afew days before they die.

Collection technique is more important than fancy equipment.Since bugs dont like to be eaten by fish, or their own kind, theyhave a tendency to stay hidden in the bottom of the streambed.Hold your net down-stream from your chosen collection point,say a riffle. Upstream from your collection net, drag you foot ohand through the gravel and turn over the larger rocks. Gentlywipe the surface of the rocks washing off any insect life, allowin

it to float downstream into the net. The foot dragging, rockwashing can take place anywhere from several inches to severalfeet from your net. Seldom will you see much insect life in thenet until you empty the contents into the ice cube tray. Hint: besure to add a little water to the tray before you dump your net.At this point, use tweezers or baster to separate out all the insecthat look to be similar into separate compartments of the ice cubtray. Pull out your I.D. booklet and see how many insects youcan identify. With some practice of collecting and identifyingmacro invertebrates, you should be able to tell if the stream ishealthy or having a problem. Andy

Sampling of aquatic insects and subsequent record keeping canbe used to tell us the condition of a stream. For instance, if alarge percentage of a stream sample contains October Caddis, thisis generally an indicator that the stream is in fairly goodcondition. Also, generally, stone fly nymphs will be found onlyin healthy waterways.

I have no intention of trying to teach a class on entomology inthis article. What I hope to do is give you some information sothat you can start investigating water-born insect life during yourmore quite moments on a stream. Listed below is what I considerthe bare-bones equipment that you will need to start on thisadventure (and yes, I know that your wife has looked at your

fishing vest and is convinced that you own an entire fly shop).

UPCOMING Newsletter MaterialWe need material for upcoming issues. We would enjoy havingsome other guest FLY-of-the-Month tying and using articles ofyour favorite flies. I would also like some GEAR opinions abouvarious rods, reels, lines, leaders, gadgets, etc., of fly fishing andwhat you like and dislike. Opinions are all we ask for. It doesnthave to be scientifically tested, just your experience and opinionare worth hearing. How about an article about some fishingexperiences that are somewhat unique to women? Or how abouan article about a childs fishing experience? How about a reviewof a great guided trip showing what a great guide does and

1 aquarium net available in most pet stores ($3.00)1 ice cube tray, white in color (not clear, but WHITE)

If you steal one from home, be sure to wash the tray carefullybefore making ice cubes for your next party. Otherwise yourguests my find a few objects of conversation in their drink.

1 eyedropper (usually sold in pairs at the drug store for around$2)1 pair of tweezers1 turkey baster (refer to the note on cleaning of the ice cubetray)



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1doesnt do? Or just send some nice pictures you have. We needyour input, please. [email protected] 296 9050

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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1

TVTU board members Jerry Heppell and Hank Hosfield demonstrate flytying for4th and 5th grade students at the TU booth during the 11thAnnual Childrens Clean Water Expo at PCC. Photo by TU ProgramAssistant Erin Barnholdt

Cozumel, Mexico Opportunism -

Steelheader in ParadiseRod Lundberg

When faced with an opportunity, the first thought that typicallycrossed my mind in the past was: Change Is Bad. More recentlyIve decided to make a conscious effort to take advantage ofopportunities as they present themselves. As of a year ago, Idhardly been more than 100 miles outside of the Lower 48.

The past year has brought a number of travel opportunities myway. Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii were all great experiences, forreasons as varied as the destinations. For the most part, none ofthese trips required any planning on my part; they literally fell

into my lap. In each case, a friend or acquaintance said, Hey,would you want to go to ____________? (Technically, my sistersNovember wedding on the Big Island was really not a decision tomake so much as an order to follow. But a welcome one at that.)The logistics were pretty much taken care of, and as a bonus,most of the trips included fishing in one form or another.

Most recently, a former college mate called and asked, Howabout Spring Break in Mexico? My first thought in this case wasthat I might be just a little bit too old for that scene. But I posedthe scenario to my friend Tim. He and I had had delusions ofgetting to Carnival in Brazil this past winter, but that was lookingmore and more improbable. Coincidentally, Tim had changed

gears and was already thinking about a scuba diving trip to theBay Islands of Honduras just off the Caribbean coast. In relativelyshort order, we had a nearly three week trip penciled togetherthat included an overland route from Cancun south into Belize,then Guatemala, and into Honduras.

The idea of traveling quickly while crossing several internationalborders relying on a bus (and possibly skiff) network of unknownreliability and not knowing where the next bed would be was abit intimidating for this neophyte traveler. (In fact, one of thetravel guides stated that bus companies and schedules change

frequently. Add to that the omnipresent questions regardingfood and water sanitation in that part of the world, and thepolitical and financial uncertainties that have becomecharacteristic of the region.)

In spite of the prospect of landing in Flats Fishing Paradise, I wreluctant to have any grand expectations considering that wereally didnt know where we would be at any given time. But asthe trip neared, one question kept coming to mind: When thehell will I next have an opportunity to go flats fishing in theCaribbean? I could already taste the regret that I would feel if Ididnt make a legitimate effort to make it happen.

Asking around in a panic less than a week from departing, Ifinally happened upon some fishing opportunities aroundCancun itself and also on Cozumel, the famed island destinatioof many cruise lines and located a short distance south ofCancun. This was a relief considering that Id had limited succegetting definitive information from folks in Belize. Figuring thawe could at least lock down the departure date from Cancun, Ihurriedly convinced Tim to commit to a day fishing for bonefishon Cozumel for the day after we left Cancun, and I madearrangements with a local guide and hotel. Apparently therearent as many bonefish in that part of the Yucatan, but they tento be measurably larger than those found in the more famedfisheries of Belize. We were at the early end of the season, but Iwas assured that fishing had been good.

A few days and many drinks later, Nacho picked us up at ourCozumel hotel at 5:30 a.m., and we were soon gunning through spine-compressing chop caused by some pretty fierce winds asthe sun rose through breaks in a threatening grey sky. The windwould continue to be a factor of frustration throughout the day(though the clouds eventually yielded to clear skies) and it

sounds like it rarely abates on the island this time of year. I gotthe first crack on the bow after reaching our destination, whichwas one of several large lagoons on the north end of the island.After what seemed like an eternity, poling through the mangrovislands, we located a large school of tailing fish.

We had strung up the rods in transit: both were 8-weight St.Croixs fitted with Scientific Anglers reels, floating line, andabout 12 feet of leader terminating in pretty stout tippet of at lea10 pound test. Nacho had given me a pink Crazy Charlie to tieon.

Bonefeesh! Cast! Cast! This was definitely trial by fire. There

had been little to no instruction as to presentation or placementMy heart-racing first cast failed to reach its target as a gust ofwind caught the fly line and dropped it in a pile well short of thfish. The school still seemed to react for the worse, thoughcuriously they didnt scatter. Cast ageen! Cast ageen! PanickeI tried to place my second, hurried cast to the right of the pod. Iwasnt sure if I would be able to cast close enough to thisextremely spooky pod of fish for them to be able to see my fly.Bonefish hunt the bottom, which means that their feeding zone a small window no more than two feet in front of



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1their nose. They seemed to be milling about, without a cleardirection of travel that I could use to my advantage.

My cast turned over a bit more gracefully with the fly landing afew feet from the right edge of the school. They reacted in asimilar fashion but they still didnt scatter, and in fact seemed tomove collectively toward my fly. I really felt out of my element,compounded by the fog of a slight hangover, and I wasnt surehow, or if, to react.

Streep! Streep! The one instruction we had been given washow to retrieve: strip, strip strip, strip in 4- to 6-inch back-to-back twitches followed by a pause. I began streeping, andthere was no snap or even tremor in my line, but I had thatanglers sense of a disturbance in the force. So I set the hook.And all hell broke loose.

What incredible fish - and worthy of all praise heaped uponthem. I finally landed my first bonefish after several searing runsacross the flats. Theyre not huge, but an 8 weight is definitely nottoo much rod. According to Nacho, I was muy, muy suerte tohook up in spite of my casting.

The lagoon setting itself was tremendous a seemingly unendingcomplex of mangrove islands and shallow bays, teeming withshorebirds; wading birds such as spoonbills, egrets, and herons;and even raptors like the familiar osprey. I felt like I was muy,muy suerte as well. Rod

Congratulations Everybody!U.S. Forest Service, Region 6, 2003 Riseto the Future Award forRecreation/Fisheries Accomplishmentshas been awarded to Tualatin Valley TUChapter and Clackamas River Chapter!

Tom Horning, of the Forest Service, says he is very excited forthis great recognition of both Chapters and all the hard work thatmembers have invested in fisheries projects and the on-goingproject involvement in the Clackamas River Watershed. Great

job by all concerned.Congrats! - Tom Horning

Ps.. Lets go plant more trees and fix more streams. Way to go.

Besides, the projects are fun. Lets do more..

Editors Note: Thanks again, Hank. I would again like to repeatmy many thanks to Hank for all his contributions. As this issueagain attests, he has contributed a lot. Although not as much ashe would like to see himself do, its more than the rest of us bymany factors. For the rest of you, it would be nice for TU to beone of your BIG Rocks, but even being a small rock or sand

would help a very good cause and be quite fun for you.Hank, well see you working on the Board. Well keep youbusy.

HONEY-GLAZED SALMON withHUCKLEBERRY BEURRE BLANCRecipe from Donna Heppell

Makes 2 servingsMarinade (2):

1 cups water3 tablespoons kosher salt1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger3 bay leaves1 tablespoon liquid smoke1 teaspoon crushed whole allspice

Beurre blanc (2):

cup champagne vinegar1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar cup white wine1 tablespoon chopped challots1 tablespoon whole peppercorns2 bay leaves1 cups whipping cream1 stick butter, chilled and cut into 8 pieces cup fresh huckleberries, divided

Salmon:

8 ounces salmon fillet (3) or steaks1 tablespoons honey

To prepare marinade: Combine water, salt, sugar, ginger, baleaves, liquid smoke and allspice in a glass or non-aluminumpan. Add salmon, cover and marinate in the refrigerator about hours, turning several times.

To prepare beurre blanc: In a non-aluminum saucepan, boilvinegars, white wine, shallots, peppercorns and bay leaves untimixture is reduced in volume to 2 to 3 tablespoons. Add creamboil and reduce to 1 cup.

Remove from heat and, using a wire whisk, immediately beatin 2 tablespoons of butter. Set saucepan over very low heat andbeating constantly, continue to add pieces of butter as the pieceare almost creamed into the sauce.

Remove from the heat. Add most of the huckleberries,reserving a few for garnish.

To prepare salmon: Prepare grill according to manufacturerinstructions. Remove salmon from marinade and pat dry.

Grill, basting with honey, until just done. Check after 6minutes per inch thickness; if not done, continue grilling untilfish flakes.

Garnish with borage flowers for contrasting color effect.To serve: Pour a pool of beuree blanc on two warm plates.

Place half of salmon on each. Garnish with reservedhuckleberries.

Note: The Beurre Blanc is also good on chicken breast.



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Tualatin Valley Trout UnlimitedMay/June 2004

Oficersresident: Hank Hosfield

28-6553 [email protected]

ice-PresidentKevin Connolly 860 6355

[email protected]

reasurer: Rod Lundberg91-5308 [email protected]

oard of Directors:

ric Thompson [email protected]

ick [email protected] 636-3877

Alex Barkume - [email protected]

Andy [email protected] 646-2375

Erle Norman [email protected]

Membership Chair

Jerry [email protected]

Seth Isenberg [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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may - jun 2004 trout line newsletter, tualatin valley trout unlimited

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