Hunting Eugene, Oregon; Register Guard Outsider blogs on TU

Hunting season isn't shaping up quite the way I'd hoped. So far all I've killed are some doves, a goose I couldn't find and that's about it. But I've landed a gig writing about it at the Springfield News [Now closed!!!]. I wrote my first column on not shooting any pheasants.

So far no deer, but I'm getting closer to bagging one. I've found a place with good sign over by the Smith river drainage with Al Avey. I'm headed out there tonight to try to take care of the ton of grouse I was seeing last time I was out there.

Here are some pics:

From MattStansberry

From MattStansberry

From MattStansberry

From MattStansberry

Also, Raz wrote about me and the TU 678 Crew for his Register-Guard Outsider Blog last week. He could have buried me for being an out of shape turd, but instead I come off pretty cool. That is, if you think catching fish is really cool.

Bill and I are tying flies, pretty much just winging it and hoping they work. We're planning to take a class on how to tie salmon flies next Friday.

Bugs are all over the river right now, but that hasn't seemed to matter to the fish for whatever reason. Golden stones and gigantic October caddis are coming off, big as golf balls, but it's not translating into topwater action.

I'm headed to the Rogue River tomorrow, down by Grants Pass. Should have some good stuff from that. We're staying in a YURT!

Steelhead fishing in Eugene, Oregon

I mostly started this as a way to keep track of what's working in hunting/fishing in the area, so I'm going to lay it out right here. The last week or so, steelhead fishing in town has turned on. I'm catching them on a green wooly bugger, double lead-wrapped with a bead, plus cuckaburra legs. I've been rubbing it in my brother's face that I'm catching fish on a ridiculous, atomic green fly with rubber legs. Trout are really good in town too, but I think I'm going to have to start moving to other parts of the Willamette.

From MattStansberry

Also worth noting, I'm not going to be buying any Fern Ridge fee pheasant hunt tags next year unless I have a dog. I mean, I totally agree that the hunt should be a challenge, but I'm getting my ass kicked. I've spent HOURS AND HOURS walking around and haven't seen a bird on the Fern Ridge property since they stocked for the youth hunt. I've seen them in hunters pockets (walking out with their dogs) and I've seen them off the refuge. But I haven't killed one yet -- and I could be wasting time hunting grouse and scouting deer instead.

Speaking of deer, the opening day came and went. Deer actually came up to us in the middle of the night before the season opened and taunted us while we stood around our illegal campfire up on the Taylor Burn. (we found out it was illegal the next morning upon further inspection of the signage).

The next morning we also hiked back to Moolack Lake where I caught the biggest Oregon cutthroat trout of my life, and then watched Bill Laroux hook one just like it. They were sweet. I have some pics, depsite the fact that I dunked my camera while trying to take a picture of Bill's fish.

From MattStansberry

The fish in these high lakes are feeding on a flying ant or termite looking thing, cinammon colored and fat. Clear wings. Keep that in mind when I'm tying for these lakes for next year. Maybe we'll do one more trip this year.