This wonderful report Wes warmed my heart with old memories and friends! I've got to pick up one of Max's nets, for sure! :) Also wanted to share a tip with you: next time you are in Portland, head out towards Tualitin and go to River City Flyshop, owned by Don Nelson. DON'T go on a Monday--it's closed for fishing. :) You think Welches has a well stocked fly tying section--you won't believe your eyes when you enter Don's shop. BE sure to tell him Marguerite sent you--you'll get some great discounts!!! I'm serious. He's my Buddy! His shop is the thing I miss MOST about Oregon! Nothing even remotely like it out here, or even there...not even Kaufman's. So check it out: Address is: 11429 SW Scholls Ferry Rd Beaverton, 503-579-5176. You won't regret it, I promise you! Marguerite
--- Wes Wada <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Nice weekend. Wish they could all be so pleasant, fishy related and > full of companionship. > > On the way to the Portland, Oregon area, we stopped at the Fly Fishing > Shop in Welches. This is one of the best stocked flyshops you'd ever > see, and I was able to make purchases of tying materials I cannot get > in Bend. To my delight, they had about eight colors of Saap Body Fur, > and I bought a brilliant chartreuse, a light olive and a dirty olive. > Played around with a selection of rotary vises, and discovered I liked > the Dyna King Barracuda, Jr. the best. > > Linda and I joined our friends Bill and Ann Nora in Happy Valley, > Oregon for a couple of days. Bill is a past fishing buddy, and he is > the fellow who was to take me to his favorite haunts for winter > steelhead fishing. We knew several days in advance that the rivers > were blown out, so fishing was not on the agenda. However, we did > something I think was even better. We spent hours on two separate days > walking two rivers as he pointed out drift launch points, winter and > summer steelhead holding lies, and discussed the nuances of fishing > each water. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. > > Bill also gave Linda and I our first Spey casting lesson right on the > river. The sight of the 5'4" Linda waving around a 14 ft. Spey rod has > to be seen to be believed. > > He also opened his winter steelhead flybox and showed his very simple > assortment of weighted steelhead bunny leeches, all single color in > hook sizes 4 to 2/0, some weighted with 3/16" nickel weights, others > with barbell eyes. I exchanged the favor, showing Bill how to tie with > Saap Body Fur, and demo'd Don Ordes' rope dubbing technique. Bill > pointed out some synthetic dubbing he hated to tie with, and we had him > tying beautifully dubbed bodies with it in no time. He was very > impressed. > > Even our drive into downtown Portland was enjoyably fishy. We stopped > at Powell's Book Store and split up, and I made a beeline through the > three-floor, city block big, new and used book heaven to the fly > fishing and tying section. I didn't make a purchase, but was able to > look at quite a number of books that have been mentioned on this list. > > Our final night, we stayed with Max and Nila Peel, the longtime > camphosts of Oregon's Hosmer Lake. Max is a fine flyfisherman, and he > has been making heirloom quality landing nets during the last two > offseasons. Finally, his morning, we drove the 3-1/2 hours back to > Bend, and after taking care of business, I spent the evening tying > flies for an upcoming fishing trip. > > About a perfect as a long weekend can be without dipping a line in the > water. Thought I would just try to share the 'glow'. > > Wes Wada > Bend, Oregon > ===== "We do not see things as they are, we see things as WE are." Anais Nin __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum.yahoo.com
