Your Maine Hunting Shoes Rebuilt

I have a pair of LL Bean Lounger boots from the 1980s that are a favorite for yardwork, camping,rainy day errands, sloshing around parking lots in ski country, and so on. They were always on the small side and my feet have changed in the intervening years. The treads were also quite worn down. Luckily, Bean’s still offers a rebuilding service, so off they went for new bottoms in a larger and wider size. I asked for the “Maine Hunting Shoe”  rather than the “Bean Boot” version. The MHS is softer and quieter.

I’m very happy with the results. The shoes came back a week earlier than expected, complete with a new set of insoles. They’re a great fit with two pairs of midweight socks, or a thinner liner plus a heavy sock.

Before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After

This cost about $45 plus shipping. Higher than 1938 (see below), but still not bad, especially if they provide another 20+ years of service.

Deschutes Sunset

…I fish because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful…

- Robert Traver 1964, (Judge John Voelker 1903-1993)

Deschutes River, Oregon, Summer 2010. Upstream from the Trout Creek BLM campground.

Black Flying Ant

Hook: dry fly, size 14 – 18 (fly in photo is tied on a #14 Gamakatsu P10 "Traditional Dry Fly")
Thread: black or brown
Abdomen: fat ball of black dubbing
Thorax: Thread with a few turns of black hackle
WIngs: blue dun hackle tips
Head: another fat ball of black dubbing

The world is full of ants, and I’ve caught fish whenever I remember to fish ant patterns, with or without wings. Here is an easy one that will work either wet or dry. Be sure to keep the thorax section nice and skinny.

Bike N’ Fish

It was a beautiful Willamette Valley afternoon, and I had a tough decision between fly-fishing and a nice long bike ride. The obvious answer was to do both.

This is a Miyata 215ST touring bike. Waders and boots are in the panniers, and my vest is in the saddlebag.

In less than 40 minutes I was on the McKenzie River at Armitage Park:

I caught one native cutthroat trout and missed a few others. The action was on a soft hackle wet fly with brown hackle and brown dubbed body ribbed with hackle stem, size 12:

Watch for more Bike N’ Fish reports in the near future.

Quail and Olive (soft-hackle)

Hook: wet fly hook (this is a size 12 Dai-Riki #730)
Tail: California Quail neck feather fibers
Rib: fine gold oval tinsel
Body: mixed olive & natural beaver
Hackle: California Quail flank feathers, palmered through front 1/3 of body

We have friends with a ranch west of Eugene; the quail feathers are from a young female that was left behind by a coyote or bobcat.

Coho Salmon return to N Fork Nehalem River

This is fun to watch:

 

from IEODFW:
Coho salmon entering an ODFW live-cycle monitoring fish trap on the North fork of the Nehalem River, October, 2009.

North Umpqua River, Oregon

North Umpqua River at Steamboat Inn

Earlier this fall I took a trip to Oregon’s beautiful  North Umpqua River for a couple days of steelhead flyfishing.  This is a tough fishery and I’ve learned through the years that to have a successful trip, it is important to keep your hopes high and expectations low.  In other words, fish every cast with care, as though a steelhead will take your fly at any point, but don’t be surprised or disappointed when it doesn’t happen.

This year, my low expectations were met, at least in terms of not catching any steelhead. I did catch a beautiful sea-run cutthroat trout and several nice rainbows.  The cutthroat took this size 8 Silver Brown, a classic Northwest pattern originated by Roderick Haig-Brown to imitate coho salmon fry. I tied it on because there are a lot of October Caddis on the N Umpqua at this time of year, and this fly offers the October Caddis colors with a bit of extra flash from the silver hook.

Here is the pattern.

A few other words of advice:

- This is a famous river with a long, distinguished flyfishing heritage. Take some time to read about it, appreciate the history, and learn its traditions and protocols.

- Wading in the North Umpqua is tough and can be dangerous. You will read in every guidebook and magazine article about the North Umpqua that studded wading shoes are essential, and it is true.  I’ve done well with Patagonia Beefy wading boots with carbide studs and, more recently, Simms Headwaters Vibram with hex head screw-in cleats. These perform very well on wet rock (slimy and regular versions), dry rock, and on the trail.

- Carry a wading staff to help keep your balance in the water and while scrambling up and down the banks. I use a section of vine maple sapling, tethered to my vest with braided parachute cord and a mini-carabiner. I’ve used it for years and it works very well.