Feeling that the good weather and property maintenance has eaten into my
fishing and painting too much of late, SWMBO and self headed to SE Wash.
Crossing the Cascades we were rained out on the Cowlitz and the Natches.
Holed up in Yakima first nite, then down the Valley, and across the Columbia
at the Tri-cities, we proceeded up the Touchet Valley to Dayton. Still
raining like crazy. Fished the Touchet down thru town and had a blast on the
Cutthrout using Oldfart Brand ECs and some godawful foam strip and legged
hoppers. Nothing over 10-11 inches but lots. Holed up in Dayton 2 nites.
Second day we went up Whetstone Hollow and over the hills to Marengo, on the
Tuncannon. Puget Power is erecting a hugh wind farm up on top. Both the
Tuncannon and the Touchet flow out of the NW Blue Mountains but one ends up
in the Snake while the other flows into the Walla Walla. This is wheat
country up on the hills, and irrigated grass down along the rivers.

Marengo is one of our favorite places to fish. The fish get enough attention
to be wary, but still within our skill level. Lots of fish, half smallish
but enough 10" plus to provide surprises. And we both rolled or rolled and
lost a couple of local biggies. For me its been this chewed up area where a
rick/rack of logs and boulders is holding the curving river away from some
corrals. I swear its the same fish for three years now. Ill be back.

Sunday, the sun came out and we fished the Tuncannon further down but above
Starbuck. Trying to replicate the rig Bruiser showed me a couple years back,
I did better than usual nymphing. We saw hundreds of deer on the irrigated
pastures within the very large hunting-restricted area on the boundaries of
the wind farm. The scale of this area (the Palouse) is hard to convey. You
could drop a number of small states, or countries into it and still have
elbow room. Also saw the usual road kill of yearling coyotes, but
second-harvested no hair.

On the long drive back I tried to locate some access to the mythical Crab
Creek, unsucess. (Note this is a Washington FFers sick joke.)

Dave