Eastern Oregon TR

Fished with Bob Weinberger on the Owyhee in far eastern Oregon Tuesday.
It was sunny: warm when the wind didn't blow, quite chilly when it did.
Water was low and weed growth was high.

Fish were actively working the surface from the time we arrived (around
10:30?) until 12:30-1:00 or so. Then they turned off and it was deadly
slow until feeding picked up again in the late afternoon.

We caught a fair number of fish. I did better earlier in the day, Bob
came on like gangbusters later in the afternoon. In the mid-day slump,
Bob found the one fish actively feeding, cast to him repeatedly, and
finally took him on a midge emerger--a fine 20" brown that fought hard and
well. All the fish I landed were taken on #20-22 midges fished below a
dry, though I did hook and quickly lose a couple on the dry. Two fish Bob
took in the late afternoon hit a skwala dry. A number of March Browns
came off, but the fish didn't key on them.

It was the first time I'd fished the O and I was surprised by the great
number of people on the river for a Tuesday. A rig or two at almost every
turn-off. Made me wonder if everyone in Idaho was independently
wealthy.... or out of work.

I'd planned to spend the night out there and fish a local reservoir on the
way home the next day, but the sunburn I'd managed to acquire, the small
but frequent annoyance of cleaning weed off my flies, leader and line, and
a certain degree of satiation made my own bed far too alluring..... I
left around 5:30 for the long drive home, while Bob continued fishing.

Good to see you again, Bob. Thanks.

JR