THE TROUT LINE
Tualatin Valley Chapter News
November/December 2007
Chapter Meetings are held at the LUCKY
LABRADOR on the second Wednesday of
each month at 6:30 PM with a social get-together and the
formal meeting at 7:00 PM unless otherwise noted in the
newsletter or website. Lucky Labrador, Multnomah Village,
7675 SW Capitol Hwy. Portland, (503) 244-2537. Food
and Beverages available.
Board of Directors Meetings held on the fourth Wednesday
of the month at a Director’s home at 7pm.
Wednesday, November 14
The Fishing and Politics of the North
Coast: David Moskowitz presents. When not working as
TU’s point man down in Salem whenever the house is in
session, David might be found chasing steelhead on a
coastal river. He’s done a bit of both over the years since
graduating from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and
Clark College—where he also was bestowed the law school's
Environmental Leadership Award. But mostly he’s working
for wild fish on the behalf of conservation organizations
such as the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Oregon
Trout, Native Fish Society and Wild Salmon Center, to name
a few. He’s also served as the ESA listing specialist for the
NOAA Fisheries, Salmon Recovery Coordinator for Metro,
board secretary of the Oregon League of Conservation
Voters, and past treasurer of the Wild Fish Political Action
Committee, board member of the Native Fish Society,
Johnson Creek Watershed Council Advisory Committee, and
the list goes on. In short, salmon couldn’t have a better
advocate. And he’s also pretty handy with a camera. He
offers a keen perspective on the rivers and the issues that
you don’t want to miss. Both fishing and environ.
Wednesday, December 12 TVTU
Holiday Party Member Slide Show.
FREE PIZZA FREE PIZZA The holidays are a time for
sharing, and in this spirit we are buying the pizza and
asking all of you to come and share some of your
favorite fishing/outing photos with us. We’ll review the
highlights of the past year, as well as share ideas and
discuss plans for the year to come. To contribute, please
send digital images of your photos a few days ahead of
show time to Hank at hankh@imagina.com. How many
photos should you bring? Shoot for 5-10, and be ready to
share the stories behind your pictures. Also, if you have
slides or prints that need to be scanned, get them to Hank
well in advance. Bring somebody new with you if you
can.
Editor: David Illig
President’s Column
Hank Hosfield
Sometimes I imagine that anyone
seeking to understand the inner
workings of Trout Unlimited
probably feels the way I do while
helplessly watching fat trout
gently rising to an unseen hatch that I will never match. It
is a mystery all its own—one that I’m occasionally asked to
explain for the benefit of new members—or sometimes
even for board members. And it takes some explaining,
because our organization, structure, hierarchy, whatever,
isn’t obvious. Furthermore, no one ever really bothers to
explain it to anyone. We don’t talk about it at meetings,
you don’t read about it in the magazine much, I don’t recall
any previous mention of it in our newsletter, and there’s
really no new member orientation effort at all. Don’t ask
me why. Maybe it’s the fact that most of us can live quite
happily ignorant of it all. Just like you think you don’t need
any textbook to help you enjoy sex, you can be active in TU
and never have much of a clue about what you’re doing.
And that’s probably wrong, and it’s our fault for letting you
do it. We really do need to sit you down and have a talk.
We’ve put this off far too long. There’s stuff you should
know. I’ll try to make it all as simple, friendly and easy to
understand as I can.
When you join TU, you are assigned to a local chapter. You
got stuck in ours because your zip code placed you in the
Tualatin Valley Chapter drawing area. You receive this
newsletter because TU national added your name to our
mailing list. You’ve automatically become a member of our
chapter and you will remain so as long as you renew your
TU membership and live in our area, regardless of whether
or not you ever attend a meeting. The purpose of the
chapter is to do the grassroots work of TU.
While we in TVTU are somewhat autonomous and free to
choose the activities we want to do, we also take direction
(theoretically) from our state council. Our Oregon State
Council is composed of officers and representatives from
every active chapter in Oregon. The Oregon State Council is
also somewhat autonomous, but also takes some direction
from TU National, as well as from the Western Regional
Office of TU, whose paid staff largely receives their
direction from national headquarters.
So, it all seems like a top-down organizational flow from
the TU mothership in Arlington, VA to the local chapters
across the land, but in reality, in day-to-day operations, we
at the chapter level are pretty much on our own to set our
own agenda, fund our existence, and carry out the
important conservation work.
Clear as mud so far?

Like every other chapter, TVTU is led by a board of
directors, who are elected by chapter members. The board
elects its own officers. (In case you were wondering how I
ever got to be president.) The board is responsible for
running the chapter, which largely entails conducting
monthly meetings, leading chapter events such as outings
and projects, directing communications through the
publishing of this newsletter and other media, and essential
fundraising. Our board meets monthly to plan these
things. Some of our board members also serve on the
Oregon State Council. Most of the ten current board
members have served for several years.
My own ascendancy started over a dozen years ago when I
was first nominated and elected to the board after being
active in the chapter for a couple years. My responsibilities
on the board steadily increased from program chairman to
vice-president, to chapter president. That seems like a
reasonable sort of progression to me. I have been aided all
along by a stellar group of fellow board members.
I should probably put in an earnest plug here about how
rewarding it is for those who serve on the board, how this
extra involvement enhanced our overall TU experience,
because this is certainly true. I also mention it because I
believe that most of us are seeking more meaningful
connections in our lives and avenues to contribute to
improve our little corner of the world.
My guess is that most of us wouldn’t be TU members if we
hadn’t already bought off on the mission of coldwater
conservation and advocacy of wild fish. What I’m trying to
explain here is how your membership in TU is structurally
working toward those objectives, to connect the dots a bit,
and offer a little added meaning to your efforts and
association.
The annual dues you pay to TU go almost entirely to
support the national programs and staff. A small portion is
paid to partially fund the Oregon State Council, which is
involved in many different efforts, primarily in the political
arena in Salem, and in cooperative efforts with myriad
other conservation organizations—thanks mostly to the
dedicated efforts of Oregon State Council president, Tom
Wolf (a TVTU member). This is where most of the advocacy
happens. We even share a lobbyist who works on our
behalf. More legal and political wrangling is also handled
by folks in the Western Regional Office. These combined
efforts make TU the most influential fish conservation
group in the state.
The bulk of the heavy lifting for field and in-stream
conservation work falls on local chapter volunteers.
Sometimes the projects we work on are part of greater state
council efforts like our ongoing work with the Deschutes
Basin Land Trust near the Metolius, but more often they are
our own chapter projects closer to home that we’ve chosen
because they’re of greater interest to our membership. The
most personally satisfying chapter project I was involved in
this year was excavating rock and gravel dams to open up a
de-watered side channel where hundreds of juvenile coho
were in peril. This is exactly the kind of work many of us
joined TU to do. This is the kind of project that TU relies
on local chapters to identify and handle. We are the vision
and the muscle.
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
2
The great irony of this arrangement is that while
grassroots efforts like this remain the backbone of TU,
chapters get little or no money from TU to sustain
themselves. We are expected to fund ourself. And we do.
Over the years we’ve held auction banquets and tried many
other fundraising ideas with varying degrees of success.
Realizing that the greatest tax on the energies of our
chapter (and similar non-profit volunteer organizations) is
the ongoing fight to raise money, last year we tried
something new, a direct appeal to our membership for an
annual $25 donation. It was our belief that our time was
better spent pursuing better objectives than merely
sustaining ourselves. In contrast, a modest annual tax-
deductible donation seemed relatively painless. I believe we
were correct, because the donations came in, often
accompanied with notes of appreciation--even from
members we never see, but who value what we do.
I, along with the board, am asking you again to donate to
TVTU this year. Enclosed is a donation slip and a pre-
addressed return envelope. Unlike the dues you pay to TU,
100% of your donation to TVTU will go to fund chapter
operating expenses and pay for benefits your receive such
as monthly guest speakers, the chapter newsletter, rent,
outings, Web site, conservation project work and more.
Whether or not you are active in the chapter, the chapter
continues to work toward your interests in furthering TU’s
mission of conservation. Of course, the chapter offers even
more than this in terms of education, fun and fellowship,
even fishing, and we are continually striving to build a
better chapter. We exist for you. Because without active,
healthy chapters, there really is no TU.
Thank you in advance for your support. Petri heil. Hank
TU Fishing Outings 2007
This year’s official outings are now over. However, don’t
hesitate to put together one on your own and let us
know. We can post it to our email list. You might want to
be sure you are on the email list by contacting Paige
Wallace at 503-803-9466 flyfishgirl@hotmail.com
2008 outings will begin in the Spring
Draft salmon plan for the Columbia-
Snake Basin needs comments:
Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition is launching a nationwide
effort, beginning with a new website, to collect and deliver
tens of thousands of comments in the form of letters,
photos, art, and video that call out for our decision-makers
to...GIVE A DAM FOR SALMON AND STEELHEAD
and resolve the Pacific Salmon crisis in the Snake and
Columbia Rivers. -Here's how you can help deliver this huge
response from across the country-
GO TO
http://www.giveadamforsalmon.org
Take Action - Sign onto the Comment Drive Explore
Pass on the Website to everybody you can.

Fly of the Month: A Simple Beetle
Michael Gentry
Those of us who were at the last TVTU chapter meeting
were treated to a real education by Jeff Morgan on the
“forgotten flies” - the oddballs beyond the traditional
caddis, stonefly and mayfly hatches that make up some, but
far from all, of a trout’s diet. (Soap box time – WHERE
WERE YOU? These chapter meetings, and the fishing and
work outings of the chapter, are both entertaining and
educational and a great place to share common interests. I
strongly encourage you to come to a meeting or outing –
you’ll find it well worth the time as a fisherman and
conservationist.)
But back to the topic at hand. I was reminded at the
meeting that terrestrials often make up a significant food
source for our finny friends. That is particularly true of
beetles because of their abundance and wide dispersion.
Trout in still water and in rivers often will take a terrestrial
since unlike a “hatch” the bug is usually around and often
falls into the water through a wind gust, a bad flight
pattern or other reasons. So I scrapped the pattern I was
going to feature and decided to present a simple beetle
pattern instead.
Thread: 8/0 unithread (or your favorite),
color to match body
Hook: tiemco 100BL, sizes 12-16
Underbody: peacock herl
Body: 2mm closed cell foam, black or
brown
Legs: black or brown small rubber legs
Post (if desired): 1 or 2mm foam, bright color
1. Tie in an underbody by winding peacock herl from
the bend of the hook to just short of the eye.
2. Cut an oval body from the foam so that the body is
a bit thinner than an egg and is just a tad longer
than the length of the hook.
3. Position the thread so it is a bit behind the front of
the herl underbody – about ¼ of the way back
toward the hook bend.
4. Position the beetle body so that the back is even
with the back of the hook bend and the front sticks
a little bit forward of the eye.
5. Pinching the body foam with finger and thumb of
left hand (assuming you are a right handed tier) at
the back of the beetle, “fold” it down over the hook
from above and around the underbody, and wrap
the body fairly tightly (so it will not turn on the
hook) at that point with three turns of thread.
6. Take about three inches of rubberleg (to give you
extra length to work with) and position on one side
of the beetle body (I usually start with the side
away from me but it does not matter) so that it is
horizontal and up against the side of the beetle
body, with about half its length sticking out in
either direction from the tie point.
7. Loosely wrap two thread turns over the leg and
slowly increase the thread pressure to draw the
rubberleg piece in against the body where you have
tied the body to the hook. The idea is to bring the
legs flayed out and the tie point taut to the body,
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
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so that the legs stick out and hold in place fairly
parallel to the plane of the water. Once the thread
is taut, you can move the ends of the legs up or
down to get the right position by pushing up or
down on the tie point. Repeat on the other leg.
bottom top
8. If desired (I like it), take a small rectangle of some
really visible foam (I like yellow or bright green)
and tie it in on top of the beetle body by two wraps
of thread.
9. To finish the fly, bend the “head” of the beetle up
and back with your fingers so that you can wrap
the thread underneath the head and on the little
bit of underbody ahead of the tie point, and make
one turn through the underbody to get the thread
in front of the underbody and at the back point of
the eye, and tie off by several half hitches and cut.
Put a drop of head cement on the thread.
10. Clip the legs to length – I use them a little shorter
than the body length.
There is no secret to fishing the beetle. I usually work it
around the shore of the river, stream or lake since the wind
or a flight pattern usually puts the hapless creature in the
water fairly close to the bank. As there isn’t a narrow
season to the beetle life cycle as far as I know, I have tried
them from early spring to late fall, particularly when no
traditional hatch seems to be going on or producing. If
there is a bit of wind, that seems to increase the odds since
wind traditionally does put more terrestrials in the water.
This is a good pattern to have in your arsenal.
Michael
Editor’s Note: Jerry Lorang has volunteered to be the
Chapter’s next newsletter editor if I can successfully keep
him interested, motivated, and educated about how I have
been slapping this thing together over the years during
these last two issues of mine. And I can keep him
convinced that YOU will continue supplying him with great
material like you have for all these years. Gosh I hope I can
land this trophy fish. D
Next Newsletter Deadline: December 15. Send material to
David Illig: dillig1@aol.com

Fall River Outing Review
By Andy Andrews
Each year as I return to the Fall River, I’m handed a little
surprise that I didn’t expect. This year I met a young man
who greeted me with, “Hi, my name is ….and the guys at
the Clackamas Chapter said you could show me how to
catch fish on the Fall River” (Thanks guys; I have my own
issues catching fish on this river and now you send me
someone who says he’s been skunked every time he has
fished the Fall). I can’t enable someone to catch fish. What
I can do is show them where to fish, when to fish, and what
flies might work best at given times during the day; that
information is sometimes not good enough for me to be
able to catch fish on the Fall River.
As soon as
we geared
up, I took
him to a
place where
he caught
several 10 –
12 inch fish
and he was
overjoyed
with his
afternoon
of
successful
fishing.
The next day, I ramped things up a notch and took him to a
place where I knew a few bigger fish hung out. After we
fished the hole for a few minutes I told the young man
what to watch for and what flies to use when the larger fish
started to rise. This area was too small for two fishermen
so I walked about 100 yards downstream. I left the trail,
crawled over several logs and waded out through a shallow
swampy area to the river’s edge. I was watching the river
flow by when I heard a splash upstream and a loud
“YAHOOOO” from the area where I had left the young man.
If anyone would have been near with video camera they
could have sold 15 minutes of film to Americas’ Funniest
Video for a small fortune. The film would have shown a 62
year old fat man, attempting to run through a swamp,
dodging ankle breaking holes and dragging his oversized,
wrinkly butt back over the logs he had just crossed. And
finally, in full wading and fishing gear, trying to run up the
trail to where the young man was fighting his fish.
As I approached, to my horror, I saw the man was about to
lose his fish. I think I yelled something like, “Get that
goddamned rod tip up ‘cause you’re playing him on the
leader and that won’t hold if he turns and runs on you!”
The rod tip thing was something I had been gently trying to
work the young man through, but now was the time to get a
little tougher. The fish was strong and heavy and was
believed to be 20 inches by the young man, but I suggested
the fish would definitely not exceed the 17 inch range.
Each time the fish approached the net I suggested that if
the young man got the fish’s head up, the fish could not
turn and run on him. This advice seemed to fall on deaf
ears and after the fish made about three more runs and a
couple of jumps, it gave up and came to the net. I’m not a
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
4
guide, nor have I ever coached anyone while they were
trying to land a fish. I know that I have also made the same
mistakes that I was trying to work this man through, so I
was a little stunned when we actually had the fish (which
measured exactly 16”) in the net. Pictures were taken, the
fish was revived and with a splash of its tail, it returned
quickly to deeper water.
This was the largest fish this man had caught and he
thanked me again and again. I was happy for him but
saddened by the fact that somewhere, I had lost his
enthusiasm and
excitement
about catching a
fish. At my age,
if I had been as
excited as he
was about the
fish, I would
have either had
a heart attack,
or lost control
of my bladder,
or both. To the
Clackamas
group I would
say ‘Thank You’
for giving me
that experience;
just don’t ever
do it again!
At the start of this trip, the weather was a little blustery
and cool, but the last three days were golden. These days
were cloudless and warmed to 80 degrees with little to no
wind. The last three nights were cold being 20, 21 and 25
degrees which caused the water jugs to freeze solid. A
bright, full moon greeted me on these nights and gave off
enough light pollution to prevent me from seeing most of
the stars. During these nights, I had been watching a star
low in the southern hemisphere that was visible for only a
few hours each night. I finally set up my scope, aligned it
on this object and my suspicion was confirmed; it was
Jupiter and I could see four of its seven moons. My
knowledge of the solar system is very limited but Jupiter is
the fifth planet from the sun and has a mass that is 300
times greater than that of earth. At least one (maybe two)
of the moons is too small for me to see with my scope
and/or several other moons were probably behind the
planet. The planet and its moons were an awesome sight
that I will not soon forget!
There were some great campfires, a barbeque with more
food than we should eat, and a small celebration for
someone’s birthday. An osprey hung out in a tree above
camp, elk tracks in the road each morning, and someone
sighted a wild mink which are known to inhabit the area.
All in all, I’d say it was a pretty good trip!
Andy

Yakima River Fall Trip
Jerry Lorang
Beware when you grocery shop if you are hungry. Good
advice! After spending much of my post holiday
disposable income when I went to the Portland Flyfishing
Show last February, I came away wondering if I should have
listened to my own advice. Among my purchases were two
new fly rods and a one day guided trip from the Yakima
River Fly Shop. The fly rods have been well tested in the
last few months but I waited until the end of September to
take the trip on the Yak. It was a great decision made with
little advance study.
The Yakima is a large tailwater river that looks more like a
freestone river, at least at this time of year. For most of the
summer months the river is allowed to run very high for
agricultural irrigation. In late August or early September
the water level is brought down or “flip-flopped”. By the
time my brother and I got to Cle Elum the flow was 450-600
cfs.
We got there a day early to try our luck with no
professional assistance. Though we did not pick the easiest
access point (bushwacking required), we enjoyed some
success with small nymphs and drys on the river between
Thorp and Cle Elum off of Rt. 10.
The next day we set out from the Ellensburg KOA in a
driftboat with our guide, Scott Wilson. His knowledge and
enthusiasm were evident as we floated for the next 8 hours
with a few stops at particularly attractive back eddies,
seams, etc. I fished a small nymph (a size 16 beadhead
CDC Pheasant tail or a size 16 beadhead Schroeder's Carrot
Nymph), dropped from a larger nymph (a size 8 brown
Rubberleg Stonefly) changing patterns with the time of day,
at Scott’s direction. The rig included a split shot about 18
inches above the large nymph. My brother fished a small
nymph off of a large dry most of the time, testing Scott’s
personal parachute crane fly for a while. All but one of the
fish we caught that day were on the dropper. I enjoyed
greater success because I had more of Scott’s attention at
my brother’s insistence. I owe my brother big time, now.
Most of our success came in the undercut banks that would
have not been accessible without the driftboat. Scott
offered the opinion that, “the Yakima might be a Blue
Ribbon stream in Washington but it doesn't compare to
Blue Ribbon Waters in Montana or Alaska. There aren't as
many fish and they aren't as big.” I appreciated his candor
because of my limited experience. The driftboat allowed us
to cover a comparatively larger number of fish by
constantly moving.
Our guide was aware early on that this was my first
driftboat experience. My brother is a more experienced and
better fisherman (I hope he doesn’t read this). Scott was
soon giving me very good instruction and guidance. His
patience was truly tested as I tried to learn many things in a
very short time. To Scott’s credit he retained his
composure for most of the trip, except when I would miss a
strike because I was watching the indicator, not the fly!!!
Then his rebukes were gentle and on point.
I had a real blast at a large back eddy where we stopped to
wade. High sticking my nymph dropper through the riffle
into a foam seam in the deep back eddy was a first for me.
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
5
I caught a couple of nice fish including one rainbow that
was over 13 inches, fat and feisty.
In spite of
Scott’s efforts
our only
experience with
big fish was in
conversation.
He pointed us to
productive water
and we caught
fish but his
assertions of
large fish were
not met with
success. I suspect that there are big ones but you can’t
prove it by this trip’s catch. The fish we caught were not
larger than 13-14 inches, with many smaller than that.
At the end of our day’s float we relaxed and tried to
remember all that we did over a large meal of real comfort
food at a Cle Elum Café. It was difficult to catalog it all. It
was a great trip for me for reasons different from my
brother. I could never have learned so much in so short a
time without Scott’s assistance. My brother could not have
had as good a day of fishing without Scott’s attention on
me. Both of us enjoyed the trip very much.
Sometimes when you go grocery shopping and you are
hungry you manage to buy something you really wanted
but didn’t put on the list. It worked for me this time.
Jerry
Our View: One Powerful Voice Can
Reshape the Salmon Debate.
Reprinted editorial from the Sunday Idaho
Statesman Sept. 23.
Salmon recovery is as much a political battle as it is a
scientific struggle.The politics are more highly charged than
ever — perhaps to the benefit of the fish.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., wrote a letter waxing nostalgic
about lost salmon runs in the northern reaches of his state
— and demanding the federal government bring them back.
"This may be the last chance we have to return salmon to
the rivers and streams of Nevada."
The two most powerful words appeared on the masthead of
Reid's Aug. 27 letter. Majority leader.
When the U.S. Senate's majority leader speaks, federal
bureaucrats listen. Idahoans ought to pay attention as well.
This can affect our power bills — and salmon runs in our
state, too. Harry Reid has something at stake, and so do
you.
Salmon and steelhead have been nonexistent in Nevada for
decades. Idaho Power's Hells Canyon hydroelectric complex,
completed in the 1950s and 1960s, has blocked off
spawning habitat. With the three dams up for relicensing,
Reid wants the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission to require "a meaningful fish passage system"
around the dams.
Reid's volley in the salmon debate is a surprise, said Rep.
Mike Simpson, but the Idaho Republican doesn't criticize
Reid for advocating for salmon in his home state. Nor do
we. After all, we have argued for years for salmon
restoration in Idaho. The question centers on what
constitutes "meaningful" recovery efforts, and their cost.
Idaho Power has suggested fish passage might be so
expensive that it would force the utility to walk away from
the dams — which provide 70 percent of the utility's hydro
capacity, and have provided Idaho Power consumers some
of the cheapest electricity in the nation. Spokesman Dennis
Lopez wouldn't elaborate much last week, but after a 15-
year relicensing process yielding a 37,000-page application,
the utility believes it has addressed Reid's concerns.
Salmon advocates question the cost. No one is
contemplating tearing out the Hells Canyon dams, or
installing expensive fish ladders, said Bill Sedivy, executive
director of Idaho Rivers United. Instead, they're interested
in low-cost experiments to try to transport fish around the
dams.
Idaho Rivers United is intrigued by an idea from the state
of Oregon to reintroduce salmon to Pine Creek just below
Oxbow dam. Young fish would be moved by truck around
Hells Canyon dam. Returning adults would be collected at
Hells Canyon and put back in trucks for release in Pine
Creek. The annual costs, according to state estimates, are
$5 million to $6 million.
No one knows whether these experiments would bring back
salmon that have been absent for decades. But when placed
against the projected profits at the Hells Canyon complex
— estimated, by FERC, at $283.9 million per year — it's
reasonable to try, Sedivy says. We agree. If these
experiments work in Oregon or Nevada, the science could
be applied to bring salmon back to Idaho waters such as
the Boise and Payette rivers.
Ideally, Reid also will influence the debate about breaching
the four lower Snake River dams. These dams, in the heart
of salmon waters, remain a central part of the problem. The
dams — and the 140 miles of slackwater they create —
stand as a major obstacle to fish recovery upstream. That
goes for wild chinook and sockeye salmon in Central Idaho,
or experimental runs shipped around Hells Canyon. If the
most powerful member of the Senate lends urgency to the
breaching debate, then more power to him.
Reid's letter underscores the need for candid, regional
negotiations about salmon recovery. It's a reminder that the
discussion will reverberate at the national level. Said Sen.
Mike Crapo, R-Idaho: "He has the ability to add another
element to the debate, and he's done so." An influential
voice, on the side of the fish, has the potential to reshape
the debate.
"Our View" is the editorial position of the Idaho Statesman,
e-mail editorial@idahostatesman.com.
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
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Viewing Nature: Part One
By Andy Andrews
I’m not an expert on birds, or on other wildlife. But as I
haven’t seen an article in the newsletter on this subject, I
thought I’d try to give enough basic information to
someone who might be interested in bird watching or
viewing nature to feel comfortable about getting started.
Remember that I may talk about observing little brown
birds, but I’m really talking about viewing all of nature.
As already mentioned, my qualifications in the field of
birding are minimal. Years ago, I needed another science
class to finish the requirements for my degree and
Ornithology (study of birds) seemed to be a safe class. I
already knew what ducks, seagulls and Robins looked like,
along with a few other birds that I saw in the back yard; so
how many more little brown birds could there be? In the
first ten - minutes of the class, I was already overwhelmed
with a 4 page handout of bird names on front and back,
two columns on each side. We were assured that a test
would be given showing slides of birds and we would have
to ID them by both their common and scientific names
(correct spelling required for credit). We were informed that
most of the birds on the list were year around residents in
and around Portland, and all the birds on the list could be
seen at some time during the year in Oregon. At this point
I was trying to remember my advisors name and his office
hours so that I could get the hell out of this madman’s
class. I felt that the instructor was not only crazy, but his
real intent was to nail my butt to his wall as an example of
‘stupid’. The class included a number of one day field trips
to the coast and Cascades and a three or four day trip to
the KBBT (Klamath Basin Birding Trail). In brief, I enjoyed
the class enough to survive and complete the requirements
for my degree.
I still have panic attacks and need oxygen if someone shows
me a slide of a bird and asks me for its name, but I will
admit that my life has been forever enriched by that one
class I attended so many years ago, taught by a madman.
Today, I enjoy watching the birds and squirrels that visit
my bird feeders in the front of the house and a bird
“condo” house in the back, which is currently occupied by
red fox squirrels. I keep my bird reference book handy,
because if I forget where I laid my car keys, I’ll never
remember the names of all the birds that visit the feeder
during the year.
Basically, the items needed for viewing birds are on the
short list. Binoculars are one of two most important items
you will want to acquire. They come in a variety of viewing
powers, sizes, and prices and may easily be your most
expensive piece of birding equipment. “Bios” as they are
known in the birding world, generally come in
magnification powers of 6, 8 and 10. All the magnification
power means is that an object will appear 6, 8, or 10 times
closer than it will with the naked eye. I know that to those
who are not familiar with bios, they may think that the
difference between 6 and 8’s would not be significant. But
if you have one chance to see a rare bird (or any animal)
and you are using 6-power bios, you will find that you can
physically kick yourself in the butt for not having 8-power
bios available. 6-power bios generally do not have the
power that most people

enjoy for birding. 8-power is the most common power used
for birding. 10s have great magnification but you need to
be able to hold them very steady to gain the benefits of the
extra power. The reason being, as the power of bios
increase, any amount of vibration induced by the user will
also be increased making the details of the image difficult
to see. I have known people who have used the top of their
car to steady their 10-power bios, but the vibration from
the engine made the details of an object difficult to see.
Also, a rule of thumb is that the greater the power of the
bios, the smaller the viewing area that you will see. The
viewing area of bios’, also known as Field-of-View, in my
opinion is not critical to know but it is sometimes displayed
on the bios as (example on my 8 - power), 346 X 1000. This
means that I see 324 feet of area from 1000 yards away.
My 10-power bios are marked 288 ft. at 1000 yards.
A second number you will definitely see associated with
bios is related to the size of the objective lens. The larger
the objective lens, the more light that can be gathered, and
that will result in a sharper, clearer image. You might see
bios’ advertised as 8 X 35, with ‘8’ being the power of
magnification and ‘35’ as the size of the objective lens in
millimeters. Compact designed bios will fit into a coat
pocket and weight just a few ounces. The main drawback
with compacts is the small size of their objective lens. The
smaller lens on a compact cannot gather as much light in
the early morning and late evening hours as bios’ with
larger lenses. Therefore objects may appear dark and not
as sharp as with full size binoculars. My compacts are 7 X
25, or have 25 MM lenses. My full size 10’s are marked
10X 50, having 50 MM lenses; the difference is huge. Most
serious birders use full-sized bios as the larger lenses give
them better viewing in low light conditions. I own a pair of
compacts and use them as much as any of my other bios
just because they are convenient to carry; however I also
understand their limitations.
So much for the easy stuff. Already you are wondering why
pay $400 (you can find bios at $1600) for full size Nikons
when I see just as well though the $35 compacts? There
are two schools of thought on how to spend your money.
First, if you are just getting starting in birding, buy an
inexpensive brand, compact or full size unit (8 X 35), to try
out both birding and bios. If you don’t like what you are
doing, you’re only out $35. The second side of this
argument is to simply buy the best you can afford; why
waste your money on something “cheap?” Personally, I
would rather spend $35, instead of $400 to discover I really
have no interest in little brown birds. Yes, Nikon makes a
better product for more money than an inexpensive, off
brand product, but you will not realize the difference in
quality when first getting started. What’s the real
difference between going cheap and paying a lot? I’ve seen
bios bounced off car doors, canoes, and stepped on. The
lenses in cheap bios will be thrown out of adjustment by
such treatment and can become worthless; more expensive
bios will have a far greater survival rate.
I’m just skimming the surface of basic binocular
technology. If you are spending a ton of cash on bios, you
need to ask about the twilight factor, resolution, eye relief,
and coated lenses, etc.
When you first use bios, focusing can be a pain in the butt!
Hopefully the directions received with your bios will
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
7
describe how the focusing process works. If you’ve lost
the directions (you’ve thrown them out with the packing) or
never received any directions (Oh, sure! I’ve never heard
that one before!), I’ll try to talk you through it here.
1) First, when you place the eye pieces to your eye,
you need to get one hole to look through. If you
are seeing two holes, or double images, move the
tubes that you are holding onto up or down until
you are viewing through one hole.
2) There is a small wheel in the center of the bio’s
that rotates for focus. Close the right eye and use
the wheel to adjust the focus for the left eye only.
3) With that done, close the left eye and with the right
eye open, adjust the focus by turning the right eye
piece. You should now be looking through one
hole that is in focus. There are reference points on
the right eye piece and if you maintain the correct
reference point for focus, all you need to do to
focus for a different distance is to move the center
wheel and not adjust each eye piece individually.
P.S. I’ve never been happy with auto – focus bios
and I wouldn’t own a pair.
I’m not going into spotting scopes at this time other than to
say that you need to plan on buying a very good (expensive)
tripod with the scope. Without the tripod, you’ve wasted
you money on the scope. Scopes have a lot more power
than bio’s, they have a much larger objective lens and are
very sensitive to movement; therefore they require a tripod.
But scopes are far more efficient then bios when it comes to
viewing wildlife, the planets, and getting you into trouble
with your neighbors for viewing things you are not
supposed to see.
That brings us to reference books on birds, which is the
second item on your short list. I suggest Roger Tory
Peterson’s Western Birds, available in most book stores and
the Audubon Society of Portland store on Cornell Road
($19.95, soft cover). Of course you may find lots of books
on birds and other animals that may be just as good as the
one I’ve suggested. Remember, I’m just trying to give you a
starting point on viewing wildlife so take some time and
look around at reference books. And don’t forget to check
Powell’s for used books on wildlife.
The second part of this series will deal with a few
organizations that view wildlife and local areas where you
can go on your own to view mother - nature at work.
Feel free to send me questions and thoughts. Andy
Web site designer/editor needed! If you know how to
create Web sites in html or Flash, we need your help. Our current
Web site at tvtroutunlimited.com needs new love and attention.
We need to update the site to offer more functionality and make it
easier and more rewarding to use. We need someone who can
take over, and/or maybe teach our board how to do this stuff for
ourselves. Is this you? If not, maybe you can refer us to someone
else with the expertise we’re seeking. This is an urgent need. If
you want to help, please contact Hank Hosfield at
hankh@imagina.com, or by phone at 503-228-6553
 Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited
November/December 2007 Beetle Viewing Nature Tips/Tools
Officers and Board
President: Hank Hosfield
228-6553 hankh@imagina.com
Vice President Robert L. Bernard
503-239-8507 bearbernard@yahoo.com
Communications Paige Wallace
503-803-9466 flyfishgirl@hotmail.com
Treasurer Erle Norman 293-6006
caddis2000@hotmail.com
Membership Chair
Board of Directors:
Eric Thompson 297-0718
anglingeric@msn.com
Dick Rohrbaugh
rbaugh@lclark.edu 636-3877
David Illig Newsletter editor
296 9050 dillig1@aol.com
Alex Barkume - 642-7024
alexbarkume@comcast.net
Andy Andrews Outings
Glen.Andrews@nustarenergy.com 969 2246
Jerry Heppell gheppell5@verizon.net 639-9408
Michael Gentry MichaelGentry04@comcast.net
636-0061