THE TROUT LINE
Tualatin Valley Chapter News
January/February 2008 Editors: David Illig and Jerry Lorang
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 Directors home at 7pm.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008,
Winter Steelheading with Mark Bachmann
Mark is one of the icons of Oregon fly fishing, steelheading,
as well as a passionate teacher of the benefits of spey rods
and casting. Long time owner and guide of the Fly Fishing
Shop, Mark would like to help ease the pain and frustration
of steelheading. He’s going to share some of his secrets of
the Sandy River and general winter steelheading tactics.
These secrets have been earned from decades of
experience. If you have any questions about how to get
outfitted for the chase, he has knowledge and a willingness
to share it.
President’s Column
Hank Hosfield
As much as I hate to dismantle my
own self-image or anyone else’s belief
in my ability to ramble on at length
ad infinitum on virtually nothing
while at the same time offering if not insight, at least some
amusement, I need to confess that there are many times—
like now, for instance—when I look at the looming deadline
and haven’t the foggiest notion about what to tell you. And
if you’ve been reading my little column here for some time,
you already know I’m not much for giving you the standard
presidential message blather. I don’t know why that is, but
I don’t think anyone minds. Of course, this makes it more
challenging for me to come up with something else that you
might find useful. Also, generally, I prefer to offer myself
up as an object lesson of what not to do—a cautionary tale,
if you will. But the list of things that I’m screwing up just
keeps getting longer, so for the sake of bringing this in
under
several chapters, I thought I’d offer a short list of things
that have enhanced my fishing experience over recent
years. These are things that I’m reasonably confident will
also work for you, with minimal risk of dire consequence.
As Ken Kesey wrote in Sometimes A Great Notion: “Take
what you can use and let the rest go by.”
Wednesday, February 13, 2008,
TU and The Stone Fly Maidens Present Fly
Fishing the Bahamas with Brian O’Keefe
(or, Why You Want to Be Brian O’Keefe)
Fresh out of high school in 1973, Brian set off on a solo trip
through New Zealand and Australia, and a trek into the
Himalayan Mountains to fish for brown trout. Two years
later he returned and spent the next ten years guiding
around the Northwest and Alaska. At age 30 he traded in
his guide hat to rep some of the world finest fly fishing
tackle and shoot angling/outdoor photography. Along the
way he also managed to win a few casting contests and
travel to some of the wildest and most remote angling
destinations in the world. In many of these locations he
again chose to venture off the beaten path. He’s also
managed get a lot of his photos and adventures published.
At the joint invitation of the Stonefly Maidens and TVTU,
Brain’s taking a break from his adventures to show and tell
us pretty much everything we need to know about fly
fishing the Bahamas. All in all, this will be a very colorful
show with underwater fish photography, info and photos
from over 30 trips to the Bahamas.
Go to the NW Fly Tyer Expo Yeah, I know most of you
don’t tie flies, and you’ve got no time or inclination to start.
So why go watch a bunch of old dudes bent over small
hooks in vises? My reply is, because most guys who tie flies
this expertly can also fish circles around you, and that hall
is a virtual Who’s Who of NW Fly Fishing, jammed full of
more fishing knowledge than any library of books or videos
you’ll ever own. And you can sit down at their tables and
pick their brains all day for $5. Besides, you really should
be tying your own flies. Catching fish on flies you tie
yourself is deeply satisfying.
Buy a Float Tube I’ve been float tubing since I was a kid.
You know how kids like floating in inner tubes. Fishing out
of one is even better. Plus it’s almost always in a lake,
where there are many fewer rods to battle for prime fishing
water—unlike, say, the Deschutes. The contemplative
stillness of lake fishing offers more than just bigger fish,
more beautiful vistas and refuge from the thrash, it
presents a whole new array of fishing challenges that help
round out your skill set. Think of it as cross-training. Did
you catch that part about bigger fish?
Quit Your Job Your job may well be slowly killing you.
Heaven knows what kind of crimp it’s putting into your
fishing. Hey, I need dough like anyone, but when I dumped
my nine-to-hell agency gig and went to work for myself, the
spare hungry hours when the phone was silent were
reallocated to mending my broken spirit on many weekday
outings upon conveniently uncrowded and soul-

soothing local waters. Believe me, getting out around 100
times a year does wonders for your casting stroke and is no
road to misery. But you won’t make the cover of Forbes,
either.
Read The River Why Do I even have to explain this?
David James Duncan’s irreverent, funny and insightful fly
fishing tale of the search for love and meaning upon the
waters of the Northwest fell into my hands shortly before I
did that quit-my-job thing. It wasn’t the inspiration to bolt,
but it did suggest a path to follow in the footsteps of
Duncan, and for a couple lean years I channeled Gus
Orviston and made my own journey of self discovery that
fuels me still today. I also learned a lot of Coast Range
waters.
Take Someone With You I’ve done a lot of solitary fishing
and value it, but I’ve come to find that it’s even better when
I can share the experience with someone else. In addition
to the obvious benefits of having them drive, row you
around, or mooching their food, a fishing partner makes for
a wonderful alibi for getting home late---or even having to
go fishing in the first place. It’s hard for the wife to say no
to a friend that you’ve already made a promise to (wink)
guide. It’s also nice to take someone along to experience
familiar waters through a new set of eyes. It’s like
rekindling the thrill of the first time.
Shoot Pictures Memories fade, places change, and
photographic evidence can go along way toward
reestablishing your credibility as an accurate estimator of
fish size. Even more, fishing with a camera around your
neck gives one another reason to pause and truly
appreciate the genius of nature’s architecture.
Get a Washington Fishing License If you can beat traffic
across the Interstate Bridge, you’ll find yourself with a new
and difficult choice among some of the best fishing waters
in the Northwest all within 60 miles of Portland. There are
some years I’ve actually fished more in Washington than I
did in Oregon. Also, an out-of-state WA annual license
costs about the same as an in-state Oregon License. Plus,
night fishing is legal there. Not that much fun, but legal.
Buy Great Fishing Clothing I’ve been cold, I’ve been wet,
and I’ve been itchy, sweaty, stinky and mummified. But
that’s all in the past. State-of-the-art, breathable,
stretchable, rugged, lightweight and weather-beating fishing
wear make all the difference. I’m almost always
comfortable on the water—even in freezing Cascades lakes.
There are lots of good options now, and some of it can be a
bit spendy, but it is worth every dime. I don’t want to get
too dramatic here, but proper clothing can save your rear. I
could also offer a list of items I recommend, but I don’t
want to turn this into a long product endorsement. I will
say, however, that the Simm’s wind-stopper fleece jacket is
the bomb. Best single piece of gear I’ve ever purchased.
Do Something Green Plant a tree, or 300. Do a stream
survey. Toss some salmon carcasses. Write a legislator.
Bomb a dam—you know, metaphorically. It’s not only
important for us to protect and enhance our resources for
the obvious reasons, but it’s equally important for us to
make an effort in order to feel more empowered and less
helpless about the state of things. When you contribute,
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
2
you are intrinsically more optimistic. And that is a good
thing.
Get Yourself a Dog Some guys have four-legged fishing
pals that go everywhere with them. I have a beautiful
golden retriever who has already eaten one G Loomis GLX,
and makes it harder for me to get away from home because
she is unmanageable around water and liable to eat god-
knows-what if I let her run free while I fish. And now I’ve
got another puppy-- her half-brother—on the way. I won’t
fish again for eight months. What’s good about this? It will
enhance my total appreciation of every aspect of the
experience should I ever get to don my waders again.
Then again, I could be wrong about all of this. Feel free to
tell me about it on some future TU adventure in 2008.
Tight lines. Hank
Fly of the Month: Michael Gentry
Hot Head Flashback Pheasant Tail
I suspect I am singing to the choir. There probably isn’t any
fly tier who has not tried tying a pheasant tail – after all, it
is one of the most productive nymphs ever to leave a vise.
The fly has enjoyed uniform success on both lakes and
rivers for decades. But I have found that a few tweaks can
add a measure of improvement to this great deceiver, and
part of the fun of tying is to add a few twists to an old
standard. Incorporating a hot pink beadhead and a bit of
flash does seem to improve the hits.
Thread: black 8/0 unithread
Hook: Tiemco 2302, #s 12 through 16
Beadhead: hot pink bead, sized to match the hook
Tail and body: cock pheasant tail fibers
Ribbing: fine copper wire
Thorax: peacock herl
Thorax shell: pearl mylar strip or flat silver tinsel
Legs: pheasant tail fibers
1. Secure the beadhead by a number of wraps of
thread behind the head, to create a ball of thread
that can be pushed up against the back of the bead,
securing the bead against the eye of the hook.
2. Feather the pheasant tail fibers out perpendicular
to the tailfeather shaft and select four or five long
fibers, clipped off close to the shaft.
3. Tie the tips of the fibers (the tips will be the fly’s
tail) just short of the rear of the hook (to allow the
body to have a bit of a downward bend) with two
turns of thread, and gently bend the rest of the
fibers to the side and out of the way. I make the
tail about 1/3 the length of the fly.
4. Tie one end of about two inches of wire in with
several turns right in front of where the tail is tied
to the hook.
5. Wind the fibers to about 2/3 of the way to the back
of the bead, to form the body. The winds should be
snug but not tight; winding with too much tension
will break some of the fibers. This

will create a straight (uniform diameter) body and is
easy; I like a tapered fly so before winding I build up a
tapered underbody with wraps of thread. Tier’s choice.
In either case, before wrapping the fiber body leave the
thread at the “front” of the desired body so the body
wraps can be tied off. And for the larger flies, the first
set of fibers may “run out” before the desired body
length/thickness is reached. In that case, don’t panic –
just clip and tie in another bunch of fibers and keep
wrapping.
6. Counterwrap the wire (wrapping in the opposite
direction of the body wraps) and tie off at the front
of the body. I give a #14 body about six wraps,
evenly spaced.
7. Tie in a 1 inch piece of mylar or tinsel at the front
of the body so that the piece is on top of the body
and sticking backward.
8. Wrap a peacock herl thorax so that the thorax is
slightly larger (thicker diameter) than the front of
the body (takes several layers of wrap usually), and
extends to the beadhead. Tie off with two turns at
the beadhead. To improve the durability of the fly I
wind the herl around the thread to make a herl
“yarn” and then wind the yarn around the hook.
9. Pull the mylar or tinsel strip forward over the top
of the thorax and tie off with two turns of thread at
the back of the bead. Clip the remaining strip as
close to the tie point as possible; I then push the
little tag of strip back to double it over the tieoff
thread.
10. Clip a clump of four or five tail fibers and tie the
tips in on one side of the fly with two turns of
thread at the back of the bead with the tips
pointing backward for legs, so that the legs stick
back a tad behind the thorax. Those turns of
thread will go over the little double-backed tag of
strip and help hold the flashback secure. Repeat
on the other side. Since there will be little fiber
ends where the leg fibers are clipped off in front of
the tieoff points, I also gently double those ends
back over the tieoff thread with my thumbnail or a
bobbin, and put a wrap or two of thread over them
to hide them and help hold the legs in place.
11. Tie off with several half hitches.
This nymph must be a fair representation of a number of
lake and river insects. On the lakes I fish it like a
chironomid, with fairly slow 4 inch or so retrieves. In the
rivers it can be fished on a standard downstream drift. No
serious fisherman can afford to be without a good supply
of these flies. Michael
Save March 7 & 8, 2008
The Northwest Fly Tyers and Fly Fishing
Exposition- At the Linn County Fairground and Expo
Center In Albany, Oregon. Talk to the best fly tyers in the
Northwest, Take classes ranging from casting to fishing,
Enter a casting tournament, and see new products
Don’t Miss It. www.nwflytyersexpo.com
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
3
Chapter Considering Stream Recovery
on the Oregon Coast Robert Bernard;
The mission of Trout Unlimited and our Chapter is “To
conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater
fisheries and their watersheds.” To that end, in November
your board met with Tom Wolf, Chair of the Oregon Council
for Trout Unlimited and discussed the idea of our Chapter
being the lead organization from TU to help fishery water
at the Oregon coast.
We received an offer from the state council to go to Seaside,
Oregon to meet with individuals, review possibilities and
participate in fact finding. As VP of our chapter and being
available, I went as our representative.
On November 19, Tom Wolf, Alan Moore, an employee of
national TU who works in Portland, and I drove to Seaside.
We began by meeting with Doug Ray who is a lifetime
Seaside resident actively involved in water restoration, fish
habit and other environmental matters. Then we met Neal
Maine, Katie Voelke and Teresa Retzlaff representing the
North Coast Land Trust Conservancy and Watershed
Council. These two organizations are open to folks from TU
working with them on conservation efforts. We were there
to learn about and review possibilities on the
Necanicum/North Nehalem streams and tributaries. These
organizations are devoting skills, energy, years and fiscal
resources to sustainable stewardship within these
watersheds. They have a strategic plan to a long-term goal
for sustainability. They work with landowners,
governments and conservation groups for quantifiable
results for public access along with environmental
protection.
Upon learning more about each organization’s goals,
structure and cooperation matter, we drove to Klootchy
Park. We walked about 1.3 miles of the riverfront on land
the Conservancy may purchase. Such land and its waters on
Necanicum and two tributaries require conservation efforts.
We looked over these locations for needs and ways we
could help.
Tom, Alan, and I all initially agree that: this location, its
history, local culture and in-place management structure
leave us believing this a good starting point for our
consideration. We are in a ‘fact finding stage’. Decisions to
be made in the upcoming days are, e.g., do we want to do
another conservation project, what is best fit for us, and
the usual who, what, when, where and how. Resource
considerations also apply.

At the November Chapter board of directors meeting, we
reviewed this and other possible projects. Our board
authorized me to continue representing the Chapter while
proceeding with efforts to consider making this an ongoing
conservation project. Look for updates in further
newsletters. Feel free to call me 503.239.8507 Robert
Timothy Lake Review Andy Andrews
As usual, I got a late start heading for Timothy Lake on
Friday evening. I’ll simply blame it on work because I can’t
explain how a late start happens; it just does. Then I had
numerous traffic issues to the point I did consider calling it
quits for that evening. But that would only give me one
campfire for the weekend. I had set my sights on a two
campfire weekend and I was going to march on to Timothy
Lake come Hell or high water. We arrived at the Little Crater
Lake Campground well after dark. We set up our tents in
the dark while another TU member who arrived much
earlier made us a hot drink which was greatly appreciated.
Little Crater Lake Campground easily held our crew and
there was only one other camp located some distance from
us. This time of year, the campground is not serviced but
the upside of that is there no charge to stay in the
campground. On a hot weekend this campground would be
ideal because most all spaces are very shaded. Though not
covering a large area, the campground probably contains 20
spaces. The name Little Crater Lake comes from a small
lake located near by. This lake (some might say pond) is
said to be 42 feet deep and it’s clear enough you can see
every bottom pebble
The fishing at Timothy on this weekend was the most
consistent fishing I have ever encountered at the lake. I did
not catch one fish, nor did I have one hit the entire
weekend. From the reports that I have heard, I know of
only three fish that were caught by our group of seven
fishermen. However, there was one event that made the
trip very worthwhile for me.
We have had proof–positive that large Rainbow and Brook
trout live in Timothy, and most of us have had some
undisputed proof that there are 24-26 inch fish in
residence. But on this weekend, Saturday afternoon in fact,
I saw one of the biggest trout I have ever seen. About 3 feet
away from the boat and maybe 2 feet down, a Rainbow
swam along the side of the boat in a very leisurely manner
(as if to say, “Hi guys, how are things going?). It was easily
the largest and prettiest fish I have ever seen in Timothy. I
visually marked the length of the fish on the side of the
boat, and then brought out my tape measure to get an
estimate of its length. I’m fairly comfortable telling you
that I believe that the fish would measure about 30 inches
in length and with a wide, bright red strip on its side.
We had a first time stillwater fisherman with us in the boat
on Sunday. In streams, you can see feeding lanes for the
fish and objects where fish can hide. In streams and rivers
you learn the most likely places where fish will be hiding.
In stillwater (lakes), there’s generally no way to tell where
the fish are likely to be other than repeated trips to the lake
to discover where the fish are hiding. This fact seemed to
be unsettling to our new stillwater fisherman. Someone
else in the boat and I tried to walk him through a few ideas
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
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about this style of fishing. This included casting to a
rising fish, letting your line sink for a period of time before
retrieving the fly. The amount of time you allow the fly to
sink (changing the depth of the fly) and the speed with
which you retrieve the fly can be critical in this type of
fishing. Coming up empty handed, it will be interesting to
see if the young man returns to another stillwater fishing
trip, and more instruction. We are always willing to teach
what we know; you just have to be willing to show up.
On this trip to Timothy, we did not catch a lot of fish.
However I believe most of us had a good time talking
around the campfire, we enjoyed the sunshine, and we
enjoyed the beautiful autumn colors that were reflected in
the lake and all its beauty. We enjoyed the fishing. Andy
Oregon TU Meeting Your board of directors
devote a significant amount of time and energy to help us
meet our overarching goals to protect, reconnect, retain
and restore our waters and fisheries. President Hank
Hosfield, Vice-President Robert Bernard and Secretary Jerry
Heppell served as active participants within a recent
Oregon TU meeting. Participating were 35 people from
throughout Oregon chapters and council. We had the good
fortune to have national representatives work with us. I
give you summation of a full day conference:
Oregon Council Chair, Tom Wolf, reported on efforts
to gain support for a Mt. Hood Wilderness Area, worked
on numerous wilderness, roadless and National forest
issues, active meetings with ODFW, Oregon Forestry,
Oregon Conservation Network, and Legislative matters
among others totaling some 3446 hours.
Alan Moore, paid by national while working at Oregon
TU, will devote ½ his time to improving
communications between chapters and council. He will
help us instigate and manage conservation efforts.
Reports from other state staff comprised items such
as endangered species actions, water flow issues, wild
vs. hatchery fish, dam management and land
conservation/improvement.
Our national website: TU.org will see many
enhancements.
Chapters gave reports. For example, A) Clackamas
River Chapter’s major focus was on education. Two big
events held were Kid’s Fishing Day and Fly Fishing
Camp for Kids, B) Middle Rogue focused on education
at schools, scout groups and YMCA, did 7 different
Riparian Planting projects, membership and
recruitment effort and information booth at Joes
Sporting Goods.
National staff reported on successes and plans.
Primarily, these evolved around helping chapters,
conservation, dam enhancements, saving fish and fiscal
considerations.
We talked about ways to add and involve members,
interest in adding new chapters, ways to improve our
fiscal and operational structures plus forthcoming
education sessions. Our next meeting is Saturday,
January 26, 2007 Robert Bernard

Travels with Charleyhorse, (or “A Lake
Too Far”) Michael Gentry
It sounded like a good idea. A week long camping/ fishing/
hiking trip in the high Wind River Range in Wyoming in
August, with our gear horsepacked in! I love new
adventures into rugged areas and had only skirted the edge
of that part of the state in earlier trips. So when George,
my best Seattle fishing buddy, called to say a partner at his
law firm had planned a trip and had two spots left, I
jumped at the chance. And Steve, the planner and an old
hand at these kinds of trips, had scouted out the maps and
had found an ideal spot on several lakes about eight miles
in from the trailhead, with an 1800 foot elevation gain
overall. Piece of cake – I’d put many miles on the old hiking
boots going into “secret spots” and hadn’t been hitting the
Famous Amos trough too much in recent months.
The rest of the bunch were all from Seattle. Three couples
(including Steve and his wife), and George and me as the
Odd Couple. Since I was already going to be in eastern
Idaho for several days right before the trip, I arranged to
meet their plane in Jackson and we’d caravan in a van and
my rig to Pinedale for the night and then get a good early
start up the trail. The outfitter was all arranged and I could
just see us arriving at the lakes by noon, fresh and eager to
drown a bug in new waters.
At long last, the day arrived and I found myself waiting in
the mob at the Jackson Hole airport. More rod cases than
the Kaufmanns storeroom contains poured off the plane in
the hands of eager, sparkly-eyed toters. George emerged
suitably armed, and we hunted up the others in the luggage
area. The first thing I noticed was that they were all more
than a tad younger, and the second thing I noticed was that
they all appeared to be in great shape. But I wasn’t
worried about that little voice in the back of my head –
after all, I was in good shape, right?
After a good night’s sleep, we hit the trial. I soon learned
three things. A hike beginning at 7500 feet elevation is a
lot different than hiking at much lower elevations around
here. And it doesn’t help when the first two miles includes
about 1500 feet of the elevation gain. The capper was that
as the trial kept winding on, we learned that the campsite
had been “relocated” a tad further in. To be precise, five
more miles. I’d forgotten that Steve was a 30 or so mile a
week runner and to him “an easy climb” and “just a bit
further’ were relative terms. So eight hours later, at 10,500
feet, we dragged ourselves into our home for the next six
days. Only the thought of getting out of my hiking boots,
which had started playing “oh, you’ll pay big time” at mile
two, saw me through. I don’t really remember much about
that first evening except that I learned I can put up the tent
and stow my gear on autopilot.
By the next morning, as I slowly came back into the land of
the living with the aid of several more Advil, I began to
appreciate the beauty of the place. That extra five miles
had taken us to the top of the range, with a spectacular
panoramic view. We were camped just above a sizeable
lake with a half dozen others within several miles. Several
of us hit the lake by camp that day, me in my backpack u-
boat, but after four hours we had very few fish for our
hours of paddling around. I’d geared up mostly for dry
flies, and looked at the dozens of patterns in my box that
“To Conserve, Protect, And Restore North America’s Cold Water Fisheries And Their Watersheds”
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had been uniformly shunned. At least it beat getting the
same exercise in a gym somewhere. Our campmates were
first-class menu planners and cooks, and I’d been charged
with procuring box wine for the trip; I took my job seriously
and well into the first three liter box of Black Box Merlot
(gets four stars in my book), we all decided that this wasn’t
so bad after all, despite the miserable fishing premier.
The next day, George, Steve and I hiked over the next ridge
to a lake a mile or so from camp, with only mild protest
from my lower extremities. I’d guess that lake was 40 acres
or so, about half the size of our home base lake. And it was
full of hungry brookies IF you fished a wooly bugger as
George was doing. I’d brought six, intending to fish mostly
on top after reading some recommendations for the area.
Never trust a fisherman’s tales! These fish scoffed at every
dry I threw, even the old faithful patterns of the lakes, and
to make matters worse would send designated fish to
generate a little surface action several hundred yards away
only to disappear by the time I paddled over to them. I felt
like the Saturday matinee cartoon feature. Eating my pride
(the only thing I had that was getting eaten), I switched over
and started hooking up immediately. The fish were
generally in the 8-10 inch range with a few up to 13 inches,
but hit and fought easily twice as hard as their lowland
cousin rainbows. I lost a third of my stock of buggers
within the first thirty minutes, and began to work on my
best “puhleeze loan me a fly” routine for the inevitable trip
over to my buddies. Then it occurred to me that these fish
were so hungry for food that leader size probably wasn’t a
big deal. So I switched to something about the size of a tow
rope and began to have success. My pride, and remaining
buggers, were safe at last! Or so I thought. But these fish
were wily, and knew the location of every razor-edged
submerged rock in the joint. I left the lake that afternoon a
humbled man with one bedraggled bugger to my name.
The menu later that week included fish for dinner, and as
most of the others were hikers/explorers and I was the die-
hard water flogger, I was the designated catcher. The
pressure was on; I headed off to the brookie lake with my
one remaining bugger (some buddies – won’t part with their
last producer) and a prayer to every deity I could muster.
Half an hour later I was a buggerless agnostic with two fish
in the bag. I pawed around in my vest and found a few
flashback pheasant tails and bet the farm on them, and
they started producing. By late afternoon I had almost
enough keepers for a meal, when the wind began to pick
up. Although our camp was 500 feet below timberline
(which boggled my mind since I was used to the much
lower timberline in the Cascades), this lake was in a shallow
bowl on a barren plateau with absolutely no protection.
There is wind, and there is wind, but this was WIND! Maybe
that’s why it’s called the Wind River Range? By the time I
had caught the remaining fish I needed, I was in a force 10
gale and on the opposite side of the lake. It must have
taken almost an hour of steady kicking through whitecaps
to get back to the right shore. I’ve never worked so hard
for dinner, and dinner never tasted as good. I took every
bow I could get.

The rest of the trip was much less eventful until the
rainstorm hit the last evening. You haven’t lived until
you’ve been on top of a mountain, in an open camp with
40+ mile gusts driving heavy rain into every orifice. They
say that misery loves company and that night we had plenty
of company. But when the rain and wind finally subsided,
we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever
seen – reds, magentas and purples across easily 100 miles
of sky. We headed out the next morning, wetter and wiser
and thankful to have spent (and survived) that week in such
remote beauty. Michael
TU Fishing Outings 2007
Plans for this coming year’s outings are being developed.
All ideas for fun and productive outings are graciously
accepted.
Contact Andy Glen.Andrews@valero.co
503 969 2246
Viewing Nature Part II Andy Andrews
Years ago while driving through Utah on vacation with my
wife, I would occasionally point out antelope, which
appeared to be very abundant in the area. My wife would
respond with an “Unmm”. At one point when I mentioned
some antelope she angrily responded with, “Stop that!
There’s nothing out there!” I stopped the car and with full
knowledge that what I might say next could bring a divorce
lawyer into the picture, I described where the antelope were
standing. My wife responded an “Oh…so that’s what you
are looking at”. After the tire smoke cleared from stopping,
we continued our journey. The point is that you have to be
trained to see wildlife. In Part One of Viewing Nature, I
mentioned how I came to take a birding class directed by a
madman. The most disturbing thing about the class was
that there were 30 people tramping through the woods,
most not seeing or hearing the wildlife around them. They
wandered around behind the instructor waiting for him to
point out something they could see and never tried to
observe anything on their own.
Anyone can train themselves to see and hear wildlife. But
you have to slow down your natural pace and learn to
observe the things around you, which seem difficult for
most of us to do. One five minute exercise you can do to
sharpen your ‘observing power” (and stress reliever) is to sit
down in the woods, or your back yard, and close your eyes
and simply, listen. As my wife will tell you, my brain can be
easily confused when confronted with two or more events
happening at the same time, so I try to eliminate some of
the confusion by closing my eyes and listen to the sounds
made by animals. The other benefit of this exercise is
learning to be quiet, both in movement and sound which
alerts the animals to your presence. In the animal world,
your movement usually means danger and the animals will
go into their ‘freeze’ mode until the danger passes. Once
you have located a sound you are interested in, open your
eyes to see what is making the sound. It takes some
patience, but after some work on your part, you’ll become
sensitive to not only the movements around you, but their
sound as well. You’ll be surprised at what you can ‘see’
with your ears. There is a lot of nature going on out there
in your own back yard. With practice, you will learn to
identify a Douglas Squirrel (a native) from a Red Fox
Squirrel (introduced) by their movements and chatter as
they move through the trees (Reds are heavier and move
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6
slower, stopping much more often than a Douglas, which
scampers quickly through the trees for some distance
before stopping).
As a side note: I recently sat and ate my lunch, 20 feet off a
popular and heavily used trail in Forest Park. I was in a red
shirt and in plain view. In the 30 minutes I was there, not
one passerby saw me or acknowledged that I was there.
Some of these folks also walked by a deer and never saw it.
I figured that they were very proud of their shoes because
they stared at them a lot as they walked (True story, and
did I make my point?).
Please remember that the point of the three-part write up
on viewing wildlife is to help give a starting point for those
who want to begin observing the wildlife around them. We
are fortunate because we do not have to go far to observe
wildlife around Portland. One of the best ways to learn
these areas is to join in with a group who are going birding.
Not only will you benefit by joining with someone who
knows where to observe wildlife, but most people feel more
comfortable in a group setting when in the woods, instead
of on their own. Don’t confuse birding as focusing on little
brown birds; if you use the senses that God gave you
(including hearing), you will be observing all of natures
creatures interacting in life.
So how do you find places around Portland to observe
wildlife? If you have never visited the Audubon Society of
Portland complex, you will find it’s time well spent. They
have a small store (10% discount on purchases by
members), Interpretive / Meeting Center, maintained trails
in Macleay Park and even an animal hospital for wounded
creatures. They hold classes related to birding, plants,
animals, the environment and they are always looking for
volunteers to help with projects. Their address is 5151 NW
Cornell Road and their phone number is (503) 292-6855.
When visiting their store, pick up a free copy of their
newsletter (The Warbler) that lists upcoming events which
includes trips to Oaks Bottom, Sauvie Island, Upper
Johnson Creek, Powell Butte and many other locations.
Birding classes are also available at some junior colleges as
an adult ‘fun’ course. Attending a class is a good way to
get into learning more about birds, animals and the
environment. One book you should look into if you are
curious about where nature hangs out around Portland is,
Wild in the City: A Guide to Portland’s Natural Areas
(Oregon Historical Society, Corp. Author, Cody and Houck,
editors. The book is a collaboration of naturalists and
outdoor writers who describe the wild areas in and around
Portland (maps included) and a little about the critters who
live there
Portland Community College has an adult birding class with
field trips to the beach, Mt. Hood and Eastern Oregon to
observe migrating birds. One instructor I had taught
birding and geology so I got two - instructors for the price
of one. Classes are held one or two nights a week where
slides are shown of various birds and the bird’s habits are
defined. The classes I took had one day field trips almost
every weekend and a couple of ‘overnighters’. The
Audubon Society of Portland and PCC are two suggestions
of the most common birding classes being held (PCC
classes are well under way by the time you get this
newsletter. Sorry!).

One group that travels a local waterway is the Tualatin
Riverkeepers. The Riverkeepers are a community based
organization working to restore the Tualatin River system.
They are always seeking citizens for cleanup along the river
banks, restoration projects and they sponsor river trips and
tours. Their phone number is (503) 620-7507 and email is
info@tualatinriverkeepers.org. You can rent some
watercraft for their outings from them but the transporting
of the rental is up to you. Most waterways are homes to a
variety of birds, otters and other animals and the Tualatin
River is no exception. The Riverkeepers are good people
who know the ins and outs of the Tualatin River and will
bring you home safely after a day on the river. Don’t forget
a camera and binoculars if you take one of their trips.
You can also visit a number of birding/wildlife areas on
your own. If you live in the Tualatin Valley area, there are
about 25 wet land/urban forest areas anywhere from 15
minutes to a 45 minute drive from downtown Beaverton.
At Coon Point on Sauvie Island, there is a covered structure
just off Reeder Road overlooking Sturgeon Lake. The
shelter is great because on windy, rainy days, the birds will
be sitting on the water waiting for better flying weather,
and you can stay dry while observing the parade of wildlife.
Eagles are also known to roost in the area of Coon Point.
The Oak Island Trail, Virginia Lake and HowellTerritorial
Park are other opportunities for viewing wildlife. Sauvie
can be a great place to observe migrating water fowl and if
you can’t see geese and other water fowl on Sauvie Island in
the fall, you really need to slow down your life! Just off
Sauvie Island and along Highway 30 is the Burlington
Bottoms Wetland.
Cornell Road crosses Balch Creek which has an endangered
native cutthroat trout in its pools. Balch Creek Runs
through property owned by the Audubon Society of
Portland. They maintain trails that run into Macleay and
Washington Parks. All of these parks have great canopies
formed by the forests and they are wonderful to visit on a
hot day. The trails in the parks are well maintained and
can go for many miles, passing ponds and creeks. Balch
Creek is most likely the only creek in the parks that is
flowing year around.
Jackson Bottoms Wetland near Hillsboro has a least two
viewing structures and is well known for heron, mink, otter
and eagles that reside on the over 600 acres. One side of
the wetlands is bordered by the Tualatin River which can
flood the trails during the winter. You should have no
trouble viewing aquatic birds at Jackson Bottom.
The Fernhill Wetlands is located near Forest Grove and is
also over 600 acres in size. As I remember, there are two
viewing areas, one puts you in the center of wetlands and
you have an awesome view of the area and its wildlife. Both
of these wetland areas are very special and should hold a
high priority on your list of places to visit.
Do you want something really close to Beaverton? How
about the Tualatin Hills Nature Park, located at 15655 SW
Millikan Blvd., between Beaverton and Aloha, and can be
accessed by MAX? There is a pond on the property that a
number of wildlife creatures call home.
Remember that I have listed only a half dozen or so areas
of the 25 that are close to us. In the third and final report
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7
on viewing wildlife, I will cover some of the areas that are
outside of Portland, in Western and Eastern Oregon. I am
impressed by the opportunities to learn more about
coldwater resource conservation and fishing in Oregon that
this chapter offers. I am grateful for the chance to be a
member and to serve your needs. Andy
TU OREGON COUNCIL AND CHAPTERS
DISCUSS EFFORTS Robert Bernard
Our Trout Unlimited, Oregon Council, recently instigated its
first ever conference call with Oregon chapter officers. The
purpose was to allow us to learn what other chapters are
doing, share information, learn about TU staff efforts and
discuss other important matters. Our Chapter president,
Hank Hosfield and I participated, as did members from
other Oregon chapters, council members and staff. We
learned about staffing situations (shortage) in the Portland
office. Funding for most positions, both locally and
nationally, comes about as restricted funds for specific
projects. A staff attorney devotes most of her efforts to
ensuring adequate water flows via the hydropower re-
licensing and renewal process. A major, ongoing, project is
salmon and steelhead recovery along the Oregon,
Washington and California coasts.
The council will work with local chapters to develop a
signature project for the state that will be a focal point for
a statewide initiative, with local ownership. The council will
assist with funding possibilities simultaneously looking for
projects, both short-term and long-term. As you noticed our
chapter is researching opportunities. Our state council
continues a fifteen-year effort to improve the Snake and
Columbia rivers. Most recently, they responded to a
biological opinion during the sixty-day response time.
TU Oregon helps with national and local legislative
initiatives such as getting congress to pass an initiative to
designate 136,000 acres as an Oregon wilderness area.
Another example is statewide legislation writing,
monitoring, informing and editing. These occur, locally, at
the state legislature and in Washington D.C...
I hope this helps our members better understand what our
chapter, as-well-as state and national TU are doing to help
us meet our conservation goals. Robert
Warning: Editor-in-Training
I am Jerry Lorang, the soon-to-be editor of this newsletter.
As such, I am pleased to have the assistance of David Illig,
our current editor, as we put together this edition of the
newsletter. I hope that I can maintain the high quality of
the publication and I wish to offer my personal thanks to
him for all of his hard work. I volunteered for this because
I was so impressed with the TU newsletters that I have
received since I came to Portland, Oregon 4 years ago.
Because I read and enjoyed the newsletters I chose to
become more active in the TV Chapter. Becoming more
active soon meant taking on this role. As the editor, I
would like to continue to deliver a meaningful newsletter to
all of you. I am asking that you feel free to provide me with
both material and feedback. jerrylorang@aol.com.
(Ed. I would like to thank all our contributors and readers
who have made my work enjoyable. I expect that you will
give Jerry great support and help. Thank you. David Illig)
 Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited
Jan/Feb 2008 Wyoming Fishing Wildlife Viewing Pheasant Tail
Nymph
Officers and Board
President: Hank Hosfield
228-6553 hankh@imagina.com
Vice President: Robert L. Bernard
503-239-8507 bearbernard@yahoo.com
Secretary Jerry Heppell 639-9408
gheppell5@verizon.net
Treasurer: Erle Norman
293-6006 caddis2000@hotmail.com
Membership Chair:
Communications: Paige Wallace
503-803-9466 flyfishgirl@hotmail.com
Board of Directors:
Eric Thompson
297-0718 anglingeric@msn.com
Dick Rohrbaugh
636-3877 rbaugh@lclark.edu
David Illig 296 9050 dillig1@aol.com
Alex Barkume
642-7024 alexbarkume@comcast.net
Outings: Andy Andrews
969 2246 Glen.Andrews@valero.com
Michael Gentry
MichaelGentry04@comcast.net 636-0061
Jerry Lorang Newsletter Editor
503-228-8897 jerrylorang@aol.com