Trout Camp

Timothy Burke • 6/11/172/16/19

Trout camp is a special place for storytelling, ribbing comments, and enjoying good company. Every May a few of my closest friends and I migrate south for a long weekend of fly fishing for very large and very hungry rainbow trout on the Deschutes River. After seven months of wet soggy Western Washington weather, the dry hot arid temperatures of Central Oregon are a breath of fresh air. We make it a point to fish the Salmon Fly hatch and tan our pale skin. Selfishly I get to hang out with people I love, do something I love (fly fishing) and be in a place that I love. For me, this scratches all the necessary itches all at once. Maybe you’ve witnessed a Labrador Retriever receiving a good scratch from a loving owner with their tail wagging and one back hind leg thumping on the ground with that look in their eye like, “I hope this never ends.” Well, that’s what I feel like come late May on the Deschutes.

Although my buddy JR would never admit it the trout I am holding is bigger then any trout he has ever caught. Notice his jealous grin…

My brother Seth and I share a special bond through fly fishing.

FullSizeRender — Fly fishing for rainbow trout

The Last Day

Seth Burke • 6/21/162/16/19

It was the end, or so people were saying. I decided to find out for myself. I parked my truck and started walking along the highway.

I walked 3 miles, doing my own shuttle and floating the Deschutes river, but it was worth it. I fished by myself, no other anglers in sight and realized that there was so much good water that it was hard to fish it all during prime time. I tied on my special “Clark’s Stone” a homebrew “late hatch” version for picky trout. I started fishing at 6:40 pm and by 8 pm I had landed 9 beautiful Deschutes River redsides. I Caught fish in the flat, caught fish in the riffle, caught fish in the other riffle, they were everywhere I floated down to my secret spot thinking I didn’t really need to fish it, but I tied on a big purple chubby churnobyl and started fishing. Hmmm, how to describe that spot…Amazing! Big bugs hatched for about 10-15 minutes around 9 pm and the fish were going nuts. You won’t believe me if I told you how many more fish I caught, so I won’t tell you. What stood out the most were the three 20″ fish I landed and the 20″+ fish that came off at my feet. One of those fish was so hot he took me into my backing twice. Summer Steelhead hot!
The fishing was excellent and it was nice to be on the river by myself for a little quiet and reflection time, but every time I hooked a screamer I looked around for someone to share it with. There is nothing like fishing with my brothers.

I floated down the river as the weight of the night sky squeezed out the last bit of light and found my take out. I tied up my pontoon boat and started the 1/2 mile hike to my truck. As I walked I thought, yep, hatch is over. A sly grin cracked across my face and I silently thanked all the fishermen who stopped fishing the salmon fly hatch or who trust internet reports. The end is only for those who dare to not go.

Good Friday Double Banded Buck

Timothy Burke • 4/3/154/4/15

When the Sarg stepped into the river he immediately spotted a large old growth timber skimming the water at the bottom of the tail out. With conditions being low and clear and the skies filled with clouds and rain the choice fly was a purple marabou leech with a pink head. A long cast and a two stack mends sent the fly swinging perfectly down the face of the log. The Big buck lurking below came out of no where and devoured the purple leech. Lighting up the reel while running 75 yards down stream summer-salting all the way it was a beautiful battle.

Fish Tails

Timothy Burke • 4/10/142/26/15

It was a mid morning start on the Olympic Peninsula. Boats lined the launch on a sleepy river and fishermen prepared for the days drift. Everyone one knows the first couple boats down the river have the best chance of finding fish. But this day was different. While fisherman launched their boats the keen senses of three seasoned steelheaders notices fish porpoising in the tail out just above the launch. But who really fishes at the boat launch?

The stealthy anglers snuck their way up the bank to the top of the tail. The water shown a slow, soft, mystical movement as it made its way down the cascading banks. Seth Burke (AKA Stealth) made quick work to extend is fly across the tail out swinging for the steel below.

The porpoising fish were active and on the move. Stealth wasted little time enticing them with his hand tied intruder. The fish’s first grab was a miss but Stealth kept is cool and let his line continue through the swing. Within seconds the fish returned and grabbed his fly in a hellacious boil of fury. “Fish-on” was the cry of an enthusiastic spey fisherman as the battle begun!

Good things come to those who fish tails!

Always Believe!

Tim Burke