09-23 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 22
There are more.
Get out a map.
to park and go down through the
timber to the sound of the water.
You still have a map, don't you?
Trace those little ribbons of blue
and find the nearest towns. You'll
find places like Service Creek,
Spray, Sumpter, Maupin, Tygh
Valley, Summer Lake, Parkdale,
Paisley (yes, Paisley), Westfir,
Chiloquin, Blue River, and Wamic.
Wet wade and cast dry flies till
sunset.
Fish the small rivers. Stay in the
small towns. Stay at a bed and
breakfast or in a tent, and get
your breakfast at the tavern, and
dinner too. Drop off a six-pack at
the nearest fly shop and see what
kind of good stuff they have been
holding back. Drink coffee with
the locals.
Use a map and maybe a GPS to
find hidden treasures - the places
where you can't see the stream
from the road, but you find a place
Wherever you fish this coming
year, look at the landscape like
a hitchhiker. Let's say you get
dropped off in a small town in
Utah or Wyoming or Washington
instead of a Salt Lake, Seattle,
or Cheyenne. Don't fish the big
name waters. Fish the places
you've never heard of.
I like to think that pair of
hitchhikers is going to get married.
On the honeymoon they would,
of course, decide to compromise
and devote their lives to protecting
golden trout. And hopefully they
can afford their own car. And
deodorant.
GARY LEWIS BIO
Gary Lewis is an award-winning author, TV host, speaker and photographer. Recent books include
Fishing Central Oregon, 6th Edition, Fishing Mount Hood Country and Bob Nosler Born Ballistic.
Gary has hunted and fished in eight countries on three continents and in the islands of the South
Pacific. Born and raised in the Northwest, he has been walking forest trails and running rivers
for as long as he can remember. Lewis is twice past president of the Northwest Outdoor Writers
Association and a recipient of NOWA’s Enos Bradner Award.
22 | NWFISHING.net
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