FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015
Outdoor Recreation
Getting ready for fishing
get out and
just do it, all
things con-
sidered. The
licenses and
tags we buy
seem like
somewhat of
a hit to the
pocketbook
when fi rst
purchased,
and the costs
are expected
to increase
THE OUTDOOR COLUMN
in 2016, but
considering
By Todd Arriola
we only have
We all, or at least most
to buy hunting
of us, have made some
and fi shing licenses once
kind of New Year’s resolu- per year, it’s not that bad.
tions. Mine included the
Really.
promise to myself that I
Granted, the ever-
would get in more fi shing,
expanding fi shing, hunting
and catch more fi sh, which and game bird regulations
is a nice plus.
handbooks read like mys-
With so many places
tery crime novels, some-
to throw a line and hook
times leaving one unclear
in around here, one can’t
about the details of the
really complain about the
who, what, when, where,
distance to travel in order
why and how, even after
to spend a day, or part of
reading cover to cover, but
a day, using a skill that’s
deciphering the code is not
been programmed into our
an impossible task. I still
DNA since the beginning
think the refl ection of the
of, well, us.
sun from the surface of
Sure, it’s not as “glamor- the water could be more
ous” as hunting a buck or
damaging to the eyes.
a bull, but it really doesn’t
Probably.
require much investment to
Admittedly, the only
“sweet spot” so far this
year for me has been the
Highway 203 Pond, con-
veniently located near, of
course, Highway 203.
With my trusty Ugly
Stick—one tough pole—
and some worms, I man-
aged to catch some decent
trout. Not monsters, but
decent.
One cast involved
throwing half of my pole
into the water, but all was
fi ne, as there was not an-
other soul around to make
fun of me.
When I was younger,
some members of my fam-
ily and I traveled to Unity,
fi shing along the Burnt
River on the way there and
back.
We decided to check
the action out on the east
side of the highway across
from the Unity Reservoir.
I didn’t have anything
to hold worms in, so my
dad made a container by
cutting a Pepsi can in half,
which I held in my shirt
pocket.
At one point, I had to
jump across a small ditch,
and I forgot about the con-
tainer of dirt and worms,
which fl ew directly into
my eyes as I landed on the
other side. Again, if I recall
correctly, nobody saw that
particular incident, which
helped avoid creative criti-
cism.
Fishing has always
involved fun times, and
funny times, too. Maybe
some disappointments, but
it’s not only about attempt-
ing to limit out. Experi-
encing something new is
always interesting, as I
learned back when I tried
fl y fi shing.
It’s defi nitely something
to get used to, and it takes
a skilled hand to do it
properly. I had visions of
catching trout after trout,
while appearing like Brad
Pitt in the movie A River
Runs Through It, but I
probably could have ac-
complished more by spear-
ing the fi sh with my 8-foot
pole instead.
Fishing is a great way to
bond, too, and pass on a
skill to the newer genera-
tions. It doesn’t require a
charter boat with expen-
sive gear in the ocean, it
requires spending time
teaching, and patience. It
can be very relaxing, too.
Well, if you don’t throw
half the pole into the water
during your cast, that is.
Good luck with your
adventures.
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Free kids’
fishing days
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has an-
nounced several free family fi shing days. The events are
designed to show families how easy and fun fi shing can
be, said Shahab Farzanegan, ODFW angler education co-
ordinator. ODFW provides loaner rods and reels, tackle,
instruction and freshly stocked fi sh – everything a family
needs for a successful fi shing trip.
Children under the age of 14 can fi sh for free, kids 14
to 17 and adults will need an Oregon fi shing license in
order to fi sh.
Local events.
April 18, Hermiston, McNary Channel Ponds, 10 a.m.
to 12 p.m. (youth only), family fi shing begins at noon
May 16, Hermiston, McNary Channel Ponds, 10 a.m. to
12 p.m. (youth only), family fi shing begins at noon
June 6, Hepner, Cutsforth Pond, 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
(youth only), family fi shing begins at noon
June 22, Pilot Rock, 5412 Pond on Umatilla National
Forest, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
July 11, Tollgate, Jubilee Lake on Umatilla National
Forest, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Positions open
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is seek-
ing qualifi ed applicants to fi ll three positions on the Fish
Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Program Board.
Interested individuals must apply by March 27, 2015.
The positions will represent sport fi shing interests, troll
fi shing interests, and seafood processing interests on the
R&E Board.
For more information and to obtain an application,
go to the R&E Program website at or contact Kevin
Herkamp at (503) 947-6232 or Kevin.Herkamp@state.
or.us
—ODFW Recreation Report—
Baker County Hunting
The warm and dry winter
has left much more county
snow free that usual.
Green up has also begun
to appear in the lower el-
evations. The mild weather
may also have BEARS
out and more active in the
early part of the season.
Cougars can be found
throughout Baker County
but hunters should target
areas with high concen-
trations of deer and elk.
Setting up on a fresh kill or
using distress calls can all
be productive techniques.
Hunters are required to
check in the hide of any
cougar taken, with skull
and proof of sex attached.
Remember to pick up a
2015 tag.
Coyote numbers are
good throughout the
district. Try calling in early
morning and late afternoon.
Remember to ask for per-
mission before hunting on
private properties.
Baker County Viewing
Bighorn sheep can be
seen in the Burnt River
Canyon west of Durkee
or along the Snake River
Road south of Richland.
The best viewing is in the
early morning and late in
the evening.
Bald and golden eagles
can be seen along the
Snake River. Take the
Snake River Road between
Richland and Huntington.
Early in the morning and
late in the afternoon are
good times to view wildlife.
Driving through the foothills
of the Baker valley and
through the Keating valley
can turn up good numbers
of deer.
Elkhorn Wildlife Area
is known for the Rocky
Mountain elk and mule
deer herds that frequent
the area during the winter.
When snow covers the
ground, ODFW staff feed
elk and deer to encourage
them to stay in the higher
elevations and out of agri-
cultural fi elds.
There are two good
viewing sites. The Anthony
Creek site is located about
eight miles west of I-84 on
North Powder River Lane.
From I-84 take the North
Powder Exit (Exit 285). Elk
use at the feed site has
been sporadic with the
warm weather. From the
overlook on Auburn Road,
a few elk may be seen;
again, the warm weather
conditions have made elk
viewing less dependable.
It is on the south side of
Old Auburn Road, which
branches off Highway 7
about six miles south of
Baker City.
NE Oregon Fishing
BULL PRAIRIE RESER-
VOIR: rainbow and brook
trout. Remains open to
fi shing all year. The reser-
voir is frozen but proceed
with caution as the ice
may be too thin to support
anglers. Approximately 200
trophy rainbow trout were
stocked last fall and should
provide fi shing all winter.
Brook trout are also avail-
able.
GRANDE RONDE
RIVER: steelhead.
Steelhead anglers on the
Grande Ronde continue to
be successful with a variety
of gear types. A healthy
proportion of two salt fi sh
has resulted in a large
average size this year. So,
expect a few larger fi sh and
some screaming drags!
Remember, only adipose-
fi n clipped rainbow trout
may be retained and all
bull trout must be released
unharmed.
HOLLIDAY PARK POND:
rainbow trout. Remains
open all year. The pond is
now free of ice. Carryover
trout are being caught and
should provide fair angling
until stocking occurs in
April.
IMNAHA RIVER: steel-
head. The Imnaha is in
great shape to catch fi sh.
With the current weather
it’s a great time to catch
a steelhead while getting
sunburned. Fishing will
continue to produce into
the season ender on April
15. Don’t forget to try Big
Sheep Creek too while fi sh
move toward the hatchery
facility. Flow data for the
Imnaha can be found on
the Idaho Power website.
River fl ow levels are just
right and steelhead are
biting on jigs, fl ies and
bait. Most of the steelhead
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being caught are wild and
have been holding be-
tween Service Creek and
the town of John Day and
in the North Fork up to
Monument. Water tempera-
tures are cold so steelhead
are holding in slack water
along the current edge. A
few bass have been caught
below Kimberly during
the warmest days. ODFW
encourages all anglers
to keep any ad-clipped
steelhead taken in this
fi shery. All wild (adipose
intact) steelhead must be
released unharmed.
LONG CREEK POND,
CAVENDER POND: trout.
Remains open all year.
Both ponds are now free of
ice. Several trout stocked
last year survived the win-
ter and will provide good
fi shing until both ponds are
re-stocked again in April.
MAGONE LAKE: rainbow
and brook trout. Remains
open all year. Portions of
the upper lake are ice free
so proceed with caution if
attempting to ice fi sh. The
ice may be too thin to sup-
port anglers.
MARR POND: surplus
steelhead. Marr pond has
been stocked with 100
surplus steelhead that
returned to Wallowa Hatch-
ery. Once these fi sh are
placed in still water fi sher-
ies they are considered
“trout” and do not need to
be recorded on a har-
vest card. This is a great
opportunity to get young
anglers into some big fi sh.
Try catching these fi sh by
fl oating bait under a bobber
mid water column. Brightly
colored lures and spinners
may also be productive.
PEACH POND (Ladd
Marsh): rainbow trout. The
pond was stocked with
trophy-sized rainbow trout
in late September. The
pond has no ice cover.
ROULET POND: rainbow
trout. The pond was
stocked with trophy-sized
rainbow trout in late Sep-
tember. The pond has no
ice cover.
ROWE CREEK RES-
ERVOIR: rainbow trout.
Remains open all year. The
pond is now free of ice.
Fishing is fair for carryover
trout but the water level is
very low.
UMATILLA FOREST
PONDS: trout.
The forest ponds remain
open to angling year
Photo courtesy of ODFW.
NE Oregon Steelhead.
around and can provide
a good opportunity for ice
fi shing during the winter
months.
UMATILLA RIVER: steel-
head.
Steelhead continue to
enter the system in record
numbers, anglers should
be able to fi nd fi sh scat-
tered throughout the river.
Steelhead fi shing was good
last weekend with upper
river anglers averaging
3.6 hours per steelhead
caught. During the three
days creeled last week, 78
anglers caught 43 native
and 2 hatchery steelhead.
Water conditions in the
Pendleton area dropping
quickly back into shape,
fl ows are about 500cfs and
water temperatures are in
the low 40s. Steelhead are
distributed though out the
system. Anglers are fi nd
best success using bob-
bers and jigs and drift fi sh-
ing for steelhead. Anglers
should consult the synopsis
for detailed regulations.
WALLOWA LAKE: rain-
bow trout, kokanee, lake
trout
As spring approaches an-
glers will start to fi nd some
stocked trout that held over
from last season’s stock-
ing. These fi sh often range
15 to 20 inches and can be
caught in multiples. These
fi sh are normally more
common later in the spring;
however with the warm
weather and early spring
anglers should start seeing
these fi sh soon.
Some experienced fi sher-
men are picking up large
lake trout trolling at depth
with downriggers. While
lake trout aren’t abundant
in Wallowa Lake it’s not
uncommon to fi nd fi sh over
25 pounds.
In 2014 the lake was
stocked with tagged rain-
bow trout in an effort by
ODFW to better under-
stand the utilization of this
fi shery. Tagged fi sh have
been caught at very high
rates and over $2,700 in
rewards have been paid.
Some of these fi sh have
likely held over from last
year and are available to
anglers. If you catch one of
these tagged fi sh, please
report the number, location,
date, where in the lake the
fi sh was caught and the
size to the ODFW offi ce in
Enterprise or online.
WALLOWA RIVER: steel-
head, mountain whitefi sh
The steelhead season
is in full swing on the Wal-
lowa River. Fishing is good
and there really is no good
excuse to not be out there.
Anglers are fi nding fi sh in
good numbers and the ratio
of two-salt fi sh to one-salt
fi sh is high. This means
there are a lot of larger fi sh
available so, oil your reels
and make sure that drag is
working well.
Remember the Wallowa
River is a whitefi sh factory.
Whitefi sh can be a great
way to keep kids interested
while steelhead fi shing
and can be great table fair.
Simply tie in a small bead-
head nymph dropper while
fi shing under a bobber rig
and let the fun begin. Also,
steelhead will often take a
bead head nymph hanging
under a jig.
WILLOW CREEK RES-
ERVOIR: trout. Anglers are
reporting good catches of
rainbow trout from 12 to
20-inches. Best catches
are falling for PowerBait
and night crawlers fi shed
on the bottom.