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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2015)
OUTSIDE East Oregonian W E P P O R T O U R N E I G H S , T H E L O C A L E L . W H E N S U R B O The fall salmon season is open from Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon/Washington Border above McNary Dam. An estimated 925,300 fall Chinook and 539,600 coho are expected to return to the Columbia River this fall. But don’t overlook trout. With the onset of shorter days and cooler nights, trout ¿VKLQJLVVWDUWLQJWRSLFNXSLQ many places. Anglers should continue to use caution when ¿VKLQJ ZKHUH ZDWHU OHYHOV are extremely low, but the weekly recreation report can steer you to some great late VXPPHU¿VKLQJ :HHNHQG¿VKLQJRSSRUWX- nities: 7URXW¿VKLQJLQ:DOORZD Lake has been very good thanks, in part, to additional stocked trout diverted from nearby ponds too warm to UHFHLYH¿VK &UDSSLH¿VKLQJFRQWLQXHV to be good in McKay Reser- voir, with the best catches coming early and late in the day. :DOOH\H ¿VKLQJ FRQWLQXHV to be excellent on the Columbia River from McNary dam downstream to Boardman. GRANDE RONDE RIVER: WURXWZKLWH¿VKEDVV The river remains open IRU WURXW ZKLWH¿VK DQG EDVV However, the 2 p.m. closure for trout due to drought conditions is in effect. Fishing for smallmouth bass ZLOOEHJRRGZLWKORWVRI¿VK in the river, warm tempera- WXUHVDQGORZÀRZV Steelhead season will open on Sept. 1, however IHZ ¿VK ZLOO EH LQ WKH ULYHU until later in the month. HUNTER POND: hatchery rainbow trout This pond has been stocked with 250 legal-sized rainbow trout. From I-84 take Hwy 244 towards Ukiah. At the Blue Mtns summit, turn left onto USFS Rd 5160. Proceed for approximately 3 miles to the Jct. of roads 5160 and 5155. Stay on 5160. Just past this Jct. on the right will be spur 710. Take this spur. The pond is just off 5160. JUBILEE LAKE: rainbow trout Fishing has been best in the early morning and late evenings, bank anglers should also look for the deep water areas near the dam or bring a non-motorized boat DQG ¿VK GHHS LQ WKH PLGGOH of the lake. The lake has been stocked and should provide JRRG ¿VKLQJ IRU UDLQERZ trout. McKAY RESERVOIR: crappie, bass Water levels are dropping quickly; the water level is below the concrete portion of the boat ramp but is still usable on the gravel portion RIWKHUDPS&UDSSLH¿VKLQJ continues to be good, with the best catches coming early and late in the day. UMATILLA/WALLA WALLA FOREST PONDS: trout Fishing restrictions will be relaxed at Boundary, Keyhole, Yellowjacket, *UDQLWH 0HDGRZV *ROG¿VK and Windy Springs ponds in preparation for upcoming ¿VK UHPRYDO SURMHFWV LQ 2FWREHU6WDUWLQJ6HSW¿VK may be harvested by hand, dip net, or angling. Daily bag and possession limits will also be lifted. These relaxed regulations will be effective until Sept. 25, when the ponds will be closed to all ¿VKLQJ WKURXJK 'HF WR prevent public exposure to rotenone. UMATILLA RIVER: trout The Upper Umatilla should be fair for catch-and-release ¿VKLQJIRUUDLQERZWURXW WESTON POND: trout The pond has been stocked DQG¿VKLQJIRUUDLQERZWURXW should be good. WILLOW CREEK RESERVOIR: crappie, bass and trout Angling for crappie and bass has been fair; look for schools of crappie suspended RIIVKRUH 7URXW ¿VKLQJ has slowed with the warm water temperatures, but will improve as fall approaches. GLIDE — Hike the entire length of the North Umpqua Trail, lovingly called “the NUT” by some, and you could have traveled on foot across the widest part of Vermont. Sure, Vermont is only the 45th-largest of the 50 states, but the comparison conveys the impressive scale of the trail to recreational riches along Southern Oregon’s North Umpqua River, one of this state’s most pristine waterways. Covering 79 miles and rising about 5,000 feet from west to east, the NUT begins at Swiftwater Park just outside Glide and culmi- nates at Maidu Lake, the river’s source in the rugged Mount Thielsen Wilderness of the High Cascades. Imagined in the 1970s and completed in 1996, the NUT hugs the river for most of its length. It includes 12 segments that range from just more than 3 miles, in IDLUO\ ÀDW ORZHU HOHYDWLRQV to 13 up-and-down miles with sheer drop-offs as the trail rises into the Cascades. What every trail segment shares is the power to WUDQV¿[ YLVLWRUV ² IURP leisurely wildlife watchers and nature photographers to go-get-’em hikers and mountain bikers — with varied vantage points onto the North Umpqua’s uniquely rocky-yet-verdant canyon terrain. Tumbling tributaries and rushing waterfalls put on a side show along both sides of the river, itself a moving picture-postcard of jade-green pools and frothy white Class I-IV rapids plied by paddlers at the base of ancient basalt cliffs, spires and boulders. Towering 'RXJODV¿UVLQFOXGLQJVRPH more than 800 years old, shelter shady groves with mosses, lichens and ferns in endless hues of green. A 34-mile stretch of the North Umpqua is anointed a National Wild and Scenic 5LYHUDQGWKHVHÀ\DQJOLQJ only waters are known as some of the world’s best. The NUT offers access to all of this, and many other sights and experiences. A few highlights include the recently built Tioga Bridge, an eye-catching footbridge near Susan Creek that offers a new perspective of the river and easier access to a popular part of the trail; and, going upriver, the Medicine Creek Indian Pictographs, Toketee Falls and Umpqua Hot Springs. The trail’s allure might not be justly described in a few hundred words, or even fully realized in just a few days of exploring. But here’s the NUT in a nutshell, with snapshots of each segment heading west to east: O C A E L Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife By JOEL GORTHY The Register-Guard T H R I V E S . L I V Salmon still good, trout on the rise Saturday, August 29, 2015 The NUT courses 79 miles through a wonderland O M Y ODFW REPORT Archery season on despite ZLOG¿UHV Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Collin Andrew/The Register-Guard via AP This undated photo shows Douglas fir trees over the Oregon’s North Umpqua Trail near the end of the Tioga Bridge. Swiftwater •Length: 7.8 miles 'LI¿FXOW\0RGHUDWH •Trailheads: Swiftwater, Tioga •Highlights: First 1/4 mile of the trail is “barrier free” and open to people with disabilities, and leads to an observation area at Deadline Falls where steel- head and salmon can be seen jumping between May and October. Fern Creek Falls is another 1.6 miles and Bob Butte, at about the 5-mile mark, is a good turnaround for day-hikers after a fairly steep climb for the last mile. Tioga •Length: 8 miles 'LI¿FXOW\0RGHUDWH •Trailheads: Tioga/Susan Creek, Wright Creek •Highlights: Two miles east of Bob Butte is Tioga Bridge, a historically inspired wooden footbridge built in 2012 on piers that remained from the Youngs Bay Bridge that washed out in 1964. A 3/4-mile connecting trail leads to the Susan Creek Falls day-use area (access to the falls trail is across the highway). The Tioga segment meanders for many miles upriver. Mott •Length: 5.5 miles 'LI¿FXOW\0RGHUDWH •Trailheads: Wright Creek, Mott •Highlights: Old-growth forest; many scrambles down to water’s edge; views of the Williams Creek Fire of 2009; access to two side trails. The 6-mile Riverview Trail can be combined with the Mott segment to form a loop, with high-up views of the river from the north side of the highway; and the 4-mile McDonald Trail goes southeast by an old home- stead and through abundant VSULQJ ZLOGÀRZHUV $FURVV the historic Mott Bridge is the famed Steamboat Inn. Panther •Length: 5 miles 'LI¿FXOW\0RGHUDWH •Trailheads: Mott, Panther •Highlights: Upriver from Mott Bridge and the Steamboat area, this length of trail offers dependable year- round conditions for hikers, bikers and equestrians. It passes scenic alder-shaded gravel bars along the river, then ascends to rocky bluffs removed from the river. Calf .•Length: 3.7 miles 'LI¿FXOW\0RGHUDWH • Trailheads: Panther, Calf • Highlights: Starting across from Apple Creek Campground, this segment clings to the river and captures the sights and sounds of rapids along the edge of the 17,000-acre Apple Fire of 2002. It ends just beyond Horseshoe Bend, where the river takes a sharp curve to the south and back. SALEM — Despite a ÀXUU\ RI ,QWHUQHW UXPRUV claiming otherwise, state- wide deer and elk archery seasons will open as sched- uled on Saturday. “The archery season is starting soon and we hope bowhunters have a fun, safe and successful expe- rience,” says Ron Anglin, ODFW wildlife division administrator. “Because RI WKH H[WUHPH ¿UH GDQJHU hunters should be aware WKDWWKHUHDUH¿UHUHVWULFWLRQV throughout Oregon and some local closures of public land DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK DFWLYH ¿UHV DQG¿UH¿JKWLQJ´ Hunters need to know ZKDW WKRVH ¿UH UHVWULFWLRQV and closures are before WKH\ JR D¿HOG 7KH ,QFL:HE website has information on ¿UHV DQG FORVXUHV GXH WR ¿UH¿JKWLQJ SOXV PDSV RI closure areas in some cases. Currently, there are active ¿UHV DQG UHODWHG FORVXUHV RQ the Malheur, Rogue-Riv- er-Siskiyou, Umatilla, Umpqua, and Wallowa- Whitman national forests. Closures are also in effect on some BLM lands where there LV¿UHDFWLYLW\ All state, federal and industrial forests are also under public use restric- WLRQV WR SUHYHQW PRUH ¿UHV Restrictions vary by area but some key rules to follow are: • No smoking except in vehicles on improved roads, in boats or at designated locations. 1R RSHQ ¿UHV VXFK DV FDPS¿UHV FKDUFRDO ¿UHV RU FRRNLQJ¿UHVH[FHSWLQGHVLJ- nated locations. &XUUHQWO\ FDPS¿UHV DUH prohibited, even in desig- QDWHG¿UHSLWVLQDOO2UHJRQ state parks, Tillamook County and in some national forests, too. Portable cooking stoves XVLQJ OLTXH¿HG RU ERWWOHG fuels are allowed. • No off-roading by motor vehicles, including motorcy- cles and all-terrain vehicles. Vehicles are only allowed on improved roads. • No exploding targets or tracer ammunition. &DUU\ ¿UH¿JKWLQJ WRROV (one gallon of water or 2.5 SRXQG ¿UH H[WLQJXLVKHU DQG one shovel at least 26 inches long with an 8-inch blade) when traveling in a motor vehicle in timber, brush or grass. “We currently have no plans to close access to Oregon state forestlands,” says Oregon Department of Forestry’s Tony Andersen. “But we ask that hunters and everyone in the outdoors WKLV WLPH RI \HDU IROORZ ¿UH restrictions and be vigilant about preventing any new ¿UHV´ In Conjunction with Milton Freewater Chamber 610 1/2 Main Street Milton-Freewater, OR threedivas@q.com N C O Page 10C 541-938-3727 Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Beads, Findings & More We Sell The Best and Service The Rest 541.938.5692 214 N. Main Milton-Freewater OR. Email: Terrysoktires@gmail.com Fall Looks Good On You! Comfortable and stylish footwear for the entire family. 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