B2
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Saturday, July 9, 2022
FISHING FORECAST
ODFW continues to stock rainbow trout
EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — The
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife is continuing
to release rainbow trout in
many lakes and ponds in
Northeastern Oregon.
The agency has recently
stocked thousands of rain-
bow trout, including trophy
fish, which are 15 inches or
longer.
The majority of the trout
released are “legals” — at
least 8 inches long, and thus
legal for anglers to keep.
The trout stocking sched-
ule, which is subject to
change:
Week of July 4-8
• Jubilee Lake: 6,000
legals, 2,000 trophy.
• Fish Lake (north of
Halfway: 2,250 legals,
500 trophy.
• Grande Ronde Lake,
5,000 legals, 150 trophy.
Week of July 11-15
• Wallowa Lake: 6,000
legals, 300 trophy.
• Salt Creek Summit
Pond: 700 legals, 50
trophy.
• Kinney Lake, 1,200
legals, 100 trophy.
• McGraw Pond, 700
legals, 50 trophy.
Week of July 25-29
• Jubilee Lake: 3,800
legals.
Week of Aug. 1-5
• Wallowa Lake: 5,400
legals, 180 trophy.
Schedules and maps
for trout stocking plans
later in the year are avail-
able at myod f w.com /
fishing/species/trout/stock-
ing-schedule.
Fishing conditions and
forecast
Phillips Reservoir: Has
been stocked with trout
throughout the spring.
When flying ants have been
around, fishing with dry flies
has been a good way to catch
both rainbow trout and pike-
minnows. Perch fishing has
NBA:
Continued from Page B1
“I started coaching in
Eastern Oregon and now
I’m coaching NBA play-
ers,” Thompson said. “I’ve
coached Gary Clark (Peli-
cans), Alfonzo McKinnie
(Bulls) and Matt Mooney
(Knicks).”
The Los Capitanes played
a shortened season last year
in Texas, but will have a
50-game season based out of
Mexico City for the 2022-23
season.
Of the 30 NBA teams,
28 have their own G League
team. Portland and Phoenix
do not, but are allowed to send
players to other teams.
“There were more than
100 call-ups from the G
League to the NBA this past
year,” Thompson said.
In addition to his work,
Thompson said he enjoys
living in Mexico.
“It’s really cool,” he
said. “Not many people get
to experience working in
another country. I had play-
ers from six or seven different
countries. It’s a great experi-
ence. Mexico City’s cost of
living is lower, and it’s a safe
city. I’ve enjoyed living there
and the food is good.”
Humble beginnings
A 2010 graduate of Herm-
iston High School, Thompson
got his first taste of coaching
his senior year of high school.
After playing three years
for coach Larry Usher,
Thompson suffered a knee
injury that derailed his senior
year. Usher helped Thompson
secure a coaching position at
Sandstone Middle School.
“At Hermiston, I was
a very average basketball
player, but I had a good coach
who sent me on that (coach-
ing) path. Larry was a huge
part of me getting into coach-
ing. He has been instrumental
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Trout fishing should be improving on the Imnaha River. The chinook salmon season ends Sunday, July 10, 2022.
been slow, but some bank
anglers have been catching
perch.
The reservoir is still low
and is currently 24 percent
full. Remember that tiger
musky and bull trout must
be released unharmed.
Unity Reservoir: Reser-
voir remains nearly full. This
spring anglers were success-
ful catching 16- to 17-inch
rainbow trout. Anglers have
been successful fishing both
from shore and from boats.
Fishing will likely be best
over the next several weeks
while the reservoir has a
good amount of water in it.
Grande Ronde River:
Flows have been dropping
and fishing may improve
with more moderated
f low conditions. Anglers
have had success fly-fish-
in my career path.”
Thompson coached the
Hermiston freshmen when
he was at Blue Mountain
Community College. After he
transferred to Oregon State
University, he got involved
with the men’s basketball
program as a student manager
for coach Craig Robinson.
After one season, Robin-
son was fired and Thompson
returned home, where he took
the reins of the Irrigon boys
program.
In two seasons with the
Knights, Thompson led the
team to a 44-9 overall record,
a 17-3 record in the Columbia
Basin Conference, and the 2A
state title during the 2014-15
season.
He was named the Oregon
Athletic Coaches Association
Coach of the Year in 2015,
and at 23 years old, was the
state’s youngest basketball
coach to win a championship.
The Knights lost in the
state playoffs the following
year, and Thompson was on
the move again — back to
OSU as a graduate assistant
with coach Wayne Tinkle.
Thompson also worked
with the Milwaukee Bucks
G League team in player
development before the job
in Mexico opened up.
In the midst of the coach-
ing carousel, Thompson and
a few of his former Irrigon
players and friends started
a free bilingual basketball
camp, which will celebrate
its second year in Irrigon later
this month.
“Middle school to the
NBA G League,” Thompson
said, reflecting on the past
12 years. “The G league has
gotten better over the past five
years. It’s one of the top five
professional leagues in the
world. Almost 50 percent of
players in the NBA played in
the G League. It has its finger-
prints all over the NBA.”
If you look closely, you
will see Thompson’s prints
in the mix.
ing for trout in the Grande
Ronde River between the
Wallowa River and Troy.
As the water warms, bass
fishing will become better
in the lower Grande Ronde
River. Anglers are reminded
that bull trout and Chinook
salmon may be encoun-
tered and must be released
unharmed.
Imnaha River: Trout
fishing may be good during
periods of moderated flows.
When the water temperature
increases, bass fishing may
be good in the lower portions
of the river.
The chinook f ishery
on the Imnaha will close
on Sunday, July 10. There
will be no extension of the
season. The Imnaha River
is open for fishing for hatch-
ery spring chinook salmon
from the confluence with
the Snake River upstream
to the Summit Creek bridge.
The daily limit is two adult
hatchery chinook salmon
and five jack hatchery
chinook salmon. Fishing
pressure for chinook salmon
picked up last weekend with
more fish being harvested.
Expect conditions to be
good through the end of the
season on July 10. Chinook
are distributed through the
fishery area with more fish
arriving daily.
Anglers are reminded
that bull trout may be
encountered in the Imnaha
River and must be released
unharmed.
John Day River: Condi-
tions for bass and catfish
fishing are improving now
that we are in a pattern of
drier weather. Flows have
been higher than usual for
this time of year and floating
with a raft or other smaller
craft will remain viable for
the next few weeks. Recent
reports are of excellent bass
fishing in the lower sections
of the John Day up to the
North Fork confluence.
Magone Lake: Magone
Lake is an excellent bet for
fishing this time of year, and
reports have been very good
for recently stocked rainbow
trout.
Wallowa County ponds:
Fishing for trout has been
very good recently. Several
local ponds have been
stocked with rainbow trout
including some larger fish
over 16 inches. Casting spin-
ners or flies can be effective
for catching fish at Marr
Pond. Using bait can also
be a productive method for
fishing for trout at the local
Wallowa County ponds.
Wallowa Lake: Fish-
ing is good for rainbow
trout near the south end
of the lake. Anglers may
have good success from
shore casting lures, flies, or
bait. Boat anglers will have
better access to more of the
lake and may find fish near
areas where the depth drops
off. There are some nice
kokanee available this year
with some fish around 16 to
18 inches. Jigging and troll-
ing for kokanee can both be
productive ways of fishing
for them.
Wallowa River: Flows
have been steadily drop-
ping, and fishing should be
good. Some of the best fish-
ing of the season will occur
between now and the end
of July. Good hatches of
stoneflies and mayflies have
occurred including recent
hatches of golden stone-
flies. Anglers are reminded
that bull trout may be
encountered in the Wallowa
River and must be released
unharmed.
The Wallowa R iver
o p e ne d for h at che r y
spring chinook fishing on
June 25 from the lower
fence of Minam State Park
upstream to the confluence
with the Lostine River. The
daily limit is two adult hatch-
ery chinook salmon and
five jack hatchery chinook
salmon. The fishery will
be open through July 24.
However, the fishery may
close early so anglers are
encouraged to regularly
check for regulation updates.
For full details of the 2022
spring chinook f ishing
season on the Wallowa River
visit the myodfw website or
call the Enterprise field office
at 541-426-3279.
Chinook salmon fishing
effort has been light on the
Wallowa River. However,
salmon should be avail-
able throughout the river
and more salmon continue
to make their way up the
Columbia and Snake Rivers.
Samuel Pyke/Contributed Photo
With a bear spotted on a high slope and heading down to water, Lucas Simpson, left, and Gary Lewis had to quickly for-
mulate a plan to close the gap and try to spot the bear again.
Hunt:
Continued from Page B1
Another way to take
advantage of our time in
the woods is to pick huck-
leberries.
On one bear season in
Baker County, with half
a day left in our hunt, we
stopped to pick huckle-
berries on a forest slope,
filling whatever contain-
ers we could find with the
fresh fruit. It gave me an
idea.
Pemmican was the orig-
inal superfood, a blend of
dried meat, dried berries
and bear fat (substitute
bison fat, beef tallow or
coconut oil). I always
wondered what pemmican
tasted like. This was my
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife/Contributed Photo
An Oregon black bear wanders through the woods. Bear
hunting season in Oregon starts Aug. 1, 2022.
chance. Following a recipe
I found online, I blended
mule deer jerky (you could
use bear jerky or elk jerky
or even beef jerky) to
powder and dried huckle-
berries to powder.
Rendering oil on the
stove, I poured it over
the powdered jerky and
berries. The final step was
to press the mixture into a
serving dish. In the morn-
ing I tried pemmican for
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
the first time. Break off a
chunk, let it disintegrate
on the tongue. It’s the ulti-
mate carnivore protein bar.
At this time of year in
the Wallowas, in the Blues
and the Elkhorns, a hunter
should prospect for bears
in the high meadows and
old burns.
When the weather is
unseasonably hot, expect
to see bear earlier in the
day and again later in
the evening. But a hunter
should commit to the
whole of the day; bears
feed any time they feel
like it.
———
Gary Lewis is the author
of Fishing Central Oregon
and Oregon Lake Maps and
Fishing Guide and other titles.
To contact Gary, visit www.
garylewisoutdoors.com.