Crater Lake Trip – September 2016
Left Beaverton, OR Saturday for a quick drive down to Crater Lake, plan
was to spend some time there and then stay the night in Bend before heading to
my favorite fly-fishing stream for the 8 year-old to test out his new waders
for the first time. Also he was able to get his 4th National Park for the
summer.
The color of the lake always amazes me.
Did the short hike to the Pinnacles Trailhead. I remember
coming there from the other side many years ago after working on a Forest
Service project and staying at the Scott Creek Campground.
Arrived on the river early Sunday morning and as usual a few
rigs in the parking lot but did not seem like anyone was camping. Junior was a
bit apprehensive that we may be eaten by bears (Yellowstone memories linger)
and maybe that is why no one was there.
In three hours of fishing landed 7 beautiful fish, including
this one and many LDR’s.
Temp was in mid-60’s and flow around 275CFS. Much algae and
unless I had algae on the fly or did not have a drag free drift, there was a
hook up. We spent some time looking at the mayflies in the air and later on a
short caddis hatch. He found a extremely
dark stone fly nymph with a very long body. Unfortunately we lost him before we
could take a picture. Though this guy kept us company for the most time until
we got out of the river.
There was no one in the campground except us for the night,
temps dipped in the low 30’s (must install the hi-lo thermometer that is on my
to-do list). Being very close to the HWY27 I did not hear any traffic after 8pm
until about 8am the next morning. The Marine Patrol Sheriff stopped by as we
were packing up the next morning and was surprised to hear about our good
fishing luck. Maybe the luck of the almost 8 year old and his new waders!
On the drive home, could not help but pull over to take this
picture of Mt. Jefferson. Almost looks like a volcano with the clouds.
Another awesome and memorable trip with my son in Hawk with
Rocky (all our vehicles have been named, most of them after Thomas the tank
engine characters….Rock, Henry, Spencer, Molly).
