Entries by Dennis Dauble
An arduous e-bike adventure
I push my bicycle past a concrete barrier that prevents four-wheeler access to the South Fork of the Umatilla River, strap on a backpack that holds a water bottle and a peanut butter sandwich, and begin the upriver journey to Thomas Creek. A pair of belted kingfishers chatter past. Dried stalks of mullein weed and […]
On Eating Trout
Wheat harvest is in full swing as I drive south across sun-burnished slopes of the Blue Mountains. Dust devils send chaff spinning above disturbed fields of stubble. Mourning doves flush from the edge of the road, gathering gravel for their crops. It’s been two weeks since I last wet a line and stream trout are […]
One last bass before the sun goes down
My fishing buddy is a liar. Unlike other anglers I know, he does not fib about location or the size and number of bass he catches. He also does not fabricate descriptions of lures he uses, water clarity, or temperature. This information is readily shared after he enters it into a spread sheet for the […]
Sockeye fishing in the Hanford Reach requires patience
It’s high noon and discharge at Priest Rapids Dam is 100,000 cubic feet per second., I drop my anchor in 10 feet of water and put two rods out. Each is baited with a red prawn on a double-hook rig, above which spins a pink-and-silver Mack’s Smile Blade behind a six-inch dodger. My preference […]
Rafting the Wallowa for Redside Rainbows
Our summer float trip on northeastern Oregon’s Wallowa River started off with Ken admitting that he had left a large bag of fresh-made cookies on the kitchen counter. “How many did you make?” Ted asked. “Sixty. They’re chocolate chip,” Ken replied. We were 15 minutes down the road. I did the math […]