Northwestern Outdoors Radio Interview: Bury Me With My Fly Rod: The Unvarnished Truth About Fly Fishing

[00:00:02] I’m going to take you fishing. You’re going to love it. Going to get up before the sun.

[00:00:10] You’re back in with Northwestern Outdoors Radio, I’m John Kruse and it’s time to visit with one of my favorite authors.

[00:00:16] His name is Dennis Dauble. He hails from the Tri-Cities in Washington and he’s got a brand new book out the name bury me with my fly rod. It’s the unvarnished truth about fly fishing. And it talks a lot about fishing but it also talks a little bit about humor and the human condition. Dennis welcome to the show.

[00:00:36] Thanks John. Happy to be here.

[00:00:38] What did you tell our listeners a little bit more about your book. Bury me with my fly rod.

[00:00:42] Well as you stated it’s it’s got a fly fishing theme but much like my previous books many of the stories have to do with human behaviors and admittedly in this one once again I had to change a few names if only to ensure that certain friends would go fishing with me again. So yeah it’s kind of separated at the different areas. The section titled Blue Mountain Waters is mostly about trout fishing but stories about Huckleberry pick and how I got it into trouble trying to teach my wife how to cast and family dog that likes to herd trout all made their way into the mix.

[00:01:20] It’s funny you mention dogs and fish. I remember one dog ahead in particular Gracie where she would sit in the water when I was fishing and she was absolutely convinced that every fish that I reeled in was for her and she tried to take it off the hook before I could get it in. Tell me about your dog that you took fishing.

[00:01:38] That’s pretty much the case. She’s a corgi so as everybody knows corgis like to Earth. But the interesting thing about her fishing skills is she hates sprinklers she won’t get on the lawn when when it’s wet would do. But she’ll get in up to her chest waiting to snap at a fish that’s up into your line.

[00:01:58] You got to love fish with your dogs but sometimes you have to be quick to get them to shore before the dog gets them. You’re right about that. You know I was actually reading some of the stories she had about steelhead fishing in particular and the first one you were introduced to the the fine sport of summer steelhead fishing with a fly rod at the Hanford Reach. We should tell our listeners about this really special part of the Columbia River to folks in Wyoming in Oregon and Montana who may not know anything about it.

[00:02:27] Well the Hanford Reach is special for me because I worked and played in it for over 30 years. It’s the last. Some people call it the free flowing but it’s actually the flows and discharges managed by up river dams but it’s roughly 50 miles of river that still retains the natural characteristics of the Columbia River. So if you want to go back in time on the Columbia River then all you have to do is visit the Hanford Reach and its spectacular scenery. If you have a boat you can get into the heart of it and pretty much be away from everybody. The interesting thing for steelhead is it’s such a large river it just feels like you’re overwhelmed. But you had favorite shoreline areas are basically a lazy fish so you just kind of read the shoreline areas just like he might read a large crowd stream.

[00:03:15] You know it’s funny you mention feeling overwhelmed when fishing a river. I’ve had the same experience another river that you talk about in your book the Deschutes. It’s one of the the most beautiful rivers to fish. And on a good year it’s chock full of steelhead but I still remember the first time I went trying to break it down in my mind was very difficult but eventually like you said when you can break it down and realize where those steelhead are gonna be in close to shore it’s suddenly not so hard anymore.

[00:03:45] Yeah and that’s kind of the thing I’ve found about fishing in general because I fish everything from little step across streams to rivers that you can you know wait up to your waist to get across. Again the Columbia and it’s really just kind of a matter of scale and learning how to read the water where fish reside where that what the current patterns are and things like that.

[00:04:06] You know speaking to some of those steps across creeks you do fish a lot of those that you like to fishermen Southeast Washington northeast Oregon. I’m not asking you to give away your secrets but what are some of the the streams that you favor for trout during the summer months.

[00:04:21] Well I like to start off the spring in fact I just did this last week near my cabin there’s a little creek called Bear Creek and then yesterday I went in first to a place that I had fished for 40 years called Cows Creek and unfortunately I spent most my time crawling through the blackberry brambles and catching a few small trout and then lo and behold on the drive home myself the tick crawling along my neck. And by the time the time I got home I pulled another two one off my leg and one off my arm. So there was a hazard with the little creeks.

[00:04:55] Yes there is and this has been a particularly bad tick year too I can tell you. I’ve had a few on me and I’ve run into a lot of people who’ve had quite a few on them. So make sure you check yourself out there. Getting back to some of the trout creeks you like. Eddie in northeast Oregon the speak.

[00:05:12] Well of course we have a family cabin on the upper Umatilla river. So that’s kind of a favorite sport especially when the four grandchildren show up in the summer. They all learn how to catch trout on a fly there. So it’s always always fun when they show up. But if I had only one place to fish it’s the South Fork of the wall along the river. And it’s a place where just depending on how far you want to hike the further you hike the better deficient get. And that’s where I learned how to fish with my grandpa Harry and also later my brothers took me up there to fly fish. Although my older brother’s idea of mentoring was just to give me a moth eaten fly and put me on the trail.

[00:05:51] I’ve run into a few of those mentors along the way as well. Any particular flight that you like to fish in particular on the Walla Walla.

[00:05:58] Well the starting fly is really I think a royal stimulator. And part of the reason is by the time the Walla Walla drops down and gets more favorable than a fissure starting to get pretty hungry and you can catch him on on a variety of drives. But and this is something again I learned from my son my grandpa which is just fish a big fly visible fly and pop it on top of the water and it looks like a big Miller moth or if nothing comes up and you kind of let it sink through a deep run and it looks like it looks like a meadow. So yeah that’s pretty much my favorite fly and I’ve had to tell friends that before I got to tell a story and one friend who handed him a stimulator before we started. And that was his first trip. And by the end of the day I was feeling pretty disgruntled because he hadn’t done anything I said Did you ever put that fly on. He says no. And then about an hour later he came up to me says oh I put that fly on and I cut to fish.

[00:06:57] So everybody’s stubborn when it comes to their fly selection.

[00:07:01] You’re actually right. I actually thought based on your book you’re going to say in number 12. Parachute Adams which I know much of a fly fisherman but that is one of my favorites to fish. I love seeing trout take a drive like that. There’s just few things that are finer as far as I’m concerned.

[00:07:16] Yeah well I’m kind of in there as well. I started off really my my favorite flight if I was to pick one as a renegade just simply because you can efficient dry or you can fish your wet so another river that you cover and there is one that I absolutely love the Iowa River and talk about a river that is chock full of trout. Yeah. You know I’ve only done that one time we did it on a float trip and it was pretty exciting because I was some friends that had never been in a rap before they’d done pontoon boats and float tubes but never been in a raft. So they had me start off rowing because I’d done it a few times on the Deschutes and that was fine and then they decided oh we can do this. But one of my friends started bouncing off of rocks right off so I started counting up and they were at the end of the end of the day it was like the other friend said well you threw him to the wolves and I said no. So he just kept trying to row the raft like a pontoon boat I said. You have to row away from danger in a raft. You don’t You don’t row into a pontoon boat. So but yeah we had really really great fishing in the low part but when we dropped down and and hooked up with the Grand Ronde part where the big deep holes and things like that then we we just couldn’t bring fish up to dry fly anymore. So we learned a little bit there. You know once you get in some different water you just can’t keep floating on top and expect in a trout to come up.

[00:08:40] Well folks we have got to go. But as you just heard there is a lot of fishy places and a lot of fishing stories to be found in this book. Again it’s bury me with my fly rod the unvarnished truth about fly fishing. The author is Dennis Dauble it. You can get an autographed copy of the book at DennisDaubleBooks.com. That’s DennisDaubleBooks.com. Pick up a copy of Bury me with my fly rod and settle in for a summer read I suspect you will want to go trout fishing with a fly rod after you do. Dennis always a pleasure to chat with you. Northwestern outdoors radio. Same here.

[00:09:22] Thanks John. Leaky Boat pretty much but if you take it.

[00:09:31] Now’s the time to plan your spring walleye. Trips to Moses Lake and potholes reservoir the biggest fish of the season are taken this time of year. It’s priest bond fishing time with lots of clear sunny days in the Moses Lake area that makes taking a big while life even more fun. Moses Lake is the perfect playground for everyone to learn more about all you can do in Moses Lake this spring. Go to Moses Lake. 360 dot com. That’s Moses Lake 360 dot com.

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[00:11:42] We’ve got time for one more shot of Northwestern outdoors radio with John Cruz. I’m glad you’re back because I’ve got a big upcoming event to tell you about is happening this weekend.

[00:11:53] It is another free fishing weekend no license required this time. It’s in big sky country. The state of Montana is taking place both Saturday and Sunday and really doesn’t everybody want to fish for free in Montana. Whether you’re a Montana resident or an out-of-state resident This is a great weekend. To be wetting a line in the Treasure State better still Sunday is Father’s Day. And what father wouldn’t want to go fishing with his kid. Speaking of Father’s Day if you want to get your father’s something special don’t bother with flowers. No no no that’s for Mother’s Day. Instead go to your local Sportsman’s Warehouse store. They are having a great Father’s Day sale and if your father is a hunter there’s plenty of stuff you can get in there. If your father is a fisherman lots of fishing tackle and gear there. If your father likes to camp likes to boat likes to hike or do just about anything else in the great outdoors Sportsman’s Warehouse has got what you want and a lot of it is on sale this weekend special pricing just for Father’s Day so head on down to your local sources warehouse maybe even bring your dad with you and get him something for Father’s Day. And now it’s time for your Sportsman’s Warehouse Trivia Question of the week. This Northwestern State boasts the largest migratory occurred in the nation. And that might be why the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has its headquarters in this state too.

[00:13:20] Do you know which state we are talking about. If you do just go to our Facebook page at Northwestern outdoors radio if you haven’t already like that Facebook page like her sister show Facebook page to in America outdoors radio. Then find the post thread where you’ve got the question and give us your answer. If you don’t do Facebook. No worries. Just go to our Web site you’ll find that at Northwestern outdoors dot com. Go to the Contact Us page and let us know the state that has the largest migratory occurred in the nation and is also the home of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. One lucky person who guesses right will win the 25 dollar gift card we give away every week from America’s premier outfit our schools letting out. Father’s Day is here. There are no excuses not to get outside and enjoy all that the late spring and early summer has to offer. Whether you’re traveling to a state or national park for a visit or maybe to go camping or whether you are heading to the national forests or wilderness areas for some hiking or whether you’re just heading to a lake or stream to wet a line there is so much to do so much to enjoy. So don’t miss out until next time.

[00:14:37] Take care. God bless and make it a point to spend some time outdoors.