“I remember, too, at dawn or dusk, in estuary or river pool, the formidable power of a great chinook salmon that has taken solid hold of a lure and surges strength against the left hand on the rod; a cast of fortune seized by fortune, the whole outcome will be uncertain.”
Roderick Haig-Brown
Bright Waters, Bright Fish
The Story of Richard’s Salmon
The story of Richard’s salmon really started 44 years ago. Richard and I were juniors at West High School in Anchorage, Alaska. A year later we both graduated. College followed. We roomed together in southern California. That school term was preceded by a mid-January four-day drive from Anchorage to Newport Beach, California. Believe me, a mid-winter drive down the Alcan Highway has a way of either creating a lifelong bond between people or making people never speak to each other again.
A year or so after southern California, Richard and I attended the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. In Eugene we shared our rental house with my brother David and another West High graduate, Mark Welker.
That summer I got married and gave up on college. Within a year or two I got very involved in steelhead fishing. After 10 years my first wife and I separated. Through all of my ups and downs Richard has remained a good friend. Since I’ve been a fishing junkie Richard and I have always managed to make a couple trips together every year. Sometimes Richard’s kids fished with us. His son, Luke came with us on some of our Sandy River steelhead trips. Once his daughter, Laurie came along on a Deschutes River trip.
Ours has been a long good friendship with many good memories. On November 20 we met at Nestucca River Outfitters (503-392-4269) in Hebo, Oregon for another float trip. The river had risen since my last float in late October. Instead of 3.7 feet it was running at 5.25. We bought bait, arranged our shuttle and headed upriver to the launch site. There were three or four boats ahead of us. As we approached the first salmon pool, I saw a boat anchored in the middle of the hole. I dropped the anchor and prepared the diver rods with a bait of eggs and sand shrimp. We let the baits out and began to work the top of the hole. Almost immediately a fish began to pull line off Richards reel. He lifted to set the hook, but there was nothing there.
We stopped and re-baited our hooks. The boat that was ahead of us floated down river and we continued to work through the pool. As we descended a fish started to bite on Richard’s rod. The rod tip went down and came back up. It went down again and again and came back up. Then it stopped. We floated down another 20 or 30 feet and I pulled over to the far side of the river. It was obvious that there was a fish present, but was it a salmon or perhaps just a small cutthroat?
We re-baited and I rowed back up to the top of the pool. On previous salmon and steelhead trips with guide John Garrett (www.ggs4fishcme.com, 509-427-4057) when we had bites that we missed John would go through the run again, two or three times. Often we had solid hook-ups on the second or third time through. Out went our baits again. Once again Richard’s rod got bit. It went down, back up, down, up, then it went down to nearly the cork handle and line peeled off the reel. Richard set the hook and we were off to the races.
I dropped anchor and reeled in my rod to get it out of the way. The fish acted like it wasn’t much and I began to wonder if maybe it was a cutthroat. Richard reeled it up close to the boat and the situation changed. We saw a big silver flash beneath the water’s surface and the fish raced away down river taking 100 feet of line. When it stopped its run Richard went to work to regain line. He had put a fair amount of line back on his reel when it ran again taking more line, again going far downstream. Then for some reason the fish decided to run upstream. It flew past the boat making the line hiss across the river’s surface as it went up.
I pulled anchor and backed the boat into the shore where the anchor rope was out of the way. The fish began to tire and after a few more short runs I slipped the net beneath it and lifted it into the boat.
Richard Bertellotti with a bright fall Chinook.
That night I enjoyed a fine dinner of fresh salmon. I retold the events of the day to Joyce and stored away another fine memory of a day with my old friend Richard.
Orvis in Bend, Oregon
On November 8 and 9 the Orvis Company celebrated the grand opening for their newest retail store, located in the Old Mill shopping area along the banks of the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon.
Looking at the main entry of the Bend Orvis store.
This is a large retail shop that carries a large selection of high quality Orvis products. Much of the floor space is filled with the Orvis line of clothing and household accessories. But a generous amount of space is also dedicated to fly fishing gear. You will find everything necessary for any type of fishing trip: waders, rods, reels, fly lines, fleece wear, tippet material and a big selection of fly patterns.
Looking into a portion of the fly fishing section of the store.
The grand opening was an impressive event. There was live music and copious amounts of delicious food and beverage. Each day presentations were made by local fishing authorities. Topics covered were Cascade Lakes, winter fishing opportunities, and Rogue River steelhead fishing. There were seminars on training upland bird dogs and improving your casting. Community groups such as Central Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Invasive Species Council, Deschutes River Conservancy and High Desert Museum were also represented at the grand opening.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the grand opening was the 18-hole casting course. It is designed very much like a golf course. The big difference, of course, is that you go through the course with a fly rod casting to targets at each hole. Each hole is named and presents a different challenge. This is a great way to practice casting and build casting skill.
The second hole, Deer Lake, is straight across the street from Orvis’s main entrance.
This is hole 9, Black Butte Pond. With the trees at your back, a roll cast is required.
The Orvis store in Bend is the latest addition to the ClackaCraft Pro-Shops. There are currently two boats placed there, a 16’ Fly Fishing Bench and a 16’ Low Profile. Stop by and take a look at them.
ClackaCraft boats at the Orvis Store
Orvis Retail Store
The Old Mill
320 SW Powerhouse Dr .
Bend , OR 97702
541-312-8200
2009 Show Schedule
Come see us at the following shows this year.
Portland Boat Show, Portland Expo Center January 3-11
Sacramento I.S.E., Cal Expo January 15-18
WA Sportsmen’s Show, Puyallup Fairgrounds January 21-25
Denver I.S.E., Colorado Convention Center January 22-25
Eugene Boat & Sportsmen’s Show, Lane Co. Fairgrounds January 30-February 1
Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, Portland Expo February 4-8
Salt Lake City I.S.E., South Towne Expo, March 12-15
