Dining out in Ashland, Oregon

Dining out in Ashland is a must when you come to town. Just a short stroll from any of the downtown hotels you can find a plethora of delightful options.

• Pie + Vine

  House-made pasta, wood-fired pizzas, balanced wines, excellent service and outdoor seating. Need I say more? Absolutely, its just that good! Brandon gets the boar bolognese every time and theres never been leftovers.

• Standing Stone Brewery

  Standing Stone not only has an elaborate choice of house brews and local wines but their delectable menu is sourced from local ingredients most coming from their own farm only 1 mile away from the brewery/restaurant in downtown Ashland.

• Ostras!

  A touch of Spain in Ashland. This place has incredible tapas with excellent house drinks. Anything with their romesco sauce will leave you wanting to lick the plate clean.

• Taquiera Picaro

  Mexican done right with an Ashland touch and an excellent margarita! Quick, delicious and even nutritious if you can resist their exquisite carnitas!

• Louie’s

  Enjoy a meal and a beverage on Ashland Creek or order free delivery to your hotel room. Louie’s is great! We highly recommend their new bowls, nice and nutritious, makes for a marvelous meal.

A River Trip Away

I find excitement in exploring what’s around the next bend; be it following the hatch on my local streams up river, the upcoming Steelhead season (spoiler alert: Steelhead are already here!) or floating a new Wild and Scenic River to celebrate one year of marriage with my amazing wife, Bridget.

In 1968, the Wild and Scenic Rivers act was passed into law in the same time period as other hallmark environmental works like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. These laws help preserve the wild places we enjoy, and so many other ecosystem goods and services we often take for granted. Oregon alone has a plethora of protected waters worth experiencing, and while I am fortunate to guide several designated Wild and Scenic Rivers locally, there is something so exciting about floating a new one together.

The week before our trip, it became clear we were racing the unrelenting clock of diminishing river flows as the tail end of a healthy snowpack year descended off the high Wallowa Mountains, lowering river levels inches per day. Our scheduled launch date was just in the nick of time. Pushing off, the river was barley floatable. But once we were around the first bend and looking forward to four days and three nights ahead in a remote river canyon, our concerns of low water were swept away as our horizons filled with enchanting views and dancing water…

Fishing was of course part of the menu for this trip, but only an appetizer to the main course of solitude, scenery, quality camping, boating and wildlife viewing.

The river lent itself to classic freestone fishing approaches and after a few tinkerings of tactics and a few rods rigged, I settled for a dry dropper rig, finding the fish and water required little more than a good drift and being mindful of my shadows. Mornings were best and the river holds beautiful, wild Rainbow Trout, a few Bull Trout and abundant, large Whitefish. In fact, the Whitefish were the largest I have ever encountered, often pushing 18-20 inches.

Aiming to cover 40 some odd miles in 4 days, and at such a low flow meant covering long distances in technical, boulder strewn waters. The boating was demanding, but the miles melted away, and time, as it does in timeless places like the Wallowa-Grand Ronde, was replaced with the suns position in the sky, growing shadows on the water, and evening needs to find suitable camps, of which there were many.

Our first wildlife encounter was stunning, a Golden Eagle swooping to the right bank, talons extended, it’s prey squealing for life. The eagle soon flew off to a near cliff, perhaps disturbed by our presence, then to our astonishment, the large weasel that had just been screaming bloody murder picked itself up and slinked into the bushes, gravely wounded or hardly hurt, we couldn’t tell…

Later, bright white shapes along the right side of the river piqued our interest, until the Mountain Goats came into focus and our jaws dropped. We floated right upon a family group of 7, working their way downriver at a clip much faster than I would have imagined. Their powerful hind quarters and sure footed hooves propelled them over the uneven rocks, muscles rippling. Disinterested in our presence, they ate, drank, played and cooled off in the sand while we floated by.

Not long after, but on the opposite bank, a group of Big Horn sheep escaped the afternoon heat on the rivers edge and allowed us another great opportunity to observe more of the canyon’s permanent residents. Like the goats before, they seemed disinterested in us, as if they knew we were transient and would soon be on our way to leave them to go about their lives as they did yesterday and will continue tomorrow.

Four days and three nights, even in a place like this, still goes by too fast. I feel you could spend a life time in places like this and still only partially grasp its entirety. We had a great trip, and I’ll mark this as one of my favorites. It’s one Bridget and I plan to repeat, perhaps a little earlier in the season with more water in the river to aid our progress, and perhaps a few days extra to forget time, enjoy more fishing and enjoy a river trip away.

Fly-Only Regulations begin on the Upper Rogue River: A few tips to ensure your fish swims away.

Signaling one of fly anglers favorite times in Southern Oregon, September 1st brings Fly-Only regulations (pg. 36) to the Upper Rogue River, Oregon.

During this time period Fall Chinook and Summer Steelhead surge into the upper river where water and weather conditions are perfect for fly anglers seeking a quality and fun angling experience. This year the Rogue is forecast to host and is beginning to see an epic, large return of both Chinook and Steelhead.

Many tactics are used on the Upper Rogue River including Spey casting with two handed rods (a local favorite), indicator nymphing from drift boats and the time tested "Rogue River twitch."

Which ever angling method you choose to utilize while fly fishing on the Upper Rogue River, take note many of these prized fish are wild and the utmost care should be taken when fighting, handling, photographing and releasing them. A study by Trout Unlimited shows mortality is much higher when fish are exposed to over 30 seconds of air (Do better then that, PLEASE) and that barbless hooks also increase survival rate. As local guides, we do our best to follow TU's recommendations and because we are on the water most days during the Fall, we tend to encounter quite a few fish.

To ensure your fish swim away strong, I recommend using a rubber net bag that is much larger then the anticipated fish to be caught such as PNW landing nets. If you plan to take a Grip N Grin, prep your shot so when it's picture time, you can count the seconds of air exposure to the fish. I aim for 3 seconds or less out of the water. Better still, if the angler and conditions allow, try for a shot that keeps the fish mostly submerged. Your fish will thank you when it sprays your face with a fan of cool water after it darts back to the depths.

Tight Lines,

Brandon Worthington

Dry Fly Steelhead Fishing

One of the most exciting times in fly fishing is nearly upon us on the beautiful rivers of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Near the end of May and certainly in the first

few weeks of June huge Salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica) and Golden Stone Fly (Hesperoperla pacifica) will make their way across the river bottoms and up stream-side vegetation to molt, mate, fly and lay their eggs on the water’s surface.

All stages of this hatch are of interest to trout and trout anglers alike, but for die-hard steelheaders there is an additional angling opportunity to practice our spey casts while skating big dries to half pounders and spring steelhead on the Klamath River.

If you have been fortunate enough to observe a salmonfly or golden stone hatch (they both typically happen at the same time) the observant angler notices these bugs have distinct preferences for when they fly or when they stay glued to the bank. Further observations illustrate that while one evening there may be thousands and thousands of the these clumsy fliers in the air, it’s when they fly low, quivering their wings just over the surface and touching their egg laden abdomens to the water that we often have our most memorable fishing sessions.

This action can be imitated in a number of ways with both single and double handed rods and is a combination of trying to mimic these natural movements while at the same time breaking one of our most important dry-fly rules: The drag free drift. For single hand anglers try raising your rod tip high, allowing a little downstream belly to form in your line and quiver your rod tip. For spey anglers, the tantalizing action of a salmonfly dancing across the water surface makes a subtle “v” wake which fortunately, is the same presentation made when skating a dry fly, down and across. I’ll also angle my cast slightly upstream and get a few feet of dead drift before allowing my fly to come under tension and begin it’s skittering swing.

On the few rivers where strong salmonfly hatches and spring steelhead coincide, skittered and skated salmonfly drys can be very effective and fun at bringing fish to the surface. The Klamath River in Northern California is one such venue with the added bonus of eager half-pounders and trout ensuring action throughout the day.

Best fishing is during the last week of May and first few weeks of June before the weather and water get too warm for ethical fishing. In the mean time, fishing is good and the weather is pleasant! Please drop us a line to learn more or book a day of dry fly steelheading.

Trout on the Mind

There is a time each season to turn the page. But at least for me it's just a few pages. Fresh Summer Steelhead will be back in two months on the Rogue, and I can't wait!

Trout season is vamping up in the state of Jefferson with many options for fishing. Locally, the Salmon flies and Golden Stones are working their way up river on the Rogue. While the main stem is still closed for another week, the Holy Water is open and fishing well. Farther south, folks are getting in their casts on rivers like Hat Creek, and Sacramento among others.

Recently I headed north to fish a river I had only wet a line in many years ago. The Mckenzie is what all the guide books say it is. Beautiful, clear, cold and productive. The native Redband trout here are as pretty as anywhere I've seen. They're also incredibly strong for their size.

Mckenzie Redband Trout

Craig Nielsen with one of dozens

But even with the all the Trout fishing to be done, never discount the Klamath for a nice day out swinging flies for steelhead. Bevan, all the way from Tasmania wanted to swing flies and is pretty darn accomplished for not having any native salmonids to target! We had a really productive day with four good fish hooked and several other yanks. The Klamath never ceases to amaze.

Bevin from Australia for some late spring chrome on the Klamath

Bevin BENT with some late Spring Chrome!

Third Sunday Spey put on by The Ashland Fly Shop

Third Sunday Spey, put on by the Ashland Fly Shop this Sunday was a success too. A few guys showed up and got tuned up. This is really one of the coolest things a shop can do to keep people stoked on getting out on the river with the long rod. 

Ashland Fly Shop Delivery Service

Rogue River Salmonfly Hatch

Just around the corner, the upper Rogue River opens for general trout fishing. I'm booked opening weekend but have some dates scattered through out the last of May and early June if you are interested in a float trip. Awesome fun!

760-424-9682