DEC/JAN 2018
25
FISHING|
AUTUMN BY EDMUND WADESON
Autumn is fully upon us now that the
exuberance of summer has passed and we
are faced with the impending descent of
winter sitting just beyond the horizon. We
feel it everywhere: in the leaves that have
gone from deep green to pale; in the chill
that greets us at the door each morning; in
the sparse quality of the sunlight that falls
for less time each day. This is the time to
savor the last days of warmth and gold this
fading year will offer.
Autumn will provide some good fly fish-
ing opportunities around Central Oregon
although the fishing will be different from
the summer days when it might have been
easy to bring a fish to the net. The fish
hunker closer to the river bed now and are
less inclined to move. The insect hatches
are sparse at best and I am forced to dig
deeper into the recesses and corners of
my fly boxes for the fly that will move a
trout. I have to work harder in order to hold,
for brief moments, each particular piece of
awesomeness and wonder that comes in
the form, color and iridescence of a trout.
Nymphing, the art of drifting a small fly
close to the bottom, is the normal order of
things during the fall. The cooler tempera-
tures have ushered in an end to the major-
ity of insects found on the water surface,
thus the trout look there less frequently
for food. You have to fish your fly down in
the sub-aquatic zone where the trout are
holding. It is also a style of fly fishing that
ensures you snag subsurface obstructions.
If you’re not losing flies you’re not doing
it right, they say. For the record, this is not
my favorite way
of fly fishing.
I would rather
find a fish I can
observe and
cast a dry fly to
it, watching its
reactions and
adjusting ac-
cordingly.
Nymphing can
be productive
it’s true, but it
somehow goes
against the
grain of why I
am there in the
first place - I am
not there to be
productive. For
me it’s about
that next fish and how to get it to take the
fly I am using right now; how to land it, to
witness its inherent beauty, then to let it
go. Every trout is different. Each one is a
unique kind of gorgeousness composed
of things largely influenced by water, wind,
sunlight and the natural world. Each one
embodies something elemental, raw and
untamable that I haven’t yet deciphered -
something which transcends the mundane
and pertains to a wildness that, through
the years, I continuously wonder at. Hold
a wild trout in your hands and you might
begin to understand.
Autumn fly fishing relies upon a language
that is more whisper than discussion. It
is communicated in sunlight, reflection,
translucence, wind, clouds, shadows on
the water, a softer tread along the bank,
cautious movements, and in revealing
even less evidence of my own presence
than usual. I spend long moments just
looking, scanning the river slowly, attempt-
ing to discern the depths. I use a smaller
rod with lighter lines and small flies as a
way to gain an advantage over the trout’s
instinctive unwillingness to be moved by
anything unnatural. I also try to get closer
by moving slowly and quietly, even on my
knees at times to reduce my presence and
avoid putting the trout to flight. Sometimes
it works, and the cast, my presentation,
the right fly and circumstances all come
together and I find another beautiful trout
in the bottom of the net where I admire its
beauty, remove the fly, and release it back
to the water.
As I write this, I am looking forward to the
next time out on the water to try for trout
with the rods I build and the flies I tie. I am
also anticipating the end of the fly fishing
autumn and the beginning of the fly fishing
winter, which comes, not so much as a
circumstance of the calendar, but when the
first snow flies. Which won’t be long from
now…
Edmund Wadeson lives, fishes and
introduces others to fly fishing in Central
Oregon.
Find him at [email protected]
FILM|
HAIL MARY BY TYLER ORTON & BEN FERGUSON
When Bend locals Tyler Orton and Ben Ferguson team up to make a
snowboard movie you know something awesome is going to come out
of it. The film spanned an entire season covering Ferguson’s very busy
travel schedule. The pair filmed at contests like the X-Games and also
headed into the backcountry.
Hail Mary (A last minute attempt with a small chance of success) is a
snowboard short, filmed and edited by Tyler Orton. The pair traveled
across the world in pursuit of what Ben and his friends love to do...
snowboarding. The goal was to make a snowboard movie showing two
aspects of the sport, often unseen side by side, and to spread love and
excitement for what they do. Ben invited a few friends and fellow pro
snowboarders to travel and film with him. Other riders include Bend’s
Alex Lopez, Jared Elston, Curtis Ciszek, and brother Gabe Ferguson. To
give the movie an international feel, Chilean Manuel Diaz, Finish Iikka
Backstrom and Japanese legend Rip Zinger rounded out the crew.
Hail Mary was filmed in Central Oregon; Laax, Switzerland; Aspen,
Colorado; Hokkaido, Japan; Pyeong Chang, South Korea; Whistler, BC;
Steven’s Pass, Washington; and Haines, Alaska.
Additional filming by Justin Hostynek, Benny Bright and Matt Cook
(aka @skichef).
The film is presented by Burton, Anon, Harley Davidson, Baldface
Lodge, 10 Barrel Brewing, and Mt. Bachelor.
P: Tyler Orton
Watch Hail Mary at https://vimeo.com/238000822