I've always loved fishing the smaller rivers. I enjoy their character and the scenery. I like the better defined water. I like the excitement of hooking and playing steelhead in close quarters. I love the relative solitude. In my younger years, times on the smaller rivers of the north Oregon coast were among the very most fun and special moments of my life; catching lots of steelhead with good buddies.

The difference now is that there aren't as many small rivers with good runs of fish anymore. And many of them have been so posted private by property owners that the states have stopped planting some of them; and closed others to fishing, or both - including my favorite little coastal zipper of years past. I hope one day that the nates can recover well enough to open it to up again to C&R fishing. If I am still alive, I will just stand there and fish with priceless memories of years past. And excuse this sincere but mushy sentiment - I will have a tear or two running down my cheek. It will be similar to the scene toward the end of the movie "A River Runs Thru It", in which the old man casts his fly upon the Blackfoot River; all by himself with his precious memories.

RT