Gnat Creek

Not quite a year since the last trip to Gnat creek, an Oregon, Columbia river tributary. When I first came upon Gnat Creek it was early May 2006. I was fishing and exploring alone. I prefer scouting new waters more than anything else. Invigorating, something that reminds me of the excitement of an 8 year old boy finding a dried up leg bone of a cow, thinking that he’s found a dinosaur fossil. There is something deeply soulful about the search for something undiscovered. It keeps me young.

A little early still for consistent and satisfying numbers of springers. Hohbomb and I did work it hard and found a hole with a small alder covering its depths which may have had 6 or more salmon hiding under its shadows. Had one fish on which was given a poor hookset, and was soon lost. Otherwise we covered about 1/3 of a mile of creek bottomor more, just above tidewater, without hardly a fish seen. At the least the Sun favored our travels more than the rain. And the afternoon was almost but not quite warm.

"Any day now", according the the hatchery manager Dave Sheldon. Any day the bulk of fish will start to show up. Evidently good numbers of fish are out in the slough near the mouth of Big Creek. Fish are being caught by anglers from shore tossing spinners. At some point I'll have to visit that place.

Gnat creek is strictly a bankfishing creek. Its tiny waters still hold surprisingly large fish. Don't think that its easy though. Those fish are magicians and can vanish in ankle deep waters. The fish are Willamette and Rogue river stock, and can reach into the high 20's. The entire fishable area is about 5 miles long and terminates in a barrier falls about 1/5 mile above the Gnat creek Hatchery. Small pools, and short riffles dominate.

Whether you bring home fish or not, it is a special place. As the light of May gets progressively longer the canopy of new leaves almost shades out the sharp light of mid day; the dappled light dances on riffles, and one feeling like they've wandered into that original garden. Makes me wonder why I ever leave.


Klaskanine

But we did leave. I really wanted to see more of the Klaskanine, from which I explored a couple of weeks ago. I promised myself that I'd follow it up to the hatchery. Or at the least find the hatchery and fish whatever parts might hold fish. It was the only way I could tear myself away on that last trip, to promise I'd return.

I don't know if everyone who wades the smaller creeks and rivers gets this feeling, but its usually a fading light that stops me from making that next bend. I always want to see what's around the corner, what heavenly little piece of water is waiting for me, what undisturbed giants might fin in those undiscovered waters. One more turn of the river, one more bend, one more cast while there still is daylight left. Just enough that if I hold my line up against the sky I can tie the last leader of the day. Thats why I needed to see more of this little creek.


Our next stop was the hatchery. The North Fk Hatchery is a couple miles South of Olney on Oregon state highway 202. Olney consists of a store and an intersection. It's not much of an intersection either, more where the road splits into a Y. I drove past the store on my way home, and watched a group of neighbors, old farmers, socializing in the parking lot. They leaned against their trucks, some new and some well worn. And they probably told the same jokes, and the same stories, and heard the same genuine laughter. They looked happy, and it was very good for me as well. Salmon or no salmon, I found a little piece of creation that for an instant in time there were happy people, and it made me happy as well.

Downstream from the NF Klaskanine Hatchery is a no fishing zone. The deadline is a few hundred feet downstream. The fishable area is about 120 feet long, before barbed wire prevents you from going farther. A landowner charges a fee to access the river. I usually don't have any problems with the concept, but this particular day I had a hippies soul and felt like no one should ever be able to keep me off any water. There is a ODFW access point about a quarter mile down from the hatchery that was left unexplored. There is also a handful of 6-9 foot deep holes in the mile of river below that access point. You'll need to do alot of walking, or be very nice to the landowners to gain access. If I was semi local I'd be doing both. This is #3 spinner water. It is tiny, and those waters must be approached quietly. Take your favorite spinning gear along, and maybe some smaller spoons if you go. I'd also think it is fine fishing water. You should definitely take polarized glasses.

We had limited time and still wanted to put the boat in and revisit the Tide Hole at the Youngs River/Klaskanine confluence.
There were 5 other boat trailers at the put in when we got there. We used the launch at the intersection of Olney Cutoff Road, and Youngs River Road. Its a free public launch. Unfortunatly the fishing was dead. Even the gillnetters the night before had a slow time of it. Where did all those fish go? We trolled for about an hour, but after talking with several people who hadn't touched a fish or heard of one being caught we decided to try elsewhere.

Our last stop was on an undisclosed hole somewhere upstream from the confluence with the South Fk. We pitched baits to shadows. I'm not convinced those weren't suckers. The idea that they might be suckers seemed to please Mr Hohbomb. Why not? If I could only be as excited to see dogfish eat my herring. Thats guaranteed happiness.

We finished the day pitching spinners to tailing suckers. It was kind of amusing, in a quiet funny way. I didn't mind that the salmon hadn't cooperated all that much this day. It was ending on almost clear skies, and a light chill breeze which the alders caught in their leaves. The fish in the tailout breaking free from their holding spots and leaving sharp vee's in their wake. In the greyness of near dark I could hear Jason laughing, and the subtle splash of a spinner being tossed at schooling suckers.

I hope no one else has grown much older reading this long report of a double skunk day. I edited it down alot. But it was a fun day and I enjoyed writing about it.


VHawk