I belive that is the upper Calawah in near forks washington? let me know ! Baitcaster

Allright that ltlcleo is screwing with me.

I know what it is not.

So my guess is a river I have never done and that is......The lower Hamma Hamma

Hmmm, must be a river that's been dammed up?

No guess here...

Could it be "Blue Creek" ?

Cowlitzfisherman

None taken, Mike. Ahh, but you are a wise man to shake the tree and wait for fruit to fall.

For further clarification, PM's will count as a post. So make your first quesses count.

ltlcleo, It's gotta be killing you, isn't it. Now you'll have Originals dancing in your head for the rest of the week. Dream on! (About steelies rising to take the bait as easily as you did that is. )

I can hear the pages of the Gazetteer's flipping even now. Keep those cards and letters coming!

My guess is the upper Sultan before they put the dam in...

I say Calawah or upper Sol Duc.

Upper Green?

Mooch,

I also think Mike correctly interpreted your clue. My guess: upper Wynoochee upstream of present dam site, making the photos a good 30 years old.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Cedar

Looks like hell to me....
Actually I'd guess the well screw the guess.. You'd better have hooked and released 20+ fish for the effort you put in there.
Keith

The North fork of the Toutel before the Mountain blew

stlhdr1,

What makes you think we were fishing?
Hell???
Man, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
Might've too, if it weren't for a few mates.
But even if I had, sadly I couldn't have stayed. So guess I'm back to working out my salvation with fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12.
Speaking of guesses, how about one, stlhdr?
And speaking of trembling, just keep on shaking that tree. Another clue is bound to fall out.

Already been guessed but I think upper Green or Cedar. My thinking was it didn't have to be a dam that closed it but they both have em & I changed my mind when I thought of the gate at the headworks. Nice boulder garden in pic#3.

Skagit before the damn dam --well maybe the Columbia

Now daggonnit,

Ya got a drift boat up there. That has been used for 20 foot and longer sleds for years now ya got drifters in there.

Just can't keep 'em zippers for long can ya?

Other than that I have no guess 'cept was it the Cispus before flooding? I fished that river about 40 years ago.

fp

I'd Say upper Cedar river about 20 years ago. How did you get your boat in there? Must have had some help from high places.
How do I know for sure? ...one great memory and good analyst skills.

Edit, to further answer your question, the section is within the upper watershed, cant tell exactly where. would guess you either ran from the Fort Titon area down to the lake, or from Cedar falls area down to Bagley Junction area. I will tell you exactly how I came to my conclusion once the contest is over.

the pics were taken from a 110 camera, circa 1979 - 1982, so if they weren't fishin closed waters, it's a river that was open possibly as late as 1982 & now closed...

How about the river that comes out of the watershed just south of I-90??

I think it's that one.

Duckabush

MaxMad

How did you know that?

I thought that it was fairly recent because the drift boat looks like it was made of molded fiberglass, and the oars look like they had black rubber cups on there ends, and that should all be product of 25 years ago or less.

You got any more good ideas? Can anyone read or distinguish what is on the boat just below the rail on the front of the boat? I can't see any fishing rods in the boat either!

I can't read what is on his shirt either, so what's your best guess?

Cowlitzfisherman

I noticed that too CFM< no registration stickers or rods in the boat, maybe they were planting fish instead of fishing for them????

i was thinking that the boat was probably an old eastside drifter

Lupo

What year would that be? That boat looks like it is in pretty good shape

Cowlitzfisherman

Sapho rapids just above the bridge on the Duc. Early summer low water cause no coats are on.

Rageing River - Near Tiger Mountain
Elwa River - Somewhere under a lake
S. F. Stilly - Way up river by Monte Cristal
Green River - Again way up river
Tolt River - Under another lake

North fork of the skoke???

Nisqually river.

Nah... more like "dodgearock"

Elwha River above Altaire campground.

Elwha River above Altaire campground.

...Upper Kalama

upper nisqually!!!

but it looks like the upper Alsea in Oregon???

my last guess the middle Wind river???

Aw shucks ...I thought this was going to be..guess what river Sparkey caught his fish on? That would be easy.....

However, looking at the mossy rocks and green forestry, it has to be in western Oregon or western WA.......

Not knowing any of the OR. rivers I'll guess,, Nestucca........well is it a guessing game!

My guess is the Cedar River between Cedar Falls and Landsburg. I used to work in there for the City of Seattle. Access is highly restricted.

Upper cowlitz before they put the last dam in. Now called lake skanewae or something like that.

Used to have world class trout fishing. Now its just a cracker fest.

Mirco

Took the words right out of my mouth! But not so far up in the Cowlitz as the Cowlitz Falls area. Saw some engineering pictures of Mayfield Lake prior to the dam and those pictures look just like a few areas that the dam engulfed. So my guess is Mayfield Dam area.

Cowlitzfisherman

You guys are truly amazing!

Mooch out.

Upper San Diego River Circa 10,000 B.C.

I understand it doesn't count, as I've already guessed. But I think that driftboat wasn't on the market before 1974, so Wynoochee would be unlikely for that reason. I think they'd filled the reservoir by then. It doesn't look like the part of the upper Green I've seen in the restricted area, so I'm inclined to go with those who say Cedar River upstream of Landsburg.

Of course, if it's an Oregon river, I haven't a clue.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I think Mooch just threw in that Oregon comment to try and throw us off a little. He knows we are on to him with it being the upper Cedar river. Nice Try Mooch!

upper cedar river?? sound's good to me.

The sol duc above salmon falls

Mooch,
My absolute last guess, I agreee with several people already the Cedar River. With that said... How many Little Cleos will you hand out , or is there a tie breaker question???
Winterun

Winterrun,

My, My. It almost sounds like you want that Original even more than ltlcleo does. (If that's even possible.) Guess maybe I shoulda checked ebay before I spoke, huh?

Still, you don't sound all that convinced. Somehow I just never took you for one to follow the crowds, like the ones that head for Blue Cr when F&H News reports reruns being caught on the Cow.

Oh ya that's right, Blue Cr been posted already.

Mooch out. (or was it Mooch on?)

I want to rescind my Nestucca guess------- I'm not Oreo contingent.....but just threw it out. In fact I couldn't even find it on the map!!!

However,, I didn't read your clues until today..
So it might be the S. Fork Santiam, but you live in Kingston, probably not...

How about the N. Fork Skokomish before Cushman????? Don't know when the dam was built,,,,,But that is my final answer and I'm sticking to it (since someone already guessed Sultan)

Plus, I don't even want the 'crummy' spoon!!!

Mooch I have probably twenty originals.You can still by them from Acme. :p edit: Just this summer I hid an original under a rock on the summit of the brothers. I scratched ltlcleo on the rock if any of you get up there.by the way the view of the varios watersheds from up there is phenominal.

Its just that the pics look familiar

Peri,
No wonder you don't want my 'crummy spoon', you're obviously a 'fork' man. S. Fork This, N. Fork That.......
Just think of it though , if you fished with forks instead of spoons, when you hooked a fish you could always say "I stuck a fork in him." Or if you crackered him, you could say that he "forked off".

ltlcleo and Aunty M,
Thanks guys, I feel much better now knowing that I won't be giving away anything of significant monetary value , even if this 'slightly used, but greatly appreciated, Original' should only have deep personal sentimental value, that nobody can be expected to understand just how profoundly it evokes enduring memories of a lifetime
But what kind of a heartless, inconsiderate bum would put up such a precious family heirloom, intended to be handed down from one generation of Mooch's to the next, as a lame prize for a cheap contest and risk revealing truths yet unspoken if he had thought there was even the slightest chance anyone would guess the location of SHANGRILA?

Mooch in'.

Hawk,

Good to have you back. Maybe we should've opened this thing up to some of your Minnesota rock gardens too?

So come on, your guess is as good as anyone else's here. Why not take a shot in the dark?

Maybe you guys back there don't use 'slightly used' cleos. They come from out there someplace, dont' they? Must be a dime a dozen, huh? Oh well, I'm still not raising the ante.

Speaking of shots... put anything in the freezer?

Speaking of shots... put anything in the freezer? [/QB][/QUOTE]

Never been there but the hint might make it the Icicle River.

fp

Dosewallips

South fork of the snoqualmie

Tight lines

Kevin

Upper Pysht.

Lower Yakima....pre-dairy land

Any clues --like did you have to sqeal like a piggy?

Nice Coho did you squeel with Rat??



Tight lines

Kevin

Looks like Canyon Creek, maybee even the South Fork of Canyon Creek.

That Cleo is in my box!!!


Upper Hoko

Did you even look at the picture?

It could be the Upper Yakima or Cle Elum Rivers

OK, I didn't think it would come to this so early, but it seems like maybe some of you guys could use a little help.

Anybody wanna buy a vowel?

Pysht

Okay, so how many 'forks' does each vowel cost??

Plastic or stainless?

Me thinks it's already been guessed and you are just stringing us on, looking for new zippers..

BUSTED!

Mrs. Mooch, AKA Vana 'my lovely assistant' (who is actually the force behind this charade) informs me that "this is simply not kosher and is in clear violation of the spirit and letter of the rules as previously heretofore been laid down, blah, blah, blah...."

Can you believe it, she actually thought I was trying to take a little side action on my own. Something about 'Neweaseling it' or 'selling indulgences', I don't know. All I know I was just trying to help you guys out. So in the spirit of fairness, she says that anything I do for one, I gotta do for all. (Winterrun, sorry that does not mean a Original to each of you. ed.) So, I guess I gotta go ahead and give all of you guys that vowel. Bosses orders.

Welcome to Mooch's World.

McKenzie R.?

Mooch, I've got my own ideas where this "stream of dreams" of your is. Your qoute of "a most-memorable driftboat trip..once-in-a-lifetime, beyond expectations...ect. Tell us what kind of fish were caught/targeted on this drift. You owe us that much......(Looks like it could be a trout-only stream to me, for all we know it might be in New Mexico!!) <img border="0" alt="[Goldfish]" title="" src="graemlins/goldfish.gif" />

Chrome,
I never thought for a moment you guys would not pick up on that. But it's too early to give it all away just yet. I've got to be careful not to give away too much, as there are some pretty cagey characters lurking around out there waiting to swallow my 'slightly used Original Little Cleo' whole. But you might want to look and read a little closer, grasshopper.

What I owe, I will gladly pay.

Make your first post count.

Rotsa ruck.

Mooch.......You 'Shamster' !!

SantIam,, SkokomIsh,, Come on,,2 vowels!!!

This has been a fun thread. '

Man you are one big tease....remember the curse of LCI....

I'm gonna guess the Icicle river, the name hasn't been thrown around too much and it does have 2 i's in it, and it starts in i, so I figured what the hell, whi not.

I got one guess so I'm gonna make it good. I dont know the history of this river but I do believe the upper streches are locked now.

The Little Mashel?

fishingjunky15: Obviously that was a serious guess

Is it the Lilliwaup?

Hey Mooch, I am quite the investigator and I have found you out. More to the point I have to much time on my hands.
Here is my answer, a direct quote from you "a. Upper Cedar River in the watershed. Incredible, because it is simply the most gorgeous, pristine and untouched stretch of ROYAL blue ribbon trout water I have ever seen on this planet (yes, that includes AK, MT, UT, & CO). I will never do it again because it will never be allowed again and even if it were I wouldn't use my boat. This one time event was santioned by all the proper authorities who were looking for a fool to risk his life and craft to plant fingerlings throughout the upper stretch for a wild steelhead enhancement program sponsored by the So Lk Wash TU back in the 80's. If I remember correctly it took about 10 guys to drag the boat to the river and then help rope it down in many places. Without their help the city authorities would have had us take the sterilized boat out in pieces. We even had to pack out our piss. Got some great photos though. I'll try to find them. "

I did some snooping in the Archives

Well being I grew up in Renton and learned how to steelhead & trout fish on the "CEDAR river and now reside in the upper reaches of Hobart,Wa right next to the cedar river water shed,and after rereading all the previous posts I'm gonna say that it is the upper stretch of the cedar river above landsburg and below chester morris lake.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

"UPPER CEDAR RIVER ABOVE LANDSBURG"

Damn it Fish Chaser, Did you have to spill the beans on my technique !!!

Mooch may not remember that within the archives of this forum lies the answer. Well, I wholly answered the question first!

Sorry Sky-Guy I just had to burst the bubble I am just one of those type of guys. I know I wouldn't win it, you guys answered it way before I read the Post. Plus I have a LtCleo just like that one.

I'll trade the lilcleo for a fishing trip with lilcleo on the OP.

Dickey

The vowel is I?????/

I got it! It has got to be the P"I"rates of the Caribbean at Disney Land. Man, you've got some guts there, Mooch!!

BTW,
I guessed based on the clue given and a PBS program I once watched where they were tagging the trees to show where the spawning beds were. They were using different colored tags based on the type of salmon spawning. I thought the river looked very similar to what I saw on the program.

I did not search the archives.

Have any of you realised that the letter "i" is in t he word "river"? Nice one mooch!

How about an new one not in the word"river".

Really? Cause the pictures show moss on the rocks and cedar trees on the banks. I don't think the Lower Yakima has thouse. Lower meaning Ellensburg and down.

I've got to go with the Calawah, about halfway between the 101 Bridge at Forks and the first takeout.

If I'm right, my buddy and I had to get out of the drift boat and walk around the rapids while our guide (Craig) took the boat through the skinny water.

The first time I made that drift was with my brand new birthday rod, a 8-1/2 foot Granger and a shiny red Garcia reel sometime in the early 1970's.

Hooked 11 steelhead and brought 9 to the boat. Still fond memories.

I haven't fished it in years, but that's my guess.

Hey Sebastes, We already figured it out.

My first guess would be the Siletz, lower part of the gorge. Second possibility would be Applegate (Rogue Tributary), only because they built a dam in I beleive in
1980.

The Dosewalips.

Little green river near Mt. St. Helens

Okay Mooch --you 'Shamster' rIver, that was shameful.... However, was the impoundment that covered your 'honey hole' named after a wizzard in the King Arthur's days???

Can't believe so many river names have been submitted that don't have impoundments (dams) on them --or did I misread something?

(still don't want your crummy spoon -- it's the thrill of the chase!!) :p

North Fork Snoqualmie.

Hey Symbiosis !!!! Mooch detests 'Forks" guys. He is a "spoon man"!!

Dungeness

FishingJunky15:

You have obviously never seen the Yak through Tri-Cities, it has its own microclimate. Monkeys, parrots, and yes even moss. On your next visit I offer one warning, don't drink the water!

Go Cougs!!

After careful scientific study and research, I can confidently offer up my S.W.A.G. (scientific wild a$$ guess).

Drum roll please.....

North Fork of the Toutle prior to the eruption!

(cymbal crash)

How bout the cispus river that runs into the upper cowlitz.

I really don't know.... not a clue...but I might as well put my guess out there.

Upper North Fork of the Lewis River up above all the dams.

Mooch, I'm compelled to reply and advise you I am an analyst by trade, and always use every tool at my disposal to fix a problem or find an answer. Just my nature to do a little homework on you.

I can't beleive the name that river contest is over, what we will we all do now? Go bonk a I guess. Mooch, I hope we can get together and fish some blackmouth this season.

The upper Quill

What I think is far funnier is that people continue to guess the answer far after the answer has been revieled. Oh Well, again Sky-Guy sorry for letting the cat out of the bag, and mooch I hope I am not like that guy with the baseball he now needs protection to leave his house. I would enjoy meetin up to do a little fishing sometime.

Wrong! (again)
You go Dawgs.

Fish Chaser,
Don't think you'll have worry about asylum anymore, with the way some folks and the press are going to be hounding a certain coaching staff in the coming weeks. <img border="0" alt="[wall]" title="" src="graemlins/wall.gif" />

Mooch, this was fun. Right from the start I thought it was the Upper Cedar, but there was no way to tell, so many NW streams look the same. It was cool you got to drift that little bit of heaven.......C/22

Sent you an email. If we could get together and fish, ltlcleo can have the lilcleo.

the nooksack river

Hey mooch,that was alot of fun.

Spent the week end prowling around and fishing.made the trip down the 100 rd yesterday.Nothing.Not even a trout.Lots of quad tracks and garbage though.It is too bad as that was shaping up to be a neat fishery.

Addy, I bet mooch would love to go fishing with ya and give you the prize. Just the kind of guy I think he is

MissingAdi,
Didn't get your email. You must have sent to the interim address while my DSL was down. PM me at this moniker address. It would be great to fish with you when we can work it out.

Gone fishin', but yall ain't seen the last of me.
Mooch on

By the way crazycat, not that it matters but I woulda guessed the Sammamish Slough, just past the I-405 interchange after a long day of wine tasting at the St. Michelle Winery.