Nothing is more lovely than the gold of fall.  On the high desert, the sage blossoms put on a show nearly as good as a grove of aspen.  When the sage is next to a river – well you just can’t go wrong.

The Crooked River has had a rough time as of late.  The Beaurau of Reclamation has performed some suspect water management and the once “Blue Ribbon” trout fishery has been a mere husk of its former self.

It is a special river for me because, like many a fly angler in Central Oregon, this is where I first flailed around with a fly rod.  So it was great to spend a Friday afternoon exploring some favorite runs of mine.  It was also nice to find some feisty trout with the 3#.

Additionally, the wind apparently kept the dude-bro hatch at bay, as I had most of the river to myself.  I did, however have to check my shorts after nearly stepping on this little bugger – but then realized he had already met his demise.

Someone Forgot to Look Both Ways