John Day River, OR ... June 2007

T-

I like your plan!  June 14th-17th would work for me (and maybe Allen can join us on during this date?) or any time in July after the 5th.  Thursday launch is the way to go based on what I have read on this trip.  Most people in the summer launch on Fridays, so by getting out on a thursday we should be hitting the good campsites along th river before most other people.

Also, it seems like the Service Creek to Clarno section of the river is probably best suited for kayaks, and I have read that most of the "good"fishing is in this strech as well.  I vote for this float, but can be bribed accordingly (with a good single malt) to consider an alternative section if you guys want to try something else!

As far as vehicles go, I have a full size crew cab pick up, and I am looking to set up a rack system on it in the next few months.  So, I am willing to drive as needed.


-Pete

boxofrain,

Well, there you go.  You want to meet us over there on the evening of the June 13th?  Or is there still another date (after the 5th of July) that you like better?  Theres also a better than average chance that we're going to go right back down to that same river some time later in the summer.  Any way, for this one I think that pjrflyguy and myself are all but ready to pull the trigger and carve a plan in stone.

Going... going...


Fishin-T

Okay- the Cabo trip has been moved to April, so I am open throughout June and July.  Let me know if this open up the possibility of getting more participation!

Pete

I would be up for the John Day and if you decide to do the Tillamook trip I would be interested, my ocean experience is still minimal but I would love to go. The drive is something for me to consider since I live in ID but that's not a problem, always worth the drive. I have access to a raft or cat and could have room for one, Alex (who is also on the forum) will most likely come over as well and we could fit one more on the raft and some gear (cooler full of food) if we decide to go.

-Luc

ALL,

Okay gang!  Pjrflyguy has made his schedule flex to accomodate a larger spread of dates so we have the chance to include polepole.  Now all that we need is for polepole to tell us if he has a date to hit the water that he likes better than the morning of June 14.

If it helps you decide, Allen, I've networked around and I've found an old fraternity brother who lives in Wisconsin, but he's got some business in the town of John Day over the last two weeks of June.  So if we can schedule a trip in that span, he says he can likely ferry us (the drivers anyway) from our pull-out back to our cars on Sunday morning, or possibly from a parking spot at the pull-out back to the launch site on Thursday morning.  True story.  Seriously, he'd like to maybe get to camp with us for no particular reason either the night before or some time during the float.  He probably won't have the time to do any of the float with us.

There you go, Allen.  This one seems to be gaining momentum... it's shaping up pretty good!  So what do you say Allen?  You in or you out on this one?

Fishin-T

Gee Fishin-T, it sounds like you really want me to go on this one. 

June 14 is as good a date as any at this point for me.  However, I can't commit to anything right now as I have too many balls in the air.  Let me drop a few of those balls first, then I'll get back to you.

-Allen

You got it Pole.  Okay, so once Polepole has a chance to weigh in, one way or another - in or out or what ever, then we'll nail us down a launch date.

Whoa!  Did I say my buddy would be in John Day?     That's an 80 mile drive for my old friend to get to Service Creek and just more than 100 to Clarno!  Yeah, well... he might still make it over to check out our gear and camp a night with us.  Me and Mike go way back.  And when Fishin-T says "way back", we're talking... ummm, uh... yeah, well a LOT of years.  Shoot, it seems like only a century or two ago that Mike and I were thinking about checking out that same strech of river with that Meriwether guy and that charactor Bill Clark.  Decided against it that time, time to do it now.

Fishin-T

Well-  after much discussion a travel re-schedule, I am proposing the following dates:

First Choice-  July 11-15
Second Chocie- June 20-24

Let me know who is in.

pete

Flyguy,

My fishin’ buddy (workmate) and myself are up for your second choice: start floating 6-20-07 am and finish (I hope) 6-24-07 am.  Tell me one more time that this works for you guys and I’ll start working full bore to get our logistics worked out.

I hope that we haven’t left anybody out by changing the dates like this, but nobody has spoken up to commit to dates except Jrflyguy.  Hopefully you can still make those dates ladams.  Any way, here we go…

Fishin-T

No guarantees here, but if you could make it mid-week of the last week in June (like June 24-28), I may be able to join.  But don't change plans on my account if it doesn't work out for you.

Here's the deal, I'm supposed to start a sabbatical (travel!!!) July 1st.  If I get my project done before then, I may be able to start 1 week earlier.  However, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to start 2 weeks earlier.

-Allen

Pete/Tom,

You guys make any decisions on the date?

-Allen

Allen-

I am game for July 11-15.  What say you Tom?

pete

Pete,

I’ve got two other guys that say that they want in.  At this time, they’ve agreed to the June 14 launch date but they can flex to launch on June 16 instead if everyone else wants that instead.  A July 11 launch won’t work for these guys.  If you can roll the date to June 16 to accommodate Allen, then let’s go for it.  Otherwise, Allen has said not to change things around on his account because he still might not make it.

Bottom line, if a June 16 launch and June 19 pull-out isn’t working for you, then I vote we stick with the last firm agreement we have for a June 14 start.  As for me, I like to float with a LOT of other fishermen (I’m just weird like that) and so I’d love it if you and I go down there together, but I won’t be offended if you and Allen opt for the July date which leaves me to float with the two guys I mentioned above.  Any input on the July 11 sail date Allen?

One more bit of input… my source down in the John Day area tells me that there has been VERY little snow this year in the John Day drainage and so the later our launch the greater the chance that we’ll do a lot of boat pulling by hand.  And they say that the low water negatively impacts the bite too.

Fishin-T

None of the dates being proposed works for me.  The last week in June is the only window that has any possibilities for me, but I'm far from being able to commit to that.  So don't let me affect your planning.

-Allen

Hey Tom- 

I will see what I can do to do the June trip with you and your crew.  My reason for the July dates has to do with the extended school year, so I will see if I can convince the wife that a scouting trip is necessary to insure complete safety!

I will let you know how that turns out.

Pete