Just returned from a 2 week WONDERFUL vacay with my wife Julie. We flew to Seattle, stayed for 2 days, then drove a rental all the way back to the O.C.

Here are the fishing highlights.

All fish in this post were CPR'd!

Hit up a local river that had tons of baby chinook salmon jumping out of the water. I was SLAYING Them with a lil chrome spoon w/orange. My nephew Chris, using a roostertail couldn't get a nibble. So I traded him poles and we BOTH caught nuthin! Then, I coached him over the next few casts, and pretty soon, he was 5 for 6 in a row!!!! They were fun and hard fighting on 4lb test. (I had my out of state license)



Chris, with his first of many Chinook...STOKED!!! :D



A LARGE eagle, Golden or immature bald, was in the trees overhead. Looked the size of a friggin elephant when it took off!!!




We then left Wa. and drove thru Or. (I had my out of state license here too) Was a BEAUTIFUL coast drive along 101. I highly recommend it.

There were creeks and large rivers all the way, and I do believe I stopped at every one! :wink: Much to my wife's annoyment.

One such creek was Trask Creek.
The trask river just below the hatchery...



We drove 5 miles of 101 to get there, and were rewarded with BEAUTIFUL scenery and a few nice fish which were either Steelhead, or Coho(silver) salmon like this one. Help on the ID please?)




We then kept driving South. The next day, I fished a beautiful clear creek called the Elk River. I caught my first Cutthroat ever!!!!! I was completely stoked!

The Elk River





My first wild cutthroat- caught on my fav lure, the Panther Martin......



If you ever wondered WHY they call em cutthroats...


Then we kept on driving stopping at a few towns along the way to spend the night. My bride REALLY outdid herself on the accomodations. We stayed one night on the beautiful Rogue River-No fish(Though I fished :!: )

Here are a few random shots...

Look VERY Closely-Dana, are you looking VERY closely????? That is me in my Team 57 T-shirt standing on the arch on the left :!: :!:



Our first stopover in Cannon Beach, Or.



Our third stopover in Gold Beach, Or. -Rogue River in the background



A wild ride on the sweet-***** sand dunes on the Oregon Coast near Florence.



I hope this may inspire you as it does me when I read others' posts, and I hope you can be was awed, as I was, by the wonders of these great United Staes of America!

GM

PS

Look for my Northern Ca. followup posts in the Northern California reports section tomorrow.