Whitefish

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Whitefish
Wading Floatation
World Record Holders
Clippers

Columbia from the Fraser and Columbia River systems, and throughout Pacific coastal drainages of the Bella Coola, Skeena, Nass, and Stikine rivers. In Oregon, Washington, and Idaho it is common throughout the Columbia River system. It also lives along the east slope of the Sierra Nevadas in California.  Mountain whitefish are the only whitefish native to Oregon.  They are

 found in the Columbia and Snake River basins from the Willamette River to the Owyhee River, and in the closed Malheur Lakes Basin in Donner Und Blitzen and Keiger rivers. There are 63 recognized populations in the state, although some of these may deserve further subdivision.
Mountain whitefish are found both in streams and lakes in Oregon. In streams they are found primarily in riffle areas in summer, but prefer large pools during winter. Generally they inhabit the larger streams, with average

temperatures of 48-52 Fahrenheit. Oregon lakes with whitefish include Odell, Davis, Cultus, Winopee, Crescent, Suttle, and Wallowa lakes.
  Mountain whitefish are a relatively long-lived salmonid and may reach 11 to 12 years of age. Sexual maturity is reached when the fish are three to four years old. Spawning usually occurs in the fall from October to December. Spawning generally takes place in gravel of stream riffles, but also may occur on gravel shoals along the shores of lakes. Unlike Oregon's native salmon and trout, whitefish do not dig a redd to bury their eggs, but broadcast spawn instead.
  As evidenced by their specialized subterminal mouth, whitefish feed primarily on immature forms of bottom dwelling aquatic insects. Populations that occupy lakes feed extensively on zooplankton.
  Mountain whitefish populations are not routinely monitored in Oregon. There are, however, numerous annual observations of whitefish in conjunction with monitoring trout populations throughout the state. In areas where they are routinely observed, such as the Upper Willamette, McKenzie, upper and lower Deschutes, Crooked and Metolius basins, mountain whitefish appear to be the most numerous salmonid present.
  One area where whitefish may need to be more carefully monitored is upper White River above White River Falls. This population is likely very unique, having been isolated from the rest of the Deschutes Basin for an apparently long geological time. Their distribution is limited to the lower river from just above the falls up to RM 6, and they are not found in any of the tributaries. In 1985, abundance was estimated to be 100 whitefish/ mile in the 4.5-mile section immediately above the falls. In contrast, a 1975 population estimate for the mainstem Deschutes River was 5,000 whitefish/mile in the Warm Springs to Trout Creek area of the river.
  Other groups that are probably of systematic interest include the populations isolated in the Malheur Lakes Basin. The location of the populations suggest they were part of the fish fauna isolated from the Malheur River Basin by the lava dam that isolated the basin 10,000-15,000 years ago. Likewise, the populations in the Davis/Odell Basin are isolated by a lava dam that is about 5,000 years old.
  Additional populations for this species may be described as their distribution relative to other natural barriers is further studied.
  There are no hatchery programs for whitefish in Oregon, nor do they hybridize with any species planted.

During a recent short float on the lower Deschutes, both trout and whitefish were caught.  No doubt the whitefish were the more active of the two species.  It was a gloomy cloud cover day and all the fish were in the soft water next to the beach eating everything they could get into their greedy little yappers.  I used a twist-on/glo bug/copper john rig and was into fish every ten casts for much of the day.  The fishing was really the best when only the leader and a foot of fly line was past the rod tip.  In deeper faster water there were also fish and several of my larger trout came from out there, but my best trout was hooked four feet past my rod tip.  Yup, and many, many whitefish.

They are often very active when the water is cold.  They feed most voraciously during cloud cover.

First, I learned on a Rogue trip last week that a Helfrich guide had drowned in Mule Creek Canyon a few weeks before.  No life jacket at all, as has been the custom with Helfrich guides.  The boat bridged in the canyon and flipped.  The woman customer floated through the canyon and was pulled out alive.  Her husband clung to the rocks in the Coffee Pot, where he was rescued by someone who descended on a rope.  I will be curious whether Helfrich guides wear flotation from now on.  I have observed over the years as guides and their guests fish 

near our camp on the Deschutes that almost none of them wear any kind of flotation device.  Of course, the jackets are in the boat, but they wear nothing while wading.

As to Len (Len Dick pictured above) and me, he wears a vest from Cabela's with a bladder and CO2 cartridge.  I wear a double-construction vest by  Simms with trimmed foam pieces from a water skiing vest inserted between the outer and inner layers.  In the back the foam just sits flat in the large back pocket.  There is plenty of room for water bottle, head lamp and windbreaker.  I have tested this vest by falling-in a couple of times, and it worked.

Len and I started wearing some kind of flotation way back in the 60s.  We were fishing below Trout Creek on a Memorial Day weekend and came to a favorite eddy on Gus Delude's place.  There in the eddy was a man floating helplessly not six feet from shore and just about "gone".  We fished him out, dried him off in the end-of-May sunshine and revived him.  Len, being a physician, knew exactly what to do.  The man was in his 50s, quite overweight, a smoker, and wearing only hippers with rubber soles.  He had slipped on some rocks and fell in.  After recovering he was most upset that his cigarettes had gotten soaked.  Imagine?!..

Well, Len and I looked at each other and decided to get something to help us if we fell into cold water.  We scouted around and found something called the Charlie Buoy.  It was like a carpenter's apron with a bladder that goes around the neck and a CO2 cartridge and mouth valve.  We started fishing by slightly inflating the bladder, and we continued to use the Charlie Buoys for several years, but there was not enough room in the pockets for our accumulating fishing gear.  So I got an Orvis double-construction vest with a bladder made of some kind of rubberized fabric and used it for years.  One day I noticed that as I inflated it slightly by mouth just before fishing, the bladder slowly deflated from a leak somewhere.  Close inspection revealed many worn spots, so I discarded the bladder and inserted the trimmed foam pieces. 

I tried one of those inflatable belts that goes around the waist but did not like it.  Scott Goodnight uses one and loves it.

When the Orvis vest itself began to disintegrate I switched to a Filson vest, again with the foam inserts.  It has a nice big rear pocket with an attached smaller pocket like a tiny daypack.

We tried the Stearns flotation vests with pockets and still have several of them for grandchildren and/or guests to use.  We keep them in the boat.  But they do not function well as complete fishing vests.  And the amount of foam is more than I think I need.

After a few years of wearing that heavy Filson thing I finally got the Simms short wading vest.  The inner part is a kind of net material so that if the vest gets wet the foam pieces and inner surfaces will dry out easily.  I had to trim the foam pieces a bit to fit into the smaller space, but this arrangement has worked fine.  As I said, I have tested it a few times, sometimes by accident, but also once to prove to my daughters that it really works.  Alas, I have yet to convince them to do the same.  Vanity, I suppose.  And the foam inserts don't fit over bosoms very well.  Yeah, it looks bulky and ugly, as if I had put on 20 pounds, but, Hey, I am alive and still wading as I approach my 80th birthday.  And Len is 88 and still wading, but more cautiously than I do these days. 

This is where the World Record Holders Hang Out !!!

List of World Records

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For any fisher-person !

Angler's Accessories Clip-On Retractor With Snipper