Uncategorized
Deschutes River: The pursuit of wild steelhead
Published
10 years agoon
By Cameron Scott
The soft light of dawn softly creeps down the volcanic basalt walls of the Lower Deschutes River Canyon.
I find heaven here: Standing waist-deep in the cold, clear waters of these high desert cliffs, pursuing the elusive native steelhead.
I silently pray to the river gods to bless me with a hard-hitting, head shaking, wild steelhead as I step out of my drift boat. I cast, mend the line and swing my fly over what I believe to be the perfect steelhead lie.
Time stops. Light and shadows dance across the water’s surface. The soft breeze carries the aromas of sage and wild desert grasses. Yellow Grosbeaks and Meadowlarks sing in the praise of a new day. The river whispers her melodies to me, and the sounds of the deep canyon and river become a symphony.
I feel the soft, consistent pull of the current down the length of my fly rod. The water pushes against my waist as I move down river, half in one world and half in another. Lost in the art of thought, I’m totally connected.
Then I see the line tighten. My rod tip bends toward the surface of the water, and I feel the power and weight of the ocean in my hand. I bury the butt of my rod in my hip, and my reel screams. I can feel almost every move the fish makes, as it violently shakes its head and races across and downstream.
We wage a game of give-and-take, but I slowly gain the upper hand. The fish jumps, rolls and tail-walks across the water as I draw her closer. For more than 15 minutes, we fight a battle that plays out between land and water, man and fish.
In a sudden flash, a chrome-bright steelhead rolls to the surface of the water at my knees. I reach into the river and softly wrap my hands around her tail and midsection, staring with awe at her beauty. She stops fighting and lies softly in my hands, slowly breathing in the river’s cool rejuvenating water through her gills.
I whisper “thank you,” and smile as I release her, alive and well, back to the unknown depths of the current to resume her journey upriver.
This story was first published in the summer 2014 issue of Mountain Outlaw magazine.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm