June 11th – June 13th 2018

Monday we saw our friends passing thru Clyde Holliday on our way out so we all came into Magone Lake together. It was only about a an hour drive from John Day. After we got settled in and hooked up the guys headed to the lake to get the pontoons ready. Judy, Jan and I visited for awhile and by 3:00 the bite was on. The trout were BIG and feisty!

The guys were all fly fishing but I found a stump to use as an anchor and fished with power bait. It was so much fun! I caught 14 nice trout (2 really big ones I had to keep). All the rest I was able to release. 

It was casual camping – everyone goes on their own schedule and we met up for a campfire at dusk. Eli brought his guitar and Gene his mandolin so we had music at the fireside. A deer stopped by to listen for awhile. She just seemed content to take in the music.

Tuesday morning JP got up at 5:00 and had the lake to himself. He said it was awesome watching the sun come over the hill and the steam rise off the lake. He had caught a lot of nice sized trout by the time he came back for breakfast. Judy and I took the path around the lake. It’s 2.3 miles and it’s really pretty little hike.

Wild Lupine and Indian Paintbrush.

Later in the day JP gave me a little fly fishing lesson. There was a big hatch so the fish weren’t biting but I got some pointers anyway. In the evening we went back out and both caught some good sized fish before campfire. I used my favorite chartreuse sparkly power bait and JP was on the fly.
Wednesday it was clear and warm during the day but there was frost on the pontoons in the early AM. There were only a few other boats or pontoons on the lake. JP had some good AM fishing but things slowed down late afternoon. Still a good day on the water!

The lake had ducks with ducklings, dear, beaver and we even saw a young bobcat running along the road. There’s plenty of evidence that this is a home to beavers!
We finished off our last night with the evening campfire. 

Side note: All the trucks in our campground had the hoods of their rigs propped open. Evidently small woodland creatures see no challenge in chewing up the wiring in your rig or packing it full of treats for later – if it’s open and accessible. If it’s closed however the game is on!

Side Note 2: The coolest thing! Tree of Shoes on Highway 26 outside of Mitchell, Oregon. It’s evidently a roadside attraction. I love the quirky things we come across on the road. I wish I had shoes I’d willing to contribute but alas – no.