Live Auction Items Announced for the DRA's February 9th Gathering
Saturday, February 9, 2019
1pm - 5pm
Montgomery Park, Portland, OR
In just a few weeks, the Deschutes River Alliance community will assemble once again for our annual Gathering and Auction. We are honored to once again share an incredible afternoon with so many of our fellow Deschutes lovers and look forward to accommodating even more folks next year.Here's a list of this year's live auction items: 
1. Special Wine from Lange Winery in Custom Bottle with Etched Artwork
Donors: Lange Estate WineryDon, Wendy, and Jesse Lange and the folks at Lange Estate Winery make great wines. They are also ardent conservationists, avid fly anglers, and supporters of the Deschutes River Alliance. For the 2019 Annual Gathering and Auction, Lange has once again generously provided the wine that you are enjoying this afternoon. In addition, the Lange family has donated a special magnum of their 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir. The Reserve Pinot Noir is a meticulous barrel selection of the finest and most complex wines in their cellar, without any self-imposed rules like site, clone, rootstock, soil type, etc. Only barrels that trended as “Reserve” throughout their lifetime in the cellar make this selection. The 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir expresses notes redolent of black cherries, marionberries, cinnamon, clove, and saddle leather in the bouquet, with juicy tannins framing hints of wood smoke, rosemary, and Oregon strawberries followed by a long, resonant finish.The craftsmanship of this elegant wine is aptly mirrored in the unique artwork of its vessel. The bottle includes our exclusive Deschutes River poster design, created by Clay Nowak at Roundhouse Agency. The design was expertly etched by the artists at Xena Graphics, based out of Maupin, OR.
2. Stunning Glass Salmon Sculpture Created by Andy Nichols
Donor: Andy Nichols Andy Nichols lives and works in the Columbia Gorge, where he is inspired by the natural beauty of salmon and trout and the life journey they endure. He creates beautiful fish art out of glass, and each piece is unique in color design to emulate the movement of each particular species of salmonid. Each fish is uniquely designed and hand-blown with abstract colors and patterns, holding true to common characteristics of native fish. These fish represent Nichols’ artistic interpretation of Pacific Coast Trout and Salmon, and the artistic designs are influenced by the changes that occur during the spawning cycles. Striking colors and a dramatic shape lend to a feel of life and motion. This salmon sculpture, created specifically for the DRA auction, is destined to be a focal point in any home or office as well as a meaningful tribute to our native fish and the waters in which they reside. Make this gorgeous effigy yours, and take home a monument to locally-made and nature-inspired artistry.
3. Gorge Getaway for Two with Unique Art Studio Experience
Donors: John and Kathy Schwartz, Andy Nichols, Freebridge Brewing Co., Sunshine Mill, Gorge Discovery Center, Baldwin Saloon, Petite ProvenceEscape to the sunny side and experience a Deschutes-themed getaway in the Columbia Gorge for two people. Your adventures will be based around a two-night stay in the guest house of DRA board member John Schwartz and his wife, Kathy, outside of The Dalles. The highlight of your visit will be the chance to sip a glass of wine as you watch artist Andy Nichols put personal, finishing touches on your new glass art fish before it spends the night in the kiln. Be sure to pack your fly rod and a picnic for a hike or mountain bike ride up the lower Deschutes, or your hosts will assist you in planning other recreational options. To round out the Gorge experience, this package also includes: wine tasting and tour at the Sunshine Mill, home of Copa de Vino; admission to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in the Gorge National Scenic Area; and two dinners: one at the Historic Baldwin Saloon and one at Freebridge Brewery. A breakfast at Petite Provence and a continental breakfast by your hosts is also included. Use in 2019.“We had a great time on the The Dalles getaway package. The Schwartz’s guest house and surrounds were awesome, and John and Kathy were great hosts. Loved the winery tour and brunch at La Petite Provence. Highlight was spending most of an afternoon in Andy Nichols studio as he created a beautiful glass sockeye salmon that included our color requests as well as fish features. The glass fish art now sits proudly on our fireplace mantle for all to see!” -Paul Franklin
4. An August Steelhead Day Below Maupin with Marty and Brian
Donors: Brian Silvey and Marty SheppardDates: August on a mutually agreeable dayFour anglersIt seems like Brian Silvey and Marty Sheppard have been fixtures on the Deschutes for centuries, but river-years must be the reverse of dog-years because neither has even hit middle age. It’s just that they started young, paid their dues and now are recognized as two of the Deschutes’ best, most knowledgeable, and hardest working guides. Four anglers will join Brian and Marty for a full, dawn-to-dusk day of steelhead fishing on the Deschutes River near Maupin in early August. You will experience a quiet non-motorized section of the river, using drift boats to navigate a section of the guides choosing.If you haven’t been fishing with Marty and Brian you are in for a treat. Marty is a chatterbox full of stories and tidbits of river wisdom. Brian can be quiet and serious but, at times, he’ll open up and seemingly talk forever. Brian is active on the DRA Board of Directors, and both guides are founts of knowledge about the Deschutes, its fish, and the problems both currently face. In addition, Brian and Marty are top notch Spey casters and instructors who can help you tweak your casting skills.If there are fish around, Marty and Brian will find them for you. No matter what the day brings, you will have a fun and educational time on the river!
5. Introduction to European Nymphing Clinic on the Deschutes
Donors: John and Amy Hazel – Deschutes Angler Fly ShopDate: Saturday, April 13, 2019, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Limited to 9 people with spots individually auctioned at $250 eachEuropean Nymphing techniques have become very popular in recent years, and for good reason – this technique is challenging, fun, technical, and extremely rewarding. What are the rewards? To start with, a lot more fish to hand in a day on the water. We have seen our own catch rates skyrocket as well as those of the students who have been through our clinics. Initially developed by competition anglers in Europe to maximize catch rates on all water types, Euro-nymphing has been sweeping the nation as the hottest thing to hit fly fishing since Spey casting. Even the most die-hard dry fly anglers have embraced Euro-nymphing as an important tool in the arsenal and one that is as fun and as addicting as fishing with dries. Nymphing in this manner demands accurate casting, exceptional water reading ability, and laser-focused concentration. Fishing with specialized leaders and long limber fly rods is technically challenging, but the learning curve can be greatly reduced if you start out with the proper instruction. Deschutes Angler Fly Shop’s guide staff has been trained by some of the top competitive anglers in the world. They run dozens of clinics on the Deschutes each season introducing anglers to Euro-nymphing techniques. All $250 of your donated dollars will go to the DRA, and you will get to enjoy the full day clinic which includes a float down the Deschutes, lunch, and the chance to try out specialized Euro-rods during the day. The class runs from 9-5 and originates at the Deschutes Angler Fly Shop in Maupin.Come find out what the madness is all about!!
6. Two Days Winter Steelhead Fishing with Lodging for Four on North Coast
Donors: Nick Rowell, Anadromous Anglers, Alex Gonsiewski and John Hazel, Deschutes Angler and Paul FranklinDates: April 18-20, 2018Four anglersFour anglers will enjoy two days of winter steelheading on the North Oregon Coast with Alex Gonsiewski and Nick Rowell. Nick and Alex spend all winter on the coast plying various rivers for the cherished, chrome-bright, winter steelhead and are in tune with the rhythms and nuances of the area’s rivers.Each of your days, Nick and Alex will pick the river best suited for angling success, taking into account weather, river flows and fish rumors, in order to give your group the best chance at hooking winter steelhead. Your guides are known for their enthusiastic, optimistic and hard-working approach, their rowing skills, and their body-warming, hot lunches on the river. They will put you on fishy water with a lucky fly and the right swing. The rest is up to you and the fish gods!Your group of four will convene on April 18 at a spacious and luxurious private residence in Manzanita that you will call home for two nights while fishing. DRA supporter Paul Franklin and the Deschutes Angler’s John Hazel will be your house hosts. Each evening, Paul and John will prepare, for your group and your guides, appetizers and delectable meals complete with paired wines. Each morning you will wake to fresh coffee and and a variety of breakfast options to get you moving and ready to fish.You and your group will fish with Alex and Nick on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20, departing for home after the Saturday fish.
7. Make Fall Steelheading Comfy and Warm with a Stay at the Luxurious and Legendary Kaufmann House in Maupin
Donors: Randall and Mary KaufmannMost of the world’s greatest steelheaders have, at one time or another, swung flies on the Deschutes River while enjoying the comforts of Randall and Mary Kaufmann’s spacious and on-the-river house in Maupin.Now, it’s your turn…Up to six people get the use of the Kaufmann house for four days and three nights during prime steelhead time – September through November. The house is available weekdays during September and any time of the week in October and November, subject to availability (set your dates early).The house overlooks the river with a wonderful deck for river and vista views. The house is spacious, modernized, and has an outfitted kitchen suitable for a chef. Concoct your own meals or take the quick, three-minute drive to any of Maupin’s few restaurants.There are plenty of beds to choose from for six people and more than ample sleeping and relaxing space.What a great way to start and end a day of chasing steelhead in the cool, brisk days of fall on the Deschutes.Included with this offer is one copy per guest of the hard bound, autographed copy of Randall and Mary Kaufmann’s book Fly Patterns.Subject to mutually agreeable dates. Please no children under age 12.
8. A Week for Two in Tranquil and Safe Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Donors: Casa Ceiba, Jose Louis Morales, Captain Temo Verboonen, and Erika Vanessa PenalozaRomantic, mellow, safe, and inhabited by very friendly people, “Zihua,” as locals call it, is a quaint fishing village that sits on a bay fringed by clean, majestic and sparsely populated beaches. Located on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Zihuatanejo is 30 minutes south of the major resort of Ixtapa and 2.5 hours north of Acapulco.Your Zihua home base will be Casa Ceiba Condominiums, located on the edge of the downtown area and a three minute walk to LaMadera Beach. Your one bedroom suite is spacious and beautifully appointed, and includes a full kitchen, living/eating area, and an open-air balcony overlooking the pool.Start your seven days and six nights with a tour of Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa with licensed tour guide Jose Louis Morales. Jose will help you get a feel for what the area has to offer so that you can maximize your enjoyment of the area. Your package includes a dinner at La Gula Restaurant on any evening you choose. La Gula is just one of Zihua’s many noteworthy eateries within strolling distance of your Casa Ceiba Condominium.You will also spend a day of charter boat fishing aboard English-speaking Captain Temo Verboonen’s traditional Mexican panga. Explore the blue waters for sailfish, marlin, dorado and tuna, or stay inshore and ply the waters for a variety of species, including roosterfish. Captain Temo has been fishing the area’s Pacific waters since childhood and is a wealth of both fishing and local knowledge.Of course, you will want to reserve plenty of time for simply sitting poolside or swimming, and walking or sunning on the nearby beaches, which are surprisingly unpopulated. Good April 1 through October 15, 2019
9. Six Anglers, Two Days and One Night, Deschutes, Salmonflies & More!
Donors: Deschutes Angler Fly Shop, Warner Munro, Craig Sweitzer, Pat Becker, Troy Jones, Rick Hafele and Paul FranklinDates: May 19 and 20Six AnglersSix anglers spend two days fishing during the prime of the salmonfly hatch, May 19 and 20, with a one night stay in beautiful cabins on the Deschutes River. At the oars of your three drift boats will be Deschutes Angler guides Evan Unti, Harley Faria, and Alex Gonsiewski. On day one you’ll float and fish prime salmonfly water from Trout Creek through Whitehorse Rapids and down to North Junction, where you will spend the night at Warner Munro’s and Pat Becker’s riverside cabins.John Hazel, noted chef and owner of Deschutes Angler Fly Shop, will serve your group a gourmet meal with the help of DRA supporter Paul Franklin. Wine and spirits will flow, as will the abundant insect knowledge of Rick Hafele, who will serve up a lesson on bug identification and hatch matching as the evening’s appetizer. On day two you will cherry-pick the 17 miles of excellent trout water from North Junction down to Harpham Flats, stopping only at the most productive stretches of dry fly water where the trout should be looking up for the big bugs.You, five friends, salmonflies, a bug guru, great guides and expert oarsmen, riverside housing, gourmet food, wine, spirits, no doubt some tall tales, and VOILA… the trip of a lifetime, May 19 and 20.
10. Anderson Custom 6132-4 Elite Rod with 3 7/8” Hardy Taupo Reel
Donors: Anderson Custom Rods and Deschutes Angler Fly ShopRogue Valley custom rod builder and designer, Gary Anderson, is no stranger to the spey world. His innovative rods have been leading the spey market for decades. Gary’s small production company only builds around 350 rods per year, making each rod built a precision instrument and a work of art. When we asked Gary if he would build a special rod for the Deschutes River Alliance Auction, he was thrilled to do so.This 13 ft. 2 in. 6 weight Deschutes Special rod is the lightest six weight on the market. Yet, it has the power and action to be a rod for all seasons. The rod’s finish reflects the quality craftsmanship that help make Anderson rods special. A beautifully crafted wood handle was specially made for this rod, making it one-of-a-kind.The rod is perfectly matched with a large capacity 3 7/8” Hardy Taupo reel that has the classic feel, features and production rigors Hardy is known for, making the outfit ready for 5 to 25 pound steelhead from British Columbia to the California coast.
11. Stay, Play and Fish at a Luxury Home Right on the Best Water the Deschutes River has to Offer
Donors: Greg Hogensen and Tony ArnerichLocated just below the Pelton Reregulating Dam and about three miles upstream of the Highway 26 bridge at Warm Springs, this large, luxurious, and fully equipped house sits right on the banks of the Deschutes River, and on some of the finest fishing water on the entire river.Four people will spend three days and three nights at this incredible getaway. The home is big enough to easily accommodate either two couples or four singles.Non-anglers may choose to lounge on the spacious deck overlooking the river, soaking in Central Oregon’s sunshine. Anglers, however, will wader up upon arrival to fish the truly amazing water just in front of the house. This stretch of the Deschutes holds some of the largest trout in the river and they see very little angling pressure. In the fall, from mid-September through October, good numbers of steelhead will be found here resting after a long journey from the Pacific.For a day of adventure, use the four one-person boats and/or the two-person raft to leisurely float from the house to the Warm Springs boat ramp (about three miles), down to the campground at Mecca Flats (about five miles) or all the way down to Trout Creek (about thirteen miles). Even a short float on the Deschutes can take a full day as you stop along the way to wade and fish.Very few people have had the good fortune to fish the three miles of the Deschutes above the Warm Springs bridge, which includes the fabled Disney Riffle and other riffles and runs loaded with redsides. Most of this stretch is bordered by private property, but floating and wading below the high water mark will keep you legal. Three leisurely days spent in riverside luxury on some of the best fishing water the Deschutes has to offer. What could be better?Available July 1 through October 31 on mutually agreeable dates. $100 cleaning deposit to be left at the house at the end of the stay.
12. Bring Your Friends and Fish the Grab Bag of May on the Clackamas
Donor: Fish the Swing Date: Pick between May 6 and May 13, 2019Up to six anglersMay on the Clackamas is a month of angling surprises. Late winter steelhead are still coming in, summer steelhead show up in some of their best numbers of the run, spring chinook can definitely add some excitement to the day, and an occasional kelt might ring your bell. This is a month that offers a true grab bag of fishing opportunity!Up to six anglers will join Fish the Swing’s owner, Jeff Hickman, and senior guide Barrett Ames, for a day of grab bag fishing, using two jet boats to move up and down the river in pursuit of fish. Jeff and Barrett know every nook and cranny and holding lie in the Clack. If there are fish to be found – and there should be – they will find them.Choose either Monday, May 6 or Monday, May 13, and book it early, as these guys get very busy. Bring your own gear, but know that Jeff and Barrett will have plenty of back-up, including top of the line spey rods and reels and the best producing flies.The guides will serve you a hearty lunch on the river.
13. CF Burkheimer 7134 Custom DRA Seven Weight 13’ 4” Spey rod paired with a Saracione Salmon Mark V 3 ¾ Reel Engraved for the DRA event
Donors: CF Burkheimer and SaracioneKerry Burkheimer and Joe Saracione have pooled their creative talents to produce this one-of-a-kind steelhead outfit exclusively for the 2019 Deschutes River Alliance auction. The 7134 Burkheimer, hand crafted in Washougal, Washington, is coveted by steelhead anglers around the world as one of the finest Spey rods ever made. The action of this rod is smooth and powerful. Some would say that the 7134 casts so effortlessly, it almost casts itself! When you sweep around to form your D-loop, the rod bends down into the cork so you can feel it in your hands, and when you make your forward stroke, the energy in the mid-section of the rod releases with such power, it just might pull you out of your wading boots!This particular 7134 has been custom designed with a black unsanded blank, and thread wraps to match the logo of the Deschutes River Alliance. Kerry Burkheimer pulled out all the stops to create this one.The Northwest craftsmanship in this package continues with the beautiful Saracione Salmon Mark V reel to balance the outfit. Handcrafted in Sandy, Oregon, this reel is as functional as it is beautiful. Don’t let the classic S handle design fool you, the drag on this beauty can stop a freight train of a steelhead. It features a double-sealed proprietary drag chamber, two sets of precision stainless steel axle ball bearings, and a strong gear and pawl drag. When you hook your first steelhead and your reel starts singing, you and everyone around you will know the joy of a Saracione! The etching on both the Burkheimer rod and the Saracione reel commemorates the 2019 DRA auction.
14. Fish Montana’s Famous Bighorn River
Donor: Bighorn Trout ShopTwo anglers, three nights lodging and two days of guided fishingTwo anglers will stay for three nights and enjoy two days of guided fishing on Montana’s super productive Bighorn River. The Bighorn sports an amazing number of browns and rainbows that average over 16 inches in length. There’s some bug or another hatching on the river from March through October, and nymph fishing is always good at any time of year.You will fish with one of the Trout Shop’s excellent guides for two days and be treated to three nights of comfortable lodging in the Shop’s new facilities. Savory meals will be served in the Trout Shop’s recently built dining facilities. All you need to do is show up and be ready to fish, and everything else will be taken care of for you!Drift boats are deployed to access the 30 miles of world class trout water which features varied habitat, easy wading, and a bottom crawling with aquatic insects and small crustaceans. The Bighorn is literally a food factory!You will fish both from the boat and while wading. With high densities of trout per river mile, there are times when your guide will want to stop the boat so that a particularly good spot can be fished effectively and thoroughly. Big number fishing days are the norm on the Bighorn.Be sure to bring your own alcohol, as alcohol is not sold on the Crow Indian Reservation where the river and Trout Shop are located.Best access is to fly into Billings and rent a car for the 90 minute drive to the river.
15. 4 Days and 3 Nights Parkdale Retreat with Million Dollar Views of Mt. Hood
Donors: Steve Hawley and Kathy JubitzEscape the traffic and noise of the city to this secluded, peaceful getaway at the base of Mt. Hood with million-dollar views of the mountain! Choose your season and its abundant activities – whether it’s a long weekend of skiing with a group of your adventure-loving friends, a spring retreat for friends or colleagues, or a summertime family reunion complete with nearby fishing… The possibilities are endless! This 3500 sq.ft. modern mountain home sleeps a total of 12 people, with 5 bedrooms and 3 ½ bathrooms. You’ll enjoy the expansive, professionally decorated living space and appreciate the many environmentally-friendly features that earned this home the distinguished LEED award, as well as its feature in Oregon Home Magazine.This gorgeous property with incredible vistas and views is unbeatable in its tranquility and proximity to some of the best recreation Oregon has to offer. It’s sure to be an experience to remember!4 days and 3 Nights for up to 12 people. Dates to be determined based on availability.
16. A Day with Dave Hughes and Rick Hafele Learning the Tricks of Wet Fly Fishing
Donors: Dave Hughes, Rick Hafele, Dick and Kathy Bushnell, and Paul FranklinDate: Saturday, June 1, 2019, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Limited to 10 people with spots individually auctioned at $175 eachFishing wet flies as a strategy for fooling trout is often overlooked; fishing nymphs and dries seems to get all the attention. What is forgotten is that wet flies were originally introduced by some of the legends of fly fishing to imitate the nymphal and emerger stages. Wet flies still work well and quite often fool trout when nymphs, emergers, and dry flies fail.Spend a day on Mt. Hood’s Salmon River with Dave Hughes, the guy who wrote the book on wet fly fishing and tactics. Dave will be joined by Rick Hafele, esteemed aquatic entomologist. Together and separately, Dave and Rick have been the most prolific authors of our time on all subjects related to fly fishing for trout.Your morning will be spent comfortably indoors, while Dave discusses and displays the styles of wet flies, the bugs they replicate, tactics for fishing each fly, and what makes trout attracted to each. You’ll learn how to rig each style, and Dave will demonstrate how to tie some of the most popular patterns.After a hearty barbeque lunch, you will hit the river where Dave and Rick will demonstrate fishing tactics and techniques for wet flies. Rick will also collect some insects from the Salmon River, lead you through a bug identification exercise, and then talk you through how to select matching wet fly patterns.You will also receive an autographed copy of Dave’s definitive and ever- popular book: Wet Flies: Tying and Fishing Soft-Hackles, Flymphs, Winged Wets and all Fur Wets (2ndedition - $24.95 retail)Bonus: Bring your favorite trout rod and reel and Dave and Rick will examine it for balance, line match, and other details that make a difference in effective casting and presentation.
17. Two Nights, Three Day Stay in Historic South Junction Cabin
Donor: John GillThis is a one-of-a-kind, 1,000 acre riverfront property on the lower Deschutes. The three quarters of a mile of riverfront offers excellent fishing opportunities for native rainbow trout as well as for steelhead in the fall. The 1200 square foot house/cabin is a pyramid plank style, built around 1910 by the Oregon Trunk Railroad. The owner was told that the cabin was moved to its current location, thirty feet from the river’s edge, in the mid-1940’s. The giant elm trees on the south and east sides of the cabin provide wonderful shade and sanctuary for many species of birds. There are two decks and a large lawn where guests can enjoy the outdoor space along the river. One deck is right on the river and the other is out the living room sliding door at house level. The cabin has a queen bedroom, twin bedroom, bunkroom, and one bath. The living room, kitchen, and bunkroom area of the house were remodeled in 2017 with tile flooring, rough sawn pine wall planks, and new cabinets and granite countertops in the kitchen. The cabin is located in the South Junction area of the Deschutes River, which has some of the largest and healthiest populations of trout. Trees along the edge of the property provide great shade and cover for trout, as well as the perfect habitat for aquatic insects hatching from the river. During the salmonfly hatch, the trees are heavy with big bugs teetering on the brink of falling into the water and into the jaws of a waiting redside. There are some very good steelhead runs within an easy stroll of the cabin, if you happen to reserve it any time from September through December.The cabin is eleven miles from highway 97 at the end of the South Junction Road, a county maintained gravel road.
- 2 nights, 3 days for 4 people
- Valid through February 9, 2020. All dates are possible to book if not already in use. This includes dates in May for the Salmonfly hatch.
- A boat can be taken out at the house if the item winner wants to float in from Warm Springs.
18. Tufts and Batson 5wt 7’9” Bamboo Fly Rod Paired with a Bougle 3 ¼ ” Fly Reel with Cortland SYLK line
Donated by: John and Amy Hazel, Deschutes Angler Fly ShopThere’s nothing in the world that connects a fly angler to the history of the sport like a bamboo fly rod. When you fish with cane for the first time you begin to understand how a fly rod can be simultaneously a treasured piece of art and a working tool. Nothing casts as smoothly and easily as a fine bamboo taper, and the ability of a cane rod to cushion fine tippet is unmatched by any modern graphite rod.Each cane rod takes hundreds of hours to build by hand, especially one as finely crafted as this Tufts and Batson 7 foot 9 inch 5 weight. Crafted in Missouri by a husband and wife team, this rod has a fantastic progressive action and is able to handle big flies, big fish, and big water like the Deschutes. A noodle it is not. This rod is a practical all-around tool that can be equally appreciated by an experienced cane connoisseur or a budding enthusiast angler. A beautiful honey-colored cane rod would be naked without an equally beautiful hand crafted reel to balance it out. For over 100 years, the House of Hardy has produced the finest click and pawl reels in the world in their Alnwick, England factory. The song of a Hardy is one that warms the soul of the angler with a big fish on the end of the line, and turns the heads of all other anglers in the vicinity. This baby is noisy!The 3 ¼” Bougle reel is loaded with the Cortland SYLK fly line, which is not actually silk but feels as though it is. SYLK fly lines were specially designed with bamboo rods in mind. There isn’t a finer line on the planet to make this Tufts and Batson come alive.Feed your soul with this beautiful rod, reel, and line combination.
19. Join a DRA Crew for Trout Fishing, Storytelling, and a Party at Yamsi Ranch on the Upper Williamson River
Donor: Yamsi RanchWhen: June 13-17, 2019Yamsi Ranch isn’t your typical Oregon cattle ranch. First, the Hyde Family takes great pride in their ecologically sound ranching practices. Second, the ranch includes miles and miles of private fishing on the headwaters of the famed Williamson River. The spring-creek Yamsi waters meander through incredibly beautiful and unspoiled meadows framed by thick conifer stands. The ranch’s waters hold plenty of brook trout that can reach 24 inches and lots of fat redband rainbows that can measure well over 20 inches. This is spring creek fishing where stealth matters and delicate casts are required!That’s the fishing scene for this four day and three-night all inclusive stay at Yamsi ranch for one person, June 13-17, 2019. You will join a group of nine of the DRA’s most ardent supporters, including Board president Greg McMillan and Board members and fishing legends John and Amy Hazel. This will be the third year that this group of nine has gathered at Yamsi to fish the ranch’s unspoiled waters and enjoy the family-style hearty meals, comfortable accommodations, and friendliness of the Hyde family. No doubt there will be a party overlay and lots of storytelling by the DRA group that will add to the fun.Meet up with the group in Bend the night before or at the ranch on the first day. Come prepared to fish as much as you want while enjoying the very relaxing vibe of Yamsi Ranch and the fun and frivolity of the DRA crew. You will fit right in!
20. Hosted One Day Deschutes Jet Sled Steelhead Trip for Four
Donors: Todd Harris, Harris Anglers, Tom Larimer and Paul FranklinWho: Up to Four AnglersWhen: Monday, August 12, 2019Tom Larimer and Paul Franklin will be your hosts and Todd Harris your guide for a day of jet sled steelhead fishing on the lower Deschutes, Monday, August 12.Larimer is a former DRA Board member and Deschutes guide who is now sales manager for G. Loomis Fly Fishing. Franklin is an ardent DRA supporter and one of the principal architects of the DRA Auction and Gathering. Your guide, Todd Harris, is a very busy lower Deschutes steelhead guide who deploys his jet sled to move clients around and into the best steelhead lies the river has to offer.Your group of up to four anglers will meet your hosts and guide at Heritage Park early on the morning of August 12 – a time in the early steelhead season that has been highly productive the past two years. You’ll head off with Todd to fish. Paul and Tom will hook up with you later in the early morning, using Tom’s jet sled. You will take a fishing break and enjoy a hearty, on-the-river breakfast prepared and provided by your hosts, including mimosas and fresh coffee to help fortify you for the balance of the morning.Tom Larimer will then be available to you for the rest of the day to provide casting help and tips should you want them. Around noon time, your hosts will prepare a gourmet level, riverside lunch to include fine Oregon wines and local Columbia River microbrews. After a relaxing and tasty lunch, you will head back to the river for more angling and then back to Heritage park in the late afternoon.This package offers a full day of camaraderie, fishing, enjoying the scenery of the Deschutes from a jet sled, and being pampered with fine meals.
21. Rest and/or Recreate at the Tattam Family Cabin in Manzanita/Neahkahnie
Donor: Bill and Sara TattamUp to four people spend three days and two nights at the legendary Tattam Family Cabin in the Neahkanie/Manzanita area. The cabin’s cozy location and long history as a base camp for river adventures has "fishy" written all over it! Head for the coast and let the Tattam Family fishing karma rub off on you and your guests. This private and rustic Neahkahnie Beach cabin, built by Bill and Sara Tattam over 40 years ago, features a huge stone fireplace, wood stove, and views north to Neahkahnie Mountain, west to the ocean and south to Twin Rocks from wrap-around decks. The cabin is near the charming town of Manzanita, and a stone’s throw from great hiking, surfing, crabbing in Nehalem Bay, and all of the fishy places in the Nehalem and Tillamook watersheds. If fishing isn't your thing, there are multiple options to fill your time while staying at the cabin. Hike from the cabin's front door to the top of Neahkahnie Mountain and all the way to Short Sands Beach. Walk the 7-mile long Manzanita beach. Hike the Nehalem spit, surf at Short Sands, golf the Manzanita course, or play tennis at the sheltered Manzanita court. Browse the boutiques in Manzanita, or visit the San Dune Pub to sample their expansive beer list. Relax at the cabin, suntan, raintan, watch storms roll in, drink more beer, have a scotch, jam to the cabin's very eclectic yet awesome collection of vinyl records, whale watch, read a book, or take a nap! Or, you can spend all day simply gazing at the magnificent Pacific Ocean.Restrictions: Good for 3 days and 2 nights, non-smoking. Use between February 15 and June 15 or in November, 2019. Dates mutually agreed upon. Sleeps 4. No Pets. Two car limit.