ADRIAN, Oregon — The lower Owyhee is a unique fishing habitat for rainbow and brown trout. Anglers love it because of the abundant fish and the beauty of the surrounding desert landscape.
The owner of Boise River Guides, Chris Gerono has guided fishermen for 23 years. Chris invited us out to go fishing with a father and son pair who are visiting the region from Columbus, Ohio.
"It’s all just a game. I tell people fly fishing is a series of educated guesses," said Gerono. "That’s what is exciting, I love figuring out the puzzle and figuring out the game."
Anthony Jones and his son Penn both caught brown trout during their time with the Boise River Guides. Anthony decided to visit Idaho and Oregon as a way to bond with his son, who just graduated from high school.
"It’s beautiful, Idaho is just beautiful," said Anthony Jones. "This is a lifetime memory. We've had an awesome time."
Anthony caught a brown trout on one of his first casts, but Penn probably did around a hundred casts before Gerono put a tiny weight on the line to drop the fly a little deeper. Four to five casts later, Penn landed a brown trout.
"Did you see the big giant smile on his face?" asked Gerono with a smile to match. "Catching that fish was awesome, so helping put this experience, something they are going to remember forever, that’s what it is [all] about for me."
The lower Owyhee River is a unique fishing habitat for a variety of different reasons. It's a low gradient, tailwater river that is fed directly via the upstream dam. There is also a variety of different food sources for the fish in this desert canyon.
The fishery is catch and release only for brown trout, but Gerono does that for rainbow trout as well. He also uses barbless hooks, which minimize any damage to the fish after being caught.. Gerono tells us he's certain he has caught the same fish more than once.
"The brown trout [in the Owyhee] were stocked in the late 80s, and they haven't been stocked since, so they are wild," said Gerono. "Some of the rainbow trout were born here, which means they are wild, and some of them were stocked as little fish."
A trip with Boise River Guides includes learning about fly fishing, practicing the proper techniques on dry land, and they also provide lunch. After lunch is when the fun begins and the fishing starts.
"They have been terrific, I've learned a lot about how the fish think," said Anthony Jones, who caught a brown trout on one of his first casts. "I'm a fisherman because my son loves it, but I think fly fishing is more of a challenge and is better than just regular fishing."
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