FRIENDS AND FISHING

FROM FIELD...

MORE THAN JUST FISHING

WILDFIRES AND PANDEMIC ARE REMINDERS THAT EXPERIENCES AND MAKING MEMORIES ARE WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT ON THE WATER

By Scott Haugen

Isat down to write this month’s column with the intent of highlighting Chris Wright and sharing informative trout tips I learned while fishing with him over the past few years.

When looking over the photos, however, it wasn’t the multiple fly patterns or the various ways we fished for trout in nearby rivers that stood out in my mind.

Instead, two images – the two appearing in this story – stymied me. One was of Chris and his dad, Tim Wright, in a McKenzie River drift boat in Oregon. I’ve known Tim since high school, and his wife Dani (Chris’s mom) since first grade. I’ve known Chris since he was born. He has a beautiful family of his own and together they run their local feed store and tackle shop near my home.

Chris is one of my favorite people to fish with and he does a lot of guiding in the area. He’s just fun to be around, the kind of man God made to be a guide: patient, smart, patient, always learning, patient, eager to learn and share, and, well, patient.

FIELD

Guide Chris Wright gets in some fishing time of his own on an upper stretch of western Oregon’s McKenzie River. Weeks later this spot was consumed by wildfire and will never look the same in his lifetime. The memories of fishing with Wright have made a lasting impact on the author. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

with his dad, Tim, and it had been quite a while since Tim and Chris had floated the McKenzie River together. We all grew up fishing the McKenzie, our home river. It’s very special to each of us.

Shortly after that joyous, relaxing trip on my favorite river in the world, wildfires swept through the McKenzie River Valley and obliterated that very stretch, plus much more. Decades of memories went up in flames. Some folks – many friends and some family – lost everything.

Many people in California can relate to what I’m getting at. I’ve seen a lot of ugly devastation during my travels around the world, but this wildfire was horrific. Our home survived, but we were evacuated for 11 days, all the while unsure of the outcome.

As I write these words, many people in the area are rebuilding. Rebuilding to make new memories and reliving old ones.

Tiffany and I had little time to gather belongings before evacuating. We grabbed passports, a few essentials, hard drives, then departed, not knowing what we’d return to. We left a lot behind. If we lost it all it didn’t seem to matter because we had each other, our family and our dogs.

FIELD

... TO FIRE

Tiffany Haugen knows what makes a fish like wahoo even more delicious. Slathering her honey mustard glaze onto fish headed into the smoker is a winning play. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

SMOKER GIVES YOU TASTY FISH-FINISHING OPTIONS

By Tiffany Haugen

Spring is here, and that means it’s time to fire up the smoker. Be it fresh-caught trout or kokanee, or if you’re looking to get some of that salmon or ocean-caught fish out of the freezer, this is a tasty recipe you’ll love.

There are many options when adding smoke flavor to fish. Completely cooking while the fish is in the smoker, or partially smoking and finishing with more glaze in the oven or on the grill. Both offer excellent results and you’ll want to slather that honey mustard glaze on just about everything.

an item in the smoker from start to finish is what’s usually thought of when smoking fish, for instance. Another option is to partially smoke the ingredients that go into a recipe, giving the finished recipe varying layers of smoke flavor.

Many times it simply comes down to time or desired texture when deciding how much to smoke fish. This recipe has two options: fully smoking with a glaze added

HONEY MUSTARD SMOKED FISH

1-pound fish fillets

BRINE INGREDIENTS

¼ cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons salt 2 teaspoons granulated garlic 2 teaspoons granulated onion 2 teaspoons black pepper 1 quart water Wood chips: apple, cherry and/or alder

GLAZE INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons yellow mustard 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon melted butter 2 cloves puréed garlic 1 teaspoon lemon zest ¼ teaspoon black pepper

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FIELD

Those and the memories. When it came down to it, that’s all we needed, and it’s all we really wanted.

AT THE SAME TIME another devastating event – the Covid-19 pandemic – was simultaneously rocking not just our world, but the whole world. But with the pandemic came time to get outside. The U.S. saw millions of new anglers buy licenses after the pandemic began, because now they had time to go fishing.

Once new anglers started hitting the water the fishing industry experienced sales like no other time. Unfortunately, production was – and still is – down due to the pandemic, but people found a way to get basic gear and go fishing.

As I look back on that last trip down the McKenzie River with Chris and his dad, it’s not the trout we caught, how we caught them or what we caught them on that stands out. It’s the splashing of silver water as rainbows leapt into the sky.

It’s Tim and Chris smiling and laughing, together, that I most vividly recall. It’s the bug hatches that swarmed like smoke along river’s edge, where captivating cedar waxwings gobbled up as many as they could.

It’s the mist whipping off Chris’s flyline as he waded out and worked a classic trout riffle. It’s the sound of rushing water picking its way through a steep gradient of river rock worn round almost to perfection by erosion over the centuries.

When I close my eyes, it’s the resonance of water dripping off the oar tips while letting minimal current push us downstream. And it’s the snag in which an eagle always sat that I see in my mind’s eye, a snag that was consumed by flames and is gone forever, along with mountains of oldgrowth Douglas fir forest.

I COULD HAVE WRITTEN in this space

about knots, leaders, casting styles, presentations and more, but that’s not

Chris Wright nets a rainbow trout for his dad, Tim Wright, on this memorable day on the McKenzie River. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon salt

Cut fish to desired smoking sizes and leave skin on. In a large glass or plastic container, mix brown sugar, salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion and black pepper until thoroughly combined. Add fish to brine mixture and refrigerate for six to 12 hours.

Drain fish and discard brine. Place fish pieces, skin-side down, on a rack and sprinkle with additional black pepper if desired then allow to dry while refrigerated between one and three hours.

Preheat smoker for 10 to 15 minutes. Add chips of choice to the chip pan. Put fish on racks and place in smoker. Smoke for two to three hours, replacing chips one time.

In a small container, mix mustards, honey, lemon juice, butter, garlic, lemon zest, peppers and salt until thoroughly combined. Place a piece of foil underneath the smoker rack to catch any drips from the glaze. Liberally glaze each piece of fish on the top and sides.

Option One: Continue to smoke in the smoker an additional one to two hours or until fish reaches desired doneness. (Note: Smoking time varies depending on the smoker being used, outside temperature and thickness of fish being smoked.)

Option two: Remove partially smoked fish from the smoker and place on foil or a baking sheet. Liberally glaze each piece of salmon on the top and sides. Cook in a preheated oven or grill at 375 degrees for five to eight minutes, or until fish reaches desired doneness.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book, Cooking Seafood, and other best-selling titles, visit tiffanyhaugen.com.

what keeps me returning to the rivers. Since my first time on the water over 50 years ago, it’s been the experiences that keep calling me back.

My will is to live new memories and never let them go. If there’s a desire for new anglers to learn, they will. But no matter how much they learn or eventually know, what’s ultimately going to keep them coming back to the water is their personal experience.

For some, briefly escaping work, the internet, TV or the crazy state of our world may be all the reason they need to go fishing. It should not matter that the experience takes place on a pristine river or stocked pond a stone’s throw from an interstate. What matters is the experience.

I’ve been fishing for 56 years. My dad has been fishing for 77 years. We still love to get on the water together, whether it’s a local lake trolling for trout, a nearby river chasing salmon or steelhead, or a remote stream in Alaska.

Just keep fishing and the experiences will be worthwhile while memories are made. That’s the beauty of fishing, and all you have to do is make a little time and enjoy the opportunities we are so blessed to have. CS

Editor’s note: To book your Alaskan fishing adventure, visit scotthaugen.com, where you can also get signed copies of Scott’s many books. Follow Scott’s adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

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