| Date: September 8, 2006 | | Location North Umpqua Trail Hike | | Where: Mott Segment | I have looked forward to hiking the Mott Segment of the North Umpqua Trail for some time because it would afford me the opportunity to observe fly fishermen casting for summer steelhead. I arrived at the trailhead at 9:30, and spotted two fisherman returning to their car with their morning catch of fresh a steelhead. Another fisherman came along soon, and now the parking lot was empty. A lesson learned I thought, that if I want to watch fly fishermen casting I needed to get here earlier in the morning.
|  | The Mott Segment of the North Umpqua Trail passes along some of the most storied waters of the river. Zane Grey, a famous prolific writer of Westerns, camped and fished this area in his later years from 1931-1935.
|  | I hiked past Timber Creek before stopping for lunch and turning around. As I hiked back I was sort of reviewing my day and giving it a non-plus rating, when all of a sudden I spotted a group of three fishermen on the other side of the river. It appeared the taller younger man was getting a casting lesson. I started to take some photos when abruptly I realized, and I think to their surprise as well, he had a fish on. I madly clicked away as he played in the fish and released it. Only hatchery fish are allowed to be kept on this fly only section of the river.
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