Driving one hour east from Portland, Oregon drops you in some of the prettiest country in the nation, the Columbia River Gorge. It’s known for its hiking trails that are scattered from one ridge to the next, doused with waterfalls, wildlife, lakes, rivers and fishing. I’ve hiked many of the trails the Gorge offers, and now even recognize the mountain tops by name; Hamilton and Table Mountains on the north side in Washington state, along with Defiance and Eagle Creek trails on the South side in Oregon. Needless to say I love the Gorge.

I’ve never fished the Columbia River however it is definitely on my hit list for winter steelhead. Perhaps this winter I’ll finally get my 8wt fixed and head out. Now however, now I’m heading out in search of trout. I started fly-fishing in the Midwest 5 years ago and have loved every river since. From small Michigan creeks such as the Fox River covered in brush with the only cast option as a roll cast, to wide open Oregon Rivers that will allow you to wade in and stretch your line. Walking up to an Oregon river my stomach immediately flips with excitement and I begin to imagine wading in, choosing my fly and that first cast. I have learned over the past couple of springs in Oregon, that fishing for lake trout is as popular as river. Yet I’ve never tried it, so a couple of weeks ago I finally grabbed my gear and headed out to Benson Lake, in the Gorge. If I didn’t catch anything at least I would have the scenery for the day.

Using my 5wt 9’ rod along with my Orvis Access MidArbor reel, I hiked to the edge of the lake and waded in. Lakes can be an intimidating place for many as the challenges they present where a river can be more forgiving. Growing up in Michigan the only lake fishing I ever did was from our banged up boat, with a worm on the end of my line in the Upper Peninsula. A normal day was ten perch and maybe a bass. When a walleye or pike hit, it felt like Christmas.

Learning to read stillwater I felt like a novice all over again. How do I read a lake? What do I look for? What fly should I use? It almost seemed impossible I would find a trout. I quickly decided to head to the other side of the lake near the river and drop off. I wasn’t going to catch anything if I didn’t get my line in the water soon.

I chose a damsel nymph to get started using a strip retrieve action to animate the fly in hopes of finding trout. Cast…retrieve - retrieve - retrieve - retrieve. Cast…retrieve- retrieve - retrieve - retrieve. Cast. I had finally found my rhythm and felt like I belonged.

I’m not sure why I fell in love with fishing. Perhaps because of it’s simplicity, or it’s lazy rhythm or perhaps I just like catching fishing, it might just be that simple.

As the morning came to an end I finally got a trout. A small guy but still a lake trout and my first.

I guess it doesn’t matter why I fell in love with it, it simply comes down to what John Gierach has said, “If you want to go fishing, go fishing.”

Emily Walbridge is a marketing strategist, writer, editor and currently holds the nickname, "bows". Originally from the midwest where she attended Western Michigan University majoring in Creative Writing while spending weekends fishing on the nearest river or reading on the beaches of Lake Michigan. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest four years ago she now finds herself hiking in the Columbia River Gorge, fly fishing on weekends and biking to the nearest coffee shop in Portlandia. She is also the creator of Creative Simplicity Writing, and currently ghostwriting for several online publications around the country.

Fly Fishing Benson Lake - by Emily Walbridge