MARLON RAMPY – REDBAND TROUT OF OREGON

Fly fishing in Oregon – a glorious sport in a beautiful state! In Marlon Rampy’s new 2018 presentation “Redband Trout of Oregon”, you will learn of the truly remarkable trout opportunities available in central Oregon’s High Desert. Heading east from Oregon’s Cascade Crest, you can still find wild redband trout that have survived the eons of time (over 70,000 years to be exact). The Oregon Outback offers up scenic, rich trout waters: the Crooked River, loaded with high fish counts; the Lower Deschutes River, spectacular fishing below soaring volcanic cliffs; the Metolius River, with its legendary four-month long golden stonefly hatches; the Donner and Blitzen, for a true wilderness experience. These, and many other impressive fisheries, will leave you with fly-fishing dreams that can easily come true.

Some of the largest trout in the mainland 48 states (fish up to 20 pounds!) are quietly swimming, finning and eating in the spring-fed rivers and lakes in Oregon’s Dry Side. From the Klamath Basin all the way to Maupin, our May presenter, Marlon Rampy, will show us about this fantastic fly fishing playground. Marlon is originally from southwest Washington. The summer he was 10, Marlon visited relatives in Montana and, under the guise of working, he pursued his love of fly fishing on pretty streams around Bozeman. (Marlon learned quickly that fishing is much more enjoyable than baling hay.) After high school, Marlon attended Lee University in Tennessee where he discovered new trout water in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. Graduation from college brought opportunities for exciting fishing in eastern North Carolina, where Marlon had moved to begin a job. There he learned about the fun of fly fishing saltwater for stripers and blues, super aggressive fish that represented a big change from freshwater trout. But trout were still his first love.

So, in 1991, Marlon returned to the Northwest to reacquaint himself with the beautiful trout and steelhead streams of the Cascade Mountain Range in Oregon and Washington. Through his experiences in the Southeast, he had learned to appreciate the natural beauty of central and southern Oregon. With a desire to become an outstanding fly fishing guide, Marlon started working at McKenzie Outfitters Fly Shop in Medford, Oregon teaching students to cast, tie flies and fish the local streams. Today, Marlon has been fishing and guiding these waters for more than two decades and, from all testimonials (many from our own members), has achieved his goal of becoming an outstanding guide. He has fished for Rogue steelhead and the trophy trout throughout the Klamath Basin. For twenty-two years Marlon has been working with the Lonesome Duck Lodge on the banks of the Williamson. (This river is Marlon’s choice for challenging fishing and rewards of truly sizable fish.) Situated within 45 minutes of Crater Lake National Park, the Lodge is also near a major flyway and the Klamath National Wildlife Preserve, where multitudes of birdlife are in abundant evidence.

A highly accomplished professional photographer, Marlon's work is found in Northwest Fly Fishing magazine, CATCH webzine, Flyfishing and Tying Journal and many Amato Publications. He practices catch and release fishing techniques, recognizing that the native Columbia Basin and the Great Basin redband trout are a limited resource and more than worthy of this practice. Marlon’s presentation is a multi-media composition with plenty of photos, sound, scenery, music and yes, even some lovely fish. He will take us on a detailed journey through central Oregon and beyond, learning about some of Oregon’s best native trout waters. This is an evening brimming with stunning images that will help us pinpoint an exciting new adventure to Oregon’s Dry Side.

Since its inception in 1995, Marlon's guide business, Wildwest Fly Fishing, has steadily gained a dedicated and popular following as a quality fly-fishing experience. 

For more information, go to: www.flyfishoregon.com.

Please join Marlon Rampy as we search for the Redband Trout of Oregon.  See you there… and remember to pursue your fly fishing dreams! 

Andy Frumento