After disappointing news this year that the Idaho chapter would be sitting this years CFTK out due to trials and tribulations and with Bob DaFolder, deucey champion, illin from being sick, Cliffy and I set a 5:30 pick up time. In case y'all been living under a snowball, PDX was hit with 10 inches of snow a week ago, which in turn makes for icy everything because we don't plow or put down salt here. The ride out still was a little sketch, with fresh memories of spinning the Tacoma on highway 26 many years ago, Cliffy and I crawl to the lot to meet Alex. We are the only ones there. It is butt ass cold, 24 degrees, winds ripping down the gorge at 20-30 mph with high gusts in the 50's, probably the reason that we are the only ones there. Who else would drive such conditions? We load up Alex with his own pack so that I can carry 18 blocks and with Clffys 8 that would give a great armada. We head out and we break out of the comfort off the woods into open fields, where every breath you take freezes to your face. I can't believe that we are looking forward to the comfort a spot out on the Columbia not facing the wind.
We reach the mighty Columbia only to find ice. We try hiking out to the point in order to find some open water breaking through 12 inch ice crush the whole way. Struggling with every step, what looked like open water was only smooth frozen ice when we got to it. Maybe the reason no one else is here? It seemed to be forever. We decide to head back, hunt from the corner throw some blocks on the ice and pass shoot the morning fly then head home. It almost looks really promising. We put some blocks on the ice by the bank, hunker down and wait. 3 sets of mallards fly through our spread before cillin time. Hey not so bad everyone thinks, maybe we are not total idiots. 2 other sets of hunters head out to the point, idiots we think. One had a little red wagon with his 8 small blocks in it and was carrying it because of all the ice. Idiot. 
Baby it's cold out side. The team is pretty spread out due to lack of cover. Pre-morning turns into morning and the light is better. I spy that just beyond the ice we are sitting in front of is open water, and due to my scouting last week with Bonz' its shallow enough to walk in. I move the blocks into moving water and BAM! we are legit. We are set, we are looking great! The feeling of not being the smartest turns into feelings of Einsteintudeness. We see lots of ducks and geese, did I mention that Alex actually has his goose license? Nothing is committing, the wind is ripping pretty good. Cliffy comes over to chat and have a sip of wikki. We are chatting for awhile and Alex comes over to join us for some chat and some wiki. Did I forget to mention that the wiki Alex drinks is actually made by his wife? Maybe a sponsor for next season? www.clearcreekdistillery.com
A ton of geese are flying and you know what fly in geese. We are standing there and clouds of mallards are swarming us. The sky was literally filled with black. Honestly there were three clouds of ducks holding at least 100 each. I'm yelling "SHOOT SHOOT!" Well this takes me back to the day that I witnessed a mass migration down at the Old New Spot. When I was paralyzed by seeing so many ducks that I could not lift my gun. I could not do it and Cliffy too was paralyzed, but Alex was not. He literally just had to point his gun into the air and pull the trigger. He did and it went thump on the ice. We sat in awe, speechless for minutes. The only disappointment besides not raising the Benelli, was that Alex didn't shoot his limit with one pull of the trigger. We sat in hopes that all those bastards would be back. A few warm up walks. Wiki now dry. We call it around 11. Cliffy mentioned that it was his best CFTK ever, I would have to disagree 2015 was the best so far for me. 2015 we had three guys vying for Experts status, saw more birds committing and was beautiful, maybe not as beautiful as this year. It was a great day though, sorry the Idaho chapter missed it, they too would have appreciated what we saw today. Two more weeks left in the season, expecting very high water next week with all this melt off and 12 inches of rain expected.
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