In Memory of GDBrown

[OnTheFly]

Gene, The day you and I drove up to Clear Lake where I introduced you to trolling for trout was priceless. You told me you were a river fisherman very well acquainted to the waters of Montana, Oregon and Utah, but never really did much still water fishing. You probably had your doubts but I saw your eagerness to get out in the Little Blue Drifter to give it a try. You not only caught the most fish that day but also the biggest. That grin of yours on that sunburned face lasted all the way back on the drive to your truck in Oregon City. I didn't need to catch fish that day. Just knowing what a good time you had made it all worth it to me.

Remember the Trillium trip in 2011? Can't say I didn't warn you about setting up your tent so close to the campfire and that you better be prepared to stay up all night with the late night party animals. Well I guess you remembered that this last trip when you placed your tent at a respectable distance away. I bet you slept much better. lol.

Speaking of sleep, you sure schooled me in the importance of it at Trout Creek on the Deschutes when you took a nap after we got back from our drift then felt rip roaring and ready to do some bank fishing when the rest of us were done for the day. I'll be damned if you didn't simply walk down to the boat launch and pull up a 20in.+ Reside in the back eddy on top water. Bigsteel can tell the rest of that story.

Another good trip we had this year was when the bearings went out on your boat trailer on the way up to Clear Lake with you me and Steve.(Wozniasm) It didn't matter to the fish that we weren't there at the crack of 0-Dark 30 but it gave all three of us some good time to shoot the breeze together while the work was being done. I enjoyed that.

One more thing Gene, I'll always remember when you came to visit me in the hospital and put in a prayer request at your church for my recovery. I truly believe that it made a difference.

I'm going to miss you Gene. May God bless you and thanks for being my friend.

 

[eggs]

Perfectly said Jim!

Today I have been thinking of some of the trips we all have taken with Gene and found myself with a smile on my face more then I had imagined.

 

[wozniasm]

Been quite sad about what has happened but reading Jim's post brings a smile to my face.
Gene was a treasure and like a treasure, folks like him are hard to find but once found, brought riches beyond our imagination.
Gene, we miss you and thank you for being you!
:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

 

[OnTheFly]

Perfectly said Jim!

Today I have been thinking of some of the trips we all have taken with Gene and found myself with a smile on my face more then I had imagined.

Tell the story of the hail storm.:lol:

 

[Spydeyrch]

I don't have much to say as the news of his passing has really left me speechless and sad for the loss of a kind friend. Your kindness Gene has reached out further than you would have initially imagined and will continually be felt even with you gone. Thank you for being the kind of a friend one is glad to have.

CTR

-Spydey

 

[Spydeyrch]

Tell the story of the hail storm.:lol:

Yes, please do! ray:

-Spydey

 

[lilsalmon]

Perfectly said, Jim. He was a good friend. I remember laughing at the fact that Gene swept the ground clean and smooth before meticulously pitching his tent. It was that same Trillium trip, I think, that he disappeared and we wondered where he was off to...he was in the lake in his shorts bathing. All the little memories are coming to mind of the times we have spent fishing, camping, visiting, joking around and just having a good time. I pray for his family, especially the grandchildren. He so loved fishing with them.

I found this picture from last year. I believe it was our Shady Cove gathering. We were privileged to have him hanging out at the fire with us.



Gene, may the fishes in the sky be the biggest and brightest you have ever seen.

 

[NWDiscer]

He sounds like a great guy.

Condolences and Best Wishes to his Family and of course his friends

 

[BobbiDollPDX]

What a great story OTF, I never met Gene but he has always been a joy to have on the board. Gonna go wipe a couple of tears and hopefully get to enjoy some more stories from those of you lucky enough to have spent time with him on the water.

 

[FlyBum]

I wish I could have met Gene. May your line be tight forever!

 

[GungasUncle]

I only had the pleasure of meeting Gene on the Shady Cove trip last year. We had quite a drive up the mountain on the way to Elkhorn Lake, only to be denied about half a mile from the lake by a downed tree too big to drive over. We headed back down to the river to fish and shoot the breeze. I remember the sweet little 4 weight Fenwick Gene was fishing with, and I remember him talking about the 4 weight he was building to compliment it. It was fun having him as part of the campfire group. Was bummed to see he headed out early and went up to (I think) Ollalie Lake instead (Might've been Harriet he wound up at, I can't remember for sure).

Gene was a cool guy, and he will be missed.

 

[OnTheFly]

I only had the pleasure of meeting Gene on the Shady Cove trip last year. We had quite a drive up the mountain on the way to Elkhorn Lake, only to be denied about half a mile from the lake by a downed tree too big to drive over. We headed back down to the river to fish and shoot the breeze. I remember the sweet little 4 weight Fenwick Gene was fishing with, and I remember him talking about the 4 weight he was building to compliment it. It was fun having him as part of the campfire group. Was bummed to see he headed out early and went up to (I think) Ollalie Lake instead (Might've been Harriet he wound up at, I can't remember for sure).

Gene was a cool guy, and he will be missed.

Mark, Gene finished his 4wt and you can see it in action in the first picture I posted.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[JeannaJigs]

Thanks Jim for starting this thread. I only got to fish with Gene a few times because of the distance difference, but you couldn't ask for a better person. He was just an all around great guy and always had great information to share with anyone that needed it. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. I never saw him not smiling. I felt a terrible sadness all day yesterday for everyone that ever knew him, and those that didn't get the chance for they missed out on getting to know one of the nicest people there was. I remember him offering to let me and Andy take his boat on the Columbia a long time ago before I had ever met him in person, he couldn't go but just like that he was willing to hand over his boat to people he hardly knew via the internet and whom he never met in person, that's just the kind of guy he was. I will not forget his compliments on the work I did on my boat this summer (or the tips he gave me while I was doing it), as his little blue drifter was the gold standard of boat restorations, and I remember thinking wow, his work was amazing, and he's complimenting mine so I must've done something right. Like Rose I also always remember him sweeping his tent site, but I remember my dog begging endlessly for his can of soup and saltine crackers he stuffed in his shirt pocket every night at trillium.

Gene was just a genuinely good guy and I know everyone he ever met has a great story.

 

[OnTheFly]

Yes, please do! ray:

-Spydey

Not much to tell about the hail storm really except I was with Gene when it happened. I guess the funny part of it was that Gene and I were in the middle of it while everyone else was under cover.

During the May salmon fly hatch on the lower Deschutes, a bunch of us decided to drift down to Trout Creek from Warm Springs and fish for rising Redsides. What a group and what a day. It was Bigsteel and eggs in his boat and ninja and eastcoastborn in jimmy's inlatable. In Irishrovers drift boat it was lilsalmon, my son Cody, and ECB's girlfriend. Gene and I were in his Lazy Drifter. Throughout the day, we all drifted by one another at some point but we were never too far apart. I had been on the sticks for over and hour and roughly 2/3rds of the way down Gene suggested we pull in at the bottom end of this grassy island. The current was a little fast but I was able to get into the slack water and pull in at the lower point. Irishrover came buy and tried to do the same but missed the opportunity so he continued down stream. Gene and I started to fish and it seemed like things were going well. We had plenty of fishable water because, after all, we were standing in a great spot in the middle of the river. The weather had been good up until then when the lights went out and the thunder rolled. (reminds me of a song:think Anyhoot, there we were...Gene and I...thinking we made a great move by positioning ourselves out in the open in the middle of the Deschutes and then the hail storm hit. All we could do was stand there and take it as hail balls pelted us in the velocity of a hundred thousand Airsoft automatic rifles all firing at once for a minute straight and while Dave and Erin laughed it up on shore from the cover of a thick tree. It became quite the funny topic that evening around camp and we still talk about it.

 

[lilsalmon]

Not much to tell about the hail storm really except I was with Gene when it happened. I guess the funny part of it was that Gene and I were in the middle of it while everyone else was under cover.

During the May salmon fly hatch on the lower Deschutes, a bunch of us decided to drift down to Trout Creek from Warm Springs and fish for rising Redsides. What a group and what a day. It was Bigsteel and eggs in his boat and ninja and eastcoastborn in jimmy's inlatable. In Irishrovers drift boat it was lilsalmon, my son Cody, and ECB's girlfriend. Gene and I were in his Lazy Drifter. Throughout the day, we all drifted by one another at some point but we were never too far apart. I had been on the sticks for over and hour and roughly 2/3rds of the way down Gene suggested we pull in at the bottom end of this grassy island. The current was a little fast but I was able to get into the slack water and pull in at the lower point. Irishrover came buy and tried to do the same but missed the opportunity so he continued down stream. Gene and I started to fish and it seemed like things were going well. We had plenty of fishable water because, after all, we were standing in a great spot in the middle of the river. The weather had been good up until then when the lights went out and the thunder rolled. (reminds me of a song:think Anyhoot, there we were...Gene and I...thinking we made a great move by positioning ourselves out in the open in the middle of the Deschutes and then the hail storm hit. All we could do was stand there and take it as hail balls pelted us in the velocity of a hundred thousand Airsoft automatic rifles all firing at once for a minute straight and while Dave and Erin laughed it up on shore from the cover of a thick tree. It became quite the funny topic that evening around camp and we still talk about it.

Good times!!!!

 

[waco]

I wish a had the opportunity to fish with him! Good stories! Memories for ever!

 

[eggs]

Thanks for doing the story Jim! I haven't had a chance to write it up! I will never forget that trip!

 

[Spydeyrch]

Not much to tell about the hail storm really except I was with Gene when it happened. I guess the funny part of it was that Gene and I were in the middle of it while everyone else was under cover.

During the May salmon fly hatch on the lower Deschutes, a bunch of us decided to drift down to Trout Creek from Warm Springs and fish for rising Redsides. What a group and what a day. It was Bigsteel and eggs in his boat and ninja and eastcoastborn in jimmy's inlatable. In Irishrovers drift boat it was lilsalmon, my son Cody, and ECB's girlfriend. Gene and I were in his Lazy Drifter. Throughout the day, we all drifted by one another at some point but we were never too far apart. I had been on the sticks for over and hour and roughly 2/3rds of the way down Gene suggested we pull in at the bottom end of this grassy island. The current was a little fast but I was able to get into the slack water and pull in at the lower point. Irishrover came buy and tried to do the same but missed the opportunity so he continued down stream. Gene and I started to fish and it seemed like things were going well. We had plenty of fishable water because, after all, we were standing in a great spot in the middle of the river. The weather had been good up until then when the lights went out and the thunder rolled. (reminds me of a song:think Anyhoot, there we were...Gene and I...thinking we made a great move by positioning ourselves out in the open in the middle of the Deschutes and then the hail storm hit. All we could do was stand there and take it as hail balls pelted us in the velocity of a hundred thousand Airsoft automatic rifles all firing at once for a minute straight and while Dave and Erin laughed it up on shore from the cover of a thick tree. It became quite the funny topic that evening around camp and we still talk about it.

That sounds like it would have been hilarious to witness!!! hahahahaha :lol:

Thank you for sharing it.

-Spydey

 

[osmosis]

Whoa, did not expect to read this.
My condolences to his family, friends, Fishing brothers and sisters.

Here's to hoping he's on the other side with his fly rod in his hands..

 

[Irishrover]

I had not heard. Last time I saw Gene he was driving across the dam at Trillium pulling his little drifter. That was at the September OFF function. The first time I fished with him we were at Harriot in my drift boat with OTF. Someone talked a bunch of us into a January fishing trip at Harriot. Gene OTF and I were nice and warm with my propane heater going. We had fun watching Eggs and Ninjia out there fishing in the cold.

I remember the hail stome very well....right Rose. I tried to make it to the island where Jim and Gene were but my arms could not get the boat to move over there.

God bless you Gene. I'll remember you especially when fishing for browns like we did at Harriot lake.