Spring 2015 - NW Steelheaders

SAVE THE DATE!
April 11
Salmon Quest
Guided Fishing, Awards Dinner
Fish and Benefit Metro-Area Fisheries
June 6
Sandy Salmon Classic
Protect Oregon’s Fishing Heritage,
Wild and Hatchery
Fish and Benefit Metro-Area Fisheries
October 15-17
SHOT Tournament
Fishing in Teams of Three, Awards Dinner
Fish and Benefit Tillamook-Area Fisheries
November 14
2015 Hall of Fame Banquet
Hall of Fame Awards and Banquet
Silent and Oral Auction, Games
Benefit Fish and Their Habitats
THE NORTHWEST STEELHEADER
Volume 30, No. 2
Spring Issue, 20 1 5
THE NORTHWEST STEELHEADER
is published quarterly by the
Association of Northwest Steelheaders.
4 Columbia River Chapter Hosts Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Don Hyde
Staff
8 Opal Springs Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yancy Lind
Executive Director
Office Manager
Outreach Coordinator
Administrative Assistant
Bob Rees
Leslie Hinea
Joyce Sherman
Stevie Parsons
6 Will Work For Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bill Kremers, Bob Rees
10 Protect the Bait—a Three-Year Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Norm Ritchie
11 Raffle Tickets For Sale!
Editorial Board
12 Fishing with Buzz: Summer Steelhead Tactics . . . . . . . . . .Buzz Ramsey
Trey Carskadon, Joe Domenico,
Ian Fergusson, Brad Halverson,
Bill Kremers, Bob Oleson, Bob Rees,
Norm Ritchie, Joyce Sherman, Tom Smoot
14 Obituary
Junior Steelheaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Vanderplaat
Design/Production
Advertising Sales
15 Ways to Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Doug Briggs
Chuck Voss Endowment Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joyce Sherman
River Graphics
16 Volunteer Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bob Rees
ANWS Officers/Directors
18 Volunteerism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tim Lenihan
President
Vice President
VP Conservation
Secretary
Treasurer
Communications
Development
Education
Government Affairs
Membership
Resources
Bill Kremers
Joe Domenico
Dan Drazan
Tim Wilson
Brannan Hersh
Joyce Sherman
Norm Ritchie
Mike Myrick
Trey Carskadon,
Stevie Parsons
Ian Fergusson,
Brad Halverson
River Rights Art Israelson
Watersheds Doug Hunt
Regional Bill Hedlund,
Tom Smoot,
Gary Lutman
Chapter Presidents
20 Salmonberry River: A Wild and Wonderful Place . . . . . .Joyce Sherman
23 Legislative Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bof Oleson
24 Toman’s King Camp: Heaven on the Nushagak . . . . . . . . .Dan Drazan
27 Calendar of Events
ODFW Budget
28 Activities, Angling, and Activism
29 Sandy River Chapter and ODFW Cooperate for Clinics
30 Chapter Reports
31 Chapter Meeting Information
The Association of Northwest Steelheaders
Anglers dedicated to enhancing and protecting fisheries
and their habitats for today and the future.
Bob Askey, Larry Bell, Doug Briggs,
Bill Hedlund, Don Hyde, Ken Johnson,
Duane Kitzmiller, Yancy Lind,
Dave Reggiani, Bob Rees, Tom VanderPlaat,
Brian Winn, Sam Wurdinger
Your letters, photos, and articles are welcome and will be printed as
space permits. Please call or e-mail River Graphics, 541-614-1252 or
rivergraphics@spiritone.com, for article specifications.
Honorary Directors
THE NORTHWEST STEELHEADER is published quarterly by the Association
Frank Amato, Nick Amato, Bruce Belles,
Jack Glass, Liz Hamilton, Eric Linde,
Hobart Manns, Jim Martin, Buzz Ramsey
About the Cover
Yancy Lind, Deschutes Basin President,
displays a typical Deschutes River steelhead.
See the Opal Springs article, page 8.
Photo courtesy of Yancy Lind
Visit our website: www.nwsteelheaders.org
of Northwest Steelheaders, 6641 SE Lake Road, Milwaukie, OR 97222-2161; 503653-4176, outreachcoordinator@anws.org. Opinions expressed in these pages are
those of the authors, chapters, and committees who submit and/or write material,
and may or may not reflect the views of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders.
The editorial board reserves the right to edit all material in the interests of clarity,
good taste, or to meet space requirements. Reprint rights reserved. Please contact
the Association office and the author for permission before reprinting any material.
Distributed free of charge.
Spring 2015 • 3
Columbia River Chapter Hosts Veterans
By Don Hyde, Columbia River Chapter President
Sgt. Dolan Santero with a spring chinook he caught on the Columbia River
just east of the I-5 Bridge. The guide
was Damon Struble. Dolan was all
smiles the rest of the day.
_________________ with a spring chinook he caught _________________
__________ guided by Bill Kremers.
Columbia River Chapter members, volunteer guides and boatmen, and veterans pose for a group photo at the end of the
day.
olumbia River Chapter of Northwest Steelheaders held
their Annual Veterans Spring Chinook fishing trip
March 21. It was held at Portco/Marine Park in Vancouver,
WA. There was a total of 18 boats and 42 veterans. The veterans came from three different locations: Joint Base Lewis
McChord in Tacoma, Armed Forces Reserve Center in
Vancouver, and Helping Men Heal in Vancouver.
C
Four out of the 18 boats were provided by local
guides who donated their services. Fourteen chapter members volunteered their boats and skills. All boats had a
volunteer deck hand and took out anywhere from one to
six vets, depending on boat size and capability. In addition
to the boat captains and deckhands, there were a dozen or
so volunteers at the dock who helped with parking, handing out food, and organizing setup and tear down. The
chapter provided coffee and donuts in the morning and
box lunches, drinks, and ice for the anglers to take out
with them.
The veterans were lucky enough to walk away with two
fish; fishing conditions were extremely slow. The time on
the water and making new friends made it all worthwhile,
which is what matters most! Everyone had an amazing time,
and the chapter can't wait to do it again in the fall.
Columbia River Chapter would like to thank all their
sponsors for helping make the event a success with special
thanks to the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Councilman
Larry Smith!
Steelheaders
Visit Washington, D.C.
In February, NWF made possible a trip to strengthen the Lacey Act to restrict the imports of exotic
species into the U.S. Pictured are, from left, Nic
Callero (NWF), Mike Lithgow (Back Country
Anglers/Hunters), Sen. Wyden, Bill Kremers
(ANWS), Mia Sheppard (Theodore Roosevelt
Foundation), and Ty Stubblefield (Oregon Hunters).
4 • The Northwest Steelheader
W I L L W OR K
F OR
hroughout our 50-plus
years of existence, the
Association of Northwest
Steelheaders has had many
successful programs.
One program has been
our Eggs to Fry program
under the leadership of
Education Director Mike
Myrick. Mike and our chapters, with the assistance of
ODFW, set up aquariums
with chillers in classrooms
(incubation tanks) throughout Oregon. Eggs are delivered to the classroom, and
students raise them until
they are mature enough to
release into a local stream. Recently
volunteers from the Tualatin Chapter
Northwest helped the students from
Harvey Clarke Elementary School who
raised 500 hundred rainbow trout eggs
to young adults. Once the trout were
mature enough, the Junior Steelheaders
released them into Scoggins Creek. If
they had had programs like this when I
was in school, I am pretty sure I would
have paid more attention in the classroom and perhaps even gotten better
grades.
The success of the Eggs to Fry
T
F I SH
Steelheader Programs
Program has spread to
other states, as they, too,
see the value of handson education and the
connection kids make
with nature. If you
would like to find out
more about Eggs to Fry,
contact me at bkremers@comcast.net or
541-602-0881; I would
be glad to answer your
questions.
The River Ambassador Program is one of
our more recent programs. Where the Eggs
to Fry Program is
designed for the classroom, the River
Ambassador Program is designed to
welcome veterans returning from overseas and to say thank you to them as
they settle into our communities for
their heroic service. Russell Bassett, our
prior Executive Director, was the inspiration behind the River Ambassador
Program. He was veteran who served
in Iraq. Rex Cuniff, also a veteran, is
our coordinator. Our first program was
a three-day adventure at Bitter Brush
Ranch on the Deschutes, where we
taught vets the basic of fishing through
both classroom sessions and getting out
on the water, including an all-day drift
boat trip on the Deschutes. A video of
their experience can be viewed on
YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=jwC4TW2Gk78. This May
we will once again be hosting veterans
at Bitter Brush for another three-day
adventure. We have also held trips in
Tillamook where we spent the weekend trolling for salmon.
Several of our chapters have now
started their own River Ambassador
programs where they take veterans out
on local waters for a day of fishing followed by a banquet or BBQ. I recently
spent a day with the Columbia River
chapter in Vancouver where they took
44 veterans out for a day of spring
Chinook fishing. Since it was early in
the season, the fishing was slow, but the
enthusiasm was high. Just being out on
the water with these brave soldiers is
what being a Steelheader is all about.
The next time someone tells you
that the Steelheaders are just another
fishing club, you can say that we are
here to benefit our fisheries, a community organization that helps make the
Northwest the special place that we all
love and cherish.
Bill Kremers, President
Guides Association along with our
top tier lawyer Maddy Sheehan (publisher and author of the famed Fishing
in Oregon), we’d be hundreds of
thousands of McKenzie River smolts
down for this river as well as the
Willamette and Columbia River
sportfisheries.
WE WON! ODFW has already
released this year’s smolts into the
McKenzie!
Despite our recent victory on the
McKenzie and our previous victory for
the Sandy River hatchery, you’d think
that interest in scaling back our hatchery production would slow. I don’t
think this is going to be the case. We
still have our work cut out for us.
I typically reserve this space for going
against what is common practice, after
all, going with the flow has got anglers
degraded habitat, a river system littered with fish-killing dams, and multiple warnings for fish consumption in
our very own Oregon! It clearly doesn’t pay to go with the flow. I’m writing
about hatchery fish, when historically,
many have failed to see the benefits of
hatchery produced salmon and steelhead. That is changing.
There certainly could be improvements in our hatchery operations, and
we feel that’s being worked on but since
when was a hatchery fish public enemy
No. 1? We’re in the process of developing a one-pager on the benefits of hatchery fish. I think we can all recount many
ways that hatchery fish have improved
our lives, but let’s take a quick look at
just a few of those benefits:
Going Against the Flow: Hatchery Fish
e’re just wrapping up a successful
winter steelhead season, which
I’ve only fished twice all season, on
our way to our most prized fishery,
spring Chinook. You’ll never see a
higher rate of participation for such a
low ROI (return on investment). It’s
just what we do here in the Northwest
and once again, we have the
Association of Northwest Steelheaders
to thank for the continued opportunity for fish for this magnificent run of
fish.
Of course, we couldn’t do it
alone. You’ll see an emerging theme
for the 2015 Hall of Fame Banquet:
“Partnerships.” Without ODFW and
the paralleling strategies of the
Northwest Sportfishing Industry
Association and the McKenzie River
W
6 • The Northwest Steelheader
• Anglers are much more likely to
catch a hatchery fish in most
major sportfisheries in Oregon.
Without hatchery fish, there
wouldn’t be much to catch and
therefore, there wouldn’t be
much interest. Without interest
in sportfisheries, rural economies
that thrive during productive
fishing seasons would suffer great
losses. Without interest in sportfisheries, anglers would lose
touch with the outdoors and
therefore, not feel compelled to protect our rivers and lands for future
generations of outdoor recreationalists.
• Excess hatchery fish provide thousands of pounds of protein to local
area food banks and shelters. In
recent years, volunteers have
processed thousands and thousands
of food quality hatchery salmon for
needy families in rural and urban
areas. These hatchery salmon provided numerous sportfishing oppor-
tunities in the ocean, estuaries and
rivers, and, now that they’ve arrived
at the hatchery in excess, they will
feed
thousands
of
hungry
Oregonians a healthy protein source
that is typically out of range for lowincome families.
• Excess hatchery fish provide an
incredible nutrient base for starved
ecosystems that historically had
healthy runs of wild salmon and
steelhead. The Steelheaders have
invested heavily in reinvigorating
these deprived streams with volunteers and equipment to disperse
excess hatchery fish back into these
remote areas to benefit the next
generation of salmon as well as an
entire forest ecosystem that has
been starved since we began drastically altering our landscape.
Now, armed with these simple
facts, doesn’t it seem sensible that
everyone might be on the same
page here? Emerging science may
help us answer how to manage our
hatchery populations better, and we’re
all for that. However, until our wild
ecosystems can sustain strong rural
economies and keep young anglers
engaged in our sport, we’re going to
need hatchery fish. The Association of
Northwest Steelheaders is going to
keep fighting for our rights to produce
hatchery salmon and steelhead for a
long time into the future.
Thanks for being a member of The
Association of Northwest Steelheaders!
Bob Rees, Executive Director
Step Up: Become a
Budgeted Life Member
Support the continuing efforts of the Association of Northwest Steel headers by becoming a Life Member through five equal annual payments of $100 each. All proceeds from this program are put into the
Chuck Voss Endowment Fund and invested for the future. You are providing the Association with a stable membership to add your voice to our
efforts to improve fishing and fish habitat, while adding to the endowment fund to ensure financial stability.
To become a Budgeted Life Member, fill out a membership form (see
page 31), go to www.nwsteelheaders.org/support/membership/, or contact the Association Office, (503) 653-4176.
Spring 2015 • 7
Opal Springs Passage
By Yancy Lind, Deschutes Basin Chapter
or nearly 15 years a wide range of
companies, organizations, agencies,
and individuals have been working on
the reintroduction of steelhead and
salmon into the upper Deschutes basin
above Lake Billy Chinook. This
includes the middle Deschutes, the
Crooked River, the Metolius River, and
their tributaries. Around $200M has
been spent on this effort so far.
Approximately $150M of that has been
spent by Portland General Electric’s
ratepayers. Results from these efforts
have not met initial hopes, but success
remains within reach.
As of March 18, 2015, 82 upper
basin origin adult steelhead from the
current season have been captured in
the trap at the bottom of the PeltonRound Butte Dam complex, transported upriver, and released into Lake Billy
Chinook. The genetics in these fish are
priceless. They are the ones who managed to make it down river, enter the
new collection facility in Lake Billy
Chinook, go down the Deschutes,
through the dams on the Columbia, survive life in the sea and make it all the
way back. These are the fish whose off-
F
8 • The Northwest Steelheader
spring are best suited to repopulate the
upper basin.
To the surprise of the fish biologists
who have been working on this project,
the great majority of the returning steelhead and Chinook salmon have chosen
to head up the Crooked River to spawn.
Of the 82 steelhead returned to Lake
Billy Chinook so far this year, one is
now in the Metolius, four are in the
middle Deschutes, one is in Whychus
Creek (a tributary of the middle
Deschutes), and 33 have been passed
above Opal Springs into the Crooked.
Of those 33, one has made it all the way
to just below Bowman Dam, three are
in Ochoco Creek, and four are in
McKay Creek (both tributaries of the
Crooked). The remaining 43 steelhead
are still in the lake, mostly in the
Crooked River arm.
This overwhelming preference for
the Crooked has been the case every
year there have been anadromous fish
returns. Historically, the Crooked and
its tributaries were prime spawning
areas for steelhead and Chinook who
migrated up the Deschutes. Restoring
runs in the Crooked could dramatically
increase the number of sport fish available to anglers on the Deschutes and the
Columbia.
Unfortunately, a barrier remains at
the bottom of the Crooked River largely blocking upstream passage for these
returning anadromous fish. Successful
reintroduction is in jeopardy if a fish
ladder is not installed, and soon.
To that end, www.opalspringspassage.org has been created. This is a collaborative effort on the part of the
Steelheaders, Central Oregon Flyfishers,
Native Fish Society, WaterWatch, Wild
Salmon Center, and other groups. You
can learn more about efforts so far by
visiting www.opalspringspassage.org,
but here’s a brief overview:
As part of the relicensing of the
Pelton-Round Butte hydroelectric facility in 2005, PGE and the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs, co-owners of
the facility, were required to provide
fish passage, resulting in a significant
and well-publicized engineering project.
The requirement for fish passage did
not extend, however, to other dams on
the rivers above Lake Billy Chinook, the
reservoir created behind Round Butte
Dam.
Seeing the historic opportunity for
anadromous fish reintroduction,
numerous agencies and organizations
began to work together on habitat
restoration and removing minor dams
on some of the waters that comprise the
upper Deschutes basin. The Oregon
Department of Fish & Wildlife
(ODFW) began planting anadromous
fry and smolts in these waters in 2007.
Fish were planted in the middle
Deschutes and Whychus Creek, a tributary of the middle Deschutes just above
the lake, in anticipation they would
return to the release location. Fish were
also planted in the Crooked River
under the assumption that fish passage
at barriers on the Crooked would be
addressed in a reasonable period of
time.
Accordingly, Deschutes Valley
Water District, the owners of the Opal
Springs
Hydro
Facility,
was
approached. DVWD is under no legal
obligation to provide passage as their
license to operate the project does not
come up for renewal until 2032.
Nevertheless, they have embraced the
opportunity to facilitate reintroduction under a cost sharing and operational agreement. This agreement was
signed almost four years ago. In summary, the agreement stated that
DVWD would pay for approximately
one half the $8M cost of installing a
volitional fish ladder and related
required modifications. The other
funds were to be obtained from outside organizations.
To that end, the Oregon Water
Enhancement Board (OWEB) has made
a commitment of $1M. There is a
potential of around $1M from ODFW,
however these funds are conditional on
the rest of the money being raised. As it
stands now, there is a deficit of approximately $2M. Note that ODFW has
rated passage at Opal Springs as the
number two fish passage priority in the
state. Number one is passage at Hells
Canyon, where there are no current
plans for passage.
Time is rapidly running out to raise
these funds. The agreement with
Don Roberts with a
hatchery Deschutes
steelhead. More fish
will be available for
anglers if fish can
return to the Crooked
River above Opal
Springs Dam.
DVWD to provide passage will expire in
October of this year. Early on in this
process there was a reasonable belief
that fry and smolts planted in Whychus
Creek and the middle Deschutes would
return to those waters to spawn, perhaps
reducing the urgency felt by some to
provide passage at Opal Springs.
Outside of a handful of fish, however,
this has not occurred. Fish have simply
not yet returned to the middle
Deschutes and Whychus Creek in numbers that will establish a viable population.
The fish have spoken. They want to
go up the Crooked River. If the remaining funding for fish passage at Opal
Springs is not raised, it might not be
until DVWD’s license is up for renewal
in 2032 before volitional passage is
installed, compromising reintroduction
efforts to date.
We invite you to visit www.opalspringspassage.org and lend your voice
to this effort. Anadromous fish reintroduction into the upper Deschutes basin
is a historic and worthwhile effort, and
it needs your help.
CUSTOM BOAT TOPS & UPHOLSTERY
BOAT SEATS & MARINE CARPETING
DO-IT-YOURSELF SUPPLIES
BOAT ACCESSORIES
www.bentleysmfg.com
(800) 515-1275 or 503-659-0238
14020 SE McLOUGHLIN BLVD.
In Milwaukie, 1/4 mile south of The Bomber
HOME LOANS
BY STEVE SALVESON
Get your home loan from an experienced
Mortgage Broker and NW Steelheader member!
• In house underwriting
and funding
• Conventional
and FHA
Steve Salveson, GRI, CRMS
loans
MLO- 88726 ML-137
• Purchase
NMLS 88726 Co. NMLS 1854
ssalveson@stearns.com
• Refinance
16100 NW Cornell Rd. #210
Beaverton, OR 97006
Stearns®
Stearns Lending, Inc. | Home Loans Division
503-716-5910
971-250-4510
Spring 2015 • 9
Protect the Bait—A Three Year Journey
By Norm Ritchie, Development Director
uly is the time of year to be on
the ocean chasing coho and
chinook out of coastal ports,
moving out in the early morning, hopefully on flood or slack
tide, with the expectation of
finding the quarry before midday winds point the boat back
toward a comfortable harbor.
Most of us fishing the ocean take
out a variety of common baits and will
check stomach contents of our first
catches in an effort to “match the
hatch” and provide what they are feeding on. It is always concerning when
you find an empty stomach. The first
thoughts are, “Where is the forage? Is
there enough out here for our sport
fish to eat?”
In July 2012, we started a new
venture to ensure salmon and steelhead would have enough to eat in the
ocean so that they could grow to 50
times their smolt size and become what
we think of and yearn for when they
return as adults.
As of March this year, we have
come away with two things:
First, the Pacific Fisheries
Management Council (PFMC) directed NOAA Fisheries to put unmanaged
forage fish into Fisheries Management
Plans as an ecosystem component, protected from directed harvest until the
populations can be assessed and harvest limits determined based in part on
the needs of predator species higher in
the food web.
While we primarily use herring,
anchovy, and (a few of us) shad for bait
in the ocean and salmon and steelhead
certainly eat a lot of these as they grow
bigger, much of their diet consists of
lesser known smaller forage species
such as sand lance, small squids, and
saury. These typically smaller forage
species are not currently targeted by
commercial fisheries off our west
coast, but are being harvested and even
overharvested in other parts of the
world. It would only be a matter of
time before it happened here had it not
been for the actions taken this March.
A major component of these
actions was establishing ecosystem
based management of these species.
J
10 • The Northwest Steelheader
This means harvest limits would not
only be based on the health of the target species population but the impact
the harvest would have on the predators that depend on them. Managed
species such as herring should also be
managed with this consideration.
The second thing we gained is an
appreciation of how long it takes to get
something worthwhile done in government, even when there is essentially no
opposition to the goal. That sounds
negative, but it really is a positive
thing, one that applies to many things
we try to accomplish. The process has
many steps and safeguards to prevent
unintended consequences.
It took almost three years to vet all
concerns, draft and redraft as questions
came up and were answered. The public comment periods allow everyone the
opportunity to review and express concerns and make suggestions. The PFMC
and its advisory sub-panels and other
various support bodies are made up of
mostly volunteers. These are supported
by federal and state agency staffs. All of
them we worked with are dedicated and
hard working. The established process
could not have gone any faster.
In fact, our efforts ensured this was
done with priority and high level moni-
toring.
Council
members
acknowledged the efforts and support of the Northwest Steelheaders and other organizations
and the public many times during
their formal deliberations at their
quarterly meetings. They really
appreciated the attention and
thoughtful input we all provided.
We are continuing this effort with
the state of Oregon. While Oregon
showed great leadership within the
PFMC toward getting the forage fish
protections done, California and
Washington worked on getting similar
protections for their territorial waters.
Oregon is taking a bit longer, but perhaps is working smarter. Oregon can
now work to improve on the PFMC
achievement while creating rules that
are coordinated with the federal jurisdiction just outside the state’s threemile territorial limit.
We have learned that getting it
done will require continuous effort to
maintain its priority and ensuring we
get everything we expect it to achieve.
Your support by sending letters and
signing petitions will be an important
part of that effort and a major part of
our success and will ensure that this
critical food base is left in our waters,
versus shipped overseas for aquaculture or processed feed for livestock.
It’s been proven that a school of forage
fish is worth twice the value left in the
ocean as it is removed for other purposes.
Go to http://nwsteelheaders.org/
conservation/protect-the-bait/ to sign
the petition.
Steelheader Clothing
Hoodies in five styles, short-sleeved tees, denim shirts, and premium hats in a variety of colors
and sizes are now available from our new supplier, Stancell Graphics. Simply go to www.stancellgraphics.com/nws to order. In addition to the basic items shown, you will be able to order
items that we don’t ordinarily stock from Stancell’s huge catalog. You can get embroidered
items personalized with your name for an additional charge.
We still have a small supply of hoodies and long-sleeved tees in stock, but not in all colors and
sizes. Contact the Joyce at outreachcoordinator@anws.org or 541-614-1252 if you would like
to order these with the large art on the back.
Raffle Tickets For Sale!
The annual raffles have been underway since
mid-August, and there are still lots of tickets
available. Not many chapters have turned in
stubs, although there are lots of tickets checked
out by chapters. As usual, Art Israelson has
already turned in lots of stubs and money, even
before the thousands of dollars worth he sold during the
January Boat Show.
If you aren’t comfortable selling tickets, consider buying
a $20 block of 25 trip tickets or five boat tickets. There are
not enough tickets printed for every member to buy $20
worth! Think about that for a moment: we have over 1,500
members and there
aren’t enough tickets for
each member to buy a
$20 block. What does
that say about your odds
of winning? Far, far better than buying lottery
tickets! If you want a
pass from selling tickets,
simply buy a block!
For those willing to sell tickets, it’s a great way for chapters to fatten their treasuries. The Association pays all the
costs (raffle license, printing tickets, providing airfare for the
trip, etc.) and does the overall bookkeeping, but the chapters earn 50 percent of the gross sales amount. What a deal!
Every chapter member who buys a $20 block has earned
$10 for their chapter. That’s a very easy way for chapters to
earn money to do the projects they always want to do.
The trip drawing used to be done at the end of the
February Pacific Northwest Sportsman’s Show, with the
drawing done at the Yakutat Lodge booth. One year, a
woman who had purchased a ticket only a few minutes earlier won the trip.
The Mid Valley Chapter has sold more tickets than any
other chapter—and the last two winners of the drift boat
were Mid Valley members.
Spring 2015 • 11
F I SH I N G
WITH
B U ZZ
Summer Steelhead Tactics
early every major tributary entering the Columbia River
N
west of and including the Hood and Klickitat Rivers is
planted with a breed of summer steelhead known as
“Skamanias.” Unlike steelhead bound for tributaries further
up the Columbia, Skamanias start their migration early in
the year. While I’ve caught these fish as early as March,
when most Skamanias flood Lower Columbia and
Willamette tributaries is from May through July.
The “Skamania” strain of summer steelhead got their
start at the hatchery located on the Washougal River in (you
guessed it) Southwest Washington’s Skamania County, but
they are now reared at numerous hatchery facilities in both
Oregon and Washington.
Besides the Hood and
Klickitat, the list of rivers
receiving plants of this unique
steelhead strain include the
Sandy, Cowlitz, Kalama,
Washougal, Lewis, and major
Willamette tributaries like the
Clackamas and Santiam.
If you own a boat and
choose a river that maintains
enough depth to float it, backtrolling plugs (like the all-new
Mag Lip 3.0) should be added
to your arsenal of tricks.
Summer water conditions
favor techniques like drift
fishing, float fishing, and casting spinners. These fish have a
real nose for natural baits like
shrimp, egg clusters, crawdad
tails, and even night crawlers
are popular bait choices that
are often drifted near bottom
or suspended under a float.
If you have yet to try drift
fishing in a river here’s how:
cast out, let your outfit drift
downstream through the holding water (bouncing the bottom every yard or so as it moves along in the current). Once
your rig swings in near shore, reel in and cast again. Drift
fishing is a series of casts, drifts, and retrieves. The bite of a
steelhead taking a bait drifting in the current is subtle, so pay
close attention. If your outfit stops drifting, hesitates, or
feels different in any way: set the hook! Bait combined with
a small Corky or Spin-N-Glo is what many anglers use when
drift fishing.
Summer water flows are conducive to fishing floats,
which produce best where the water is slow moving or when
fishing current edges. Float fishing will enable you to get a
precision drift without hang-ups, since your offering should
only extend half to two thirds of the way to the bottom.
Although all the natural baits listed above work with a float,
you might try suspending a steelhead jig or four-inch scent12 • The Northwest Steelheader
B Y B U ZZ R A MSE Y
filled (PowerBait) or Gulp! worm under your bobber.
Although bubblegum pink is the most popular selling worm
color, other colors like black, dark red, light pink, or chartreuse work, too.
There are two ways to rig your worm: on a jig head or
whacky style. When attaching to a jig head, my advice is to
cut your worm at the collar and thread the tail-end onto
your jig head. While those chasing bass rig their worms
“Whacky” by simply lancing the center of the worm, I’ve
always started my hook near the center of the worm and
worked the hook point toward the head. When properly
rigged your “Whacky” worm
should look like an up-sidedown “U,” which provides the
horizontal presentation and
lifelike movement of a real
worm.
A string of split shot
works to keep your pink
worm or other bait suspended
under your float. Start 18
inches up from your hook and
space your split shot every two
to three inches up your line.
The number and size of split
shot required will depend on
current speed, water depth,
line diameter, and float size. I
usually start with four to six
cannon ball (CB) sized buckshot.
The most common way to
fish a spinner in a river is to
cast out, across and slightly
upstream and reel it back to
you with a retrieve speed that
keeps it working near bottom.
Fished this way, the river current will swing your spinner
downstream through the fishholding water. Once your
spinner swings in near shore, it's time to reel in and cast
again.
In extreme clear water, where upstream looking fish
might spook when seeing you, upstream casting can be the
“go to” spinner method. It’s easy: position yourself within
casting range of the fish-holding water and cast at an
upstream angle. If the water is shallow, begin your retrieve
as or just before your spinner hits the water. Then, reel as
fast as possible until you’ve picked up all slack line and begin
to feel the resistance of the spinning blade; then slow down
your retrieve speed and work your lure just above bottom.
Another productive technique is downstream casting,
which works best on wide holes or tail-outs. Cast your spinner out across and downstream. Since the current is moving
away from you, it requires a slow, or no retrieve, as your
spinner swings through the fish-holding water.
YAKUTAT LODGE
TRULY AFFORDABLE
WORLD CLASS
FISHING
ng
t
Bes Fishdi !
l
ad
lhe e Wo, rand r
e
e
St in th l-May cembe
pri De
A berte
o promolease
t
c
O We
e
&R
h
c
t
Ca
2015ALS
I shing
SPSpEecC
ial Fi es
g
a
Pack
# Kids Stay FREE July 15-August 15, kids under 18, 1 per Adult
10-20, June 1-15 - bring 3 paying guests
# Group Leader FREE April
and your trip is FREE
SPECIAL FISHING PACKAGES
Includes food, lodging, rental vehicle, boats to float the river
each day, plus one day guided halibut or fly out fishing
AS LOW AS $1,349 per person, 4 days/3 nights
$1,460 per person, 5 days/4 nights
$1,845 per person, 7 days/6 nights
Based on four persons per room
Ask about our Lodge and Deluxe Fully Guided Packages!
A deposit of 25% per person confirms dates and reservations on all special packages. Prices do not include
any taxes, gratuities, personal gear, fishing equipment, liquor, or air fare to Yakutat. Package prices are $75 more per
person August 15-September 30.
WRITE, CALL OR FAX TODAY FOR RESERVATIONS
CALL 1-800-YAKUTAT FOR RESERVATIONS
THE YAKUTAT LODGE
Box 287, Yakutat, Alaska 99689
www.yakutatlodge.com
PHONE (907) 784-3232 • FAX (907) 784-3452
Howard Worden Dies
oward Worden, creator of the
world famous Rooster Tail spinner and many other fishing lures,
passed away on February 11, 2015 at
the age of 93. Mr. Worden was one of
the owners of Yakima Bait Co. in
Granger, Washington, a company that
was founded by his father in 1929.
Howard was working for the
company in the late 1940’s when he
designed the prototype for what
would become the Rooster Tail spinner. One summer, during a visit to a
lake in California, Howard built a
weighted spinner with a willow leaf
blade and a hackle tail. He called the
new lure the “Retreat Special,” and
soon Yakima Bait Company was producing and selling it around the
Northwest.
The spinner started gaining some
ardent followers, but Howard felt like
the new lure needed a better name.
After watching the hydroplane races in
Seattle on TV, he began calling his new
spinner the “Rooster Tail.”
The Rooster Tail was mostly a
regional lure until the 1960’s when
some anglers from Florida took some
of the spinner samples they’d received
H
Howard Worden (right) with a steelhead caught on the Columbia River
with the late Steve Koler of Portland.
at the annual Fishing Tackle Manufacturer’s Show in Chicago back home
and immediately caught bass with
them. Once the word spread that the
versatile Rooster Tail was so productive on bass, it quickly became a “must
have lure.” Sales of the lure quickly
grew and today millions and millions
of Rooster Tail spinners have been
sold, used by anglers around the world
to catch trout, bass, perch, crappie and
many other kinds of game fish.
Howard was also instrumental in
the development and marketing of the
Spin-N-Glo winged drift bobber, the
Lil’ Corky drift bobber and several different versions of the Rooster Tail
spinner, including the Super Rooster
Tail, Sonic Rooster Tail and Vibric
Rooster Tail.
Besides lure design and manufacturing, Howard also developed a system that simplified the design and
building of Tiffany style stained glass
lamps. Known as the Worden System,
the pre-designed kits allow hobbyists
to build their own stained glass lamps
in any one of dozens of designs.
An avid angler all his life, Howard
was always thinking about the next
great lure and up until the last year or
so of his life he was still tweaking and
designing lure ideas.
Rob Phillips
Tualatin Valley Chapter
Launches Junior Steelheader Program
By Tom Vanderplaat, Tualatin Valley Chapter President
he Tualatin Valley Chapter is pilot testing
an additional element to the Fish Eggs to
Fry Program which is to make Junior
Steelheaders of each child in a class that is raising fish for the Salmon Trout Enhancement
Program (STEP) chiller tank. The Chapter
provided the teachers with stickers and an
activity page that includes information on
Northwest Steelheaders and ODFW's Family
Fishing events. The pilot was
very successful and will be further developed for this program. The TV Chapter will be
seeking grant funds for expansion of the program.
Thanks to Dwight Lind,
Leroy Schultz and teachers
Machelle Childers and Jeff
Matasomoto for making this a
great learning experience.
T
14 • The Northwest Steelheader
Machelle Childers Second Grade Class from Harvey Clarke
Elementary School in Forest Grove. Back row: Machelle Childers,
Tom VanderPlaat and Dwight Lind. Left, a junior steelheader sticker.
Ways to Help
By Doug Briggs, Jr., Sandy River Chapter President
here are a number of ways you, the
individual, can help your chapter
and/or the Association, including the
following:
T
Donate
•
•
•
•
Cash
New items
Serviceable used items
Estate Planning—Wills
•
•
•
•
•
The Salmon Quest, April 11
Chapter auction
The Sandy Classic, June 6
SHOT, October 15-17
Hall of Fame Banquet and Auction,
November 14
•
•
•
•
•
Auctions
Tournaments
ODFW Clinics
STEP Programs
Grant Execution
Participate
Volunteer
Membership
• Become a Life Member
• Join Leadership[
• Recruit New Members
Since the Association is a 501 (c) (3), a
non-profit Corporation, donations to
the Association or the Chapter are
deductible at the fair market value
from both your Federal and State
income taxes. The extent of the deduction should be determined by a tax
professional.
Fair market value can be determined by tracking the item through
the auction and recording the sale
price. Donations of titled items require
the title to be clear and available upon
delivery. TurboTax has an app called
“It’s Deductible” for domestic items,
typical of Goodwill donations.
Estate Planning establishes a
bequeathment of a portion of your
estate for continuing your favorite
activity, like defense of the hatcheries,
providing disabled access, or maintaining river access. These donated funds
are dedicated to your chosen area of
interest, forever.
Participation in the various ANWS
activities provide non-deductible funding for the Chapters and the
Association thru registration fees, auction donations, sponsors and dinners.
These are primary sources of funding,
designed to raise money for our any
worthwhile and have some fun doing
do.
Volunteers are the backbone of
Steelheaders, providing nearly 30,000
man hours of service to the fishing
community. With 1,600 members
working nearly two hours per month,
ANWS accomplishes a lot of projects
with those hours. ODFW receives payment per volunteer for a total of hundreds of thousands of dollars. These
volunteer hours are used by grant committees in evaluating the proposal or
application. Large amounts of volunteer hours give ANWS a big competitive edge on grants.
Membership has a very low cost to
the individual and the family. Lifetime
memberships are another viable
options. The cost of membership does
cover postage and printing for tThe
Nortweest Steelheader magazine.
Members should invite neighbors, coworkers and fishing buddies to expand
our ranks. Membership is the start of
leadership as volunteers help with the
planning and execution of events. Join
the chapter or Assocation leadership—
we’ll make room for you.
The Chuck Voss Endowment Fund
By Joyce Sherman
n 1970, the merger of the Assocation of Northwest Steelheaders and Trout
Unlimited provided enough money to hire Chuck Voss as the Association’s first
Executive Director.
Chuck Voss led the Association during the successful Oregon initiative to recognize steelhead as a gamefish so that they could not be sold commercially. Gov. Tom
McCall was Chief Petitioner for Measure 15, which won in November, 1974. By 1976,
the Steelheaders began to talk about separating from Trout Unlimited. Steelheaders
started their own sport fishing show in 1979; they ran the show until the early 1990s.
Chuck remained Executive Director until late 1983, when he resigned to organize the
American Sport Fishing Alliance, which worked to decommercialize steelhead fishing at the national level. Chuck continued as Executive Director
for a 90-day transition period and remained a board member for several
years as president of the North Fork Lewis River Chapter.
After Chuck’s death in 2010, the Sport Fishing Alliance ceased to be
a strong voice for fish without Chuck’s leadership. The remaining directors decided to donate the Alliance treasury to the Steelheaders, where it
would be placed in an endowment fund named after Chuck.
The Steelheaders consolidated a handful of small funds, including all
Budgeted Life Memberships, into the Chuck Voss Endowment Fund.
I
Photos from a June, 1981 meeting. Above, Chuck with Dick
Thompson, President. Left,
Chuck at the same meeting.
Spring 2015 • 15
V O L UN T EE R S PO T LI G H T
BY BOB REES
Larry Bell, President, Mid Valley Chapter
ur chapter presidents represent the
local leadership. We need to grow
our membership throughout our
Association, and chapter presidents are
one of the keys to doing that. Like so
many of our volunteers, we have a deep
pool to draw from.
Larry Bell is one of those who stand
out. Leading the Mid Valley chapter,
Larry has brought meeting attendance
up significantly in recent years. His
commitment to bringing good speakers
and quality content keeps members
interested and coming back for more.
Larry and his gang of power brokers fill
necessary volunteer positions that keep
that chapter just clicking along. Larry
doesn’t just keep busy with a tightly-run
meeting, but he’s been very busy outside as well.
Public access to our fisheries has
been an important goal for Larry, and
he helped secure several grants for significant boat ramp improvements in the
Alsea River Basin, particularly in tidewater, where access has been limited in
recent years. He’s been working for the
Mid Valley anglers long and hard in
recent years.
Larry is clearly a stakeholder in
many different aspects of fisheries. He’s
been all over the West Coast and has
fished commercially, seeing the best and
the worst of times. He’s helped organize tremendous fishing events for families and veterans, and the Mid Valley
chapter was an organization leader in
raffle sales last year.
Larry deserves a standing ovation
for all the work he’s poured into our
Association, and now he’s in a battle
with the “C” word. I know I speak for
all his friends that we can’t wait for
him to put this temporary barrier
behind him and join us again on the
water, where he belongs. Keep Larry in
your thoughts and prayers—he’s as
anxious to get back to the work of the
Association as we are to have him
back. Larry, you’re being sent hundreds of wishes for a quick recovery
and return to fishing!
hen we think of volunteers who
keep the Mid Valley Chapter running, we cannot overlook the decades
of work done by Don Heintzman.
Don is just one of many volunteers
who don’t operate with titles or public
recognition but who work hard and
long for their chapter and the
Association. Don and his wife Vicky
joined the Steelheaders back in the
70s, and both have volunteered for just
about every task imaginable.
One of Don’s special interests is
the Mid Valley Chapter’s program to
take veterans fishing. Not only Don,
but his two sons have served in the military. In fact, his son Tony is still serving, now in Tennesee, far from the
Northwest and the salmon and steelhead he loves to chase. Every year, he
has Don send him raffle tickets so that
he can sell them to some of the people
he works with. Like his father, Tony
spreads the word about all the things
that Steelheaders do.
Don works on Steelheader stuff
endlessly. He’s been doing the door
prize meeting drawings longer than
Vicky can remember. Their current
project is the chapter banquet on April
11. They did it for 30 years, took a
two year break, and now are doing it
again. The problem is they have so
much fun doing it they can’t keep their
hands off it. Vicky did tell him this is a
one year thing, but Don said, “we’ll
see,” which is his way of quietly disagreeing.
One of Don’s special interests is
the Mid Valley Chapter’s program to
take veterans fishing. Not only Don,
but his two sons have served in the military. Jim is military retired as of two
years ago after serving 27 years in the
Army. He is now a supervisor at the
National Center for Credibility
Assessment Polygraph specialists at
Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Jim and
several of his military friends (some
retired) purchase tickets for the Alaska
Raffle each year, and the word is they
told Jim that if any of them win the
trip they will be take Don to Alaska!
Tony served in the Oregon National
Guard for three years and is now back
in Oregon. The Heintzmans are most
definitely a military family!
Even though Don now spends
three mornings every week hooked up
to a kidney dialysis machine, he still is
out selling raffle tickets and doing
work for Mid Valley. We have no
“hero” shots of Don in our files, but
this photo of him displaying a vermillion rock cod says a great deal about
someone who’s never in the spotlight
but works tirelessly in the background.
Joyce Sherman
O
Don Heintzman, Mid Valley Chapter
W
16 • The Northwest Steelheader
Personalized Service with
Savings Every Day
SALMON • STEELHEAD • TUNA
TROUT • BASS • WALLEYE
TUNA • HALIBUT • STURGEON
Rod & Reel Repair
We Have What YOU Need to Succeed!
Tackle You Won’t Find Elsewhere; Special Tuna Selection
Mike Potts and Joe Borba
Hours, Mon.-Thurs. 9 am to 7 pm, Fri. 9 am to 8 pm, Sat. 7 am to 8 pm
Sun. 10 am-5 pm after March 22
362 SW Oak Street, Hillsboro, OR 97123
971-245-6284
Spring 2015 • 17
Volunteerism and Steelheaders
By Tim Lenihan, Tualatin Valley Chapter
n 2006, I joined the Tualatin Valley
Chapter of the Association of
Northwest Steelheaders. I started coming to meetings because I had recently
moved to the Portland area from
Southern Oregon. I fished quite regularly and knew methods, possessed
skills, and knew run timings. That is
for rivers that were now 200 miles
away. It took some time to make
strong relationships with members
although I quickly became proficient
in the fisheries in Northwest Zone.
I
Mid Valley Chapter members building a
boat slide, giving more anglers access to
the river.
Now I can fish just about any weekend
of the year either in my drift boat or
on a fellow Steelheader’s boat. For this
I owe a huge debt to the organization.
Being a non-profit organization,
Steelheaders thrives on people who
volunteer. In 2012 I was asked by my
local Tualatin Valley Chapter’s
President if I was interested in becoming the STEP Coordinator for our
chapter. I asked briefly what it was all
about and as I recall got some answer
like, “just get some guys for ODFW
when they need them.” Maybe that
was just all I heard or understood from
the response to my question. I cautiously agreed. Little did I know that in
a very quick time I would be helping
manage over 4,000 volunteer hours
annually by our chapter alone. I am
fortunate enough to have a lot of dedicated chapter members to make that
happen!
In short order I started to receive
requests from ODFW personnel for
spawning events, carcass tosses, stream
surveys, and other hatchery-related
activities. I began building, or maybe
rebuilding, e-mail lists for people in
our chapter who were interested in
18 • The Northwest Steelheader
these types of activities. I would send
out requests for manpower for various
events. I learned a couple of very valuable lessons early on about volunteers
that I will pass along to you in this article.
Before we start the lessons learned
part of my article, let’s talk about the
condensed version of how a non-profit works. A group of people organize
Members from several chapters pitch in
their wants and desires into a collective
to fin clip smolts at Whiskey Creek
goal or mission statement. An organiVolunteer Hatchery.
zational chart is developed, articles are
written to guide them, and then the
work begins. The organization must
net is closed and gradually surrounds
establish their volunteered hours
the fish. What happens next can only
exceed whatever income they may
be described as orchestrated chaos.
receive. When a non-profit receives a
Volunteers and ODFW personnel
grant or income, a positive on a balreach into a pool of over 700 adult
ance sheet, they must then show the
salmon. Each person grabs a fish by its
money spent on an activity or voluntail and tries to hang on for dear life. If
teer hours to balance the intake of
you enjoy fighting a fish with rod and
money. Basically it boils down to,
reel, imagine it with your bare hands!
money in, man hours out.
The fish is taken to an ODFW staff
This is where each member of the
member who determines if the fish
Association becomes vitally important.
should be used for hatchery collection
Not only are your volunteer efforts
(milt or eggs) or if the fish should be
important to the goals and mission of
used for streambed enrichment (carthe organization, your hours help to
cass toss). At the Cedar Creek event
balance the money flow. We as an
the day is capped off by a nice barbeorganization must volunteer: it’s that
cue lunch provided by ODFW. They
simple. We will not survive without it.
sure know the way to my heart—fish
The greatest thing I have learned
and good food.
as a STEP Coordinator is that volunOne of our more popular events
teering is fun. I know it
doesn’t sound like it should
be—after all, it’s work
someone else can’t or won’t
do. My favorite event I
have participated in (and
it’s a close second with the
next event) is salmon
spawning collection. I particularly enjoy the spring
salmon collection at Cedar
Creek Fish Hatchery. As I
fisherman, I like to handle
fish, big fish preferably.
During the Cedar
Creek collection, they place
a weir trap across the river
at the dam near the hatchery. Volunteers and ODFW
personnel place a seine net A Mid Valley Chapter member helping during a kids’
in the holding water where fishing event. Cleaning fish after fish is definitely not
the fish are trapped. The the most enjoyable task during a kids’ day!
within the chapter is Free Fishing Day.
This event is sponsored by ODFW each
year where for one weekend of the
year, adults are not required to possess
a license to fish. That alone is a special
event although we team up with I’m
Hooked (another non-profit organization) for a kids fishing event at Hagg
Lake. Each year we provide boats,
rods, and captains to take kids fishing.
The event started as a method to take
at risk kids or underprivileged children
on a day trip to the outdoors. It has
since morphed into an opportunity for
parents without fishing knowledge or
equipment to take their kids fishing.
Each year over 300 kids attend. ODFW
is kind enough to stock the lake with
upwards of 30,000 fish before the
event, making catching the easy part.
Boat captains report daily catches of
over 50 fish every year, and that
equates to a lot of smiling children.
Twice each year the chapter is
called upon to do fin clipping. In the
spring, we do fin clipping of spring
salmon at the Whiskey Creek
Hatchery. Early in the summer we perform fin clipping at Rhoades Pond
near Three Rivers. Both of these hatch-
eries are privately run
separately from the
state. The state provides the salmon eggs
and the expertise,
while volunteers run
the hatcheries with private donations. If it
weren’t for these two
hatchery operations,
there would be considerably far fewer fish to Sandy Chapter member Norm Ritchie using his drift boat
catch in the Tillamook as a “garbage scow” during a Clackamas River cleanup.
and Nestucca River It’s important for river users to help remove trash that
basins!
collects along river banks.
An ongoing activia member of the Association there is a
ty we have each year is broodstock colpresumption you like the outdoors.
lection. Broodstock collection is essenWith that desire alone, there is an
tially anglers contributing live wild fish
event with you in mind. Just ask, there
to the hatchery to help mix the genetare plenty of things to do!
ics of new hatchery fish. Fish are
I would have never been able to
caught by anglers, placed in a live well,
contribute to these fun and rewarding
delivered to a collection area, and later
events had I not been a member of the
collected by ODFW personnel to be
Association of Northwest Steelused for spawning at the hatchery.
headers. The entertainment, exciteThere is a real sense of pride when you
ment and sense of accomplishment is
contribute fish to the hatchery for colan immeasurable value of my memberlection. I have had the privilege to
ship. I recently participated in a new
place fish into the broodstock tank,
membership drive and struggled to
participate in the egg collection, and
explain to perspective new members
participate in the fin-clipwhat this stuff is really about. Yes, you
ping of the smolt. I hope
are doing free work, although I would
someday to take it full cirsuggest the personal rewards far
cle and catch a fish that is
exceed any “work” you perform.
the descendent of one of
Remember, your free work benefits the
the fish I collected.
Association, allowing all of us to conThere are far more
tinue towards our mission and goals.
requests for activities and
If you are already doing volunteer
volunteers. There’s a cirwork for the Association, I thank you
cuit of family fishing days
wholeheartedly as you are part of the
around the Washington
reason this organization succeeds. If
County area, other fishing
you haven’t started to volunteer, then
clinics, streambed projects,
contact your chapter or the Associadrift boat slide repairs, data
tion office and find something you are
Tualatin Valley Chapter members spawning fish at collection (see page 20),
interested in!
the Cedar Creek Hatchery.
and many many others. As
Three Volunteers Thwart Dam Plans
wenty years ago, Oregon Dept. of
Transportation (ODOT) determined that the impassable culvert
under tens of thousands of tons of fill
at Rocky Creek would be the most
effective culvert fix in terms of cost per
mile of passage opened up. At the same
time, the City of Newport identified
Rocky Creek as the perfect place to
build a $200 million dam for additional water supply.
T
Steve Hinton, who then worked
for Oregon Trout, urged me to get
involved. Soon I found myself creating
a report to prevent Newport’s application for a water right on Rocky Creek
along with Glen Kirkpatrick and Mike
McHam. We prepared our report very
carefully, sticking to proven facts, and
it was quoted for over a decade.
We were just notified by Water
Resources that Newport’s applications
for a water right and a storage right
have been rejected, almost 20 years
after we went to the ANWS board and
asked them to endorse our report,
along with many other organizations.
Although it’s tempting for us to
indulge in a victory dance, we now
must pursue fish passage with the culvert fix that was designed all those
years ago. Three ordinary people can
make a huge difference!
Spring 2015 • 19
Salmonberry River: a Wild and Wonderful Place
By Joyce Sherman
The magic of the Salmonberry draws us back, year
after year, to collect data to document its special run
of wild winter steelhead. We’ve seen the river in good
times and bad, following major floods. We’ve hiked
mile after mile, enjoying the warmth of sunshine or
hoping that our raingear will keep us dry on days
when rain is recharging the river. For 22 years we’ve
counted redds, watched hens courted by several bucks
at the same time, installed monitors to record water
temperatures throughout the summer, and collected
macroinvertebrates to determine the health of the
river. The wildness and inaccessability of the river
draws us back again and again.
The project started in 1993, when we pledged to
collect baseline data on a unique, healthy run of wild
steelhead for five years. The 1996 flood changed our
plans by reshaping large sections of the river, and no
one mentioned the five-year plan again. We were
stunned by the damage the river suffered in 1996, but
(continued on page 22)
20 • The Northwest Steelheader
PREFERRED BY PROFESSIONAL GUIDES
GRANT SCHEELE
Siletz, Alsea,
Nestucca
GLEN HALL/
HAWG QUEST
Anywhere Fish
Swim
SCOTT AMERMAN
STEVE LEONARD
Willamette,
Coastal Streams
Washougal, Kalama,
Cowlitz
16’ Steelhead Deluxe
18’ ClackaMax
NEW! 17’ Magnum
ft
Cra nated
a
k
c
o
l
Cla sly d choo 015
u
S
2
ero ld he e
gen 16’ O for t Raffl
a Side oat
h
SB
HigANW
Designed for all fishing techniques
Many seating options
ClackaCraft:
Tunnel Hull™ • Tracking Channels • Gulfstream™ Bottom
100-Year Warranty against bottom leaks and punctures.
13111 SE Highway 212
Clackamas, OR 97015
clacka.com
(503) 655-9532
Spring 2015 • 21
Salmonberry River
continued from page 20
juvenile surveys that summer demonstrated how well most of the fish survived. We thought that the winter
steelhead run was so strong that nothing could impact it.
The December 2007 flood showed
us just how much damage could be
done to the river and its fish. Not only
the railroad rails and ties but entire
stretches of the rail bed itself were torn
away. Every major tributary except
Belfort Creek blew out, many leaving
barren strips 100 feet or more wide.
Much of the river within the canyon
was scoured clear of gravel; the gravel
was piled up shoulder high on one side
and the stream was channelized for
long stretches.
We had done
baseline temperature monitoring for
five years early in
the project, but it
was obvious that we
needed to collect
temperature data
every year. We soon
learned that even
this river, which we
had believed would
never have temperature problems, had
many summer days Crossing an unnamed tributary to the North Fork. Note the
when the tempera- lack of even an informal trail.
tures were too high
for steelhead. Not only did we add
crossing the river multiple times, he
temperature monitoring every year,
decided that the next time we do this
but we collected macroinvertebrates
work we need to assign younger peoover two years to check the overall
ple to this stretch and pick one for ourhealth of the river.
selves that’s closer to the truck!
Meanwhile, our regular volIf you like to hike and would like
unteers were aging at the same
to watch fish of up to 20 pounds in a
time that surveys and monitor
small river, join us this year. We plan
placement had become far more
several Sunday surveys, beginning
difficult. The fall day that Ian
April 12. We’ll also need to place temFergusson and I hiked up four
perature monitors at the end of May
miles from the mouth to do a
and in early June—and retrieve them
macroinvertebrate collection and
in September. If you’re up for a chalremoved three temperature monilenge, contact Ian at 503-957-8875 or
tors on the way back downstream,
ian.fergusson@comcast.net.
ODFW Budget: Proposed Fee Increases
By Trey Carskadon, Legislative Director
ack of representation on the Fish and Wildlife
Commission and recent decisions by the Commission,
coupled with longstanding issues on ODFW funding, have
been instrumental in the Association of Northwest
Steelheaders’ position to oppose the proposed fee increase
by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
This is not a position we take lightly, but, after a year of
discussion, direct involvement in the budgeting process, and
hearing from our legions of Association members, we
believe this hefty increase warrants further consideration
and discussion by the legislature.
On the one hand, there is much to be thankful for in
supporting ODFW. Historic returns, defending current
hatchery practices in the courts, and trying to run the agency
on a shoestring that meets the needs of so many divergent
stakeholders is no easy task. Many in the agency are people
we consider to be friends. But the fact that these core issues,
agency funding and stakeholder representation, have not
been addressed leave the Executive Board of the
Steelheaders and their members deeply troubled and concerned.
We believe, as an Association, that now is the time to
address these issues for the good of the agency. To allow this
L
22 • The Northwest Steelheader
agency to limp along like it has for a decade and a half in
accepting more conservation responsibility with less revenue
as enforcement is cut, essential programs are cut, hatchery
production is constantly threatened, and outreach and education is reduced to a token effort is fundamentally wrong
for a state with a rich outdoor heritage like Oregon’s. We
need to fund all of these efforts fully, not just partially as we
have been doing for too long.
The last two times fee increases were proposed we supported them on the premise that these issues, which are not
new, would be addressed. What other commission in the
state lacks the representation of the agency’s largest stakeholder? Unless an aggressive discussion and meaningful campaign to pursue durable, long term funding solutions is not
pursued immediately, you can bet we will be facing further
increases in 2020.
The Association is hopeful that the agency, Governor’s
office, Chair of the Commission, and legislators will come
together with us and other stakeholders to start the process
of remedying these issues that we believe are holding the
agency back and compromising the health and well-being of
Oregon’s fish and wildlife resources. Only then can we support this unprecedented fee increase.
O RE GO N L E GI SL AT I V E R E P OR T
B Y B OB O LE S ON
The 2015 Legislative Session
atural Resource programs are
receiving unprecedented attention during the current fast moving
legislative session; because of new
political players and alignments we are
in a position to work for a wide range
of public policy improvements benefiting anglers.
Here is a list of bills in the 2015
legislature that may be of interest to
Northwest Steelheaders. It’s early in
the process, and many of these bills
may be modified for better or worse.
Via your communications on these
bills to ANWS and legislators, you can
influence legislation.
N
Senate Bills
SB 125: Intended to eliminate
ODFW involvement in dam spill decisions, this bill is an example of more
than a dozens bills to control or curb
the existing authority of natural
resource agencies. We should oppose
this one and monitor others.
SB 202: New approach giving natural resource agencies better access to
"best science"-- support if the case is
made for it.
SB 203: Requires natural resources
agencies to closely coordinate, something we should continue to support.
SB 247: This is the ODFW fee bill
connected to the agency budget
(SB5511). We do not support, but it’s
likely to advance.
SB 613: Notification of aerial
spraying; the kind of action that
should be supported when streams and
watersheds are affected.
SB 803: One of several bills
intended to expand hatchery programs
(some using new fees). These are bills
we should closely monitor.
SB 812: This is a back door
approach to extracting large amounts
of water from the Columbia River and
should be opposed.
SB 830: Expected to be possible
vehicle to advance ongoing efforts to
regulate suction dredge mining—no
compromise yet.
House Bills
HB 2053: We should continue to
support efforts to establish trophy lake
trout fishing (when done within proposed budget).
HB 2402: Creates ODFW long
range funding task force. Rep. Witt is
asking for input on a possible work
plan.
HB 2537: Increases the penalties
for serious poaching crimes. The work
group is making progress, hopes to
soon have draft.
HB 2538: Studies whether to
transfer the OSP fish and wildlife
enforcement unit to ODFW, a concept
receiving attention.
HB 3012: We have supported the
concept of improving the Hatchery
Research Center but do not have a
position on this funding bill.
HB 3122: A ban on GMO fish and
Atlantic salmon; we have supported
this in past but it’s likely to be killed
again by the agricultural lobby.
HB 3197: Creates a cumbersome
nominating committee to assist the
Governor with appointments to the
ODFW commission. The bill will not
advance but has given some of us a
forum to push on the new Governor to
make needed appointments of sports
anglers.
HB 3315: Good proposal requiring ODFW to recoup costs when providing services to other agencies.
HB 3333: We are working directly with Rep. Witt, Chair of the Ag and
Natural Resources Committee, to get
action on this measure that would have
salmon license plate funds be used
specifically for salmon habitat projects.
HB 3411: Adds requirements and
more analysis to the ODFW fish carcass program.
HB 3459: An expensive program
that creates more free fishing days and
a task force to increase related outdoor
activities.
Joint Resolution
HJR 30: New version of a constitutional amendment intended to preserve the right to hunt, fish and harvest
wildlife.
There are several forestry measures affecting watersheds. If they come
alive, those bills will be added to this
list. Note that there are five legislative
work groups on major subjects which
we are closely monitoring. These subjects include a state predation program, increasing penalties for hard
core poachers, improving mining regulations around waterways, assessing
the general status of fish and wildlife
habitat in our state, and planning for
long range ODFW funding.
Please take the time to discuss
some of these topics with your local
legislators. If you contact me a several
days in advance, I’ll introduce you to
them. I always enjoy tagging along on
your visits to legislators when invited
to do so.
See ODFW Budget, facing page.
Legislative Contacts
State Legislative Websites - Information about bills, hearings
www.leg.state.or.us/ for Oregon
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ for Washington
ANWS Government Affairs Team
Bob Oleson, boboleson@hotmail.com, 503-329-9528
Trey Carskadon, trey@bdcadvertising.com, 503-723-5723 Ext. 102
Bob Rees, 503-653-4176, executivedirector@anws.org
Legislators
To find your state legislator, go to:
www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/ for Oregon
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/ for Washington
Get to know your legislators by attending their Town Halls, held throughout the year.
Sign in so that your legislators know you attended. Send your legislators an e-mail if you
didn’t speak or if your topic wasn’t covered.
Spring 2015 • 23
Toman’s King Camp:
Heaven on the Nushagak River
By Dan Drazan
Photos by Dan Drazan
uring the Association’s 2013 Hall of Fame Banquet, I
recall sitting at my table watching Doug Briggs inconspicuously bidding on the five-day stay for two at Toman’s
King Camp on the Nushagak River, Alaska and thinking to
myself “what a great way to spend a week.” When Doug was
officially declared the high bidder, a slight grin appeared on
his face before he resumed his volunteer duties at the event.
As the evening was winding down, Doug came by our table
and asked if I would like to join him on the trip. “Of course
– thanks for the invite,” I replied instinctively. Within 24
hours I had cleared my calendar for late June 2014 and
secured the necessary permissions. This would be my second
trip to Alaska, and I was already anxious to go.
After enduring a rough winter steelhead season and a
poor spring Chinook season, summer finally rolled around,
and it was time to prepare for our Alaskan adventure. My
packing list was relatively short since Toman’s provides the
meals, lodging, and fishing equipment. In addition to clothing for all weather conditions, I elected to bring some basic
survival items in case of an emergency, a generous amount of
100% DEET bug spray, Smith & Wesson bear repellant, and
my Spey fishing outfit. After several rounds of eliminating
D
24 • The Northwest Steelheader
fun but probably unnecessary items, I was able to fit all my
gear into one backpack which fit neatly inside a large marine
cooler.
On June 24th, Doug and I flew out of Portland around
5:00 a.m., switched planes in Seattle and Anchorage, and
arrived in Dillingham by mid-afternoon. We were welcomed to Dillingham and shuttled to our floatplane by
Tikchik Adventures. After a brief flight, the floatplane
touched down on the Nushagak River in front of the camp,
and we were greeted by Jeremy Toman. Within an hour,
Jeremy had us assigned to a canvas tent cabin, issued Alaska
fishing licenses, and out on a boat with his father, Bob
Toman, in search of salmon. As I sat in Bob’s boat, it was
hard to believe that I had begun the day in Portland, but
those thoughts quickly faded as we were hooked our first
salmon within 15 minutes after deploying plugs, and the
takedowns were constant. While we were hoping to catch
kings, the river was thick with chum salmon. No complaints
from me, however, as these chum were chrome bright,
energetic, and bore no resemblance to the purple-striped,
(continued on page 26
Fish, fish, and even more fish!
Above, Dan Drazan with a bright chum that
bears little resemblance to the dark chum
encountered in Oregon’s short coastal streams.
Upper right, Bob and Dan with a sockeye.
Right, Doug, guided by Bob, actually did land a
nice Chinook.
Below, shore lunch for the camp?
Spring 2015 • 25
Toman’s King Camp
continued from page 24
snaggle-toothed variety I’ve encountered on the Oregon
coast.
Fishing with Bob was a real treat. His enthusiasm is
contagious, and he has a seemingly endless supply of interesting stories. I particularly enjoyed his tale of a recent fly
fishing trip to New Zealand with a local “guide” who had
no idea what Bob did for a living. We also learned how the
Toman Thumper spinner blade received its name. Bob also
has the uncanny ability to know exactly where to find fish
at all times.
On each of our days in camp, we fished with a different
guide. Each guide had their preferred technique and spot.
While much time was spent pulling plugs through the deeper holes, we were able to do some back bouncing as well.
Plugs were very effective, but there is nothing like fishing for
salmon in a way that lets you feel the bite as it is happening.
Because of the high number of bites, you quickly develop the
patience to let the fish sample the bait until it commits
before setting the hook. As a side note, Alaska State
Troopers’ river patrols are very active on this stretch of the
Nushagak. Our boat was contacted each day, and all licenses and paperwork were closely inspected.
Twenty-two hours of daylight is something you don’t
get used to in a week. As happened most days, we lost track
of time. Eight hours of boat fishing seems like a small part
of a nearly endless day. So, naturally, to use as much of the
remaining daylight hours as possible during our trip, we
fished from the shore in the mornings, during our lunch
break, and in the evenings.
Doug and I were not the only ones afflicted with this
Business Members
These people have business memberships, which means
that they are supporting Northwest Steelheaders on a regular basis by paying $100 annually (instead of a $30 regular
membership). These people deserve your support in return,
so please patronize their businesses whenever possible.
D & G Bait, Inc., Clackamas, Oregon; Dan and Cindy
Pickthorn
Farmers Insurance/Joe Domenico Agency, Milwaukie,
Oregon; Joe Domenico
Knipe Realty, Portland, Oregon; Tim Wilson
Maupin Market, Maupin,Oregon; Randy Bechtol
Plano Molding Company, Plano, Illinois; Shelly Finnell
Tom Posey, Portland, Oregon
Pro-Cure, Inc., Salem, Oregon; Phil Pirone
Rubber Resource, Inc., Portland, Oregon; Robin Olson
Stevens Marine, Tigard and Milwaukie, Oregon; Paul Mayer
26 • The Northwest Steelheader
Dan Drazan, Jeremy Toman, and Doug Briggs as Dan and
Doug prepare to fly toward Dillingham, Anchorage, Seattle,
and home.
madness; it turned out most of the others in camp took part
in the shore fishing as well, especially after seeing a few
landed. Various techniques were employed, including plunking, float fishing, spinners, spoons, and, my favorite, swinging dark-colored steelhead flies with a Spey rod, and all were
effective.
As it turned out, we were blessed to be in camp while
tens of thousands of sockeye per day were piling into the
river. The chum and chinook jacks were also within casting
distance from the bank. I was fortunate to land all three
species with my seven-weight fly rod, and several times
learned the color of the backing line in my reel.
At times, there were upward of a dozen fellow campers
“combat” fishing side by side—not because we lacked space
to spread out, but because we enjoyed watching each other
catch fish, sharing equipment and tips, and spending time
with each other in this great Alaskan paradise.
Toman’s camp is composed of two large canvas buildings which house the kitchen and dining room and a cluster
of two person canvas tents nestled in a grove of low canopy
trees. Other features include a washing station and shower,
as well as onsite fish processing and freezing. All anglers
have to do is bring their fish back to camp and an expert
team will fillet, vacuum seal, and freeze your catch. We were
spoiled, for sure. When boats return from the water, there
was always something ready to eat. Each appetizer and meal
was unique and tasty, many featuring fresh salmon dishes.
No one goes hungry.
As the pictures confirm, this truly was a great way to
spend a week. The camp had become home for a short while
due to the fine hospitality of the Tomans and their staff, and
all who were there spoke of their desire to return again. A
big “thank you” to Jeremy and Bob for donating the trip to
the Association and for making our week in camp one which
we will not forget.
C A LE N D AR
April 11 Salmon Quest. Fish until 3:00 p.m. Awards dinner at Portland Airport Holiday Inn, 8439 NE Columbia
Boulevard, Portland. Catch registration from 3:00-5:30 w/bar open; dinner, 5:45; awards ceremony, 6:45
April 11 Mid Valley Chapter Banquet and Auction, Lum’s Garden, Albany; 5:30 Happy Hour, 6:30 Buffet Dinner.
For reservations call Don Heintzman, 541-979-1616
April 15 Ex Com Meeting, Association Office, 6:30 p.m.
May 6 Sandy River Chapter Dinner and Auction, Glenn Otto Park, 1208 Historic Columbia River Hwy.,
Troutdale, 6:00
May 16 Quarterly Board Meeting, location to be announced, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
June 6 Sandy Salmon Classic, fish until 2:00. Weigh in, Historic Springdale Pub, 32302 East Historic Columbia
River Hwy., Troutdale, 2:00-4:00.
June 17 Ex Com Meeting, Association Office, 6:30 p.m.
July 15 Ex Com Meeting, Association Office, 6:30 p.m.
August 15 Annual Meeting, Camp Magruder, 17450 Old Pacific Hwy, Rockaway Beach; time to be announced
September 17 Ex Com Meeting, Association Office, 6:30 p.m.
September 18-20 McLoughlin Chapter Annual Crab A-Long, Barview County Park, Garibaldi
October 15-17 SHOT Tournament, Tillamook. Fish in teams of three; awards dinner Saturday evening.
October 21 Ex Com Meeting, Association Office, 6:30 p.m.
Note: You may participate in meetings via teleconferencing; check meeting agendas or call the office, 503-653-4176.
To have your chapter’s events included in the calender, provide the date, time, and and location
when you are prompted for chapter news prior to each issue.
Become a Budgeted Life Member
Instead of simply renewing your membership every year, sign onto the Budgeted
Life Membership program by paying $100 for the first of five annual payments.
Money from these memberships goes into the Chuck Voss Endowment Fund to
provide necessary funds for future Association work toward our mission of providing better fishing and more habitat for fish. With your fifth annual payment you
will become a paid in full Life Member, and you will know that you are a major
Northwest Steelheaders supporter.
Volunteer Opportunities
One of the main strengths of the Northwest Steelheaders is the many dedicated
volunteers who make the organization successful. There are many ways to get
involved at both the chapter and Association level. Here are some suggestions for
volunteering:
• Office and clerical support suited to your skills and interests in the Association’s
Milwaukie office. Contact Stevie or Joyce at outreachcoordinator@anws.org or
541-614-1252.
• Help your local chapter organize river clean-ups, habitat restoration projects,
kids’ fishing events, environmental education activities, fundraisers, and other
events.
• Participate in Association and/or chapter events and work parties.
• Volunteer to become a director or officer for your chapter, or for the
Association.
Support Our
Advertisers
The companies that advertise in The
Northwest Steelheader help support
our mission. They know that their
future sales require more than simply
advertising. By advertising in the
Steelheaders’ magazine, they are
demonstrating that they have a huge
stake in healthy fisheries. These companies have earned our support!
ANWS Membership . . . . . . . .11, 31
Bentley Boat Tops . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
ClackaCraft Drift Boats . . . . . . . . .21
Hoggs/Jo-Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Knipe Realty (Tim Wilson) . . . . . .17
Kone Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Lamiglas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Line Keeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Quest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Stearns Lending, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Yakutat Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Spring 2015 • 27
A C T I V I T I ES , A N G LI N G ,
AN D
A C TI V I SM
During the Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s
Show in February, Doug Briggs, Sandy
River Chapter President, presented a donor
plaque to Ken Fanning, owner of Yakutat
Lodge, in appreciation for the Lodge providing trips for our Alaska Trip Raffle.
Following their marriage, Reneee Johnson and
Sean Derry combined their individual memberships and became active in the Newberg
Chapter.
Bruce Belles purchased the always popular trip
with Jim Martin at the November Hall of Fame
Auction, and they decided to float the Alsea.
During the Cub Scout Lock-in January 30 at the Linn County
Fairgrounds in Albany, 178 scouts went through the Mid Valley Chapter's casting booth and received a member-tied fly. Many
learned the “fine art” of casting an object into small wading pools (and maybe a light fixture or two). Many other booths or
stations provided the scouts with several hours of different learning activities. All scouts and their chaperones camped out at the
fairgrounds afterward.
28 • The Northwest Steelheader
Sandy River Chapter/ODFW Clinic
The Sandy River Chapter has now done
three clinics in cooperation with ODFW,
gaining almost 100 new members. Larry
Palmer (right) had the initial idea, prodded
people until he made it happen. Classes
are followed by a
chance to cast.
Metal Salmon Sculpture
Available
For Patron Donors
Artist Rip Caswell has crafted an original metal sculpture of an
adult salmon to be mounted on a wooden plaque with an personalized Patron Donor Certificate to recognize those who support the Steelheaders’ campaign to defend and promote the
hatcheries that make our pursuit of salmon and steelhead possible by donating $500. Each sculpture is individually cast upon
order, which takes up to six weeks. Only 100 of these beautiful
sculptures will be cast, and each will be numbered. This is a great
way to help Steelheaders work toward their mission while obtaining a highly collectible piece of art. Place your order today by
calling the Steelheaders office, 503-653-4176, so that your
Patron Donor sculpture and plaque may begin preparation for
delivery to you!
Spring 2015 • 29
C H A PT ER R EP O RT S
Salem
First, let me introduce myself. My
name is Brian Winn and I am the
President of the Salem Chapter of the
Northwest Steelheaders. I have been
the President for a year now and am
very glad I took the position.
We have been busy this winter
working on our new logo and coming
up with a new website for our chapter
members to be proud of. We upped the
calendar of events last summer and
hosted our first fishing tournament.
We have added some clinics to the roster as well as the projects we do every
year. Our calendar is on the website,
but I will give you a break down.
January 10, we had a trout tournament at Detroit Lake. Our February
18 General Meeting featured a “How
To” Clinic. Our first Learn the River
Trip March 7 was postponed due to a
log across the river. Bill Sanderson,
President of North Santiam River
Guides organizes these monthly
spring trips to help boaters learn sections of the North Santiam. March
21, we did a Winter Steelhead Clinic
at North Santiam State Park with
ODFW.
The second Learn the River Trip
will be April 4, Greens Bridge to I-5,
and April 25 we’ll do a clean up at
North Santiam State Park, followed by
a potluck.
May 2 will have two events, a
Steelhead Fly Fishing Clinic at North
Santiam State Park plus the third Learn
the River Trip, Stayton to Greens
Bridge. May 16, we will host the
Association Board Meeting in Keizer.
The annual Youth Outdoor Day at EE
Wilson Refuge will be May 30.
June 6 and 7 will be Free Fishing
Days at Roaring River Hatchery. June
6 will also be a Learn the River Trip
from Mehama to Stayton. The entire
month of June will be a can and bottle
30 • The Northwest Steelheader
drive organized by our Fund Raising
Director, James Johnston.
July 11, we plan to do a Fishing
tournament, and July 25 will be the
chapter picnic and potluck at North
Santiam State Park.
August 15 will be a Summer
Steelhead Clinic with ODFW at North
Santiam State Park. In September, we
plan to do a Coastal Salmon
Tournament.
In between all this, we try to get in
a little fishing for ourselves.
The clinics came about from
talks with Doug Briggs of the Sandy
River Chapter. We felt that having
them in Salem would benefit anglers
to the south as well as the west and
east, closer for those who didn’t
want to drive all the way to
Troutdale. Our Steelhead Clinic was
a success, and everyone left a little
more excited about trying to catch
the Big One.
Let me just say that I am proud to be
associated with such a great organization as the Northwest Steelheaders,
and especially our chapter members.
We have a wonderful group, and they
make all this possible.
McLoughlin Chapter
The busy time of the year is upon
us as we plan vacations, fishing, camping, hunting, gardening ,and enjoying
the sunny days ahead. One of the projects that our chapter has been involved
for many years is the acclimation pond
for salmon smolts at Carver on Clear
Creek. At first, acclimation was in the
lagoon behind the Oregon City
Shopping Center. Three batches of
smolts are delivered by ODFW. Each
batch is fed by volunteers for three
weeks and then released. I want to
thank those who have helped make
this a success.
One other activity I personally like
to be involved in, is helping ODFW,
working with Jeff Fulop, during the
free fishing weekend at St. Louis
Ponds. There are about seven ponds
and several ponds will be stocked with
trout before June 6. Volunteers help
the families new to fishing learn how
to do it. Rods and bait are furnished
for those who didn't bring them. Most
everyone catches a fish, which is a
great experience for the kids. There
are other dates and local places where
fish are stocked: Canby Pond, April 4;
Shorty's Pond in Molalla, April 11; St.
Louis Pond in Gervis, April 18; Trojan
Pond, April 25; Sheridan Pond, May
23; Mt. Hood Pond, May 30; St. Louis
Pond for Free Fishing Weekend, June 6
and October 10; and, last, Mt. Hood
Pond, October 17. Get yourself
involved, help out, and take your kids
and grandkids fishing.
Some people think that hatchery
trout are kind of bland to eat, but that
depends on what you do. I always soak
my fish in salt water overnight until
ready to cook: Put a tablespoon or
more salt in water, and stir to dissolve,
and add the cleaned fish. Soy sauce,
spices, or whatever can be added for
flavor. Drain and fry. The salt flavor is
throughout the whole fish instead of
just on top of the skin. Twice-cooked
trout make good fish tacos, too!
June 9 will be our last meeting for
the spring, with meetings resuming
September 8 at Denny's Restaurant on
old 82nd Drive in Clackamas.
September 18, 19 & 20 will be our
annual Crab Along held at Barview
County Park in Garibaldi. Saturday, we
will have a day of crabbing for anyone
wanting to crab, followed by a crab
feed and potluck in the evening. There
is a trophy given to a person for one
year for the largest crab. This is always
a fun weekend. Everyone is invited to
join us.
I want to thank all those who volunteer their time and energy to help the
Steelheaders. Things are not always
easy to accomplish, whether it is the
seal problem or gillnets. Battles take
time and persistence and, most importantly, not giving up. We have rights and
our voices need to be heard regarding
fishing and all it involves. That is what
the Association is all about. With members’ support, we can continue to be the
voice for sport fishermen.
I am looking forward to salmon
fishing this year and getting the smoker going. Fall fishing was so good last
year that we’re hoping for another
great fall fishing season for 2015!
Carol Clark
C H A PT ER S
Salem
West Region
Regional Director Bill Hedlund, billh@ifish.net
Newberg
Second Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Chehalem Senior Center, 101 Foothills Drive, Newberg
Contact President Bob Askey at 503-201-5330,
bobaskey@comcast.net
Third Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
City of Keizer Community Center (at City Hall), 930
Chemawa Rd. NE, Keizer
Contact President Brian Winn at 623-363-7387,
btwinn@yahoo.com
Columbia River Region
North Coast
Regional Director Tom Smoot, tho_smo@comcast.net
Fourth Thursday, 7:00 p.m.
ODFW Tillamook Office, 4907 3rd St., Tillamook
Contact Co-President Bill Hedlund at 503-815-2737,
billh@ifish.net
Columbia River (Vancouver)
Tualatin Valley
Second Thursday, 7:00 p.m.
Aloha American Legion Hall, 20325 SW Alexander, Aloha
Contact President Tom VanderPlaat at 503-357-4825,
tvanderplaat@msn.com
Central Region
Regional Director, Gary Lutman, goduckies@hotmail.com
Deschutes Basin
Meetings scheduled based on fishery needs
Contact President Yancy Lind at 541-788-5514,
yancy_lind@ml.com
Emerald Empire
Second Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Pied Piper Pizza, 12300 NE Fourth Plain Rd., Vancouver
Contact President Don Hyde at 360-835-3372,
donhyde88@yahoo.com
McLoughlin
Second Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Denny’s, 15815 SE 82nd Drive, Clackamas
Contact President Duane Kitzmiller at 503-799-0368,
aullflutes@comcast.net
Molalla River
Third Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Farmstead Restaurant, 28313 S. Highway 213, Molalla
Contact President Sam Wurdinger at 503-932-8386,
dingerjigs@yahoo.com
Sandy River
First Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Veterans’ Memorial Building, 1626 Willamette St., Eugene
Contact President Ken Johnson at 541-520-9082,
kenmjohnson@msn.com
First Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Glenn Otto Park, 1208 Historic Columbia River Hwy.,
Troutdale
Contact President Doug Briggs at 503-729-2023,
fish4doug@aol.com
Mid-Valley
Tom McCall
First Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Albany Senior Citizens Center, 489 Water Ave. NW, Albany
Contact President Larry Bell at 541-337-5427,
lorab97389@gmail.com
Third Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.
Old Spaghetti Factory, 0715 SW Bancroft St., Portland
Contact President Dave Reggiani at 503-657-5379,
dsreggiani@comcast.net
Please call the office, 503-653-4176, if you are interested in developing a new chapter.
Spring 2015 • 31