Fall 2013 - NW Steelheaders

YAKUTAT LODGE
TRULY AFFORDABLE WORLD CL A SS FISHING
2013ALS
I shing
SPSpEecC
ial Fi es
kag
Pac
# Kids Stay FREE July 15-August 15, kids under 18, 1 per Adult
April 10-20, June 1-15 - bring 3 paying
# Group Leader FREE guests and your trip is FREE
September 20-30 - bring 5 paying
# Late Season Special guests 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 $1,299 per person, 4 days/3 nights
$1,410 per person, 5 days/4 nights
$1,795 per person, 7 days/6 nights
ng
t
Bes Fishdi !
eadWorl d
h
l
e
Stein thel-May, caenmber
i
e
Apr -De
t
r
obe promolease
t
c
O We
Re
ch &
t
a
C
Based on four persons per room
Ask about our Lodge and Deluxe Fully Guided P ackages!
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
THE
YAKUTAT
LODGE
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
THE NORTHWEST STEELHEADER
Volume 28, No. 3
Fall Issue, 2 0 1 3
THE NORTHWEST STEELHEADER
is published quarterly by the
Association of Northwest Steelheaders.
4 Oh, Yes, We Can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norm Ritchie
Staff
6 Will Work For Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bill Kremers, Russell Bassett
Executive Director Russell Bassett
Office Manager Leslie Hinea
Outreach Coordinator Joyce Sherman
Editorial Board
Russell Bassett, Trey Carskadon,
Joe Domenico, Ian Fergusson,
Bill Kremers, Norm Ritchie,
Joyce Sherman, Tom Smoot, Brian Walter
Design/Production
Advertising Sales
River Graphics
ANWS Officers/Directors
President Bill Kremers
Vice President Joe Domenico
Secretary Dan Drazan
Treasurer Brannan Hersh
Communications Joyce Sherman
Development Norm Ritchie
Education Mike Myrick
Government Affairs Trey Carskadon,
Brian Walter
Membership Thom Kaffun,
Kimber Roberts
Resources Ian Fergusson
River Rights Art Israelson
5 Metal Salmon Sculpture for Patron Donors
8 Guide Feature: Currey Guide Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Curt Currey
10 Oregon Legislative Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bob Oleson
11 Last Cast; Memorials
12 The Nine Lives of a Steelheader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris Goodrich
15 Something to Crow About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Art Israelson
Some Like it Hot—Salmon Don’t
The Basics of Swimming a Rapid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Doug Briggs
16 Activities, Angling, and Activism
18 Chapter Reports
19 Columbia Upper Basin Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Norm Ritchie
20 Opportunity: 26th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet
22 Steelheaders Defend Fishing in the Courts . . . . . . . . . .Russell Bassett
23 Business Members
26 Salmon Hawg Open Tournament
24 River Ambassador Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tim Lenihan
26 Deschutes River Daydream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris Goodrich
27 Calendar, Volunteer Opportunities, Advertisers
28 Turn Frozen Fish into Gourmet Treats . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Buzz Ramsey
30 Chapter Meeting Information
Watersheds Doug Hunt
Regional Bill Hedlund,
Tom Smoot
Chapter Presidents
The Association of Northwest Steelheaders
Anglers dedicated to enhancing and protecting fisheries
and their habitats for today and the future.
Visit our website: www.nwsteelheaders.org
Larry Bell, Doug Briggs, Carol Clark,
Bill Hedlund, Keith Hyde, Mark Grier,
Yancy Lind, Dave Reggiani,
Bob Rees, Bill Robbins, Tom VanderPlaat
Sam Wurdinger, Jim Zelenka
Your letters, photos, and articles are welcome and will be printed as
space permits. Please call or e-mail River Graphics, (503) 244-4109
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
Guide Curt Currey with Debbie Carter
during a trip out of Winchester Bay.
See article, page 8.
of Northwest Steelheaders, 6641 SE Lake Road, Milwaukie, OR 97222-2161; (503)
653-4176, office@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.
Fall 2013 • 3
Oh,Yes,We Can:
Northwest Steelheaders Achieve
Victories for Fish and Fishing
By Norm Ritchie, Development Director
ver the years we have heard sport anglers complain
O
that they have no power to make changes. This has
been an incredible year for the Northwest Steelheaders to
just like it has been for Washington, Alaska and Idaho for
some time.
Northwest Steelheaders and others have spent countless
man hours and funds to put woody debris (root wads, stumps,
prove that wrong! Every member, donor and supporter
etc.) into streams to provide juvenile fish habitat at the same
contributes in some way to the many triumphs that are
time adjacent land owners had been removing such stream
making things better for our fisheries and fish habitat.
complexity after nature's high water events put them there for
Every member can claim part of the victories.
free. After getting nowhere for the past several years, we
Steelheaders was created over 50 years ago to get gill
asked the Oregon Legislature to bring it forward again this
nets out of the main stem of the Columbia River. Over the
last session and got it passed. Now naturally deposited woody
years, we have had some huge victories in this effort, includdebris is protected under "fill/removal" law and regulations.
ing getting steelhead declared a game fish, ending an
Because suction dredge mining has been damaging fish
allowed take by gill nets, ending the practice of ocean strip
spawning and rearing habitat, the Steelheaders Board passed
mining, and prohibiting the "incidental take" of striped bass
a resolution two years ago to support managing these mining
by gill nets in south coast basins, ending gill netting in
practices to insure habitat and fish are not appreciably
coastal basins. This year's win with the ODFW Commission
harmed. The Steelheaders Government Affairs Team helped
and then the supporting legislation in the Oregon
craft the legislation and lead other groups toward the legislaLegislature gave us the final victory, making SAFE For
tive solution we supported. This was eventually supported by
Salmon the law while allowing a commercial mop up in the
the Governor's office, which played a role in helping us get
main stem using selective gear.
this bill passed.
Everybody knew it made no sense to prohibit placing
We had thought "ocean conditions" were beyond our confish carcasses back into the stream the fish was caught from,
trol. Now we know differently and have made great strides
as those carcasses provide nutrients and food for fish. But
toward assuring our sport fisheries. Bottom line of "ocean
that was the law in Oregon. The Steelheaders drafted legisconditions" is enough forage (bait fish) for salmon and steellation, worked with various state agencies and the legislahead to grow big and come back in large numbers. We have
ture to make it legal, with common-sense guidelines, to put
succeeded to make advances with two major steps this year to
the carcasses from cleaned fish back into the stream from
prevent harvest of unmanaged forage species and have harvest
which they came, and it is now legal to do so in Oregon,
limits of managed species based upon
the needs of the larger predator
species.
Conservation areas on Oregon's
state forests we've worked for over
the past few years are now in place.
Detractors had said we were trying to
"lock up the forest," but that could
not be further from the truth. The
forest management now in place
insures the ability to continuously
harvest trees while protecting fish and
wildlife habitat.
Northwest Steelheaders has had a
seat on the Save Our wild Salmon
coalition almost continuously since its
beginning after construction started
on Lower Granite Dam. This coalition brought the increased spill
through court action that has generated the good returns we have seen
recently.
Spill over Columbia dams played a huge role in the record fall Chinook fishery.
These triumphs do not come easily
McLoughlin Chapter members Bob Woods, Carol Clark, Lynn McCormick, Jeff or cheaply. Member dues and particiKirchem, and Ken White after the "best day ever" Columbia River salmon fishing August pation in fundraising activities are the
primary funding for campaigns,
18. Eleven hits and seven landed, with one released and six brought home.
4 • The Northwest Steelheader
projects and programs. As a member of the Steelheaders, you
know you are making a positive difference to enhance fish
runs and fishing opportunity.
Our track record gives us a great foundation toward
future success, and sport anglers need more success.
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is still trying to
avoid adequate spill with their new Columbia Hydropower
Biological Opinion (BiOP). We are likely to be back in court
to insure more spill. A few very small, but well funded antihatchery zealots are trying to shut down your consumptive
fisheries by suing state and federal management agencies to
shut down hatcheries. The Steelheaders lead a small coalition of sport fishing groups to protect fishing opportunity
provided by hatcheries.
While the Columbia commercial/sport fishery management plan is in place, there are several opportunities and
risks in the details yet to be worked out. While we have
made great strides to “protect the bait” through our forage
fish campaign, the federal process is slow with many steps,
and there are more steps that need our continued support
to insure completion of this goal. Curtailing predation from
sea lions and cormorants is another uphill effort
Steelheaders is actively engaged in, and we need your help.
We are only as effective as the support we receive.
Some campaigns are quick, such as the "fish guts bill,"
which went from written concept to law in less than a year.
Some, such as the gill net issue, Columbia hydropower management, defending hatcheries, and managing predation,
take many years, but we have proven that we don’t give up
and will achieve victory.
Be part of the victories, part of the solution. Be a member, be active, and support the Northwest Steelheaders
today!
Doug Briggs with two more examples of this year’s record
run of fall Chinook. Doug’s daughter commented that either
he’s shrinking or the fish are getting larger!
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!
WILL WORK
FOR
FISH
Message from the President and Executive Director
A
s your new president, I
have quickly learned
two things: we have a very
full agenda, and we have a
very capable board and staff.
Your board members are all
volunteers, and their reputation as knowledgeable hard
workers is legendary in both
private and government circles. One high ranking government official recently
told me that he wished he
had Steelheaders board
members on all citizen
boards and working groups.
Our board members
attend a number of local,
state and federal meetings, once again
all on their own time, to ensure there is
voice for fish and fishing. Often we are
the only sport fishing organization represented. One example is the meeting
that was recently held in Boise of the
Pacific Fisheries Management Council.
PMFC meetings set policies in motion
about how fisheries are managed in the
Pacific Ocean. We were there and
helped get a significant victory for the
prey species that grow our revered
salmon and steelhead in the ocean.
Another recent example was the
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission
meeting in Newport where the agenda
included the Columbia River Basin
Endorsement fee. Once again, we were
the only sport group present. We testified about our concerns about barbless
hooks, buffer zones, hatchery production loss in the tributaries, tangle nets,
the extent of the endorsement fee, and
the fact that sport anglers are the ones
being immediately hit although we will
not see the full benefits for several
more years. We also made the trip to
Washington D.C. three times this year
to lobby the Oregon and Washington
delegates about Pacific Northwest fish
issues.
The expertise of the board is also
evident when it comes to Oregon's
multi-species conservation plan and
Southwest Washington's wild steelhead
sanctuary plan. Once again, our board
members have been to a majority of
6 • The Northwest Steelheader
the meetings, and we
have testified and submitted comments about
our concerns. Today the
Coastal Plan has been
greatly improved from
the first draft, and the
Southwest Washington
plan doesn't look to be
as damaging to fishing
opportunity as it could
be, thanks to our
efforts. We will have an
enhanced spring Chinook fishery on both
Tillamook Bay and the
Nestucca River, for
example. You, the sport
angler, can count on us seeing these
processes, as well as the many other
stakeholder groups in which we participate, through to completion.
I want to write a tribute to our past
president, Joe Domenico, who is now
our vice president. Joe had many accomplishments during his tenure, some of
which are a 50 percent increase in membership, a tripling of revenue, two new
chapters, and a significant increase in
organizational accomplishments. Joe's
calm steady hand, leadership skills, and
dedication will long be remembered and
appreciated.
When it comes to our staff, once
again their dedication and experience
stands out. They put in the time and
effort to get the job done, regardless if
they are getting paid or not. In addition,
they often donate their spare time for
local chapter projects, Association
events, and participation in stakeholder
groups. One might think that removing
the killer gill nets off the main stem
Columbia River after all these years
would slow our agenda down, but that
is far from the case, and unfortunately,
it never will be the case. We have a
number of fronts where our fisheries
are coming under assault, and we will
never stop fighting for our fishery and
the Northwest way of life we all enjoy.
I'll turn this over to Executive Director
Russell Bassett to tell you about them
and some upcoming events.
Bill Kremers, President
I'm getting close to my three-year
anniversary with the Steelheaders and
would like to use this opportunity to
thank all the wonderful volunteers I've
had the pleasure to work with over
those years. Working with this board
has been a real pleasure. I was a volunteer in fisheries long before I found
an organization crazy enough to pay
me to do it, and I love the volunteer
structure of the Steelheaders. Whether
it's great fundraisers on the board like
Norm Ritchie and Art Israelson, or
science-based advocates who work
tirelessly through agency advisory
groups and on-the-ground monitoring
like Ian Fergusson and Doug Hunt,
respected
members
of
the
Government Affairs team like Trey
Carskadon and Brian Walters that get
politicians to do the right thing by fish
and fishing, or chapter leaders like
Tom Vanderplaat and Doug Briggs
whose chapters are always doing
something, the volunteer spirit in this
organization is impressive and inspiring. While I do work full time for the
Association, I'm also honored to be a
Steelheaders volunteer, both through
my local chapter and through the
Association.
Another aspect of the Steelheaders
that I really appreciate is that we think
regionally but act locally. Local chapters are stewards of their home rivers
in the form of on-the-ground restoration and enhancement projects, and
they work effectively with their local
agency biologists on management of
their home rivers. This local stewardship by the chapters compliments the
regional advocacy, policy and education work tremendously we do at the
Association, and our efforts at the
regional level helps get favorable
results for fish and fishing at the
national level through our relationships with the National Wildlife
Federation and other national conservation organizations.
While gillnets has been a major
campaign for this organization throughout its 50-plus-year history, it is only
one of many. Threats to our fish runs
and fishing opportunity come from a
myriad of sources. Steelheaders have
been working to get more spill in
Columbia River hydro and removal of
the Lower Snake River dams for
decades. We know opening up habitat
in the Snake would provide great habitat that would dramatically increase
Columbia River runs, and we are also
proud of our efforts to ensure more
spill. We will be fighting the ridiculous
Columbia River Bi-Op once again,
which seeks to reduce spill and does not
consider removing the lower Snake
dams. We are fully prepared to go to
court once again to make this happen.
Norm Ritchie wrote a good article
showcasing the importance of spill and
the challenges that those who work on
it face—see page 19.
Steelheaders have supported
hatcheries and hatchery reform for
decades. Whether this is doing broodstock collection, advocating for mark
selective fisheries, or ensuring that
anglers have a voice in court,
Steelheaders understands the benefits
of hatcheries. Now more than ever,
hatcheries are under attack, and
Steelheaders has led the way against
these attacks through legal action,
public education, and involvement in
the agency stakeholder process. For
more information on our Hatchery
AND Wild campaign, please check
page 22. You will be seeing much
more about this campaign in 2014, as
we continue to lead the defense of
hatcheries.
Fish habitat is very important to
the Steelheaders. It's in our mission
and vision statements, and we fight for
it on a daily basis. This comes in many
forms, including working through the
administrative process to create visible
and durable conservation areas on
Oregon's state forests, defeating state
and federal legislative attempts to cut
conservation funding, defeating industry attempts to pass state legislation
that would harm our fish habitat, or
volunteering for and funding of onthe-ground restoration projects.
The Northwest Steelheaders is
the regional leader in ensuring the
public rights to access the beds and
banks of rivers. This happens in variety of ways, including local chapters
building boat ramps, the Association
successfully defending public river
rights in the courts, working administratively with the Secretary of State,
or developing legislation. One way
we successfully advocate for your
right to access fishing areas is by dealing with problem land owners. River
Rights Director Art Israelson does
yeoman's work educating landowners
on the law. Many times a year, we get
calls from anglers who fish rivers
where landowners threaten and
intimidate them, even though those
anglers are well within their rights to
be fishing at that location. Often a
couple of conversations with the
landowner fixes this problem. It's not
something we advertise or fundraise
around, but Steelheaders are available
to help any law-abiding angler who is
having their public access rights
infringed. If this is happening, call me
or Art, and we will do what we can to
fix the problem.
There isn't space here to go into all
the many way Steelheaders works for
fish and for anglers. Other aspects of
our work that deserve at least a paragraph here are protecting forage fish in
the Pacific Ocean; connecting kids,
anglers, veterans and the general public with the resource and the sport,
ensuring proposed coal export terminals are studied to determine their
potential negative effects on Columbia
River fish runs; lobbying efforts at the
state and federal level, and our new
nutrient enrichment program to
expand carcass toss volunteer events in
the Portland area, just to name a few.
Steelheaders fully understands that
threats to fish and fishing don't just
come from gillnet, they come from
many sources, and we are on the front
lines of many of those battles sticking
up for the sport and giving back to the
resource that we enjoy so much.
We would love for you to connect
and be involved with us. Become a
member, participate with your local
chapter, attend one of many fun
fundraising events during the year, do
a volunteer project, or chat with us on
one of many social sites. Whether you
choice the Steelheaders or not, get
involved! Stand up! Give back! Fight
for your right to fish!
Russell Bassett, Executive Director
Fall 2013 • 7
GUIDE FEATURE :
CURREY GUIDE SERVICE
BY CURT CURREY
time fishing guide with a desire to help people
become successful.
As a guide, my goal is to sincerely help people become successful. There are three types of
trips that I normally find myself running; corporate relationship building trips, trips for pure
enjoyment, and trips that are taken to learn tips,
techniques, and river systems. Often these types
of trips overlap and it is my job to understand
each individual client's definition of success and
to do my best to help their day become successful.
This starts by providing my clients with a safe,
comfortable experience. I provide a clean and
organized platform where my clients will spend
their day. I ensure that the gear and bait they will
be using throughout the day is of the highest quality and in excellent working order. My years of
experience determine where we will fish and
what techniques we will employ to give my clients
the best chance of landing a limit of fish for the
day.
As a member of Eugene's Emerald Empire
Chapter of the Northwest Steelheaders, I have
This Umpqua River steelhead was landed and released by client Jennifer served as Membership Coordinator and am a forArbogast. Jennifer's father, Gary Lutman, former president of the Emerald mer chapter member of the year. For nine years I
Empire Chapter, has since given Jennifer a replica mount of the 20-pound coordinated the chapter's Big Brother Big Sister
behemoth.
Free Fishing Day event. When the chapter needed a guest speaker at the last minute, I volunteered. Today, as a professional guide, I provide programs
y passion for salmon and steelhead fishing was develfor many other chapters. I also give educational seminars at
oped at an early age while fishing with my dad out of
Cabela's in Springfield, and at Mazama's Fishing Pro Shop as
his drift boat nearly every weekend. I landed my first limit
a member of their Pro Staff. Guests of my seminars can sign
of winter steelhead on the Clackamas River at the age of six,
up to receive my e-mail fishing reports which include
and from that point forward I was hooked. Moving
reports, photos, and open dates I have available. Feel free to
throughout Oregon while growing up living in the Portland
e-mail me a request to be added to my e-mail list.
area, Albany, Baker City and Glendale (located between
Participation in fishing tournaments helps me give
Grants Pass and Roseburg) I had the opportunity to learn
back to the resource. One of my clients/team members won
how to fish various rivers throughout the state.
When I graduated from high school my parents offered
to help me start a guide business or help me finance college.
I graduated from Western Oregon University with a BS in
Business Administration in 1993.
In 2004, I found myself fishing a lot, especially on the
McKenzie for spring Chinook. I took a lot of friends fishing that year. Because of their success, their friends asked if
I would take them fishing. Not being the best at saying "no"
I found myself spending more time playing guide than fishing for myself. I initially obtained my guide's license hoping
that when asked to take others fishing they would be
deterred by having to pay for the trip so I could have more
time to fish for myself. My plan backfired, and more and
more people were willing to pay to fish. I became a full-
M
Ella Newton on an ocean trip I ran out of Newport during
the non-selective Coho season. Ella hooked and landed this
beauty all on her own.
8 • The Northwest Steelheader
Curt with a summer steelhead landed on the McKenzie River.
the 2013 Yaquina River Fall Chinook U-DA-MAN Big Fish
Tournament, and another placed fourth. I have been a
member of past first and third place Hawg's-N-Dog's
Spring Chinook Tournament teams, and I guide teams
every year in the Steelheaders' Salmon Quest Spring
Chinook Tournament.
My clients fish from either a Koffler drift
boat or sled, using top-quality tackle that I
maintain regularly. December through
March I fish for winter Steelhead on the
Siletz, Coquille, and Umpqua. March
through May, my clients fish spring
Chinook on the Columbia and Willamette
in the Portland area. In June, it's sturgeon on
the Columbia near Astoria. June and July I
am on the McKenzie fishing for spring
Chinook. August finds me fishing for fall
Chinook out of Winchester Bay on the
Umpqua and on the ocean when conditions
allow. September through November I target fall Chinook on the Siuslaw, Yaquina,
Alsea, and Siletz.
Guiding is a truly enjoyable way to work!
Many of my clients and fellow guides have
become close friends whom I enjoy spending time with on and off the river. I hope to
continue guiding for many years to come,
and I look forward to continuing to contributing to the sport and the resource.
Editor’s Note: Curt Currey lives in Newport and has operated Currey Guide Service, LLC since 2004. Reach him at 541914-3899 or via e-mail at teamcurrey@gmail.com. View the
website: www.curreyguideservice.com.
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 M cLOUGHLIN 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
Fall 2013 • 9
OREGON LEGISLATIVE REPORT
B Y B OB O L E S O N
The Devil’s in the Details
D
uring the 2013 regular session of the Legislature, some
of us gave great attention to trying to restore the
shrinking and battered budgets of our state's natural
resource agencies, programs, and services. ANWS was one
of the voices promoting a renewed political commitment
to sustainability involving Oregon's natural resource heritage. Everyone should understand that good management
of these resources equates with quality of life. Enforcing
good regulatory laws, along with providing adequate
budgets to the agencies, are essential for protecting our
state's natural resources. We are the stewards of Oregon's
natural resources and need to remain vigilant in the protection and enhancement of those resources. We can't
expect the legislature or governing agencies to be that sentry. And, we certainly can't expect the passage of a bill to
be the final word. The administrative details accompanying
major changes are especially important. It's also critical to
have better balance between user fees and general fund
taxation. Efforts we have seen to greatly increase fees
imposed on private parties is bad public policy.
Legislative and Policy Contacts
State Legislative Websites
www.leg.state.or.us/ for Oregon
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ for Washington
Information about bills and committee hearings.
ANWS Government Affairs Team
Bob Oleson, boboleson@hotmail.com, 503-329-9528
Trey Carskadon, trey@bdcadvertising.com,
503-723-5723 Ext. 102
Carl Burke, backbouncecb@comcast.net,
360-480-5920
Brian Walter, 503-319-6955, brian@walter.org
Russ Bassett, 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 email if you didn’t speak or if your topic wasn’t covered.
Agencies:
Roy Elicker, Director, Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife,
3406 Cherry Avenue NE, Salem, OR 97303-4924
Contact the Oregon Commission via e-mail:
odfw.commission@state.or.us
Phil Anderson, Director, Washington Dept. of Fish &
Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501
Contact the Washington Commission via e-mail:
commission@dfw.wa.gov
10 • The Northwest Steelheader
As with budgets, the devil is in the details when it
comes to implementing substantive new laws. SB 838
regarding suction dredge mining is one good example.
Two years ago ANWS and Tualatin River Keepers started
pressing for the effective regulation in watersheds of the
damaging mining practices of this rapidly expanding
industry. Along with numerous conservation organizations
and the Governor's staff, as the session wound up, Senator
Alan Bates of Ashland led the band of champions dedicated to achieving reform over mining practices. If properly
implemented, this major new regulatory program will
impose workable conditions, eliminate environmental
transgressions, and make good use of promised funding.
ANWS will be among the players closely watching how
state agencies bring such new laws on line. The creative
commitment of public officials and the development of the
specific administrative details are all important. Other new
laws in a similar situation involve such things as the removal
of gill nets on the Columbia River, regulation of large
woody debris in our waterways, renewed fish predation
activities, expanded use of fish carcasses, etc. As such laws
become operational, all of us need to be vigilant. Your comments and input continue to be very important to the success of our government affairs program.
We citizens are the stewards of Oregon's natural
resources. We can't expect the legislature or governing agencies to make the best decisions as they implement new laws.
The passage of a bill is far from the final word. Steelheaders
are important overseers in how agencies will implement the
new legislation. We all need to be involved in the rule-making process and be ready to provide input on key measures.
A newly-enacted law can become far different from what
anyone might have expected once all the details have been
worked out. Step up and be a part of the process!
LAST CAST
Nick Galash, Sr.
Nick Galash, Jr. called me with sad news for those of us
who have been part of the Sandy River Chapter family for
many years. Nick Galash was a very active member until his
health started holding him back some years ago. He, with
his wife Martha, was a host for many of the chapter's
Tillamook Fish-alongs from his place in Rockaway Beach.
He was one of the great Tillamook Bay fishermen, able to
consistently catch bright Chinook all the way to
Thanksgiving weekend.
Nick Senior made his membership a family affair,
pulling in Martha, Nick Jr. and Nick Jr.'s family. Nick Junior
contributed greatly to the chapter as well until he moved his
family to the Seattle area for better business opportunities.
Nick Jr. brought his employer (in the excavation and construction business) into some of our most successful projects: building the acclimation pond below Marmot Dam,
creating fish passage above the culvert on Buck Creek, and
recovering high value aluminum power cable from the
Sandy River after a winter event pulled the power lines (at
the power line hole) down into the river. Pallets of cable sat
in Nick Senior's back yard for many months, waiting for
prices to peak, giving the chapter the best possible return on
our work party investment.
I personally have many fond memories of Nick and his
family, and I know many of you do as well. Nick served in
the Coast Guard and then was a contractor on offshore oil
platform repairs. He had many riveting tales from each of
these times in his life.
Norm Ritchie
Frederick Elgee Briggs, Veteran Steelheader
May 12, 1921 - August 27, 2013
Long-time member of the Albany (Mid Valley)
Steelheaders passed away in Beaverton August 27th, just past
his 92nd birthday. Fred Briggs was thoughtful, intensely funny
(in a quiet sort of way), and very generous. A friend to all,
Fred was a wonderful teacher. He held almost all of the volunteer jobs the Albany Steelheaders had to offer, and more.
Fred grew up in Idaho, with among other things, a bear
cub which his uncles presented as a “gift.” He had a shepard
dog which rode on the running board of the family car.
Fred's father worked for the then Soil Conservation Service,
so in their early years Fred, his brother and sister saw much
of the USA. He attended Seaside High School, before moving to the Willamette Valley, where his parents operated a
restaurant in downtown Corvallis. As a student of wildlife,
Fred graduated from OSC (now OSU) in 1949. He worked
for the Oregon State Game Commission (now OFDW)
doing waterfowl research at Malheur Refuge, and as a
District Agent; as a state employee Fred carried out law
enforcement duties when needed.
Fred learned to fly in Navy (Marine) bi-planes in
Madras. He recalled the day when his sergeant flying
instructor asked him to do a roll in the open cockpit biplane. Fred was strapped in; the instructor was not, and
nearly fell out! Fred graduated to Torpedo bombers in
Florida and then quickly transferred to “Whistling Death,”
the beautiful and fast Corsair, a propeller-driven fighter
bomber. While a carrier pilot in the
Pacific Theater of WW II, his plane
was so badly damaged during a bombing run that Fred tried to return to the
ship with a full bomb load; he soon
realized that he could not land safely.
Alerting his squadron he was about to
ditch in the Pacific, Fred pulled his
dye marker canister about the same
time as several of his buddy pilots
activated theirs. The sea was awash
with so much dye that no one could
find him. When a destroyer cruised
into the area looking for the downed
pilot, Fred found himself near the hull
with its cargo net extended to the
water. He grabbed hold and made his way up to the deck.
Seeing most everyone on board looking off the opposite side
of the deck, he exclaimed, “You must be looking for me!”
Fred's major career path took him to traveling pharmaceutical salesman, where he sold both veterinary medicines
and drugs for people in a several state area. He was an avid
and accomplished gardener. He was a storyteller par excellence. How else would I know what to write?
An accomplished hunter, Fred harvested game birds,
waterfowl, elk and deer. As a fisherman Fred was known as
the Albany Chapter's plug tuning expert. Those who knew
him well understood that he valued the plug only as one
steelheading tool. He knew when and where to use plugs.
He knew when to change plugs and how much line to let
out, depending on water depth. He never gave up his optimism for the next catch. Fred was unselfish in sharing his
knowledge. He taught many of us how to sharpen hooks,
and never failed to remind us of their importance. Some will
remember the story of a doctor in Fred's boat with a sharp
hook deeply embedded in his finger. After Fred removed it
from the doctor's hand, the fishing continued, even with
much loss of human blood.
Fred was a steadfast friend and mentor. If you have
heard that 10 percent of steelheaders catch 90 percent of the
fish, you know Fred was a “10 percenter.” As the winner of
the grand prize in the Steelheaders drift boat raffle one year,
you could even say he was lucky.
Tight lines and we'll miss you dear friend, Fred!
John Snelling
Memorials
Contributions to honor the following people:
In memory of Fred Briggs
Nadine Huey
Patty Matsukado
Linda Modrell
Birdie Reetz
In memory of Howard Anderson
Rodger Adams
In honor of Art Israelson
Gresham Ford
Fall 2013 • 11
The Nine Lives of a Steelheader
By Chris Goodrich
I
n the archives of all fishermen, each has a similar story to
tell, "a fishing trip from hell." You know, not just one
where you caught nothing, but the one where absolutely
nothing went right. In fact, looking back at it, your luck
might have consisted of just coming home alive. This is such
a tale . . . a tale of woe.
It all started simply enough, a fantasy of a brisk
November day on the Oregon coast pulling in all the chum
salmon you ever wanted, the sort of fishery where you anticipate honking on fish till your arms ache.
I should have known the trip was doomed from the start
when my 3:00 a.m. pre-dawn pickup was a no show. Calling
my buddy at that Godless hour, I prayed my fingers struck
the correct numbers. After what seemed a hundred rings, an
unsteady hand picked up the receiver. A recognizable but
slurred voice answered. It was my fishing partner, just
arrived home after an all night bender.
A more experienced angler would have known at this
point that this was a trip that was not meant to be. But I was
young and full of blood lust and expected him to value the
upcoming carnage as much as I did. So, I screamed at him,
“Get your backside over here and pick me up. We'll already
be late.”
Being the sympathetic Christian-type, I offered him a
hot cup of coffee from my thermos as we motored down the
freeway. I jumped like a snake-bit lemur as I spilled the
scalding hot brew into my lap. Once I insured future generations would not be jeopardized, I accepted my misfortune
simply as that, misfortune. After all, it wouldn't be the first
time I spent a day of fishing in soggy clothes.
We arrived in Tillamook County to find a driving rainstorm and a rising river, not optimum conditions for a successful day. But, dammit, we're Steelheaders, so weather be
damned.
Catching up with our party, we rigged our rods while
enduring the abuse heaped on us for our tardiness. We
trudged down the muddy path to the rising swirl of the
river. Wading into the current, we began our rhythmic casting using the candy apple green Corkies so attractive to the
German Shepherd-toothed chum.
The rising darkening flow proved tough conditions to
find a taker. But, after such a long drive, we weren't prepared to give up easily. Finally, I found what I'd come for:
my Corky ceased its tippy tap through the likely-looking
holding water. The tip of my rod began to quiver and started to bend as something finally gummed my Corky.
Lowering my rod tip, I took a quick turn on the reel to pick
up any slack. Pressing my thumb to the spool, I reared back
with a sound barrier breaking hook set. The
fish didn't move as he recovered from the
vicious hook set, which planted the size 3
Mustad squarely in his beak. With a few nasty
shakes of his head, the fish turned around and
headed back to the saltwater from which he'd
just come. I held my rod parallel to the river
and pressed my thumb to the spool in an
effort to keep the bull of a fish in our section
of the river. Whenever I'd start making any
progress, he'd get turned around again and
rip back the line I'd just retrieved.
As I stared downstream in hopes of glimpsing my fish, I saw something coming around
the river bend. As it approached, I saw
streamside trees bend double and the river
brew to a boil with waves being pushed
upstream. I slowly began to back towards the
bank in an effort to seek refuge on the familiarity of solid ground. Step by step I backed
to the shoreline, all the time cognizant of the
heavy fish still undeterred by the fear and
confusion which slowly crept up my spine.
Twenty feet from the bank the tempest hit
with its full fury. The wind hit me like a bus,
and it was all I could do to keep it from
knocking me over into the muddy torrent. In
the beat of a heart I learned what had brought
Not all of Chris’ trips are “from hell.” He often fishes with guide Forrest the water to a boil: I was suddenly struck
Foxworthy (left) and has landed not one but two Willamette steelhead of over
20 pounds—the fish pictured weighed 23.
continued on page 14
12 • The Northwest Steelheader
Nive Lives of a Steelheader
continued from page 12
with marble size hail which, propelled
by the wind, hit me like a shotgun
blast.
Fish be damned….I pointed my
rod directly at the thrashing fish and
jerked with all my might in an effort to
break him off and accelerate my flight
to safety. The pellets continued to slam
my uncovered face and hands and felt
like a thousand hornets taking their
vengeance out on me. I ducked my
face behind my shoulder as I continued
to backpeddle to shore and jerk my
rod in an unsuccessful effort to break
the 25-pound test line.
Several feet from the bank the
unthinkable occurred. In the blink of
an eye I found myself sitting chest deep
in the river after my feet tripped over
a submerged tree root. The icy torrent
filled my waders and sent a shock to
every nerve in my body. The pellets
continued their assault while the fish
once again made a bull-like run to dislodge my hook. In a fraction of a second a hundred thoughts blew through
my mind: Stand up! Don't drown!
Don't let go of the
rod! Cover your
face! Get out of the
water!
As my mind
raced for the correct
course of action I
felt the hand of God
reach down and take
me by the collar of
my rain jacket. Being
jerked through mid
air I was sure God
had reached down
to save me. Spinning my head around
I saw it was not the hand of God, but
the hand of my fishing buddy, Randy.
Looking into his face I saw his eyes
bugged out and mouth agape. With a
single hand and the power of an
anthropoid, he jerked me through
mid air and onto the bank. Dropping
me onto my feet, he reached for the
rod and, with the strength of a hundred, broke off the fish.
Like a deer he turned and with
me on his tail we ran for the cover of
the forest. We stood hanging onto a
solid-looking fir as lesser trees
crashed to the ground around us and
14 • The Northwest Steelheader
branches overhead snapped like dried
kindling.
As quickly as it started, it stopped.
We all stared at each other in disbelief
with what we had just witnessed. We
looked at the devastation and couldn't
believe our worst injury was a set of
water-filled waders.
“Enough,” I shrieked. “God is
pissed and does not want us to fish! I'm
going home.” We gathered up our gear
and trudged up the muddy path to our
truck. Stowing our gear, I found my
waterproof bag and stripped off my
dripping clothes. Donning dry pants,
shirt and socks, we turned the heat to
maximum in an effort to regain feeling
in fingers and toes.
As we drove down the coast highway towards home, our attitude began
to brighten as extremities warmed and
we started to come to terms with our
near-death experience. As our mood
started to border on the smug, we
approached an ocean view area. As we
peered seaward we were impressed
with huge storm-whipped swells crashing into the cliffs which supported
highway 101.
“Pull over and let's check it out,” I
demanded. “Observe nature in all its
glory,” I shouted out over the fury of
the wind gust. Just as my words were
carried off into the wind a huge swell
smashed into the cliff below and as the
spray cleared the cliff top a thousand
gallons of saltwater was propelled horizontally over us and the others who
had stopped to watch the spectacle.
For the second time in an hour I
stood staring in disbelief as gallons of
water soaked my remaining dry
clothes. “Why are you pissed?” I
screamed into the teeth of the gale.
“We didn't even kill anything.”
Again I stripped off my soaked
clothes but this time had no replacements. It was going to be a long ride
home wearing nothing but my underwear. Thank God for a working heater
in our vehicle. The sky turned dark as
the storm thickened and we started
our way over the mountains.
We motored through the driving
rain and wind as we reflected on the
disaster of a day. We both looked forward to being home with a hot meal
and dry clothes. But our day was not
over. As we moved deeper into the
mountains and the day continued to
darken, so did our headlights. Within
minutes, we had no headlights at all.
We slowed to a crawl as we discussed
what else could possibly go wrong. A
mile further, our question was
answered. Looking into our rearview
mirror we saw the lights of a county
sheriff ordering us to the shoulder of
the road.
We watched as the sheriff walked
towards us wearing a full-length raincoat and a plastic covering over his
hat. With his flashlight he tapped on
the driver's side window. My buddy
rolled the window down and, in a
less than friendly tone the sheriff
demanded to know
why we had not
turned on our headlights. In mid-chastation his mouth
dropped open as for
the first time he
noticed he was talking to two men
wearing nothing but
skivvies. The beam
of his flashlight
danced over us as he
struggled to come to
terms with his latest find. “Why aren't
you wearing any clothes?” he demanded.
I look back on that fateful day and,
in an effort to turn a negative to a positive, I ask myself, “What did I learn?”
I took away two lessons from my experience: One, always listen to the fishing gods. If they tell you it is a day not
for fishing, then don't fish. Second,
and as I write this I can hear my
Mother's voice in my ears, “Always
wear clean underwear.”
Editor’s Note: Chris Goodrich is a
member of the Tom McCall Chapter.
Something to Crow About
O
n a cold morning, raffle tickets and coffee cup in hand,
I met a fellow in the parking lot at the Garibaldi dock
parking lot. Soon we were sharing stories while leaning on
the front of a pickup. A friendly and noisy crow landed on
the utility rack, slid down the windshield and walked across
the hood, pretty much demanding something to eat! My
new friend fed the crow part of his donut but, not satisfied,
the crow let us know he wanted more to eat. Luckily there
were some herring heads in the garbage can, another treat
for the crow. On his way to the dock, my friend bought
another donut for the crow. The fellow headed for his
boat—a good experience even though I didn't sell a ticket!
Luckily, there was a table where I could sit down, finish
my coffee and fill out raffle ticket stubs. I laid my favorite
pen on the table, and the crow picked it up, flew over the
water, and dropped it. It appeared the crow knew how to
work the crowd on the dock, but none of the locals knew
anything about him. Just a warning: he has black feathers
and a great appetite—look out for him!
Art Israelson
Editor’s Note: If you haven’t already helped your chapter sell
“North to Alaska” trip tickets or ClackaCraft High Side Drift
Boat tickets, note that there are incentive prizes for chapters
and individuals. Don’t feel comfortable selling tickets to
strangers? Then buy some! If each member bought 25 trip
tickets for $20, there wouldn’t be enough tickets to go
around. Art has already turned in almost 4,000 trip tickets;
this one-man selling machine is not entered in the competition for prizes.
Some Like it Hot—Salmon Don't
H
ow can we have record numbers
of Chinook salmon (a million
fish) counted at Bonneville while not a
single fish is hooked by 10 anglers in
three boats fishing for eight hours? We
marked thousands of fish above the
dam at the mouth of Tanner Creek. We
tried every color of wrapped Kwik
Fish, a multitude of spinners, Wiggle
Warts, and we watched bobbers and
eggs fail to entice a single bite.
We varied the speed, the depth,
the direction, and just about everything that was changeable. We continued to mark fish throughout the entire
water column, from the surface to the
bottom, behind and in front of struc-
ture, all to no avail. I found an old article that may hold the answer.
Salmon like:
• Large schools of bait fish (follow the
birds)
• Loose schools with smaller fish following the larger
• Cloudy water full of plankton or
other particles
• Disturbed water surface—whitecaps
make them feel secure, and they will
rise to eat
Salmon strongly dislike:
• Warm water—58 degrees and higher
will send salmon down deeper or
further north
• Bright light and/or clear water,
although they will surface to feed at
night or dawn
• Calm water with lots of boats (particularly Chinook) but will tolerate
boats in choppy water
• Predators, sea lions, sharks, larger
fish, which convince them they are
not hungry
This article answered our question
about why there was no bite. The
water temperature was 65 degrees, and
there was a sea lion basking on a rock
above the dam.
Paraphrased from Salmon Fishing
Techniques by Dick Pool, ProTroll.
Doug Briggs
The Basics of Swimming a Rapid
S
wimming a rapid is rarely planned,
very dangerous, and always sudden.
There are some important things to
remember if it happens to you.
1. Be wearing a properly fitted and
fully fastened PFD before you get
dumped in the drink.
2. Cold Northwest rivers can cause an
involuntary gasp reflex when you hit the
cold water, resulting in inhaling water
and, potentially, instant drowning.
3. You can control the involuntary
gasp reflex by holding your breath
tightly as you hit the water.
4. In fast shallow water swim on your
back, feet up and pointed downstream
to ward off rocks.
5. If you drag your feet, you risk getting your feet trapped and held in
place by the current.
6. Being on your back also allows
you to backferry (backstroke) around
obstacles and help you find the safety
of shore or a rock to climb onto.
7. Get out of the water as quickly as
possible. Hypothermia is a real danger.
8. If you go through a series of
waves, breathe in the trough and hold
your breath in waves.
9. If you get caught in a hole (a keeper, reversal or back eddy), try to swim
out the sides, dive under the curling
action, or curl up in a ball to help the
current pull you through.
10. If you are stuck in a big powerful
reversal, and you have no outside
chance for rescue, you may have to
remove your PFD to swim out. This is
a last resort.
11. Strainers (trees in the water) are a
real entrapment hazard and should be
avoided by swimming away from them
or pushing off with your feet
12. If thrown a rope, wrap it around
your chest, tie a non-cinching knot (a
bowline is the best and easiest), and
slide the rope behind you so it can
float you up. Pulling from the front
will pull you under.
13. Blow your whistle to alert others.
Listen for whistles—it may be rescuers
or others needing help.
14. If you are wearing chest waders,
make certain the chest strap is tight.
Trapped air will keep your feet up.
With hip boots, loosen the interior
straps so you can get them off if they
fill with water.
Doug Briggs
Fall 2013 • 15
ACTIVITIES , A NGLING ,
AND
ACTIVISM
The Newberg Chapter
prepared their annual
dinner for seniors in
July.
The Mid Valley Chapter did repair work on the boat slide at
Riveredge Park on the Alsea River. See article, page 18.
Members of the Emerald Empire Chapter participated in many events
during the past three months. Above, Danny Ray provided a boat
during the annual Kids with Cancer day on the river. Left, volunteers
spent a day doing maintenance work at the chapter’s Letz Creek
Hatchery. Below, participants for this year’s Big Brother Big Sister
day on the river paused long enough for a photo.
16 • The Northwest Steelheader
Left, Charles, Peter, and Jeff with the salmon Charles
caught the first time he ever held a rod in his hand during
the Tualatin Valley Chapter’s Deschutes outing. Above, Jeff
Hernandez landed a nice steelhead.
Bill Luch, author of Steelhead Drift
Fishing, was guest speaker at the
September Tualatin Valley Chapter
meeting. He also spoke at the
November Sandy River Chapter meeting.
Salem Chapter's annual July picnic at North Santiam State Park on July 16. The chapter
gave Thom Kaffun (standing, right) a brook trout sculpture for his past work as program
director for the chapter. Members attending enjoyed BBQ prime rib, salmon and steelhead.
Summer 2013 • 17
CHAPTER REPORTS
Mid Valley
Volunteers from the Mid Valley
Chapter in Albany completed maintenance on the Riveredge Park boat slide
on the Alsea River. They removed
blackberry overgrowth about 10 feet
on each side of the slide and replaced a
rotted slide board to make the ramp
usable during 2013-14. Members Ron
Pockrus, Don Wentzel, and George
Larson made several trips, drew up
plans for new support ties, and met
with Siuslaw National Forest personnel to coordinate this effort. See
photo, page 16.
The volunteers replaced the original 1984 sign, which had become nearly unreadable, with one post rotted
out. Lumber, labor, and an aluminum
sign were provided by the Mid Valley
Chapter.
Ron Pockrus standing alongside the
new Mid-Valley sign.
Next year, the chapter plans to
continue efforts to replace the nearly
dissolved railroad ties with concrete
support ties, renew slide boards within
the flood plain with cedar or redwood,
and replace pressure-treated slide
boards above the flood plain once
required permits are in place. We
anticipate this remaining effort will
take place next July.
The Mid Valley Chapter also plans
to provide volunteer effort during
2014 to the Siuslaw National Forest to
repair two other damaged boat ramps
18 • The Northwest Steelheader
on the Alsea River (Blackberry Park
and Ermie Walters Park). Details are
currently being developed and permits
obtained.
McLoughlin
I am very proud of our chapter
and especially the Association as a
whole as we work together to protect
what we love. Accomplishments are
many by everyone involved, and it is
not an easy task to please all. Our
lobbyists in both Oregon and
Washington monitor any legislation
that involves fish and habitat. None
of this could happen without membership and the support it provides.
Many thanks to the Northwest
Steelheaders.
Our chapter has seen an increase
in membership, and other chapters
have as well. That means more support
to help give back and protect the
resource we use, the wonderful fish in
our back yard. For the first time, our
chapter helped with the 11th Annual
Clackamas River Clean-up September
8. Conflicts with the Crab-Along
weekend kept us from being more
involved in the past but hopefully we
can continue this next year. Our annual Crab-Along was held the weekend
of September 13.
We have had some good speakers
this past year and hope to have some
for this fall. I am always looking for
someone to come and talk to our chapter, so help me here. Our STEP program is getting busy with the eggs to
fry program, and we recently delivered
salmon eggs to schools in our area.
The fish carcass supplementation project on the Clackamas, tossing fish carcasses back into the river, will be happening on a moment's notice. Help is
always needed and appreciated. The
December meeting will be our annual
Christmas Party.
I want to make sure to thank our
chapter members for their support.
Not everyone can make the meetings,
activities, volunteer projects, etc., but
just being a member helps us accomplish our mission.
As I finish this article, I think
about fishing and what we do. A person hooked on fishing looks at creeks,
rivers, streams as we go by them in a
car. We notice a boat being towed and
what kind it is. Your ears perk up when
someone is talking about fishing,
whether you know them or not, and
you often join the conversation. We
complain about the same things the
same time of the year (seals in the
spring, for example) and talk about
what we want to do about them. We
share our catch and talk about fish to
friends. These are the signs of an
angler, whether man or woman. Our
circle of friends continues to grow.
Going strong for over 50 years,
Steelheaders! Come join us.
Carol Clark
President, McLoughlin Chapter
Tualatin Valley
The chapter had a Deschutes trip
for members of our chapter, teamed
with other members of our Meetup
website. Over 40 anglers took part,
and many first-timers caught and landed salmon. See photos on page 17.
Special guest Bill Luch, author of
Steelhead Drift Fishing, was guest
speaker at our September meeting. It
was a treat to hear some of Bill's tips
and see his enthusiasm. Watching him,
it was easy to understand how he led
Steelheaders during the 70s as they
fought to have steelhead named a
game fish.
The Tualatin Valley Chapter had a
Winter Fish-Along November 1-2.
Sixty dollars for the weekend included
food, lodging at the Tillamook
Fairgrounds, and a ride down a
Tillamook-area river in a drift boat.
We fished for winter steelhead on the
Wilson, Trask and Nestucca rivers.
Jeff Hernandez
Columbia Upper Basin Management:
Are you angry yet?
By Norm Ritchie
B
onneville Dam is the dividing line
between the undammed lower river
and the complex of dams and reservoirs
of the upper river, primarily for electrical production and flood control. The
lower Snake River has another set of
four dams primarily for navigation up
to Lewiston, Idaho. (These Snake River
dams have no flood control capacity
and produce little power and only at the
flow of the river.)
The lower Columbia has its management problems, making a lot of sport
anglers angry over poor harvest management and allocation and the modifications of the Governor's vision by the
ODFW Commission. But, if you are an
electrical ratepayer, a taxpayer, or invest
in a fishing license, you are being treated much worse by the federal government's upper basin management.
The Importance of Spill
There is 40 years of study and data
that indicates spill over the dams during the smolt migration to the ocean
from April through August helps more
young fish safely reach the Pacific.
More recent data suggest that spilling
at higher levels than we currently are
could dramatically improve the Smolt
Adult Return (SAR) ratio—far better
than going through turbines or even
barging and trucking. The US Fish &
Wildlife Service, along with Oregon,
Idaho, and Washington Fish &
Wildlife agencies, the Columbia River
Intertribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), and the Fish Passage Center, have
modeled the data to accurately predict
SARs that would result from increased
spill levels—within a safe range of
Total Dissolved Gas (TDG) levels in
the water at dam forebays and tailraces.
Bonneville Power Administration
(BPA) does not like spill. It was a federal court that ordered a higher level
of spill, resulting in bringing Snake
River sockeye back from the verge of
extinction and boosting adult returns
for other runs as well.
A SAR of less than one percent
leaves salmon stocks at an increased
and prolonged risk of extinction. A
SAR between two and four percent
would help stabilize and rebuild
stocks. SARs between four and six percent will put those stocks on the road
to recovery. Here is what the modeling
shows: Spill per BPA's Columbia River
Bi0p will result in less than a one percent SAR ratio about 60 percent of the
time! Spill to a level of 125 percent
TDG in the tail race will result in a
SAR in excess of two percent about 75
percent of the time. In other words, in
three of every four years, we could
expect SARs at levels sufficient to
rebuild or even recover salmon, but
only if we start to spill at 125 percent
TDG.
Oregon is seeking an “enhanced
spill test” (up to 125 percent TDG) as
part of the federal government's
fourth attempt to produce a BiOp
that actually would be legal. BPA
intends to roll back spill (along with
the clock and salmon returns) to precourt-order levels, risking our recently improved fisheries.
The Failure of the Lower
Snake River Dams
The four dams on the lower
Snake were created with the purpose
of making Lewiston, Idaho, an “ocean
port.” Barge traffic though the Snake
River waterway has diminished by
nearly 50 percent during the past
decade. Despite escalating taxpayer
subsidies, more shippers
are turning to rail to deliver their products to the
coastal ports for export.
Today, barges in the Snake
River complex account for
just five percent of the
total traffic on the larger
Columbia-Snake transportation waterway.
Huge expenditures of
your tax dollars will be
needed in the very near
future to maintain barge operations
on the lower Snake River. The reservoirs behind Lower Granite Dam
near Lewiston and Clarkston are silting up and reducing water depth for
navigation. Lewiston is increasingly
at risk of flooding. (Again, these
dams were not built for nor do they
provide any flood control.) Residents
of Lewiston and Clarkston pay a half
million dollars annually in property
taxes to supplement the operations of
the ports. The prospect of increasing
the height of the levees that separate
them from the river further increases
their costs, increases flood risk, and
detracts from the region's quality of
life.
The Army Corps of Engineers is
proposing to start dredging these
reservoirs to maintain the small
amount of barging that remains. This
dredging will cost federal taxpayers
nearly $20,000 per barge that leaves
the Port of Lewiston. It makes no
sense! What makes sense is removing
these dams, restoring the river, saving
taxpayer dollars, reducing flood risk,
and improving local economies by
recovering salmon and steelhead
runs. But the Corps and BPA are not
known for common sense. Dredging
and raising levees (when will it end?)
depends on your tax dollars unless
you and other taxpayers express their
outrage at this wasteful corporate
welfare and demand the end to this
mistake that has already lasted more
than 40 years.
Fall 2013 • 19
Welcome to Skeena Salmon Lodge!
Our unique Skeena Salmon Lodge sits right on the banks of the
salmon-rich Skeena River, surrounded by snow-covered peaks and
pristine nature. The Skeena is
possibly Canada's best known
salmon river. Join us and experience outstanding fishing while
enjoying comfort of the highest
standard in the primal wilderness of Canada.
To us, hospitality means a cordial greeting to all our guests, as well as
ongoing friendliness and helpfulness. Our top priority is to make your
vacation the best experience possible. We are looking forward to serving
you as our guests!
Peggy and Willi Schmidt
Fly Fishing Packages
Spring Steelhead
April 12-May 30. Fish our legendary steelhead!
Exclusive Springtime
April and May. A special offer for the most passionate fly
angler, fishing where no one has thrown a line.
King Salmon
June 14-July 31. Experience the thrill of a lifetime, landing
salmon on a fly rod.
Main Season
July 19-September 13. Fish for all Pacific salmon as well
as steelhead.
Autumn Steelhead, Northern Coho
September 13-October 30. Enjoy aggressive fish!
Exclusive Autumn
September and October. Custom wilderness trips!
Spin Fishing Packages
King Salmon, Steelhead
June 14-July 26. Catch fish of up to 100 pounds with
spinners.
Northern Coho
Willi Schmidt, 250-638-1185 or wpschmidt@xplornet.com
www.canada-flyfishing.com
September 6-October 26. Enjoy breath-taking fall color
while landing silver salmon fresh from the ocean.
Ocean Fishing - Available on Request
EVERYTHING
Rod Builders
Need!
FEATURING
North Fork Composites
Blanks
Lamiglas • St. Croix • Sage
Winston • Thomas & Thomas
Scott • Talon • Bellinger
Flex-Coat • Struble
Gudebrod • Perfection
Abel • Orvis • Cortland
Griffin • Rio • Regal
Scientific Anglers • Ross
PO Box 1910, Woodland, WA 98674
360-225-9445
Toll-Free Fax: 800-278-1069
info@anglersworkshop.com
www.anglersworkshop.com
Steelheaders Defend Fishing in the Courts
By Russell Bassett, Executive Director
he Northwest Steelheaders and our allies filed our secT
ond amicus curiae legal brief with the federal 9 Circuit
Court September 18 in defense of fishing and hatchery
th
reform. The court case is round four of a two-year battle on
the Sandy River's hatchery operations. The case is now
focused on the claims presented by the plaintiffs that the
National Marine Fisheries Services approval of ODFW's
Hatchery Genetic Management Plans violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy
Act. Earlier this year, the plaintiffs sought an immediate
injunction to shutdown all the Sandy's hatchery operations,
which was denied by the judge.
While the case is focused on the Sandy River, it has potential ramifications to all hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest
and the fishing opportunity they provide. In addition, the
Sandy lawsuit is just one of several brought forward recently by different plaintiffs in three different states aimed at
shutting down hatcheries: the Elwah River, Trinity River,
and, possibly, the McKenzie River. The judge was scheduled
to hear oral arguments for the Sandy River case on October
30; however, due to the federal government shutdown, the
court date was reschedule to December 5.
Steelheaders wants to make clear to our members and
friends that we are very passionate about wild fish, and
spend much of our time working on efforts to increase natural production of salmonids. These efforts include legislative battles each session to fight back industry efforts that
would harm fish like stopping efforts for Columbia River
water withdrawals, litigation for court-mandated spill in
Columbia River hydro operations, working through the
administrative process to create visible and durable conservation areas in Oregon's state forests, and working both legislatively and administratively to achieve lower Columbia
River commercial fisheries harvest reform, just to name a
Hatchery fish like this steelhead help encourage the next generation to get involved in fishing. Photo by Jan Clift.
22 • The Northwest Steelheader
few recent efforts to improve wild salmon and steelhead
runs.
That being said, we also understand that hatcheries provide social and health benefits associated with fishing opportunity; economic benefits to local communities; and even
benefits to natural production in the form of supplementation, nutrient enrichment, creating conservationists, and
funding of the agency through license sales for conservation
and monitoring. While the plaintiffs in this case are using
science to make claims that hatchery fish must be removed
to recover wild fish, Steelheaders believes they have taken an
extreme view of the science that discredits and disregards
supplementation science and the benefits to natural production provided by hatcheries. In addition, we are finding little evidence that removing hatchery fish does recover wild
populations. In fact, there are several examples where the
opposite is true, and removing hatchery fish had a negligible
benefit or none at all to the wild populations.
We are very concerned that if the plaintiffs are successful
on the Sandy River, it will set a precedent that hatcheries are
a much worse limiting factor for wild production than they
are in fact. If the plaintiffs are successful, hatcheries will
require the strictest scrutiny under the ESA, placing hatcheries as a more dangerous limiting factor than most others,
like timber and agricultural operations that do not require
that level of ESA scrutiny.
Our second amicus brief in this case included documentation and declarations from scientific and technical experts,
as well as sportfishing advocates and guides. Our main
arguments were as follows:
• The Associations believe that wild fish can survive and
recover in a river system that includes hatchery fish. This
belief is based on scientific studies that the Plaintiffs have
not addressed in their filings in this case. The Associations
present expert written testimony that the Plaintiffs have
ignored scientific data that does not support their preferred outcome.
• The Plaintiffs have relied on a post hoc ergo propter hoc
argument that attributes successes in other watersheds to
the closing of hatchery programs, when those successes
are more likely due to other factors such as favorable
ocean conditions and court-mandated spills in the
Columbia River hydropower system.
• The Associations dispute the Plaintiffs' characterization of
the Sandy River Hatchery as “the last remaining threat to
restoring wild salmonid populations in the Sandy River
basin” and maintain that the Sandy River Hatchery is only
one of many limiting factors that are dealt with in the
Sandy River Basin in a considerably less Draconian manner than Plaintiffs indicate is necessary for management of
the Sandy River Hatchery.
• The Associations assert there is little evidence that eliminating or further reducing hatchery fish in the Sandy
River basin will recover wild populations. The
Associations provide expert written testimony that the
resource agencies did not err procedurally in the NMFS
NEPA process, nor in the decision document, and that the
EA/FONSI issued by NMFS is the appropriate mechanism
for approving the river's HGMPs.
• The Associations draw the court's attention to the balance
of equities that has been, and should be, considered in any
action involving the Sandy River's hatchery program, and
assert that sportfishing should be weighted heavily in any
balance of equities in recognition of sportfishing's important contributions to the protection of wild fish and to the
well-being of Oregon's citizens.
We are fighting these lawsuits in court, but this issue isn't
just a legal battle, it's a battle for the hearts of minds of
Pacific Northwest residents. It involves not only challenging
the assertions of anti-hatchery zealots, but also challenging
the agencies to do better job for the anglers that fund them
through policy and management changes. It's an uphill battle the silent majority of anglers must be actively engaged in.
Steelheaders is currently working with several sportfishing businesses, individuals and groups to create a video that
showcases the benefits of hatcheries, and we hope to have
that completed in early 2014. These legal battles, public
education, and policy change efforts take time and money,
and it is not something we can fund with grants. Our
Hatchery AND Wild campaign can only be funded by member and business supporter dollars. If you care about the
future of salmon and steelhead fishing in the Pacific
Northwest, please join the effort by donating to the
Steelheaders today.
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). They deserve your support in return.
Swiftwater Resources, LLC, Springfield, Oregon; Doug
Caven
Northern Resource Consulting, Inc., Longview, Washington;
Brian Perleberg
Rubber Resource, Inc., Portland, Oregon; Robin Olson
Farmers Insurance/Joe Domenico Agency, Milwaukie,
Oregon; Joe Domenico
Bob Rees Fishing Guide, Tillamook, Oregon; Bob Rees
Chad Clement, Florence, Oregon
Terry Spooner, Gresham, Oregon
Harbor Ophthalmology, Aberdeen, Washington; Francis
Estalilla
Allen Marine Center, Salem, Oregon
Matrix Industries, Beaverton, Oregon; Dennis Hurford
Pro-Cure, Inc., Salem, Oregon; Phil Pirone
State Street Solutions, Lake Oswego, Oregon; George
Okulitch
Supporting the
Steelheaders’ Mission
A true, old school Tyee, this fish was caught in the Columbia
at the mouth of the Sandy in October 2012. Tell us the
angler's name and guess the weight of the fish. Hints: The
angler has an Alumaweld Free Drifter, fishes three days a
week, is retired, and is a member of the Sandy River
Chapter. Put your answer in the subject line and e-mail to
sandyriver@anws.org Earliest correct answer with closest
guess for the fish’s weight via e-mail wins an ANWS baseball
Cap.
Help support Steelheaders as they work to improve fish
habitat and fish runs to ensure quality fishing for future generations.
• Simply joining the organization as a regular member helps
increase our impact at the Legislature and before the state
agencies.
• Volunteer for your chapter or for events.
• Participate in events like the Annual Hall of Fame Banquet
and Auction, Salmon Quest, Sandy Spring Chinook Classic,
and the Salmon Hawg Open Tournament.
• Become a Budgeted Life Member (see page 27).
• Become a Patron Donor and receive an original metal
sculpture crafted by Rip Caswell, mounted on a plaque with
an individualized Patron Donor Certificate.
Fall 2013 • 23
S H O T (S A L M O N H A W G O P E N T O U R N A M E N T )
The first-ever SHOT grew out of 25 years of the Salmon Hawg Invitational Tournament organized by Gary Benson of the Tom
McCall Chapter. Headquartered at Swiss Hall in Tillamook, 22 teams of three anglers competed, most landing salmon. Special
thanks to sponsors, donors, volunteers, and participants. Results were as follows:
1st Place: Blind Squirrels (Steve Salverson, Jeff Melberg, and Mark Plummer), 10 fish, 133.5 pounds
2nd Place: Lamiglas (Jason Hambly, Dave Olear, and Tim Cook), 8 fish, 109 pounds
3rd Place: Fatal Flash (Bruce Dusterhoff, Jim Case, Jason Schaefer), 6 fish, 85.75 pounds
Biggest Hawg: Jason Hambly, 28 pounds gilled and gutted
24 • The Northwest Steelheader
SPONSORED
BY
DICK ’S
AND
LAMIGLAS
Fall 2013 • 25
River Ambassador Program:
Helping Those Who Helped Us
By Tim Lenihan
I
had the distinct privilege to take
some of our nation's combat veterans fishing in Tillamook over a weekend trip with the River Ambassador
Program. For those who may not
know, the River Ambassador Program
(RAP) is a program supported by the
Northwest Steelheaders. The program
is designed to give our nation’s warriors an opportunity to decompress in
the outdoors and enjoy the bounties
our waters can provide. This was my
first opportunity to volunteer for the
program, and I will definitely be participating in the future.
Friday started with classes for the
participants. There were boat captains teaching classes on brining herring, trolling spinners, trolling herring, and jig tying. I taught a class on
curing eggs for bait with bobber techniques for salmon. Thanks to the generosity of Chapter President Tom
Vanderplaat, I had some frozen coho
eggs that worked very nicely for the
class. By midday the warriors headed
to ODFW to get licenses for the next
two days of fishing. We ended Friday
with some time around a campfire and
swapping stories about days gone by.
After a hearty breakfast Saturday
morning, each of the veterans headed
off to their boat assignments. Rex
Cuniff of Kast 'Em Adventures, Norm
Richie, Bill Kremers, Kurt Diener,
Damon Struble of Nomad's Fishing
Adventures, myself, and fellow chapter
member Earl Nichols each took warriors to our favorite fishing holes.
Saturday was a pretty slow day of fishing. Reports were few and far between,
and everyone's nets seemed to be glued
in the holders. I took my two veterans,
Dan and Mike, up tidewater for some
bobber fishing. I was lucky enough to
find two fish to take home, one for
each of the vets, and we ended the day
with the only two fish brought back to
camp. (See photo, page 16.) The fish
checker told me on the way out there
had been 17 fish for over 75 boats
checked on the Trask. Reports from
the other boat captains who spent the
26 • The Northwest Steelheader
day in the bay were a chum salmon
hooked and released on the troll, and
several other take downs that didn't
stick. The phrase “there were thousands of boats” echoed through the
dorms.
Sunday morning we repeated the
process of the day before. Each captain
had new veterans to fish with, and
everyone got a chance to go out both
days. Matt and Brett were my fishing
partners for the day. After a slow start
on the Trask River, seeing only one fish
hooked, I asked if they were up for an
adventure. They were quick to agree to
move along. We moved into the tidewater section of the Wilson River.
Every hole we came to had someone
fishing in it. Not as busy as I have seen
it on some days, but there were just
enough boats to keep us from fishing
the places we wanted. In the afternoon, after fishing a hole for more
than hour, a guide boat pulled up
alongside us and hooked a fish on their
third cast. Such is fishing. We ended
the day with an empty fish box and a
great adventure to remember. Rex
Cuniff scored a nice Chinook hen for
one of his warriors out in the bay, and
that was the only fish brought back to
camp for Sunday.
Much of what we were able to
accomplish was due to the sponsors.
Saling Foundation, Dicks Sporting
Goods, Leatherman, and KoneZone
provided products or financial support
for the warriors. Due to the rod donation we participated in earlier in the
year, each of the warriors was sent
home with a reconditioned rod and
reel as well. Everyone had a big smile
on their face whether their coolers
were empty or not! Overall, it was one
of the best opportunities I have had to
meet great people and spend some
time outdoors. I have done much better fishing although I have to admit I
would be hard pressed to find more
deserving company.
Tim Lenihan hosted two veterans Saturday. Dan and Mike returned with the only
fish landed that day.
CALENDAR
November 16 26th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Auction, “Opportunity,” 4:00 p.m., Sheraton Portland, 8235 NE
Airport Way, in Portland
December 17 Ex Com Meeting, Association Office, 6:30 p.m.
January 8-12 Portland Boat Show, Portland Expo Center, Portland, Oregon. Contact Mike Myrick,
mcmifishandivote@msn.com to volunteer to work during the show or to help set up or tear down.
January 16 Ex Com Meeting, Association Office, 6:30 p.m.
January 22-26 Washington Sportsmen’s Show, Washington State Fair Events Center, Puyallup, Washington
February 5-9 Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, Portland Expo Center, Portland, Oregon. Contact Mike Myrick,
mcmifishandivote@msn.com to volunteer to work during the show or to help set up or tear down.
February 15 Quarterly Board Meeting, Newberg, 10:00 a.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.
Steelheader Clothing
Hoodies, Polo Shirts, Tees (long and short sleeved), Beanies, and
Hats in a variety of colors and sizes are available. Check to see if
your chapter has items for sale, or go to www.nwsteelheaders.org/
clothing to order.
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 Russell Bassett at 503-653-4176, executivedirector@
anws.org.
• 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.
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.
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 what they do. By advertising here, they are demonstrating that
they have a huge stake in healthy fisheries. These companies have earned our
support!
Anglers’ Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Bentley Boat Tops . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Cabela’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
ClackaCraft Drift Boats . . . . . . . .13
Kone Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Lamiglas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Line Keeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Pavati Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Salmon Quest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Stearns Lending, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .9
Yakima Bait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Yakutat Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Fall 2013 • 27
FISHING
WITH
BUZZ
BY BUZZ RAMSEY
Turn Frozen Fish into Gourmet Treats
W
hen was the last
time you took
inventory of the fish population in your freezer?
Unfortunately, fish don't
keep very well when
frozen. The more time
they spend in the freezer,
the less desirable they
become. While there are
ways to make fish last in
the freezer for six to
twelve months, dropping
fillets in a zip-top bag
won't get you much past
60 days.
Surprisingly to some,
fresh frozen fish lend
themselves particularly
well to the smoking
process; you see, freezing
causes cell tissue to burst,
so fish that have been
frozen take on the flavor
of the brine ingredients and smoke better. You can really
impress your friends by preparing your freezer fish this way.
Prepare the fish for brining and smoking by cutting your
fillets into stripes about an inch wide, making sure to leave
the skin in place, then thoroughly rinse these fish chunks in
cold water and immerse them into your brine solution.
The brine recipe we use most often includes a mixture
of 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup sugar and 2 quarts water—this is the
right amount for 10 to 20 pounds of fillets. Pre-mix these
ingredients in a stainless steel or plastic container and
immerse your fillets into your brining solution. Keep in
mind that almost any container will work for brining, but
avoid aluminum containers as they can taint the taste of
your fish. Then place your filled container in the refrigerator (or cooler with ice), for a minimum of six hours, stirring
at least once during the process.
You can add other flavorings to your brine solution. Two
of our favorite additives are wine (usually one of the fruity
varieties) or soy sauce. Amounts vary depending on taste,
but you might start off with a cup of wine and/or a quarter
cup of soy sauce; just mix it in.
After six to 12 hours, or overnight, remove the fillets
from the brine solution and rinse thoroughly in cold water.
Remove excess moisture with paper towels and place your
fillets on the smoker grills skin side down, which helps prevent sticking after the smoking job is complete.
A way to add additional flavorings to your fish is to
sprinkle spices directly onto your fillets after the brining
process. This can be done when the fillets are first placed on
smokehouse grills; for example, you can coat the fish with
liquid brown sugar and sprinkle with your favorite spices,
28 • The Northwest Steelheader
which might include
ground onion, garlic or
black pepper.
It's important to allow
your fish to air dry for at
least one hour before placing in the smokehouse.
Allowing fillets to air dry
will enhance the color,
texture and flavor of the
fish, and is the secret of
many smoking enthusiasts. Then it is time to
place the loaded rack in
your portable smokehouse.
We use Little and/or Big
Chief Smokehouses (we
have several) when smoking fish or game, which
are fired with an electric
heating element that not
only burns the wood flavor fuel that creates the
smoke but completes the curing process of slowly drying the
fish. These portable smokehouses are designed to be used
outside, well away from any combustible material. The
smoking and curing process will take 8 to 12 hours, depending on the outside temperature, thickness of fillets, and
quantity of fish.
Wood chips impart their unique flavor to the fish, so
their selection is important. Hickory is the all-around
favorite for fish, jerky, steaks, ribs—almost any food item.
Other wood flavors are available, such as apple, cherry and
alder, which impart a mild taste and what we use when
adding smoke flavor to game birds, poultry, or cheese.
Mesquite wood imparts a distinct flavor that is popular for
jerky or adding smoke-flavor to ribs or steaks. It doesn't take
much mesquite to add a lot of wood flavor.
The better quality wood flavor chips (like those produced by Smokehouse Products) have had the bark
removed, which is bitter, and are ground and dried before
packaging. A pan full of chips will smoke for about an hour
before being consumed, and even though the entire smoking/cooking/drying process may take up to 12 hours, you
will only need two or three pans of wood fuel to add the
correct amount of smoke flavor.
After the smoking process is complete, we allow fillets
to cool and then store in a brown paper bag with several
paper towels folded at the bottom. Keeping your smokehouse treats in a paper bag and stored in the refrigerator will
keep them fresh tasting for up to three weeks. Don't let
frozen fish become freezer burned or poor tasting by
remaining in the freezer too long. Wow yourself and friends
by smoking them now.
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
16’ Old School High Side
ft
Cra nated
a
k
c
o
l
Cla sly d choo 014
u
S
2
ero ld he e
gen 16’ O for t Raffl
a Side oat
h
SB
HigANW
Run the BIG stuff with
even more confidence—
“Fear No Rock or Wave.”
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
Fall 2013 • 29
CHAPTERS
West Region
Salem
Regional Director Bill Hedlund, billh@ifish.net
Newberg
Second Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Chehalem Senior Center, 101 Foothills Drive, Newberg
Contact President Mark Grier at 971-279-3382, thegrierzoo@comcast.net
Third Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
City of Keizer Community Center (at City Hall), 930
Chemawa Rd. NE, Keizer
Contact President Jim Zelenka at 503-371-4063,
jzelenka@comcast.net
Columbia River Region
North Coast
Regional Director Tom Smoot, tho_smo@comcast.net
Third Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Pied Piper Pizza, 12300 NE Fourth Plain Rd., Vancouver
Contact President Keith Hyde at 360-772-0996,
dunerider84@aol.com
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
McLoughlin
Central Region
Molalla River
Deschutes Basin
Meetings scheduled based on fishery needs
Contact President Yancy Lind at 541-788-5514,
yancy_lind@ml.com
Emerald Empire
Second Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Denny’s, 15815 SE 82nd Drive, Clackamas
Contact President Carol Clark at 503-522-9613,
clclark@bctonline.com
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 Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Veterans’ Memorial Building, 1626 Willamette St., Eugene
Contact President Bill Robbins at 541-689-5075,
suznbill@comcast.net
First Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Glenn Otto Park, 1208 Historic Columbia River Hwy.,
Troutdale
Contact President Doug Briggs at 503-729-2023,
doug@leewens.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.
30 • The Northwest Steelheader
Presents
December Winter Steelhead Seminars
Jack and Brandon Glass
Tuesday, December 10
6:30 p.m.
Dick’s Sporting Goods,
Hillsboro
7280 NW Butler Road
Hillsboro, Oregon
Trevor Storlie
Thursday, December 5
6:30 p.m.
Dick’s Sporting Goods,
Washington Square
9402 SW Washington Square Road
Tigard, Oregon
503-598-3081
503-547-2904
Dick’s Sporting Goods
is a proud sponsor of the
Association of Northwest
Steelheaders
Thursday, December 12
6:30 p.m.
Dick’s Sporting Goods,
Gresham
700 NW Eastman Parkway
Gresham, Oregon
503-667-1950
Fall 2013 • 31