Salem Chapter Newsletter 15 March 2019

Ladies, gentlemen, and fishermen of all ages–this is your chapter newsletter for March 2019. On behalf of our President, Mike Tucker, and the members of the board of directors, we wish you a Very Happy St. Patrick’s day. “As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters [or fish hooks] never point in the wrong direction!”, an old Irish Blessing, almost.

Meeting Date is March 19th. We are back on schedule. The meeting will be on the 19^th of March 2019 at the Keizer City Hall at 7:00 pm. The next general meeting will be held on the 16^th of April.

Speaker March Meeting: Our guest speaker for March will be the association new Vice President Mr. Ryan Meek. He will speak to us on the new direction that the association is taking, changes in the leadership, new goals and more. The legislature is in session and there are some bills that effect our fishing, hatcheries, salmon and steelhead runs. Mr. Bob Olson, the association lobbyist, will be here to give us an update. Let’s have a big turn out and show them our appreciation for coming to spend some time with us.

“C.R.D.”=Courtesy, Respect, Decorum: Members are requested to show the speakers and other members the Courtesy of listening, Respect for what the speaker is talking about, and maintain Decorum during the presentations so other members can hear what is being presented.

Speaker Openings: The board of directors makes this offer to the membership: we will schedule you as a speaker and you can present your knowledge and experiences to the membership. If you know of someone who you think would provide an informative program on any subject related to fishing, please make it known to a board member.

Keeping Fish Hatcheries Operating: On the 13^th of March, Wednesday, there was an ODFW budget hearing held at the state capitol, “Using Columbia River Basin Endorsement” funds to:
1. Keep the Leaburg Hatchery open and producing fish to stock in our local streams.
2. Using funds to deal with the sea lions in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
3. Changing the rules and fees to the Columbia River Basin Endorsement, making it a permanent permit [tax?] to fish for salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon within designated areas of the Northwest, Willamette, Central, Northeast, Southeast, Snake River and Columbia zones. The current agreement has a 5 year sunset clause in it.
4. Change the current agreement to allow the gill netters back in the main stream of the Columbia River and is championed by two members of ODFW Commission whose terms expire in June 2019.
Your chapter was represented by a few Salem members, and several association members. The “CCA” and folks from Leabrug were well represented.

House Bill 3016: This bill was introduced by Representative Sprenger and Senator Girod:

Appropriates money to State Department of Fish and Wildlife for activities related to summer steelhead hatchery production for Santiam River. Declares emergency, effective on passage.
You can view the bill at: https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Measures/Overview/HB3016
click on “3016” in the upper left hand corner.
We and other fishing clubs will continue to advocate for increased hatchery funding and production on a statewide basis.  Recent losses of fish at major hatcheries clearly demonstrate the need for additional hatchery maintenance and operations funding. We are tracking specific budgetary needs for the Willamette basin that are vital for fish mitigation and sport fishing opportunity:
Leaburg Hatchery: $1,885,594 to produce 459,000 trout, 108,000 summer steelhead and 260,000 spring Chinook smolts for release in Willamette basin waters each year.
Santiam Hatchery: $400,000 to produce 114,000 summer steelhead each year. This hatchery is frequently overlooked.
If you support our passion, and can be at the Capitol Building not later than 8:00 a.m. in meeting room “E” wearing your N.W. Steelheaders gear, and help fill the room, it will make an impression and gain support. You may sign up to speak, but you only get two minutes and that goes fast. Then drop by your Representative and Senators offices and let them know you took time to attend, ask for their support orally or in writing.

You are in: Membership in the Association of N.W. Steelheaders has it perks. Columbia Sportswear Co. is offering an opportunity for you to shop at the Science Park Dr. Store in Portland, OR. There is a copy of the flyer in the attachment, print it out, read the small print on the bottom, find your membership card, and save some money. Last day is 24 March.

Association raffle tickets: Thank You to the members who bought tickets at the last meeting. Please bring an extra few bucks; we will sell you some trip or boat tickets.
NOTE: The nice folks at Sportsman’s Warehouse have scheduled the scouts to sell on the same dates we were hoping for. We do have Wednesday 23^rd of March and Saturdays 20 and 27 April. All we ask for is just three hours of your time: 9:00 a.m.-noon, or noon-3:00 p.m. at the Sportsman’s Warehouse on south Lancaster in Salem. I will have a signup sheet coming around, or give Bob J. a call at the number listed below.
The raffle tickets are for a three day Alaskan Guided fishing trip, $1.00 each or 25 for $20.00 and a ClackaCraft 16’ Old School High Side Drift Boat, $6.00 each or 2 for $10.00 ready to sell. This program is a fund raiser for our chapter and the association. We will be selling tickets at the general meetings. I may have blocks of tickets if you would like to check them out and sell them at work, school, church, health club, Tupperware parties and such. Sure would help. Please contact me at e-mail [email protected], PH; 503-507-1424 if you can help, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE if I do not answer or at the meetings.

Replacement for the Secretary: At the last board meeting Bob J. announced that he will be retiring from the chapter secretary job that he has had on and off since 2004. We need someone to fill that office. If you are interested please talk with the President Matt Tucker or Bob J. We have one person interested are You?

Youth Outdoor Day: A program sponsored by ODFW and other organizations where several programs are offered to youngsters of all ages at E.E. Wilson Reserve. We help getting the kids to catch a fish in the ponds. We will need some volunteers to coordinate activities, prepare the fishing poles, reels, fishing gear, and attend the event to help the kids. This event will be held on Saturday June 8, 2019. More information to follow. If you want to help, let us know—signup sheet will be provided later.

 Have you checked our chapter web page for Fish Pictures? If you have any recent pictures of fish, you have caught or places you have fished send the pictures to our website at: [email protected] with a short description of who is in the picture and what you have caught. Our chapter also has a Facebook page with lots of pictures and current info. Just search for “Salem NW Steelheaders” on Facebook and “like” our page. You can also see current info and pictures at our website: https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ .

Snail Mail: If you are getting this letter in the mail and have an e-mail address PLEASE let us use it to save us money on paper, ink, stamps, and my time and provide us with that information.

Not getting correspondence: If you are not receiving your membership information from the Association please see the secretary, Bob Johnston. We found one member who was listed in another chapter. A lot of the phone numbers we have in the listing are not correct.

Membership renewals: We have some members with expired memberships. We are trying to keep our membership renewals current so please check your membership card to see if you may have missed your notification. If you need more information please contact Bob J. at a meeting or give him a call at 503-507-1424. No answers please leave a message.

At our meetings we have an “open seat board”: The board has a listing of people who want to go fishing and people who have an open seat in the boat to hook up. Check it out; you may meet a new fishing buddy or someone to help you manage/ballast your boat.

We have some new members who want to learn to fish for steelhead and want to fish with you. If you see a new face, please introduce yourself and see what they are interested in or ask us to help you find someone.
Hope to see you at the March meeting; we will start at 7:00 p.m. on 19^th March 2019.

Bob Johnston, Chapter Sec. Mike Tucker President

Salem Chapter Newsletter 14 February 2019

Ladies, gentlemen, and fishermen of all ages–this is your chapter newsletter for February 2019. On behalf of our President, Mike Tucker, and the members of the board of directors, we wish you a Very Happy Valentine ’s Day.

Meeting Date is 19th. We are back on schedule. The meeting will be on the 19th of February 2019 at the Keizer City Hall at 7:00 pm. The March meeting will be held on the 19th of March.

Speaker February Meeting: Our guest speaker for February will be Mr. Robert W. Bradley. Robert is the Fisheries Biologist of the North Coast of Oregon. He is located out of the Tillamook office of ODF&W. His geographic area runs from the Nestucca northward to the northern Oregon border. He will be sharing his expertise on the steelhead and salmon in his district and how some programs now in place are working for the future of the resource. Let’s have a big turn out and show him our appreciation for coming all the way over to spend some time with us.

“C.R.D.”=Courtesy, Respect, Decorum: Members are requested to show the speakers and other members the Courtesy of listening, Respect for what the speaker is talking about, and maintain Decorum during the presentations so other members can hear what is being presented.

Speaker Openings: The board of directors makes this offer to the membership: we will schedule you as a speaker and you can present your knowledge and experiences to the membership. If you know of someone who you think would provide an informative program on any subject related to fishing, please make it known to a board member.

Keeping Fish Hatcheries Operating: We hope you saw and read the article in the Statesman’s Journal on the 31st of January; Fishing groups fight plan to eliminate hatchery steelhead from North Santiam River by Zach Urness. We know that there has been lots of discussion on this Issue. [Missed it, see Bob J.] It is important that your views be heard. WE strongly recommend you contact your state legislators and make your views known. The Legislature can fund ODFW to continue the program one year or until the federal issue is resolved. Need a “go by?” See Bob Johnston at the meeting or request a copy at [email protected]. Our federal legislators have signed a letter to the Corps of Engineers requesting them to honor their commitment and continue with the summer steelhead program as required by law. Your comments to our federal representives may help us resolve this Issue.

Open Fish-A-Long: The Sandy River Chapter has an open Fish-A-Long on the Sandy River coming up on Sunday, Feb. 17. They usually meet at Oxbow Park about 7a.m.; split up and hit the river. Bank fish-alongs are ½ day events where chapter members meet up and fish from the bank. Jim C. leads these and some of the more experienced anglers from the Sandy chapter are available to help those new to steelhead fishing and techniques. Recommend check the weather and you contact Jim Cathcart at [email protected] or 503-238-4775 Ext 106., and

Association raffle tickets: Thank You to the members who bought tickets at the last meeting. Please bring an extra few bucks; we will sell you some trip or boat tickets.

Fundraiser NOTE: The nice folks at Sportsman’s Warehouse have scheduled the scouts to sell on the same dates we were hoping for. We do have Wednesdays scheduled 23rd February and 9th and 23rd of March. All we ask for is just three hours of your time: 9:00 a.m.-noon, or noon-3:00 p.m. at the Sportsman’s Warehouse on south Lancaster in Salem. I will have a signup sheet coming around, or give Bob J. a call at the number listed below. The raffle tickets are for a three day Alaskan Guided fishing trip, $1.00 each or 25 for $20.00 and a Clacka Craft 16’ Old School High Side Drift Boat, $6.00 each or 2 for $10.00 ready to sell. This program is a fund raiser for our chapter and the association. We will be selling tickets at the general meetings. I may have blocks of tickets if you would like to check them out and sell them at work, school, church, health club, Tupperware parties and such. Sure would help. Please contact me at email [email protected], PH; 503-507-1424 if you can help, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE if I do not answer or at the meetings.

Replacement for the Secretary: At the last board meeting Bob J. announced that he will be retiring from the chapter secretary job that he has had on and off since 2004. We need someone to fill that office. If you are interested please talk with the President Mike Tucker or Bob J.

Classes at Chemeketa C.C. : President Mike Tucker has made contact with the authorities at our Salem Chemeketa Community College. They are working on a project to present classes on Salmon and Steelhead fishing. The program is exploratory now, but we hope with your support, it will be part of the curriculum. We may have to start as an adult education class and work up to a class for credit. The goal is to bring the N.W. Steelheaders message and expertise to the younger members of the community; hopefully they will join our chapter.

Have you checked our chapter web page for Fish Pictures? If you have any recent pictures of fish you have caught or places you have fished, send the pictures to our website at: [email protected] with a short description of who is in the picture and what you have caught. Our chapter also has a Facebook page with lots of pictures and current info. Just search for “Salem NW Steelheaders” on Facebook and “like” our page. You can also see current info and pictures at our website: https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ .

Snail Mail: If you are getting this letter in the mail and have an e-mail address PLEASE let us use it to save us money on paper, ink, stamps, and my time and provide us with that information. Not getting correspondence: If you are not receiving your membership information from the Association please see the secretary, Bob Johnston. We found one member who was listed in another chapter. A lot of the phone numbers we have in the listing are not correct.

Membership renewals: We have some members with expired memberships. We are trying to keep our membership renewals current so please check your membership card to see if you may have missed your notification. If you need more information please contact Bob J. at a meeting or give him a call at 503-507- 1424. No answers please leave a message.

At our meetings we have an “open seat board”: The board has a listing of people who want to go fishing and people who have an open seat in the boat to hook up. Check it out; you may meet a new fishing buddy or someone to help you manage/ballast your boat. We have some new members who want to learn to fish for steelhead and want to fish with you. If you see a new face, please introduce yourself and see what they are interested in or ask us to help you find someone.

Hope to see you at the February meeting; we will start at 7:00 p.m. on 19th Feb. 2019 Bob Johnston, Chapter Sec., Mike Tucker President

Salem Chapter Newsletter 9 January 2019

Ladies, gentlemen, and fishermen of all ages–this is your chapter newsletter for January 2019. On behalf of our President, Matt Tucker, and the members of the board of directors, we wish you a Very Happy New Year.

Meeting Date Change: We have experienced a conflict with the scheduling of the meeting room at Keizer City Hall. Our normal meeting date would be on the 15^th of Jan. For this month it will be held on the 22^nd of Jan. at 7:00 pm. The February meeting will be held on the 19^th of Feb.

Speaker February Meeting: Our guest speaker for February will be Mr. Jon Horak, aka “Fishing Jon”
along with his co-owner Scott Barber aka “Sturgeonscott” of “FOJ Rod and Reel Repair” in Salem, Oregon. Jon formally worked with Elstads Rod and Reel Repair. They also make crab pots, and with the opening of crab season, this will be a timely presentation. See the flyer below.

“C.R.D.”=Courtesy, Respect, Decorum: Members are requested to show the speakers and other members the Courtesy of listening, Respect for what the speaker is talking about, and maintain Decorum during the presentations so other members can hear what is being presented

Speaker Openings: The board of directors makes this offer to the membership: we will schedule you as a speaker and you can present your knowledge and experiences to the membership. If you know of someone who you think would provide an informative program on any subject related to fishng, please make it known to a board member.

8 December meeting and dinner: Thank you to all our members who participated. If you missed this fun event, the food was excellent and our guest speaker, Bob Reese, was very informative.

Association raffle tickets: Thank You to the members who bought tickets at the last meeting. Please bring an extra few bucks and we will sell you some tickets.
NOTE: The scheduling mouse got us on this one also. The nice folks at Sportsman’s Warehouse have scheduled the scouts to sell on the same dates we were hoping for. We are looking for another place to sell our tickets, two weekends in February and March each, ex; 9^th and 23^rd of Feb and 9^th and 23^rd of March. We can be flexible on the dates if we can get some spots. Please give Bob Johnston any suggestions you may have.
We have raffle tickets for a three day Alaskan fishing trip, $1.00 each or 25 for $20.00 and a ClackaCraft 16’ Old School High Side Drift Boat, $6.00 each or 2 for $10.00 ready to sell. This program is a fund raiser for our chapter and the association. We will be selling tickets at the general meetings, and hopefully, if we can get some volunteers, at the Sportsman’s Warehouse on south Lancaster in Salem. I may have blocks of tickets if you would like to check them out and sell them at work, school, church, health club, Tupperware parties and such. Sure would help. Please contact me at e-mail [email protected], PH; 503-507-1424 if you can help, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE if I do not answer or at the meetings. I plan to have a signup sheet at the meeting. Sell dates will be published when we get a place.

Classes at Chemeketa C.C. : President Matt Tucker has made contact with the authorities at our Salem Community College. They are working on a project to present classes on Salmon and Steelhead fishing. The program is exploratory now, but we hope with your support, it will be part of the curriculum. We may have to start as an adult education class and work up to a class for credit. The goal is to bring the N.W. Steelheaders message and expertise to the younger members of the community; hopefully they will join our chapter.

 Have you checked our chapter web page for Fish Pictures? If you have any recent pictures of fish you have caught or places you have fished, send the pictures to our website at: [email protected] with a short description of who is in the picture and what you have caught. Our chapter also has a Facebook page with lots of pictures and current info. Just search for “Salem NW Steelheaders” on Facebook and “like” our page. You can also see current info and pictures at our website: https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ .

Snail Mail: If you are getting this letter in the mail and have an e-mail address PLEASE let us use it to save us money on paper, ink, stamps, and my time and provide us with that information.

Not getting correspondence: If you are not receiving your membership information from the Association please see the secretary, Bob Johnston. We found one member who was listed in another chapter. A lot of the phone numbers we have in the listing are not correct.

Membership renewals: We have some members with expired memberships. We are trying to keep our membership renewals current so please check your membership card to see if you may have missed your notification. If you need more information please contact Bob J. at a meeting or give him a call at 503-507-1424. No answers please leave a message.

At our meetings we have an “open seat board”: The board has a listing of people who want to go fishing and people who have an open seat in the boat to hook up. Check it out; you may meet a new fishing buddy or someone to help you manage/ballast your boat.

We have some new members who want to learn to fish for steelhead and want to fish with you. If you see a new face, please introduce yourself and see what they are interested in or ask us to help you find someone.

Hope to see you at the January meeting; we will start at 7:00 p.m. on 23 January 2019

Bob Johnston, Chapter Sec. MikeTucker President

Salem Chapter Newsletter 9 December 2018

Ladies, gentlemen, and fishermen of all ages–this is your chapter newsletter for December 2018. On behalf of our President Matt Tucker, and the members of the board of directors, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

18 December meeting and dinner has been planned by the Board. We will have the Association Past Executive Director Bob Rees as our guest speaker. Bob is in charge of campaigns and policy for the association. Bob is a guide and a very successful fisherman. We are sure you will find his presentation very informative. The chapter will provide the ham and members will bring the side dishes. We had a signup sheet at the last meeting. If you did not get a chance to sign up and want to attend, please send me an e-mail: [email protected] or 503-507-1424 and tell me how many will be attending and what you are bringing. Please leave a phone message, I do not text. Suggestions are welcome. Past dinners have been outstanding and lots of fun. The drawing will be different: all attending will be given a ticket at no cost and drawings will be made for some very nice prizes. We will provide soft beverages and tableware. Start 7:00 p.m. 18 December 2017.

“C.R.D.”=Courtesy, Respect, Decorum: The board of directors works hard to bring speakers to our meetings who are knowledgeable in their field of expertise, to enlighten and entertain the membership so you will want to attend the meetings, join and maintain your association membership and support the goals of the association. Some of our speakers travel from great distances to speak to us.
Members are requested to show the speakers and other members the Courtesy of listening, Respect for what the speaker is talking about, and maintain Decorum during the presentations so other members can hear what is being presented. Ongoing conversations with the person sitting next to you during the program, correcting the speakers on his technique, and continuous comments of your personal experiences and fishing abilities are not appropriate.

Speaker Openings: The board of directors makes this offer to the membership: we will schedule you as a speaker and you can present your knowledge and experiences to the membership. If you know of someone who you think would provide an informative program on any subject related to fishing, please make it known to a board member.

Association raffle tickets: We hope to have raffle tickets for a three day Alaskan fishing trip, $1.00 each or 25 for $20.00 and a Clacka Craft 16’ Old School High Side Drift Boat, $6.00 each or 2 for $10.00 ready to sell. This program is a fund raiser for our chapter and the association. We will be selling tickets at the general meetings, and hopefully, if we can get some volunteers, at the Sportsman’s Warehouse on south Lancaster in Salem. I may have blocks of tickets if you would like to check them out and sell them at work, school, church, health club, Tupperware parties and such. Sure would help. Please contact me at e-mail [email protected], PH; 503-507-1424 if you can help, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE if I do not answer or at the meetings. I plan to have a signup sheet at the dinner/meeting. Sell dates will be published when we get the tickets.

Donation to the Chapter: A very “big” THANK YOU to one of our members who donated $250.00 to our chapter. That is very generous of you and very much appreciated.

 Have you checked our chapter web page for Fish Pictures? If you have any recent pictures of fish you have caught or places you have fished, send the pictures to our website at: [email protected] with a short description of who is in the picture and what you have caught. Our chapter also has a Facebook page with lots of pictures and current info. Just search for “Salem NW Steelheaders” on Facebook and “like” our page. You can also see current info and pictures at our website: https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ .

Snail Mail: If you are getting this letter in the mail and have an e-mail address PLEASE let us use it to save us money on paper, ink, stamps, and my time and provide us with that information.

Membership renewals: We have some members with expired memberships. We are trying to keep our membership renewals current so please check your membership card to see if you may have missed your notification. If you need more information please contact Bob J. at a meeting or give him a call at 503-507-1424. No answers please leave a message.

At our meetings we have an “open seat board”: The board has a listing of people who want to go fishing and people who have an open seat in the boat to hook up. Check it out; you may meet a new fishing buddy or someone to help you manage/ballast your boat.

We have some new members who want to learn to fish for steelhead and want to fish with you. If you see a new face, please introduce yourself and see what they are interested in or ask us to help you find someone.

Hope to see you at the December meeting; be hungry we will start at 7:00 p.m. 18 Dec. 2018.

Bob Johnston, Chapter Sec. Matt Tucker President

Salem Chapter Newsletter 11 June 2018

Ladies, Gentlemen, and fishermen of all ages—this is your chapter newsletter  and update.  We get some sun, the weather warms and the darn weeds and grass grow faster; “Life gets Teajus don’t it.” {An old C&W song there}. Hope you have been fishing and “catching.”

We want to thank the members who showed up for the Sportsmen Caucus on the Capital Lawn in Salem on May 26. Weather was not too bad and some kids had a lot of fun. Please check the photos on our home page. https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ or our Facebook page at:https://www.facebook.com/salemnwsteelheaders/  we also want to thank the members who helped with the Youth Outdoor Day at the E.E. Wilson Wildlife area on 9 June. Weather was a little damp but people attending had a good time.

Chapter President:  Our chapter president, Brian Winn, has submitted his resignation from the office of president.  Brian has issues that he must deal with and cannot fulfill his obligations of the office.  Brian will remain as the Past President on the board of directors.  Michael Tucker will serve as President and Rod Ratzlaff will be the chapter Vice President.  

The Learn the River trip, is scheduled for30 June, and this will be the last trip for this year. The last shuttle will leave Fisherman’s Bend at9:30 a.m. for Pack Saddle Park and boat ramp.  There will be a safety meeting, signing of releases in case of injury, and underway at 10:00 a.m. This run will be more challenging than the last trip and advanced oarsmanship is strongly recommended.  Each boat will need a PFD for each person.  For more information, please contact Bob Lusk at 1-503-559-5576; no answer leave a message and your number and he will get back to you.

Steelhead 101 Class, scheduled for June has been rescheduled to 15 September, we hope to incorporate Winter Steel head information into this class. The Fly fishing class has been canceled. Hopefully, we can do this event next year.  Santiam State Park clean up: this is our month to give the nice folks at the Santiam Park a hand by doing a little clean up and pruning of the park bushes and trails. NOT as much as we did in April. For our efforts, we get the use of the park shelter free of charge for our picnic. Please bring some clippers, loppers, gloves or whatever.  We plan to be there 9:00a.m. to 11:00 a.m. or noon.  Questions please call me 503-507-1424.  

Meeting 19 June 2018: Our guest speaker at our next meeting will be Mr. Rick Breckel.

Rick retired from the Forest Service in 2008 as a Wildlife Biologist for 31 years. For the past 4 years Rick is the Project Director for a non-profit group called Kokanee Power of Oregon (KPO). There is about 150 member’s state wide and they hold 3 or 4 kokanee derbies each year and the money collected is used to enhance the kokanee fisheries around the state in cooperation with ODFW. In the last 6 years they have and still have projects producing fish at Detroit, Wickiup, and Crescent Lake.  Rick will share some tips and gear used in Kokanee fishing and show a very interesting power point program.  Let’s have a big turnout to hear him speak. See attached flyer.

 Learn How to Row a Drift Boat Workshop Saturday, June 23 @ 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Location: Riverside County Park, 17298 SE Water Ave., Clackamas, OR.

This event is hosted by the Tualatin Valley Chapter of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders. This clinic includes safety training and a float trip down the river with an experienced drift boat captain. Lunch is provided. New members welcome.
FREE for Current ANWS Members Non-member fee of $25, which includes 1 year Individual Membership to the Association of NW Steelheaders! You do not need to own a drift boat to come to this training event. If you have a drift boat and would like to bring yours to help teach others (or build your own skills) please contact us. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/165066890999451/

July 14^th [time TBA]: Chapter Picnic. We may be at Santiam State Park or Keizer Rapids. We need your input for us to increase attendance. We will address this at the next meeting. Please sign up and support our chapter.

July 29, 2018:Mid-Willamette Valley Angling Club invites you to a picnic on 12:00 at Maud Williamson State Park 22940 Southeast Dayton-Salem Highway. This is a potluck event and the MWVA Cub provides the fish and meat. Bring lawn chairs and your own silverware. Please contact Linda Chezem 503-510-2942 for additional information.

Sept. 15^th 9:00a.m.:  Summer Winter Steelhead 101 Clinic.  If you are ready to learn, get signed up at the ODFW Calendar website and tell your friends who would like to learn. We will need instructors and volunteers to assist the students. This program is put on with the assistance of ODFW who provides the equipment and support.

Have you checked our chapter web page lately? https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/  Dave S. has put a lot of work into making it informative; giving links to fishing guides, fishing news, activities, photos, and more.  If there is something you want to see on the board or have something to contribute, i.e. a story or photos, please let us know.  We have the “how to make rags with photos” on the page. We would like to put photos of fish you catch on the page. Members can send their fish pictures to the club at the address above please include your contact information. 

At our meetings we have an “open seat board”: with a listing of people who want to go fishing and people who have an open seat in the boat to hook up. Check it out; you may meet a new fishing buddy or someone to help you manage/ballast your boat.

We have some new members who want to learn to fish for steelhead and want to fish with you. If you see a new face, please introduce yourself and see what they are interested in or ask us to help you find someone.

Are you getting your Association magazine, The Northwest Steelheader, information from the association, and chapter e-mails? If you are not, please contact me.

Snail Mail: If you are getting this letter in the mail and have an e-mail address PLEASE   let us use it to save us money on paper, ink, stamps, and my time and provide us with that information.

Be part of the 100,000 Spring Chinook Returning to the Willamette River.. The Quest for 100K’s objective is to get 100,000 spring Chinook back to the Willamette River each and every year for the benefit of sport anglers, food banks and general overall ecology of the region. Sea lions are currently the major bottleneck for the recovery of upper Willamette Basin salmon and steelhead stocks to accomplish this goal.  More information at the association web page: https://nwsteelheaders.org and our web page: https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ Soon I will have information and action pages at the meeting. Email me if you want some more information.

Membership renewals:   We have 24 members with expired memberships; we are trying to keep our membership renewals current so please check your membership card to see if you may have missed your notification. We do not want to lose someone who missed renewing. If you need more information please contact Bob J. at a meeting or give him a call at 503-507-1424.

See you soon, Bob Johnston, Sec.

Salem Chapter News Letter 10 May 2018

Ladies, Gentlemen, and fishermen of all ages—this is your chapter news letter and update. We get some sun, the weather warms and the darn weeds and grass grow faster, “Life gets Teajus don’t it”. {An old C&W song there}. Hope you have been fishing and “catching”.

I want to thank the members who showed up for the cleaning and maintenance of Minto Park on the 5^th of May. Some folks brought heavy duty equipment and lots of elbow grease. We left the park in much better shape than we found it. Weather was cool at the start but when we ate our delicious “cook out” lunch [see what you missed] it was just right, no rain. Thanks again for your help.

N.W. Steelheaders magazine that you should have received last week has an very interesting and informative article penned by President Brian Winn. The article is on page 15, titled “Salem Teachings,”. You will find it very informative. Brian continues his treatments and rehabilitation for the loss of his leg and is improving.

The Learn the River trip, scheduled for May 5^th was rescheduled for May 12th, weather and river permitting. This run will be from Mehama boat ramp to Stayton boat ramp. Last shuttle will leave Stayton at 9:30 am. There will be a safety meeting, signing of releases in case of injury and underway at 10:00 am. This run will be a bit more challenging than the last trip and there will be a portage using the boat slide at Bennett Dam just east of Stayton. Each boat should have a minimum of 100 ft of rope to get your boat down the slide. For more information, please contact Bob Lusk at 1-503-559-5576; no answer leave a message and your number and he will get back to you. If you plan to go and want to see some recent photos of the area around the dam, contact me at: [email protected] I will send them to you.

The Salmon Quest and fishing tourmanent and banquet will be held on the 12^th of May at 8:00 am at Camp Withycombe. If you are intrested in entering the fishing tourmanent or want to assist with the program, you can see information at www.nwsteelheaders.org or [email protected] or call 503-653-4176 and the Steelheader magazine.

Meeting on the 15^th of May. The speaker for this month will be Mr.Bruce Polley of the Coastal Conservation Association Salem Chapter. Bruce is a State Vice President for CCA and chairs the government relations committee. He has been involved in fish advocacy about 15 years. The first 5 as an individual, the last ten as a CCA member and officer. Bruce actively fishes for salmon and some steelhead. He is a Doryman with a house in Pacific City where he fishes all the local ocean fisheries plus coastal rivers as far south as the Coquille. Bruce will speak about his experience in fish politics in Oregon and the state of the Columbia River Reforms. Let’s have a big turnout to hear him speak.

19 May, Steelhead 101 Class, will be held at the Santiam State Park, highway 22 east of Salem. This is hosted by the Salem Chapter and ODFW. The class will cover the basics of steelhead fishing. If you are interested in attending please check out: https://myodfw.com/workshops-and-events scroll down to find the 101 class. There is a charge for this event, but if you are a member of NW Steelheaders part of the charge will be refunded.

26 May, NW Steelheaders Event at the State Capitol: V.P. Mat Tucker advises us that the Association will be installing a fishing pond at the state capitol on 26 May at 9:00 am until sometime in the afternoon. Mat and Bob Rees are asking for 5 or 6 of our chapter members to volunteer to help with the fishing poles and such. For more information contact Mat T. at <[email protected]>.

Fly Fishing Clinic is scheduled for 23 June at 9:00 am. If you have expertise or want to help with this program, coordinator, instructor or helpers, contact the President or Vice President.

Mark your calendar for events the chapter and Association has planned.

May 12^th , Learn the River Trip Mehama to Stayton at 10:00 am.
May 12^th, NWSH Asso. Salmon Quest fishing tournament and banquet. See above and Association Web page.
May 19^th; 9:00am: Summer Steelhead Clinic starts, 9:00am till about 3:00pm. Lunch will be served to all attendees. Helpers will be appreciated.
May 26^th 9:00am: NWSH Association Fishing Tank at the State Capitol.
June 9, 7:00am: Youth Outdoor day at E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area Monmouth OR. This is the crazy one with 200 fishing poles and 700 kids; you do the math. We do get lunch and the kids are a real delight. Our time for arrival is about 7:00 a.m. to set up all the poles and be ready for the young fishermen. [We need volunteers to prepare the poles with leader and hooks before the event.]
June 23^rd 9:00am: Fly fishing, this clinic is for newbie’s and we get a good response every time we put it on.
July 14^th [time tba]: Chapter Picnic. We may be at Santiam State Park or Keizer Rapids. We need your input for us to increase attendance.
August 18^th 9:00 am: Advanced Fly Fishing, a little dual purpose rods and some Spey rods and any kind of special help you may need. It will be at the Santiam State Park.
Sept. 15^th 9:00am: Winter Steelhead Clinic. If you are ready to learn, get signed up at the ODFW Calendar website and tell your friends who would like to learn.
We in the Salem Chapter love to fish and hunt and we love our forests and rivers, keeping our fish alive so we can enjoy catching them are our priority, and should be the priority of all our members. Stand by your chapter and keep volunteering as we need your help. If you are a member you can reach me anytime 623-363-7387 cell. Thanks, Brian Winn Pres. Salem Chapter.

Have you checked our chapter web page lately? https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ Dave S. has put a lot of work into making it informative; giving links to fishing guides, fishing news, activities, photos, and more. If there is something you want to see on the board or have something to contribute, i.e. a story or photos, please let us know. We have the “how to make rags with photos” on the page. We would like to put photos of fish you catch on the page.

At our meetings we have an “open seat board”: with a listing of people who want to go fishing and people who have an open seat in the boat to hook up. Check it out; you may meet a new fishing buddy or someone to help you manage/ballast your boat.

We have some new members who want to learn to fish for steelhead and want to fish with you. If you see a new face, please introduce yourself and see what they are interested in or ask us to help you find someone.

Are you getting your Association magazine, The Northwest Steelheader, information from the association, and chapter e-mails? If you are not, please contact me.

Snail Mail: If you are getting this letter in the mail and have an e-mail address PLEASE let us use it to save us money on paper, ink, stamps, and my time and provide us with that information.

Be part of the 100,000 Spring Chinook Returning to the Willamette River.. The Quest for 100K’s objective is to get 100,000 spring Chinook back to the Willamette River each and every year for the benefit of sport anglers, food banks and general overall ecology of the region. Sea lions are currently the major bottleneck for the recovery of upper Willamette Basin salmon and steelhead stocks to accomplish this goal. More information at the association web page: https://nwsteelheaders.org and our web page: https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ Soon I will have information and action pages at the meeting. Email me if you want some more information.

Membership renewals: We have 24 members with expired memberships, we are trying to keep our membership renewals current so please check your membership card to see if you may have missed your notification. We do not want to lose someone who missed renewing. If you need more information please contact Bob J. at a meeting or give him a call at 503-507-1424.

See you soon, Bob Johnston, Sec.

Salem Chapter, Salem, Oregon, 10 January 2018

Ladies, gentlemen, and fishermen of all ages—this is your chapter newsletter update. On behalf of our Vice President, Rod Ratzlaff, and the members of the board of directors, we wish you a very Happy New Year.

We want to thank all the members who attended and provided such scrumptious food for our December meeting and dinner. If you missed it, you missed another good one. Bob Rees, the Executive Director of the Steelheaders Association, was a very informative and entertaining speaker.

How to make Rags was one of the subjects Bob Rees talked about and he demonstrated how to make a bait rag. Dave Hopfer looked in his files and found an article that was published in the first Salem Chapter Newsletter [Sept.2000] describing how to make the rag. I will have some print outs for you at the next meeting and Dave S. will put it on our chapter web page: https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/2018/01/how-to-make-steelhead-rags/

Note: Upholstery needles have bigger eyes for threading the yarn making it easier to see.

Past President Brian Winn is home, recovering well, and we hope he will be able to be an active member again soon.

Membership Renewal reward gift card program was reviewed at the last board meeting and some changes have been made. The chapter has been entering the names of members who have renewed into a $25.00 gift card quarterly drawing as an encouragement to renew your membership and attend the chapter meetings. You must be present to win. Names will be entered in the quarterly drawing when the association posts the payment. {Sometimes they are a little slow].

Have you checked our chapter web page lately? https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ Dave S. has put a lot of work into making it informative, gives links to fishing guides, fishing news, activities, photos, and more. We hope to have “open seat” availability on the board soon. If there is something you want to see on the board or have something to contribute, i.e. a story or photos, please let us know.

At our meetings we have an open seat board with a listing of people who want to go fishing and people who have an open seat in the boat to hook up. Check it out; you may meet a new fishing buddy, or someone to help you manage/ballast your boat.

We have some new members who want to learn to fish for steelhead and want to fish with you. If you see a new face, please introduce yourself and see what they are interested in or ask us to help you find someone.

We have the association raffle tickets for a 16’ Old School High Side Drift Boat, $6.00 each or 2 for $10.00 to sell. We sold all the Alaska Trip tickets. Thank you to the members who have helped. This program is a fund raiser for our chapter and the association. We will be selling tickets at the general meetings, and hopefully, if we can get some volunteers, teams of three people works best, at the Sportsman’s Warehouse on south Lancaster in Salem. I have reserved the following Saturdays: 20 January, 3 February, and 17 February 2018. I have blocks of tickets if you would like to check them out and sell them at work, school, church, health club, Tupperware parties and such. Sure would help. Please contact me at e-mail [email protected], PH; 503-507-1424 if you can help, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE if I do not answer or see me at the meetings.

Are you getting your Association magazine, The Northwest Steelheader, information from the association, and chapter e-mails? If you are not, please contact me. If you are getting this letter in the mail and have an e-mail address PLEASE let us use it to save us money on paper, ink, stamps, and my time and provide us with that information.

We are still looking for someone to step up and take the office of Chapter President. Rod is doing an outstanding job as Vice President, but his day job limits the time he can give to us. A Salem resident would be most helpful.

Be part of the 100,000 Spring Chinook Returning to the Willamette River. The association will convene a public meeting on January 9th at Camp Withycombe to discuss 2018 priorities as it relates to its Quest for 100k Campaign. The Quest for 100K’s objective is to get 100,000 spring Chinook back to the Willamette River each and every year for the benefit of sport anglers, food banks and general overall ecology of the region. Sea lions are currently the major bottleneck for the recovery of upper Willamette Basin salmon and steelhead stocks. Come join us at 6:30 p.m. at the camp and help us craft a plan to accomplish this goal. More information and RSVP at the association web page: https://nwsteelheaders.org and our web page: https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ soon.

January Meeting: Our guest speaker is guide and fisherman, owner of Dinger Jigs, Sam Wurdinger. Sam will give us formation about the fishing gear used in the local area, and other fisheries. NOTE: Sam is an interesting speaker so let’s turn out and show our appreciation for him taking his time and traveling to talk with us. http://dingerjigs.com
“Growing up and fishing with my dad was always fun and exciting. However, the addiction didn’t truly take hold until I started going on my own.  From this point on it was the anticipation of what might be that kept me coming back. Once I got home each day I would sit down to tie up what I thought would work for the next trip. This passion has kept me tying jigs for over ten years. In this time I have learned the hard way that quality materials such as Owner hooks and tying materials from places like Hareline Dubbin are the only way to be able to have confidence that you are fishing a quality product that isn’t going to fail in the moment of truth.”

If you have suggestions for speakers or programs you would like to hear, please tell us.

We hope to see you at our January meeting, bring a friend and who knows, you may win a prize.

Bob Johnston, Chapter Sec.

Salem Chapter, Salem, Oregon, 11 December 2017

Ladies, gentlemen, and fishermen of all ages, this is your chapter update-newsletter for December 2017. On behalf of our Vice President, Rod Ratzlaff, and the members of the board of directors, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

December meeting and dinner is being planned by the Board. We will have the Association Executive Director Bob Rees as our guest speaker. Bob is a guide and a very successful fisherman. The chapter will provide the ham and members will bring the side dishes. We had a signup sheet at the last meeting. If you did not get a chance to sign up and want to attend, please send me an e-mail: joh[email protected] or 503-507-1424 and tell me how many will be attending and what you are bringing, Please leave a message. Suggestions are welcome. Past dinners have been outstanding and lots of fun. The drawing will be different: all attending will be given a ticket at no cost and a drawing will be made for some very nice prizes. We will provide soft beverages and tableware. Start 7:00 p.m.

We have the association raffle tickets for a three day Alaskan fishing trip, $1.00 each or 25 for $20.00 and ClackaCraft 16’ Old School High Side Drift Boat, $6.00 each or 2 for $10.00 ready to sell. This program is a fund raiser for our chapter and the association. We will be selling tickets at the general meetings, and hopefully, if we can get some volunteers, at the Sportsman’s Warehouse on south Lancaster in Salem. I have reserved the following Saturdays: 16 December, 6 January and 20 January. I have blocks of tickets if you would like to check them out and sell them at work, school, church, health club, Tupperware parties and such. Sure would help. Please contact me at e-mail [email protected], PH; 503-507-1424 if you can help, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE if I do not answer or at the meetings.) Dates for selling tickets at Sportsman’s Warehouse on Lancaster Salem:Two shifts 1000-12:00 am, 12:00-3:00 pm. Hope to have three person teams. Our chapter receives money from the ticket sales. The association today just announced: Persons selling tickets will be entered in a drawing for one person. 

ANWS will purchase one 3-day, 4-night fishing package at Kenai Riverside Lodge as a raffle sales incentive prize to be redeemed in August 2018. Prize includes ground transportation to and from Anchorage and the lodge, lodging, meals, and three days guided fishing. This package is valued at $2,780. All the winner needs is to get to Anchorage.

Have you checked our chapter web page lately? https://salemnwsteelheaders.org/ Dave S. has put a lot of work to make it informative, links to fishing guides, fishing news, activities, photos, and more. We hope to have “open seat” availability on the board soon. If there is something you want to see on the board or have something to contribute, i.e. a story or photos, please let us know.

NOTE: At our meetings we have an open seat board with a listing of people who want to go fishing and people who have an open seat in the boat to hook up. Check it out, you may meet a new fishing buddy.

Our Past President, Brian Winn, is improving but he is still experiencing medical problems that have left him with limited mobility and ability to carry out the duties of his office. He is in the Vancouver VA Hospital so if you are in the area and have some free time, he would enjoy a visit. We understand he has improved so much that he may get a pass to come home for part of the holidays.

November Meeting: Our guest speaker was local guide and fisherman, Matt Halseth. Matt gave us lots of information about the North Santiam River, local area, and coast fisheries. If you have suggestions of speakers or programs you would like to hear, please tell us.

Are you getting your Association magazine, The Northwest Steelheader, information from the association, and chapter e-mails? If you are not, please contact me. I think there are two listings at HQ. that may not be accurate. If you are getting this letter in the mail and have an e-mail address PLEASE let us use it to save us money on paper, ink, stamps, and my time and provide us with that information. Some e-mail I do send bounces back because of errors, or your box is full. I need a little help here.

We are still looking for someone to step up and take the office of Chapter President. Rod is doing an outstanding job as Vice President, but his day job limits the time he can give to us. A Salem resident would be most helpful.

Hope to see you at the December meeting, be hungry we will start at 7:00 p.m.

Bob Johnston, Chapter Sec.