March 2023 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter

for March 2023

 

 

 

Plans for March 21st Program Include the Possibility of a Joint Meeting

Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, our Salem Chapter has been struggling to maintain attendance at our monthly membership meetings at a high enough level to attract good quality program speakers. This month is no exception and President Jay Wylie and our Board Members have been working on an idea to increase attendance by opening our meetings to members of the local CCA (Coastal Conservation Association) and the Mid-Willamette Valley Anglers Club. As of press time, President Jay had extended invitations to attend our March 21st meeting to both of these groups and reports that he has secured Randy Bales or a representative of Lured as our featured program speaker.

Plans for April 18th Meeting Include a Fishing Workshop & Swap Meet

Please plan to bring your best fishing related skills (such as knot tying, lure making or crabbing expertise) to share with other members at our April 18th meeting. A “sign-up sheet” will be available at our March 21st meeting for anyone who would like to present a short “how to” tutorial about a fishing topic or skill they might like to share. You can also bring along any extra fishing gear or tackle that you might want to sell, trade or give to other members.

Bernie Hoene – Bait-N-Wait Fishing Charters Featured in Salmon Trout Steelheader Magazine

Salem Chapter Member Bernie Hoene was recently featured in the December-January issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader Magazine. Bernie has been providing guided Kokanee and Rainbow Trout fishing trips on Detroit Lake and Green Peter Reservoir since 2016 and was the subject of author Brent Knight’s regularly featured article, “The Guide Spotlight.” Brent’s six-page article provided a comprehensive review of Bernie’s guide service business and was a very positive testimonial to his competence as an excellent fishing guide for Kokanee and Rainbow Trout. A sampling of the information in the article has been included below. For more details, please pull out your December-January issue of STS Magazine or go to: salmontroutsteelheader.com to subscribe. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to Bernie for making “The Guide Spotlight!”

 

Nigel Hearne to Host and Manage Salem Chapter’s Facebook Page

Your Salem Chapter Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Member Nigel Hearne has graciously agreed to create and manage a Facebook Page for our Club. Nigel is a very computer savy guy and we are happy to have his time and skills available to us in this capacity. Nigel plans to have the page up and running within the next few weeks. The URL address will be: facebook.com/salemsteelheaders. Please check it out and let Nigel know of any feedback or recommendations you might have.

Our Next Board of Directors Meeting is Scheduled for April 5th

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6:30 PM on the first Wednesday of each month.

 

We look forward to our program from Lured on March 21st and hope you can join us!

 

 

Website: luredbythebead.com

 

 

 

Submitted by Mike Ferris

Salem Chapter Secretary

 

 

February 2023 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter

for February 2023

February 21st Meeting Program by Greg Walsh – Emergency Preparedness Manager for the City of Salem

Our February 21st meeting will feature a program by Greg Walsh – Emergency Preparedness Manager for the City of Salem. Greg is a Certified C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team) trainer. We look forward to his presentation.

Winter Steelhead Beginning to Show in Oregon’s Coastal Rivers…and a Fish Story to Prove It

Beautiful sunny days don’t happen very often in the middle of January so, when the rain finally subsided and the river levels dropped on January 24th, Salem Chapter Secretary, Mike Ferris and former Salem Chapter member, Lee Harrington headed for the Siletz River. They launched their drift boat near the town of Siletz and, as expected, both the weather and the fishing were great but the catching was a little slow. After releasing several good-sized Sea Run Cutthroat Trout, Lee decided to change up his fishing gear and switched from the usual plugs, bobbers and jigs over to a colorful size number 4 spinner. His efforts were almost immediately rewarded and, after a lively five-minute battle, Lee landed a beautiful, bright native Winter Steelhead which was promptly photographed and released. About thirty minutes later and a quarter mile downstream, Lee hooked another larger Steelhead which proved to be too big to get a good look at before it spit the hook and disappeared back into the fast-moving current. All things considered, it was a “picture perfect” day of Winter Steelhead fishing and similar stories were also reported by a few other fishermen we met on the river that day.

Dr. Lee Harrington with a wild Winter Steelhead caught and released on the Siletz River

 

Dr. Lee Harrington with a wild Winter Steelhead caught and released on the Siletz River

Our Next Board of Directors Meeting is Scheduled for March 1st

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6:30 PM.

 

Reminder Notice for Membership Dues

If you need to pay your annual membership dues, attached is a Membership Form for your convenience. Please return your completed form and dues payment to:

 

Linda Chezem – Treasurer

663 Rockwood St. SE

Salem, OR. 97306

Please note that the payment amount for annual dues has changed to $40.00 effective February 1, 2023.

Submitted by Mike Ferris

Salem Chapter Secretary

January 2023 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter

for January 2023

January 17th Meeting includes a program by Brian Paulsen of the Oregon State Marine Board.

Our January 17th meeting will feature a presentation by Brian Paulsen – Boating Safety Program Manager for the Oregon State Marine Board. Brian oversees Outfitter Guides, Marine Law Enforcement, Waterways and Boater Education & Outreach for the OSMB. Brian plans to discuss the various roles and duties of his position at the Oregon State Marine Board. On a personal level, he describes himself as a lifelong boater and fisherman.

A photo of our new embroidered logo patch

New Embroidered ANWS Logo Patches are here!

We recently received a dozen embroidered ANWS Logo Patches and now have them available for sale. The patches measure 5.5 inches long and 2.25 inches tall and are good fit for your favorite shirt or jacket (if you can get them sewn on). They will be available at our next meeting at a price of $8.00 each.

Salem Steelheader DVDs now available for purchase

For many years, Salem Chapter member Dave Hopfer served as our official “Club Videographer.” During that time, Dave recorded a large video library of many past program speaker presentations and other club events. Shortly after Dave passed away last January, his family donated his collection of over 134 DVDs to our club. Since then, our Past Secretary Bob Johnston has taken on a new role as “Club Archivist” and has been creating an inventory of those DVDs for future enjoyment by our members. Bob says he plans to complete an inventory listing soon. So, if you would like to have a copy of a past program presentation, please let him know. DVD copies will be available for purchase at $10.00 each. The proceeds from all sales will be donated to our Salem Chapter.

Our Next Board of Directors Meeting is Scheduled for February 1st

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6:30 PM.

 

Reminder Notice for Membership Dues

If you need to pay your annual membership dues, attached is a Membership Form for your convenience. Please return your completed form and dues payment to:

Linda Chezem – Treasurer

663 Rockwood St. SE

Salem, OR. 97306

Submitted by Mike Ferris

Salem Chapter Secretary

Membership Form

December 2022 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter

for December 2022

 

Program plans for December 20th include a potluck dinner and Alaska fishing slideshow

Alaska Fishing Trip

In keeping with our usual Holiday tradition, our next membership meeting will feature a delicious Holiday ham donated by our loveable Past Chapter Secretary, Bob Johnston. So far, 21 people have signed up to attend and bring various yummy side dishes and desserts. All things considered, it should be a great dinner meeting. Plans for a program after dinner currently include a fishing slideshow tour of Coffman Cove, Alaska presented by Mike Ferris, our Salem Chapter Secretary. Several of our members have joined us on this trip in the past and here is a small sample of what you can expect to see:

Salem Chapter V.P. Rod Ratzlaff and members Larry Bond & Arden Corey showing off the results of their fishing adventures in Coffman Cove, Alaska on Prince of Wales Island

Embroidered ANWS Logo Patches are on the way!

The latest word from our Executive Director, Jason Wedemeyer, is that an order of embroidered patches bearing the Association of Northwest Steelheaders logo is on its way. Patches will be available for purchase at a price of $8.00 to any interested members. Please stay tuned for further developments.

Our Next Board of Directors Meeting is Scheduled for January 4th

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes all Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6:30 PM.

 

Reminder Notice for Membership Dues

If you need to pay your annual membership dues, attached is a Membership Form for your convenience. Please return your completed form and dues payment to:

 

Linda Chezem – Treasurer

663 Rockwood St. SE

Salem, OR. 97306

Submitted by Mike Ferris

Salem Chapter Secretary

Membership Form

November 2022 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter for November 2022

 

Program Speaker for November 15th

The latest word is that we will have a representative from the Garmin Company as the program speaker for our November 15th meeting. As of “press time,” no further details were available.

 

So just how bad has the Salmon fishing been this Fall?…

The short answer is, it’s so bad we’ve decided to go crabbing instead! To stave off the boredom which normally goes with fishing and not catching anything, Salem Chapter member Nigel Hearne decided to try something new this year.

Salem Chapter Members Nigel Hearne and Mike Ferris on a crabbing trip to Nestucca Bay

Since he had never been crabbing before, he consulted with Club Secretary, Mike Ferris in October about how to catch Dungeness crabs. After a well-oiled Happy Hour discussion on the finer points of rigging and baiting crab traps they planned a trip to the Oregon Coast on November 3rd to test the waters of Nestucca Bay near Pacific City.

They arrived at the boat launch about one hour before slack high tide and soon had their traps baited up and soaking in a few strategically selected spots. After less than two hours of pulling pots, each landed their limit of twelve “keeper sized” male Dungeness crabs and were back at the boat ramp cleaning and cooking their catch before noon…Try that fishing for salmon or steelhead! Anyway, a good time was had by all, and Nigel and Mike are now in discussions with the Salem Chapter Board of Directors, about ways to provide a similar experience for some of the rest of our members.

The goal of this idea would be to match up our members who own towing vehicles and boats with members who don’t. A thirsty pick-up truck can suck up most of a $100 bill on a round trip to the Oregon Coast but, if you have a generous crabbing partner with some cash come along, everybody can win when the final expenses are totaled and split. At a minimum, watching one of your fellow Steelheaders jumping around in the boat with an angry Dungeness crab hanging onto various parts of their anatomy can be a great source of entertainment!

For future consideration, here are a few good crabbing tides at the Oregon Coast over the next couple of months: November 21st through 27th and December 5th through 13th

Our Next Board of Directors Meeting is Scheduled for December 7th

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes all Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6:30 PM.

 

Reminder Notice for Membership Dues

If you need to pay your annual membership dues, attached is a Membership Form for your convenience. Please return your completed form and dues payment to:

 

Linda Chezem – Treasurer

663 Rockwood St. SE

Salem, OR. 97306

Submitted by Mike Ferris

Salem Chapter Secretary

Membership Form

October 2022 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter for October 2022

 

 

Program Speaker for October 18th is Jason Wedemeyer – ANWS Executive Director

The program for our October 18th membership meeting will feature a visit from our new Director of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders. Jason Wedemeyer will let us know what’s going on with our parent organization and be available to take our questions and suggestions about its future direction. Please plan to attend and bring your questions and recommendations.

Looking for a Good Deal on a Downrigger?

Thanks to a generous donation by one of our Salem Chapter members, our club will have two manual Cannon downriggers available for sale at the October 18th meeting. Kokanee season will be here again before you know it so plan to be ready when it arrives. The “asking price” is $40.00 each which is a small fraction of what you might expect to pay for a new one. Please see Chapter Treasurer, Linda Chezem for more details.

Outriggers

 

Our Next Board of Directors Meeting is Scheduled for November 2nd

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes all Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6:30 PM.

 

Reminder Notice for Membership Dues

If you have not yet paid your annual membership dues, attached is a Membership Form for your convenience. Please return your completed form and dues payment to:

Linda Chezem – Treasurer

663 Rockwood St. SE

Salem, OR. 97306

 

Submitted by Mike Ferris

Salem Chapter Secretary

Membership Form

September 2022 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter

for September 2022

 

                               

Membership Meeting on September 20th is “Pizza Night”  

Given that the last regular membership meeting prior to our summer break was held on June 21st, we don’t have a program speaker lined up for this month. That being the case, the best we can do is serve up some pizza and ask everyone to bring a good “fish story” to the meeting.  Also, please let us know what topics and program speakers you might like to see at our futuremeetings.  Please bring your fish stories, program ideas and a big appetite to the meeting.  So that we can order enough pizza, please RSVP to Mike Ferris – Club Secretary by September 18th at: [email protected] or call or text Mike at:  971-273-3422.  We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

 

 

Our Next Board of Directors Meeting is Scheduled for October 5th

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes all Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6:30 PM.

 

                                                 

Reminder Notice for 2022 Membership Dues

If you have not yet paid your annual membership dues for 2022, attached is a Membership Form for your convenience.  Please return your completed form and dues payment to:

Linda Chezem – Treasurer

663 Rockwood St. SE

Salem, OR.  97306

 

Submitted by Mike Ferris – Salem Chapter Secretary

June 2022 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter for June 2022

 

Guest Speaker for June 21st Meeting is Jenny Ammon – Environmental Education Coordinator for the City of Keizer

Over the past few years, Jenny Ammon has worked as an Angler Education Coordinator at the ODFW and then as a Natural Resource Educator at the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District. In her new role with the City of Keizer, Jenny plans to present a brief program on “water law history and how the city operates stormwater outreach and education based upon those laws and permits.”

Picnic Plans for July / No Membership Meetings Scheduled for July and August

In the past, our club normally organized a picnic in place of a July Membership Meeting.

That wasn’t been possible in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic and we will decide at our July 21st meeting if we will hold a picnic this year. Please plan to attend and help finalize our plans.

Next Board of Directors Meeting is Scheduled for August 17th

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes all Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6:30 PM.

A “Near Miss” Story from the Buell Miller Park Boat Ramp

On Sunday, May 5th, after a beak in torrential downpours the week prior, I took two fishing clients down the North Santiam from Stayton to Buell Miller Park. When we arrived at the Stayton Boat Ramp, the river was clear and appeared to be both navigable and fishable. The day started off well enough with a nice break in the weather and we were able to fish along the sides of the main current where the anchor would hold. It didn’t rain a drop while we were on the water, but the fishing was very slow with only one good bite all day.

The excitement started at the very end of our drift as we approached the takeout and the fast flowing current managed to shoot our boat right past the big swirling back eddy in front of the Buell Miller Boat Ramp. By the time I was able to slow the boat down enough to get near the left bank, we were already about 100 feet past the ramp and still headed downstream toward a reported impassible logjam about four miles downriver. At that point, I rowed as hard as I could and drove the bow of the boat into the left riverbank, dropped the anchor and we all grabbed onto the branches of some small trees lining the bank to hold the boat in place. What followed next was nothing short of a “miracle of teamwork” with my father and son passengers. The son jumped out the front of the boat and stood in the near waist deep water while his dad, climbed out onto the bank. From there, we all held the now much lighter boat in place and were able to pull the boat upstream far enough to get it into the eddy which flows back up toward the boat ramp. With disaster averted, I was then able to row the boat back up the eddy and onto the boat ramp. This whole experience is not one that I would recommend repeating and would caution everyone to stay off the North Santiam whenever the flow is running above five feet at Mehama.

Reminder Notice for 2022 Membership Dues

If you have not yet paid your annual membership dues for 2022, attached is a Membership Form for your convenience. Please return your completed form and dues payment to:

 

Linda Chezem – Treasurer

663 Rockwood St. SE

Salem, OR. 97306

Membership Form

 

Submitted by Mike Ferris – Club Secretary

 

May 2022 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter for May 2022

 

Mid-Valley Chapter Holds Fishing Gear Sale in Albany

With the North Santiam running at flood stage in Mehama on Saturday, May 7th, the usual Learn the River Trip sponsored by the North Santiam River Guides Association had been cancelled and Past Salem Chapter Secretary, Bob Johnston and I had plenty of free time to attend a fishing gear sale and swap meet held by the ANWS Mid-Valley Chapter. This event was open to the public and George Larson – Club Treasurer said they had been attempting to conduct the event despite the pandemic since last June. George explained that “members provided fishing gear and tackle equipment at individual tables and purchasers came from both within and outside the group.”

Also participating in the event were four University of Oregon master’s degree students and their teacher, Melissa Graciosa. These students are studying community and regional planning, public policy, and management. They were there to share information on their estuary management planning project in Yaquina Bay and talk with our members about fishing experiences on the Yaquina River Estuary.

Mid-Valley Chapter Fishing Gear Sale at Bryant Park in Albany Jim Salee – Mid-Valley Chapter President at their sale and fundraising event

In addition to scoring a couple bargains on two vintage fishing reels, Bob and I were able to observe firsthand what another club is doing to raise funds and promote their Chapter. In addition to scoring a couple bargains on two vintage fishing reels, Bob and I were able to observe firsthand what another club is doing to raise funds and promote their Chapter.

May 17th Program Speakers will be Wayne & Tyson Parker of Good Day Fishing, Inc.

Wayne Parker started Good Day Fishing, Inc. in 2006 after developing a line of anise scented hand wipes and rubber fish cleaning mats. In the sixteen years since then, he has added many more innovative products such as scent dispensing fishing lures, “blinkie lights,” flashers and customized spinners. More recently, Wayne’s Grandson, Tyson, has joined him in the operation of the business and their product line continues to grow. We look forward to their presentation on Tuesday to hear about their latest new products.

Good Day Fishing9007 River Rd NE

Salem, Oregon 97303

Phone: 503-428-8077

gooddayfishing.com

Next Board of Directors Meeting to be held on June 1st

As usual, our Board of Directors welcomes all Salem Chapter members to attend our Board Meetings held at Sportsman’s Warehouse on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM.

Reminder Notice for 2022 Membership Dues

If you have not yet paid your annual membership dues for 2022, attached is a Membership Form for your convenience. Please return your completed form and dues payment to:

Linda Chezem – Treasurer

663 Rockwood St. SE

Salem, OR. 97306

Submitted by Mike Ferris – Club Secretary

 

April 2022 Newsletter

Salem Chapter Northwest Steelheaders Newsletter for April 2022

 

Another Successful Learn the River Trip – Stayton to Green’s Bridge

On Saturday, April 2nd, a few of our Salem Chapter members participated in another successful Learn the River Trip organized by the North Santiam River Guides Association. The weather and river conditions were great for this month’s drift from Stayton to Green’s Bridge. Those participating gained valuable navigation knowledge about that stretch of the North Santiam River. A safe passage was enjoyed by all including the area of the much feared “braided channels” mid-way between Shelburn and Green’s Bridge. Many thanks to our past Club Secretary, Bob Johnston, for providing these great photos and much needed shuttle service for our long river drift.

 

 

Learn the River Trip participants gather for a quick safety meeting and prepare to shove off at the Stayton Boat Ramp

April 19th Meeting: Program Speaker is Bart DeBow – Fish Count Specialist with ODFW

Have you ever wondered how many salmon and steelhead are in the North Santiam? If so, you’ll want to attend our next membership meeting on April 19th . Plans for our meeting include a presentation by Bart DeBow of the ODFW. Bart is a Fish Count Specialist on the North Santiam River at Bennet Dam located just above Stayton. His primary duty is to provide fish video monitoring at both the upper and lower fish ladder facilities so that accurate fish counts can be recorded and tracked. Bart has been a valuable resource for me and my fishing buddies in the past when we’re trying to figure out if there are any salmon or steelhead running above Stayton and, if so, how many. Bart’s information will cover annual fish count statistics from 1997 through 2021. Please plan to attend and bring all your questions.

Board of Directors Meeting Held on April 6th

Our Board of Directors Meeting was held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 6: 30 PM on April 6th. In addition to our usual business, we were pleased to have one of our newer members, Nigel Hearne, join us and discuss some possible strategies for improving our club’s membership numbers. Ever since the COVID pandemic began in 2019, our membership has dropped significantly and our regular meetings have either been cancelled or poorly attended. While the reasons for this trend are obvious and have been beyond our control, we did discuss a few ideas which may help to grow our chapter membership in the future.

Here are a few of the ideas we brainstormed at our meeting:

Re-activate the Northwest Steelheaders Association Raffle Drawing

Prior to the pandemic, our Salem Chapter participated in the ANWS annual raffle. Our members regularly volunteered to sell raffle tickets at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Salem and, in the process, we met many prospective new members who later attended our meetings and became members. This event proved to be an effective means of public outreach and membership growth until COVID restrictions made it impossible to continue. Perhaps we could start this effort back up again when public health conditions permit.

Re-initiate Fishing and Outdoor Skills Classes witAnother Successful Learn the River Trip – Stayton to Green’s Bridgeh ODFW

Here again, prior to the pandemic, our Salem Chapter was actively involved in organizing and teaching Outdoor Skills classes with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. In the past, this popular class has attracted prospective new members to Salem all the way from Portland and Eugene.

Sponsor More Youth Fishing Events and Training Classes

Old age and COVID has taken a toll on the number ofAnother Successful Learn the River Trip – Stayton to Green’s Bridge our active members over the past year and it makes good sense to focus our volunteer efforts on young people. That being the case, it’s a good idea to help interest kids in fishing any way we can. Offering youth fishing classes and events like “Hooked on Family Fishing Day” would be a great way to accomplish that.

These were a few of the ideas we discussed at our Board Meeting and it would be great if more of our members could join us to share additional ideas in the future. Please remember… you are all invited and welcome to attend. Our next Board Meeting is scheduled for May 4th.

Submitted by Mike Ferris – Club Secretary