ANWS September Newsletter - River Cleanup, New Operations Manager, Tillamook Fish-along

The 15th Annual Down the River Clean Up on Sunday, September 10, 2017, marks 15 years of safeguarding clean drinking water and protecting fish and wildlife habitat and the quality of life for those who live, work and recreate in the watershed. This year's trash sweep at the end of the summer recreation season will cover a 20+ mile stretch of the Clackamas River from Estacada to the confluence with the Willamette River in Oregon City.

Pre-registration is required at:

http://www.welovecleanrivers.org/clackamas-down-the-river-clean-up-sep/

Down the River Clean Up is the largest and longest-running on-water cleanup event of its kind in Oregon, co-hosted by local non-profits - the Clackamas River Basin Council and We Love Clean Rivers. Each year approximately 200-300 volunteers rally together in rafts, kayaks, drift boats, and SCUBA gear to scour the stream bed and banks for trash, collecting an average of 2-3 tons-over half of which is recycled. Since 2003, over 34 tons of garbage-the approximate weight of one gray whale-has been removed from the Clackamas River by more than 3,000 volunteers.

Community members are encouraged to float and fill the boat! Keeping the Clackamas clean will help preserve and protect the health of this beautiful and bountiful river that provides fresh drinking water to over 300,000 Oregonians (10% of the Oregon population!) and is home to old-growth forests, endangered species, and one of the last remaining wild salmon runs in the lower Columbia Basin.

Everyone is encouraged to join the event. All non-motorized paddle crafts may participate and launch at one of four parks: Milo McIver State Park - Lower Boat Ramp, Barton Park, Carver Boat Ramp, and Riverside Park between 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (volunteers must arrange their own car shuttles!). Boaters must have Class II+ whitewater experience and wear a life jacket. Space on a boat is available for those without access to their own. On-water and on-land volunteer opportunities are available. SCUBA and free divers are also welcome.

All volunteers are invited to a free BBQ at Barton Park from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. featuring local food and drink from 3 Guys Grilling of Damascus, Drinking Horse Brewery, and Happy Mountain Kombucha, as well as prizes for the most interesting trash brought in!

Event sponsors include Clackamas River Water Providers, eNRG Kayaking, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Metro, Clackamas SWCD, Clackamas County, American Medical Response, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, City of Oregon City, Department of Environmental Quality, SOLVE, NW Steelheaders, Wild Spirit River Company, Drinking Horse Brewery, Happy Mountain Kombucha, Joe's Donuts, and KIND Bars.

For more information, visit www.welovecleanrivers.org.

Tillamook Fish-Along &
Crab-Along

The Sandy and McLouglin chapters will hold their annual fish-along and crab-along Sept. 15-17 at the Tillamook Fairgrounds .

The event is open to all Steelheaders, but priority is given to Sandy and McLoughlin chapter members.

The event kicks off Friday night with a pizza dinner and a fishing clinic with District Fish Biologist Robert Bradley. The Fish-Along starts Saturday morning after breakfast, and culminates in a BBQ and possible crab feast depending on the day's catch.

Fresh-caught crab is hard to beat!

Fee Schedule
(Fees only cover actual costs of renting the dorm and RV spots and buying food)

Per individual staying at the dorm or RV: $80 (no reduction for staying only one of the two nights - we still need to make accommodations)
Per additional family members staying at the dorm: $70
Per additional family members staying in RV (not at the dorm): $50
Per individual or family member not staying at the dorm but participating in evening meals and activities: $30 (does not include breakfast or lunch)
A limited number of RV sites with 20 amp electrical and water but no dump is an additional $10 per night. A few sites with 50 amp are available for $15 per night.

Those providing seats on their boats are offered a $20 discount on their total fees as an incentive to bring boats. (Riders are still expected to cover boat gas, ramp fee, bait, etc.)

Payment must be received no later than September 9 in order for us to know how much food to purchase.
Please make checks out to the "Sandy River Chapter, ANWS" and mail to Norm Ritchie, 779 SW Mawrcrest Drive, Gresham, OR 97080-6577.

New Sheriff in Town

Maggi MacQuilliam joined the Northwest Steelheaders in August 2017. Prior to setting down roots in the Pacific Northwest, Maggi led community development, natural resource stewardship, and land conservation efforts in two counties with the Piedmont Environmental Council, a land trust and advocacy organization outside of Washington, D.C. Maggi holds a Bachelor's degree in Geography and Urban and Regional Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master's degree in Community Development and Planning from Clark University in Massachusetts.

Maggi's an avid outdoorswoman, novice angler, aspiring hunter, and a big fan of campfire cooking and conversations. She's thrilled to join the Steelheaders and looks forward to supporting the Chapters -- and picking up pro-fishing tips along the way! Contact Maggi at [email protected].

Maggi with Executive Director Bob Rees and a nice Chinook salmon

A first time for everything
By Dennis Rychlik

I went on my first halibut fishing expedition on Friday, August 4 at Newport Beach with a fellow Steelheader Steve Packer. We went out about 17 miles west by south west from the harbor in about 274 feet of water. The way each halibut was fought and landed was very similar. Steve caught his 54-inch halibut first. This was my first time harpooning a fish. I was surprised at the strength, power and speed of these big fish. I will describe how my 49 1/4 inch fish was landed. When each was cut up into steaks and put into buckets, Steve's bucket was noticeably fuller.

We had about four bites before we hooked and landed our two halibut. When the halibut hit the bait and was hooked it was like hitching your outfit to a truck going north. After a while, the halibut slowed down and I was able to get it off the bottom. The halibut liked the ocean floor and returned to the bottom. This went on for a half a dozen times or so. I was then able to get the fish up to about 150 feet off the ocean floor when it decided to head back down. So it started all over again. When the fish came close to the boat I was surprised at the size of its mouth. That was the first thing I saw, the big mouth. When the finish was close to the boat and you could recognize the full shape, the harpoon was thrust in just behind the head. You cannot help but think of Moby Dick. The harpoon rope and cable was about 24 feet long attached to the rear cleat of the boat. When the fish was harpooned, it got pissed. When it hit the end of the 24-foot-length rope, it shook the 23-foot boat. With the harpoon rope and the fishing line in his mouth, we were able to get the halibut to the surface next to the boat. Steve then gaffed the halibut and I hauled on the harpoon rope and finally got the fish in the boat. The speed and strength of the fish thrashing on the deck was shocking. Even with the two-and-half pound weight and the big hooks in him, the thing still looked like a giant humming bird hovering about four inches above the deck. The "halibut club"-which is more of a Little League bat than a salmon club-helped subdue him, but even that took awhile. Even after all that the first halibut broke two hinges on the cooler, and the second halibut broke the third hinge on the cooler and the lid was hanging by the strap. WOW!

Author with his hard-fought halibut, thanks to a fellow Steelheader

Clackacraft Drift Boat and

North to Salmon! Alaskan Adventure Raffle

This could be yours...

Our annual raffle for a ClackaCraft drift boat and the North to Salmon! Alaska fishing adventure at the Kenai Riverside Lodge will kick off in September. Stay tuned for more details, including incentives for Chapter participation!

Steelheader Show Off

President Tom VanderPlaat and Communications Director Aaron Sewall with his first spring Chinook

We're proud to be Steelheaders, and we want everyone to know it! Send in your favorite pictures and stories from your fishing, volunteer and events experiences for a chance to be featured in the newsletter, magazine and online. Bonus points for Steelheader gear!

Submit pictures (with captions) and stories to [email protected] to be featured.

2017 Salmon Hawg Open Tournament

Join us Oct. 5-7 in Tillamook for two days of fishing and celebrating this wonderful sport fishing resource. We celebrate with great meals, contests, and prizes for everybody! Thanks to the event sponsors and anglers, this event has generated over $7,500 to improve Tillamook County sport fisheries in the past three years. Most recently, funds were granted to the Lower Nehalem Community Trust to assist in acquiring the Bott's Marsh property in the Nehalem Bay, protecting and allowing enhancement of the estuary's most productive smolt habitat .

So get your three-person team together and give catching some of Oregon's biggest fall Chinook your best SHOT!

Click Here To Register

Reserve Your Spot Here

Volunteers Needed!

One of the things that makes Steelheaders great is that everyone enjoys fishing along with protecting and making our fisheries better. Often forgotten is the great diversity in talent and skills that many of our volunteers bring to this amazing organization.

We love all the time and energy that all our volunteers give to the many projects and programs that the Association and all the Chapters run. However, there are some particular skills that are likely among our members that we would like to tap into for some ambitious outreach and organizing goals the outreach team is looking to tackle.

Do you have any skills and time you could volunteer, perhaps even professional services that you would like to donate in:

Photography
Non-profit Member and Donor Database management
Fundraising
Event Planning

It's true also that many hands make the load light. Can you reach out and can help ANWS?

To help ANWS with these, contact Aaron Sewall - [email protected]

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The Association of Northwest Steelheaders is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious and political beliefs.

Please send your stories and comments to

[email protected]