Building a Better Working Waterfront

Building a Better Working Waterfront

The news just keeps getting better for West Coast groundfish. Ringing in the New Year comes with good news for saltwater anglers in Oregon, and other West Coast ports as well. For starters, the seasonal depth restriction has been lifted, which should excite many anglers. It’s like the good ol’ days all over again, with […]

Why Do We Need a Crisis to ‘Organize?’

Why Do We Need a Crisis to ‘Organize?’

I’ve spent a fair amount of my adult life organizing anglers to do good for fish. It seems that unless there’s a crisis (i.e. hatcheries closing) most anglers are content just going about their business, taking advantage of the good times, and critiquing agency policy during the bad times. I think it may stem from […]

It’s National Ocean Month: Celebrate Our Opportunity for Catch and Conservation

It’s National Ocean Month: Celebrate Our Opportunity for Catch and Conservation

Photo: Bob Rees with a June 4th Newport, Oregon halibut, weighing in at nearly 53 pounds. My wife is an accomplished writer, and certainly wiser than I, so I take her words seriously when she says, “If you write it down, it can no longer own you.” I’m not so sure that’s true, when talking […]

Pacific Northwest Salmon Runs Hit Troubled Times Too

Pacific Northwest Salmon Runs Hit Troubled Times Too

Bob’s big lingcod As the joint states of Oregon and Washington craft the salmon seasons on the lower Columbia, our community is engaging with House and Senate staff in search of disaster relief funds. It’s becoming all too common once again; we’re on the lookout for another bailout by the federal government for what once […]

Keeping a Clear Head in the Face of COVID

Keeping a Clear Head in the Face of COVID

Although I am not quite in the dire straits that many American families are facing in the COVID-19 crisis, things are not going all that well for the recreational sportfishing community. In 30 years of guiding, I’ve found out that it isn’t just fish that our customers need to come fishing, it’s expendable income. And […]