By now, most fishermen have heard the most recent fish tale out of Puget Sound, the escapement of who knows how many Atlantic salmon into the “wild” waters in our own backyard. Of course this isn’t the first time such a mishap has happened, and it won’t be the last time either. Frankly, I’m a […]
Photo: Guide Chris Vertopoulos (left) and client Jim Lorenz with a wild-released Sandy River steelhead from April 10, 2017 As a steward and consumer of recreational fisheries resources, of course I am going to advocate for a recreational priority, and not just for the economics of a fragile resource. Recreational fishing often has a lighter […]
Photo: Katri and her first salmon My daughter, Katri, caught her first salmon last week, just in time to bring it back to Chicago and share it with Grandma JoJo and some long-time family friends. They just don’t get this kind of quality seafood back in Chicago all that often… actually, never. It feels extra […]
Photo: Bob Rees gets an albie You’ve certainly heard me talk long and hard about the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) over the months, but it has been getting some much needed attention at the national level lately. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, convened a hearing […]
Amy Baird with a 21-pound lower Columbia River Chinook caught on 8/10/16 with pro guide Bob Rees It’s smoldering hot in my hometown near Portland, OR right now. I’m chomping at the bit to head back to the coast, where cooler breezes and biting salmon are about to grace my vessel, to ply the lower […]
Photo by John McMurray When fisheries close abruptly, the questions come a-lobbin’. Most of my fellow fishermen get rather anxious, questioning whether our fishery managers are accurate in their assessments of the harvest. Although I will claim a bias, since I worked for both state and federal fisheries agencies, I certainly subscribed to the statistical […]
Keeping Progress in Fisheries Management Top photo: Bob Rees with a May, 2017 Willamette River spring Chinook Yet another lawsuit to shut down hatchery production in the Willamette Basin has been slapped down on the state of Oregon and the US Army Corps of Engineers by Willamette Riverkeeper and the Conservation Angler. The reason? Stray […]
Photo: Bing, Maddox & Jetty Perrine with a sturgeon, by Bob Rees It’s been three years since sport anglers had a consumptive opportunity for keeper-sized sturgeon. Not so coincidentally, it’s been three years since I was a full-time fishing guide. When the catch-and-keep season for sturgeon went away, so did my clientele. My charming personality […]
