Fisheries Management Gone Right

Fisheries Management Gone Right

It’s been about two months since I’ve spent any measureable time on the water here in Oregon. Can’t say I felt I was missing much, when late-run Chinook catches were grim, the rivers were high, and the rain cold and ample. Even the drive down from Portland to the coast tonight seemed unusually long. Been […]

What Saltwater Anglers Have To Lose

What Saltwater Anglers Have To Lose

About twenty minutes from my house, there’s a spring creek that’s very popular with the flyfishing crowd. It flows through a state park, and is loaded with trout. In the river’s heyday, the park’s phone lines were flooded by calls from anglers trying to reserve fishing time. February and March were catch-and-release months. I remember […]

The General Public’s View of Fisheries

The General Public’s View of Fisheries

After guiding for about 60 days straight, I decided it was time for a vacation. After all, I hardly had any time with my daughter all summer, and my wife was headed to Chicago for her I-won’t-say-how-many-year class reunion. I can entertain my 8-year old on the water, but one-on-one stuck in Oregon City, I […]

Leaders Come in all Shapes & Sizes

Leaders Come in all Shapes & Sizes

Some days it seems like everything is bad. We are inundated with negative information that serves more to polarize positions than anything else. Fisheries management is no different, and there is no shortage of bad news. It’s the good news that doesn’t get told. Groups are working together every single day to make things better […]

The Lay of the Fisheries Land

The Lay of the Fisheries Land

Photo: Amy Baird with a 21-pound lower Columbia River Chinook caught in warmer times with pro guide Bob Rees The rain has set in. Maybe it’s not officially winter just yet, but cold, damp and darkness is in the air. We’re all supposed to have our freezers full of fish and now turn our attention […]

Central California’s ‘Second Summer’ Brings Us to the Sea When Others Bundle Up

Central California’s ‘Second Summer’ Brings Us to the Sea When Others Bundle Up

The fall holiday season is done a little bit differently on the Central California coast. Our trees don’t turn dramatic hues, which makes adventures to see color changes non-existent. The first freeze that many associate with fall is replaced by an increase in temperature as winds swing around to northeasterly. October is the month to […]

When Salmon Fishing is Slow

When Salmon Fishing is Slow

Photo: Mike’s big lingcod A group of guys from California has been fishing with me for about seven years now. These veteran sportanglers pursue many of the same species we do up here, and more. Steelhead, salmon, lingcod, sea bass and albacore are all options for these Cali kids just like they are for us […]