December 11, 2020

A Year in Review: Making Strides in 2020 with Your Dedicated Support

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that our community of recreational anglers is resilient. Your overwhelming support for our campaigns and programs proved that, as a community, we can adapt to change, support one another from a safe distance, and push for bold conservation goals. Through it all, you made fighting for the survival of salmon and steelhead a priority.
December 30, 2020

Leaky Waders? Don’t Toss Them! 6 Tips For Repurposing Old Waders

Most of us have been there. After using a pair of neoprene waders for several years, they reach a point that no matter what you do to try to patch them, they still leak. You finally get tired of wet pants and invest in a new pair. So what happens to the old leaky pair? Most probably end up in a landfill where they will likely stay intact till the end of time. But given the fact that this material is so durable and elastic, old waders can be recycled into a host of useful and durable items.
January 11, 2021

High Water and Small Creeks: Winter Steelhead Fishing on Oregon’s North Coast

It was the beginning of what would be a turbulent year, but the only thing on my mind last January was how I was going to catch a steelhead during an almost month-long high-water event. All the rivers within my reach were blown out (too murky to fish) and many were flooded. As a dedicated winter steelhead fisherman, however, I wasn’t about to let that stop me. I came up with a plan to scout out potential tributaries at a higher elevation in the watershed than the main rivers, knowing they would be the first bodies of water to clear up.
February 15, 2021

1,000 Casts? More like 410 Days: A Steelheader’s Journey

How long did it take you to bring home your first steelhead? A few days, weeks, or months? It took me over a year… 410 days to be exact, and not for lack of effort. My adventure began on Black Friday, 2015. I walked into Fisherman’s Marine and bought all the gear to float fish for salmon and steelhead, but none of the store employees warned me how difficult the challenge ahead would be.
July 6, 2021

Steelheaders Secure Key Salmon Protections during Oregon’s 2021 Legislative Session

The 2021 Oregon legislative session has officially ended and overall, we were largely successful in securing the key bills and amendments we wanted. We negotiated an amendment legally tying the Columbia River Endorsement fee to a requirement that ODFW keep non-tribal commercial gill nets off the lower Columbia River and publish an annual accounting of what ODFW used the endorsement funding for. Also, after three long years, Board members Tim Lenihan and Bob Oleson got our bill to enhance fishing access for veteran’s angling programs signed into law. We also secured amendments to require weirs on private property are constructed from natural materials and ensured that material from ditch maintenance cannot be dumped into undisturbed wetlands, strengthen the Conservation and Recreation Fund, secure funding for stream restoration and fish screening, and expand the wildlife inspection station program.