2024 Will Be a Good Year

The 2023 efforts of NW Steelheaders members have created a launchpad for getting even closer to our sport fishing and conservation goals. The achievements of our boots on the ground have made a difference and the difference has been noticed. The advocacy toward protecting sportfishing opportunity and quality through convincing policy makers to make conservation and restoration a priority made positive steps forward in the last twelve months.

Angler education events hosted by chapters in cooperation with ODFW created greater awareness of our work, the appreciation of ODFW, and grew our membership. We are looking forward to expanding this program to other chapters. Fish feeding and protection at acclimation sites, running a NW Steelheaders hatchery from collecting brood all the way through smolt release, and other hatchery support is also providing help that ODFW management and other decision makers have appreciated. Our first-hand knowledge of hatchery reform and improvement over the years will help defending our hatchery programs against the anti-hatchery crowd. River cleanups and other habitat work has cemented relationships with other NGOs and agencies. We can grow these relationships in 2024 to all our mutual benefit.

Equally exciting to me is our advocacy achievements and how we can build on them in 2024. Work over that past years set a few milestones. Bob Oleson’s working with Senator Girod came together with a legislative proposal to end new gill net permits and buyout some existing permits. We expect good progress on this in the 2024 short session, but most likely it will take the 2025 long session to get it over the finish line. In the meantime, Oregon’s natural resource budget is hard to get up to the level we want to see and just as hard to protect from those that would like to see these funds diverted to other spending. This will continue to be a priority for Bob in the upcoming short session. 

- Norm Ritchie, Co-President of the Board

New Years Raffle 

Last call for our New Year's raffle! 

This round, you will have your choice of three incredible fishing trips or learning how to make sushi or Korean banchan! What better way is there to bring in the new year than plans to go on a fishing trip or learn how to cook a new food?

The raffle closes tomorrow at 5pm, visit our website to learn more about each trip and the cooking class up for grabs.

Supporting the Magnuson-Stevens Act

Bob Rees, our VP of Conservation, occasionally reports on his exploits and experiences in his fishing report subscription service.  The latest about his trip to Washington DC covered a lot of ground.  The following is excerpts focused on the Magnuson-Stevens Act.  His complete article is available at The Guides Forecast.  

I recently got back from Washington DC. I’ve gone there on many occasions, lobbying for change such as the Salmon Solutions Planning Act, addressing the depletion of Snake River salmon and how to remedy it, shoring up the Endangered Species Act so we have a critical regulatory backstop to prevent the extinction of species such as salmon, and advocating for the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Act, which reduced the number of sea lions in the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, preventing the extinction of some salmon and steelhead runs. And in the case of this trip, making sure our Northwest members of Congress remain stalwart in protecting sound data management strategies that ensure the sustainability of many of our marine fishes.

I was representing the Northwest sport fleet and the desire for future generations of fishermen to get to enjoy what I have been able to. Simply put, we need Congress to strengthen law under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), not weaken it under the pressure of industry or sport for the short-term gains of a few.

I get to tell the story of fishing the deep reef for massive lingcod and abundant canary rockfish. Not that long ago, these two species, among many others, were in jeopardy of steep decline. Those buy backs and conservation measures turned around the trajectory for many marine species, of which now we get to take more liberal advantage. We've touted this as a rare success in the recovery of West Coast groundfish species, clearly not cracking the code for salmonid recovery. Again, I digress…

In these meetings, I talked to the staffers and occasionally, the members themselves, to plead with them to hold the line on sound fisheries management, including accurate and efficient data gathering to monitor our stocks. Again, Oregon is a shining star across the nation on fisheries policies, as the state performs an important role for anglers exiting definitive ports in pursuit of saltwater species.

And why should we care what happens in the Gulf States? Well, we really have plenty of problems of our own, but it is kind of like a lawsuit; set a precedent in one case, and it may come back to bite you in another. Any compromise to the landmark MSA legislation, no matter what region, can have a negative impact in ours. We are not ready now, and never should be, to roll back into draconian measures that strip us of what opportunity we have left.

This Year's Hall of Fame Inductees

Linda Lavender Hutchinson our 2023 Member of the Year, grew up on the Yaquina Bay in Toledo, Oregon. She fished the Siletz and Alsea for Steelhead, catching her first Steelhead at the age of 11. But she claims to have started fishing as soon as she could give up diapers. Her fishing mentor was a family friend, an older gentleman, Darrell, who used to take her and her sisters fishing on the Siletz and Alsea river. Linda claims: “Back then the fish were dumber and we didn’t have to use bobber dogging, drift fish, jig, or spinners, we plunked with eggs.” At that time, fish appeared more plentiful as we would stay and catch our limit of two each or until we ran out of candy bars. 

Linda was exposed to NW Steelheaders after meeting Mark Hutchinson, a Steelheaders member in 2000. Their dating often included fishing trips to the North Fork of the Nehalem or Alaska. Linda later joined NW Steelheaders in 2002. In 2004, they were married, and Mark accepted the position of TV Chapter President on the one condition, that they move the meetings to Thursdays when Linda could attend. Which they did. Linda would sit in the back watching the small group of about 16 people and take notes and tell Mark what she saw and what resonated with the members. The chapter planning meetings were moved to their home and she cooked a meal for those attending. Within two years, the board meetings outgrew their home and active membership increased from 16 to 40 members, her ability to listen and engage new and old members helped create a healthy growing chapter. 

The Chapter also started two fish alongs each year, one for Salmon in the fall in October, and another for Steelhead in March. They would stay at the Tillamook dorms and fish Tillamook area rivers for three days. In keeping with her title of hospitality chair, she cooked breakfasts and dinners and homemade pies for those attending. The number of those attending the fish alongs grew from 10 to 60.

Linda’s interest in the Association grew while holding the position of chapter delegate at board meetings. This led her to spring to action when the Association experienced challenges when the results of COVID depleted Association bank accounts, and the executive director left abruptly leaving the association in dire financial straits last spring. Linda volunteered to help, Bob Olson found a winery to use and that, with Linda’s vision of element for making money and the help of a great team, they put on “Spring Run” last May at Avidity winery netting over $4,000 putting the Association back in the black and creating a can-do atmosphere. Later in the year, with only three months to plan, Norm Ritchie asked Linda to help with the team putting together the Annual Banquet and event that normally takes six months to prepare for, it too made a lot of money.

Beyond the local level in 2023 Linda attended the Northwest Wildlife Federation Conference as an alternate delegate, making friends in other states and learning about wildlife issues similar to ours in Oregon. 

She is a mother, grammie and great gram. In addition to fishing, she is a certified ODFW Angler Instructor, and an avid quilter. She believes this Association is very valuable to us in that we can have our voices heard to save fish. We can support others who are running hatchery’s that are putting fish in our rivers. We have a place to teach others to fish. And, what a great place to meet new friends!

2023 Hall of Fame recipient Tom VanderPlaat Joined the NW Steelheaders in 1993. 

Tom has dedicated his time to NW Steelheaders. He was TV chapter president 3 times, vice president of the Association, and Association president for 6 years weathering the COVID years, all told over, 30 years of service. He is also on the Salmon Trout Advisory Committee & Restoration and Enhancement board for ODFW, where he helps dole out grants to improve our fisheries and facilities for access.

Tom started fishing with his dad in Oregon City on the Willamette. His dad eventually upgraded his boat and fished out of Newport where they really started to catch fish during the good Coho years. Tom always wanted to get out to fish early like he does these days sometimes leaving the dock at 4:00 AM, but his dad would not start fishing until 9:00AM when others were coming back with limits. 

Tom’s fishing really improved when he joined NW Steelheaders. Learning side by side with others fishing for steelhead at fish alongs. Eventually buying a drift boat, he then started helping with Salmon Trout Enhancement and at Steelheaders fish-alongs where he connected with the top 5% and learned. Tom fishes for Salmon in the Ocean, and steelhead and salmon in the coastal rivers with a special love of the Nestucca River. Tom is one of the best plug fishermen out there, but can keep up with the kid's bobber dogging.

He likes to take people fishing that help out. People's time is the most valuable.

Tom has given back at his work as well at Clearwater Services in Washington County where he worked for 30 years on water supply, raising scoggins dam, part of that work he was instrumental in removal of the Balm Grove Dam on Gales Creek opening up 29 miles of instream habitat to Winter Steelhead and over 25 miles of habitat to Coho Salmon.

The reason Tom has continued in NW Steelheaders is that he likes giving back and hanging out with people who wanted to fish. He is a Certified Angler Education instructor and likes teaching kids, Tom has 6 grandkids. He also loves taking Veterans out fishing seeing it as a debt repaid for people who have sacrificed portions of themselves for our freedom.

Chapter Meetings

A few chapters have resumed Monthly Chapter Meetings in-person, and we hope to get everyone meeting as soon as possible! To get more detailed meeting information please visit our Events Calendar. If you're having trouble finding a meeting you can attend, please reach out to us at office@anws.org and we'll help you out. As always, Chapter Meetings are free and open to the public. If you're new to Northwest Steelheaders, attending a meeting is a great first step to getting more involved with your local fishing community. 

Upcoming Meetings

•  Columbia River Chapter - Tuesday, January 9 @ 6:30 pm

•  McLoughlin Chapter - Tuesday, January 9 @ 7 pm

•  Tualatin Valley Chapter - Thursday, January 11 @ 7 pm

•  Salem Chapter - Tuesday, January 16 @ 7 pm

•  Emerald Empire Chapter - Tuesday, January 23 @ 6:30 pm

•  Sandy River Chapter - Thursday, February 1 @ 7 pm

•  Mid-Valley Chapter - Wednesday, February 7 @ 6 pm

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