Appeal Tribune ❚ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 ❚ 1B Sports How did coho salmon end up in the North Santiam River? Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK T he legend of how Oregon’s most deli- cious fish arrived in the North Santiam River includes some pretty wild stories. h Some say the fish took flight, surviving a tumble through the turbines of Detroit and Big Cliff dams to establish a population in the river be- low. h Others say a truckload of baby fish were released into Stout Creek. Still, others say an enter- prising angler broke into a fish hatchery, stole juvenile fish and released them into the Santiam to improving fishing. h Like all leg- ends, it’s hard to know the differ- ence between truth and fiction, and the reality is probably much simpler, say wildlife officials. But however coho salmon ended up in the Santiam, many anglers are happy to see them this time of year. “They have the best meat I’ve ever had,” said longtime angler and shuttle driver Bob Lusk, the source of a few co- ho legends. “We ate one for Thanksgiv- ing a few years ago and, boy, it tasted better than any turkey we’ve ever tast- ed.” Fishing guide Mike Ferris pilots his boat down the North Santiam River between Stayton and Shelburn in June. ZACH URNESS/ STATESMAN JOURNAL So, where did coho really come from? How to catch ’em Coho aren’t native to the Santiam, and they don’t return in big numbers ev- ery year. But wildlife officials said this has been a robust season, with more than 8,500 fish swimming above Wil- lamette Falls — the most since 2014. Coho are 12 to 16 pounds, a classic chrome color, and anglers are allowed to harvest two per day. Lusk said he catch- es them from September all the way through Thanksgiving on the Santiam. Coho enjoy the deep and slow waters, off the main current. Lusk even uses his boat to get into the sloughs on the far edges of the stream, typically down- stream of Stayton and Mehama bridge. “Their numbers fluctuate, but in gen- eral the fishing is better now than it was 20 years ago,” Lusk said. Coho are certainly in the minority there. All the other salmon and steel- A coho salmon in a fisherman’s net. STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE head have seen major declines on the Santiam. To catch coho, Lusk said he uses a #3 Blue Fox lure with a splash of pink, along with a blue pilot wiggle wart. The Santiam isn’t the only place coho swim nearby. Depending on the run, coho can reach the Tualatin, Molalla, Yamhill and Luckiamute rivers, as well as Rickreall Creek, said Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department biologist Elise Kelley. “The Yamhill River usually has the strongest runs,” she said. Coho are interesting not just because of their taste, but because it’s not clear exactly how they arrived in the North Santiam or Upper Willamette water- shed. Historically, only winter steelhead and spring chinook could migrate above Willamette Falls on high flows. The official story on coho is that be- ginning in the 1950s, wildlife officials stocked all manner of fish above Wil- lamette Falls, hoping to improve fishing, including coho. “They never did much — we never es- tablished a population,” said Bruce McIntosh, deputy fish chief of inland fisheries for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “It petered out in the 1980s and by the 1990s they’d mostly disappeared.” But then a funny thing happened. Ocean conditions improved and, seem- ingly out of nowhere, coho began re- turning in big numbers. After being a See SALMON, Page 2B Kennedy, St. Paul win volleyball titles Pete Martini Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK State cross country results Volleyball Silverton: 17. Trevor Ortega (16:21.1); 23. Jadon Mansur (16:30.5); 44. Jonathan Hansen (17:02.5); 52. Carter Gauvin (17:12.2); 64. An- drew Fronza (17:34.4); 74. Colin Allen (17:57.6); 77. Sam Ellingson (18:08.7). Individual state champion: Evan Holland, Ashland (14:30.4) Team state champion: Ashland (41). Local team placing: 7. Silverton (188). CLASS 5A BOYS OSAA CLASS 2A Kennedy: The Trojans beat Central Linn 3-0 on Saturday to capture the OSAA Class 2A state championship. In the title match, Sophia Carley had 18 kills for Kennedy in the victory, and Ellie Cantu had 25 assists. The Trojans finished the season 33-1. CLASS 1A St. Paul: The Buckaroos beat Powder Valley 3-0 on Saturday to win the OSAA Class 1A state championship. In the title match, Isabelle Wyss had 18 kills for St. Paul, and Karlee Souther- land added 18 assists. Perrydale: Perrydale lost 3-0 to Da- mascus Christian on Saturday to place sixth in the state tournament. Perrydale beat Crosshill Christian 3-2 in the consolation. CLASS 4A North Marion: North Marion lost 3-0 to Banks in the consolation round on Saturday at the OSAA Class 4A state tournament. Cross country CLASS 5A On the boys side, Silverton placed seventh. Trevor Ortega led the team fin- ishing 17th in 16.21.1. CLASS 4A BOYS Stayton: 23. Ben Kirby (16:36.5). Individual state champion: John Peckham (15:48.7). Team state champion: Philomath/Kings Valley (65). CLASS 4A GIRLS Stayton: 10. Hope Bridge (19:14.2); 28. Hailey Notman (20:14.2); 34. Bridget Spencer (20:38.7); 45. Jessica Mitchell (21:05.4); 50. Skyla Anderson (21:24.7); 60. Emma Frazeur (22:11.6); 73. Sarah Wolf (23:00.7). Individual state champion: Ella Thorsett, Sisters (17:43.7) Team state champion: Marist (50). Local team placing: 5. Stayton (141). CLASS 3A BOYS Amity: 26. Drew McMullen (17:43.5). Blanchet: 43. Andrew Hill (18:34.1). Individual state champion: Henry Coughlin, Enterprise/Jo- seph/Wallowa (15:58.9) Team state champion: Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa (35). Local team placing: 6. Santiam Christian (177). CLASS 3A/2A/1A GIRLS Kennedy’s Ibeth Gomez sets the ball in a match on Oct. 21. On Saturday, Kennedy beat Central Linn 3-0 to win the Class 2A state championship. ANNA REED/STATESMAN JOURNAL CLASS 4A GIRLS AND BOYS Stayton’s girls team placed fifth in the OSAA Class 4A state meet, with Hope Bridge leading the Eagles with a 10th-place finish at 19:14.2. On the boys side, Stayton’s Ben Kirby was 23rd with a time of 16:36.5. CLASS 3A BOYS, 3A/2A/1A GIRLS, 2A/1A BOYS In the 3A/2A/1A girls meet, Kennedy placed seventh, with Cassie Traeger leading the Trojans with a 25th-place finish at 21:10.0. In the 2A/1A boys meet, Chemawa placed 10th, with Clement Afterbuffalo finishing 16th at 17:12.6 to lead the team. Kennedy: 25. Cassie Traeger (21:10.0); 30. Kylee Rodriguez (21:25.5); 40. Aleksandra Eyles (22:01.1); 53. Whitney Lopez (23:19.6); 62. Mikayla Schaecher (24:14.2); 70. Gisell Juarez (25:16.5); 72. Haley Kline (25:21.0). Scio: 17. Athena Lau (20:33.1). Individual state champion: Lila Fenner, Catlin Gabel (18:49.2). Team state champion: Burns (43). Local team placing: 7. Kennedy (170). CLASS 2A/1A BOYS Chemawa: 16. Clement Afterbuffalo (17:12.6); 43. Tyrrel Francis- co (18:05.2); 55. Isaac Corn (18:50.7); 60. Davey Hogan (19:12.2); 65. Nazaire Brisbois (19:48.6); 66. Ryan Weir (20:04.6); 74. Aurelio Morrillo (22:41.4). St. Paul: 12. Broden Lear (16:49.8). Individual state champion: Seth Bergeron, St. Stephens Academy (15:50.5). Team state champion: St. Stephens Academy (42). Local team placing: 10. Chemawa (208).