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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 2018)
DECEMBER 28, 2018, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE Bd Buford and the Willamette Sturgeon By G.I. WILSON Buford is prepared to give another one of his fi shing presentations at the Cross- roads Merc and Feeds. A crowd has gathered to experience another of B u f o r d ’s breathtak- ing fi sh- ing adven- tures. These events are well publi- cized and al- ways attract a crowd. Buford has the means--a modern day Jed Clampett--to take trips they can only dream of. He has traveled all over the world on exciting fi shing trips. He is a master story teller. He has that captivating ability to keep a group mesmerized. Tillie, owner/manager, has mopped and polished the well-worn hardwood fl oors. Decks of playing cards and boxes of dominos have all been put away for the occa- sion. Every available bench, ap- ple crate, fi ve-gallon bucket, and bale of hay have been taken. The pungent aromas of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and freshly ground coffee fi ll the air. An old belt-driven ceiling fan struggles to keep the hot, humid air moving. Tillie has fi lled a #3 wash tub with ice and RC Colas, and opened a fresh box of salted Planters peanuts. No treat, on a humid southwest- ern afternoon, quite so satis- fying as salted Planters pea- nuts dumped into a bottle of cold RC. Buford takes his place on his favorite stool. All conver- sation stops. He clears his throat. “As ya’ll know, I”ve been on an- other trip. Always wanted to catch one of them monster white sturgeon. Did my re- search, best place, O-re-gon’s Willa-mette River. “They say their words different than we do down car.’ Said, ‘Hook a big one, have to keep him away from that car. They get in there and break off.’ “I thought maybe he was pulling my leg, you know, a guide joke. “Time to an- chor up and fi sh. Captain has an anchor looks big enough to hold the Ti- — Buford tanic. Then I begin to see how powerful this river is. I have never seen a river this powerful and swift.” “How swift was it?” Billy asks weakly, as afraid to inter- rupt. “Well, we were anchored under a high bridge. The current would grab the shad- ow of the bridge and take it downriver 20-30 feet before turning it loose.” Dead silence. A peanut bounces off the wooden fl oor, sounds like a golf ball. Tillie giggles. A group exhale sends Planters wrappers fl ying across the room. Buford has sucked them in again. After the laughter subsides, Buford continues with new vigor. “About that powerful cur- rent, we had to use 16 oz of “Told ‘em I wanted to hire best captain on the river. And I did. Captain Don. He knows sturgeon. I think with his fancy e-lec-tronicks, he can dang near read a sturgeon’s mind.” here. But I say them like Curt Dowdy did, on the Wide World of Sports years ago. Good enough for old Curt, good enough for me. “They don’t even say salmon like we do. They say ‘samen.’ “Told ‘em I wanted to hire best captain on the riv- er. And I did. Captain Don. He knows sturgeon. I think with his fancy e-lec-tronicks, he can dang near read a stur- geon’s mind.” “Well we cruised around with him showing me all these fi sh on the screen. He pointed out smaller ones. Some were moving upriver. Showed me schools of four- to-six footers, then big ones, seven-to-nine feet, holding behind boulders the size of a Volkswagen. “Then, he pointed out ‘the lead to get our bait to the bottom and, it is only 20 feet deep. “Talk about real bait. Cap- tain opens up a cooler and pulls out a two-pound shad and uses the whole darned thing. Uses a 13/0 hook. Looks like a hay hook. He winds up that bait with all kind of hitches and weaves the hook through it. “Captain casts the bait 25- 30 yards downriver. ‘You need a lot of line out so they can’t detect any movement when you pick up the rod.’ “He explains how these are huge fi sh but very picky biters. ‘They may fool around with the bait 5-10 minutes before they take it. Key is patience. Let them pull off 10-15 feet of line, swim away with it, then set the hook, hard.’ “It’s my lucky day. Haven’t fi nished my cup of coffee when the tip of that heavy rod begins to slowly dip down. “I can see line slowly coming off the big reel. Soon the rod starts loading up and line buzzing off. “Captain walks me through, ‘Gently pick up the rod. We want him to take 20-25 yards of line. Flip the switch and engage the drive. Set the hook as hard as you can. Fish on.’ “Tell you boys, I’m hooked to a runaway missile. Line is smoking off that reel, and I’m hanging on with all my might.” ‘He’s coming up. He’s coming up,’ Captain yells.’ “Hundred yards out this beautiful, historic monster blasts out of the water like a missile from a nuclear sub. Must have created a minor tsunami for the immediate area.” “Well, he takes off like the proverbial cat on a hot tin roof. Captain breaks loose from the anchor. We cover over a mile without slowing down, then makes a U-turn and head back upriver into that heavy current. “I gain yards, he takes them back. We make it back to where we hooked up. ‘He’s headed for the car,’ Captain Don hisses. ‘You’re gonna lose ‘em.’ “Well, I dig in, bury the butt of the rod in my gut. That heavy rod buckles down almost to the water, vibrating and making a buzzing sound. Figure it could explode any minute.” “Danged monster keeps taking line as Captain Don maneuvers the boat trying to pull away from the car.” By now Buford has totally immersed himself into the action, leaning forward and coming up in rod pumping motions, eyes bugged out, veins in his neck bulging, sweat dripping from his handsome stash. His actions are so vivid, half the group is swaying back and forth with him. “Feel him wiggle into that old car,” Buford whispers, almost out of breath. “I feel the braided line sawing on metal. “I wasn’t going to give up that easy,” Buford almost blasts out, with a fi rm grip on the imaginary rod. “I dig my heels into the side of the boat, bury the butt of that rod in my crotch, and keep reefi ng. “He will saw the line on metal and break it,’ Captain says, but I dig in that much harder. I gain two feet, then lose three.” Suddenly, Buford stops. Relaxes. Picks up his RC Cola, dumps in some peanuts, and takes a healthy swig. “You know, boys, I still think I could have got him out of that car, but he rolled up the danged window.” crossword ASK MR. TRASH Q. I heard about China’s ban on recycling. What IS recyclable now? A. Be very careful to only recycle the things on your hauler’s approved list. PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM, AND WAXY CARTONS WERE NEVER RECYCLABLE! ©1986 PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING GOOD RECYCLABLES EMPTY, CLEAN AND DRY: • Cardboard and uncoated greyboard boxes (Shipping & cereal type) • Print-quality paper - newspaper, junk & office paper, and magazines; • Tin & Aluminum Cans Only - NO foil, trays, or scrap metal; • Plastic Bottles and Jugs Only - NO bags, tubs, clamshells, bubble Pak, or other plastics. Serving Keizer for Nearly 50 years! LOREN'S VA L L E Y SANITATION & RECYCLING SERVICE, INC. RECYCLING & DISPOSAL, INC. 503.393.2262 503.585.4300 Change hurt HOPE into d85 Taylor Street NE, Bldg 1 (Just south of Keizer) Interested in learning more about Liberty House? We host tours every fi rst Tuesday of the month or by appointment. The tour is an up-close look at our child-friendly facility with an opportunity to hear about our work with children and families. 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