Th e season salmon Catch them while you can! of Oregon and Washing- ton’s 2015 recreational salmon fi shing season is already underway. The fol- lowing restrictions apply, and are subject to change as quotas are met. Keep checking www.dfw.state. or.us (Oregon) and www. wdfw.wa.gov (Washington) for regular updates. Columbia-Pacifi c sport-fi shers say hello to summer Story and photos by LYNETTE RAE McADAMS “I have lived! The American Continent may now sink under the sea, for I have taken the best that it yields, and the best was neither dollars, love, nor real estate. …I was up the bank lying full length on the sweet-scented grass and gasping in company with my fi rst salmon caught…. My hands were cut and bleeding, I was dripping with sweat, spangled like a harlequin with scales, wet from the waist down, nose peeled by the sun, but utterly, supremely, and consummately happy.” —-Rudyard Kipling, nobel laureate, upon catching his fi rst salmon on a tributary of the Columbia River, 1891 I It’s good to know that some things never change. Ask Kenndra Lispie, age 10, about the best SDUWRIKHU¿UVWWLPHVDOPRQ¿VKLQJDQGVKH¶OO be hard-pressed to offer you an answer: “The ZKROHWKLQJZDVP\IDYRULWH´VKHVD\VUHIXVLQJ WRGLVFULPLQDWH³,ORYHGJRLQJRYHUWKHZDYHV, was worried about getting seasick, and it didn’t happen, so that made everything even better. And FDWFKLQJP\¿VK²WKDWZDVUHDOO\DPD]LQJ, GH¿QLWHO\ZDQWWRGRLWDJDLQDQGDJDLQ´ ,W¶V DV QHDU WR SHUIHFW DV DQ HDUO\ VXPPHU GD\FDQEH²DOLJKWEUHH]HEOXHVNLHVVKLQLQJ Booking space on a charter boat is a hassle-free way to go fi shing. If you’ve enough people in your party, you can even rent the whole boat, like this family did during the early days of 2015’s salmon season. Submitted photo courtesy of the Columbia Pacifi c Heritage Museum Members of the charter fl eet line the marina during the opening days of summer salmon fi shing at the Port of Ilwaco, Washington. 10 | June 25, 2015 | coastweekend.com This historic photo shows Lauretta Hughes, “lady winner” of the 1949 Chinook salmon derby, standing with her prize catch; the salmon is estimated to weigh about 45 pounds. ²DQGWKRXJKVKH¶VOLNHO\XQDZDUH/LVSLHKDV QRZMRLQHGWKHUDQNVRIFRXQWOHVVDQJOHUVZKR KDYHFRPHEHIRUHKHUDOOÀRFNLQJKHUHDQQXDOO\ IRUPRUHWKDQDFHQWXU\KRWRQWKHWUDLORIWKH region’s most famous resident. Whether or not VKHEHFRPHVDOLIHORQJGHYRWHHWRWKHVSRUWRQO\ WLPHZLOOWHOOEXWDFFRUGLQJWR'RXJ0F&XOO\RI Long Beach, Washington, there’s one thing for VXUH6KH¶OOQHYHUIRUJHWWKDW¿UVWVDOPRQ $QDYLG¿VKHUPDQZKRVSHQGVDWOHDVWIRXU days a week on the water during peak season, 0F&XOO\WDNHVRQO\DVSOLWVHFRQGWRWKLQNEDFN PRUH WKDQ \HDUV DQG UHFDOO RQH RI KLV RZQ VXPPHUGD\VDWWKHDJHRI³,¶PWHOOLQJ\RX LW ZDV XQUHDO ² \RX FDQ¶W HYHQ GHVFULEH LW LQ ZRUGVWKLVIHHOLQJWKDWFRPHVRYHU\RX,ZDV VRH[FLWHG,ZDVVKDNLQJ´+LVVWURQJYRLFHZD[ HVXQXVXDOO\VZHHWDQGVRIWKLVWRQHULFKZLWK WKHURPDQFHRIPHPRU\³7KDWZDVWKH¿UVWWLPH ,JRWH[FLWHGDERXWD¿VKKDYLQJLWRQWKHHQG RIP\OLQHWKUDVKLQJEDFNDQGIRUWKDQGXSDQG down. I can remember watching it dance out RYHUWKHZDWHUMXVWSUD\LQJLWZRXOGQ¶WMXPSRII P\KRRN+DYLQJVRPHWKLQJOLNHWKDWKDSSHQ´ KHVD\V³HVSHFLDOO\ZKHQ\RX¶UH\RXQJLW¶V D WUXO\ XQLTXH H[SHULHQFH ,W KRRNHG PH IRU OLIH´ :KHWKHULW¶V\RXU¿UVWVHDVRQRXWWKHUHRU RQO\RQHRIPDQ\WKLV\HDU¶VVDOPRQUXQVDUH ORRNLQJ OLNHO\ WR DIIRUG D ORW RI RSSRUWXQLW\ for making more happy memories. “Things VWDUWHG D OLWWOH VORZ EXW WKH\¶UH SLFNLQJ XS QRZ´ VD\V :HQG\ %HHJKO\ D ¿VK ELRORJLVW IRU WKH:DVKLQJWRQ 'HSDUWPHQW RI )LVK DQG :LOGOLIH³,QIDFWIRURFHDQVDOPRQIURPWKH &ROXPELDDOOWKHZD\WRWKH&DQDGLDQERUGHU ,OZDFR¶V VHHQ WKH EHVW ¿VKLQJ VR IDU´ 3XUH PXVLF WR WKH HDUV RI ORFDO DQJOHUV ³:H¶UH H[FLWHGDERXWWKHVHDVRQDKHDGDQGDOOLQGL FDWLRQVDUHWKDWLWVKRXOGEHDJRRGRQH´ 7KDWVHHPVHVSHFLDOO\WUXHLI\RX¶UHORRN LQJ WR KRRN D &KLQRRN ² WKDW PLJKW\ NLQJ RI VDOPRQ ² ZKRVH FXUUHQW UXQV DUH VWURQJ and far above average, even better than 2014, ZKLFK VDZ VRPH RI WKH KHDOWKLHVWUHWXUQV LQ recent history. ³2IFRXUVH´DGGV%HHJKOH\QLFHO\HOXFL GDWLQJ WKH XQIRUWXQDWH )LUVW /DZ RI ¿VKLQJ ³QXPEHUVRI¿VKRXWWKHUHGRHVQ¶WKDYHPXFK WRGRZLWKFDWFKLQJWKHP´ %XWWKDW¶VZKHUHSHRSOHOLNH5RE*XGJHOO come in. *XGJHOO PDGH KLV ¿UVW WULS RYHU WKH &R OXPELD 5LYHU EDU DW WKH ULSH ROG DJH RI By the time he turned 7 he was steering his OCEAN May 30 – June 12: Hatch- ery Chinook only, 2 per day. June 13 – Sept. 30: Chi- nook and hatchery coho, 2 per day (only one can be a Chinook) Daniel Burt, a deckhand with Pacifi c Salmon Charters, carries a client’s fresh catch. Deckhands are the backbone of service in the charter fi shing world; they bait your hook, net your fi sh, do all the cleaning, and work hard to keep you (and the captain) happy. Here’s a tip: Tip them! IDWKHU¶VERDWOHQGLQJKLVKDQGWRWKHIDPLO\ EXVLQHVV²3DFL¿F6DOPRQ&KDUWHUVRXWRI ,OZDFR :DVKLQJWRQ ² DQG OHDUQLQJ HYHU\ DVSHFWRIRXUORFDOZDWHUV)RUKLPWKLQNLQJ OLNHDVDOPRQLVSUDFWLFDOO\VHFRQGQDWXUH 7KRXJK KH¶V KHOG KLV 0DVWHU¶V OLFHQVH VLQFHWKHDJHRIDQGKDVORJJHGWKRXVDQGV RI GD\V LQ SXUVXLW RI ¿VK *XGJHOO VD\V KLV ZRUNVWLOOEULQJVDWKULOO³7KH¿UVWWLPHUVDUH DOZD\V P\ IDYRULWHV´ KH VD\V ³HVSHFLDOO\ NLGV,WMXVWSXWVDVPLOHRQ\RXUIDFHWRZDWFK WKHP$QGWKHFDPDUDGHULHWKDWGHYHORSVRQD ERDWLVUHDOO\SUHWW\FRRO,¶YHJRWFXVWRPHUV who’ve been coming out with me for 20 years DQGPRUH,KDYHWRVD\ZH¶YHPDGHDORWRI ‘I’ve got customers who’ve been coming out with me for 20 years and more. I have to say, we’ve made a lot of real friendships.’ COLUMBIA RIVER (Tongue Point to Buoy 10) Aug. 1 – Sept. 7: Chinook and hatchery coho, 2 per day (only one can be a Chinook) Sept. 8 – 30: hatchery coho, 2 per day (all Chi- nook must be released) Oct. 1 – Dec. 31: Chinook and hatchery coho, 2 per day, any combination. Rob Gudgell, owner and captain, stands aboard the Katie Ma- rie, one of eight charter fi shing boats operated by Pacifi c Salm- on Charters in Ilwaco, Washington. UHDOIULHQGVKLSV´ 4XLFNWRDI¿UPWKHHDUO\UHSRUWVRIVXFFHVV RXW RI KLV KRPH SRUW &XGJHOO VD\V ³:H¶YH been doing just outstanding on the kings so IDUDQGLWUHDOO\WDNHVVRPHVNLOOLQWDUJHWLQJ WKHP7KH\¶UHDZIXOO\IXQWRFDWFKDQGVXFK DQLFHSULPHJRRGHDWLQJ¿VK´ /LNHDQ\H[SHULHQFHGFDSWDLQKH¶VORQJRQ DGYLFHDERXWKRZWRSODQIRUEHLQJRQWKHZD WHUQRWVXUSULVLQJO\KHVD\VWKHIDVWHVWZD\ WRUXLQDJRRGGD\¶V¿VKLQJKDVHYHU\WKLQJWR GR ZLWK WKH QLJKW EHIRUH ³3HRSOH FRPH RXW KHUHWRKDYHDJRRGWLPHDQGFDWFKVRPH¿VK and the worst thing you can do is show up GUXQNRUKXQJRYHU,WDOPRVWDJXDUDQWHHWKDW \RX¶OOEHVHDVLFNDQGLW¶VQRWIXQDWDOO:H MXVWGRQ¶WDFFHSWWKDWRQDQ\RIRXUERDWV´ Beyond that, his best tips are the most basic: ³'UHVV DSSURSULDWHO\´ KH VD\V ³$ ORW RI SHRSOHFRPHGRZQIURPWKHYDOOH\DQGWKH\ OHDYHGHJUHHWHPSHUDWXUHVIRUDGHJUHH coast, and show up without even a sweatshirt. ,WFDQJHWFROGRQWKHZDWHUIDVWVRZHDOZD\V DGYLVHSHRSOHOD\HUXS7KDWDQGZHOOWKLV A trio of freshly caught Chinook (or King) salmon. one’s kind of new, but it’s becoming more DQG PRUH WUXH´ KH VD\V DGGLQJ ³7KH QHZ JHQHUDWLRQ ¿VKHV ZLWK WKHLU ¿QJHUV DWWDFKHG WR WKHLU OLWWOH PDFKLQHV DQG \RX MXVW FDQ¶W KRRND¿VKLI\RX¶UHKRRNHGWR\RXUGHYLFH