SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020 | 3B
ODF declares much of western Oregon as ‘high fire danger’
Due to extreme heat
and drier conditions, all
Oregon Department of
Forestry (ODF) districts
in western Oregon and
the Douglas Forest Pro-
tective Association have
raised the fire danger lev-
el to high (yellow) except
for the coastal counties of
Clatsop, Coos, Curry and
Tillamook, which remain
at moderate fire danger.
Counties experiencing
high fire danger in west-
ern Oregon include Lane,
Lincoln, Benton, Clacka-
mas, Columbia, Douglas,
Jackson, Josephine, Linn,
Marion,
Multnomah,
Polk, Washington and
Yamhill.
“Fighting fires in hot
and dry conditions is
extremely taxing on
those who are trained to
protect our lands from
fire,” said Unit Forester
Chet Behling with ODF’s
Western Lane District.
“We are asking that our
public remain mindful
of this as they conduct
activities throughout the
coming days.”
Various
potential
fire-starting
activities
are more closely restrict-
ed during periods of de-
clared high fire danger.
Specific
restrictions
may vary, so check with
your local ODF district
office or the online state
map at https://gisapps.
odf.oregon.gov/firere-
strictions/PFR.html.
You can also check
there for changes to fire
danger levels.
Annual Siuslaw Open Golf Tourney fundraiser tees off Aug. 29
The 10th Annual Siu-
slaw Open Golf tourna-
ment to support services
provided by Siuslaw Out-
reach Services is still tak-
ing place.
The tournament will be
held Saturday, Aug. 29, at
Florence Golf Links.
The pandemic has
forced a change in play-
ing format. Due to state
regulations
regarding
carts and numbers gath-
ering, golfers have the
option of playing in the
morning pool or in the
afternoon pool.
The 4-person team fee
for the morning pool is
$425 and the afternoon
pool is $375 (difference
in price is the wind hand-
icap).
The team fee includes
cart, meals, entry in the
putting contest, mulli-
gans and more.
This year’s tourna-
ment features a hole-in-
one challenge to win a
new Ford F-150 from
Johnston Motors, and
a chance to putt to win
$10,000.
Dixon Golf has re-
turned with its Alrelius
Challenge to win a new
driver or $500 watch.
Hyak will once again be
on-hand to offer grilled
hot dogs on the course,
and Dutch Bros will be
on there to get you start-
ed.
Team prizes will go to
the top three teams. The
Siuslaw Open is present-
ed by Oregon Pacific
Bank, Banner Bank, Flor-
ence Dental Clinic, Peach
Health and Johnston Mo-
tors.
Golfers can register at
Siuslaw Outreach Ser-
vices or at Florence Golf
Links.
For more info call Bob
Teter at 541-997-2816.
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department reminds state parks visitors to recreate responsibly
COVID-19 is still a
reality in Oregon and
Oregon Parks and Rec-
reation
Department
(OPRD) is asking visitors
to do their part to help
protect themselves and
the health of their fellow
Oregonians.
The state park system
has been slowly reopen-
ing since early May, but
nearly every park is ex-
periencing reduced lev-
els of service due to a $22
million budget gap.
OPRD is relying on vis-
itors to help us through
this unprecedented time.
The best thing way to
keep yourself and oth-
ers safe is to “Prepare
+ Care.” Prepare before
you leave the house, then
take care of yourself and
the people around you
while at the park.
Prepare
If you’re not feeling
well, stay home. The
parks will still be here
Fishing
from 1B
Summer steelhead fish-
ing is still slow on the
Siletz River but overall it
has improved in the last
few weeks. The higher
than normal flows in June
and early July changed the
migration timing and
these fish and they are
finally starting to stage in
the upper portions of the
river and gorge sections.
The high and cooler
water has slowed the
migration this year but
now we are in a more typi-
cal summer pattern and
the fish seem to be
responding, moving up
into the gorge where there
is better summer holding
water. Fish numbers
should keep increasing
through the month of July
and into August.
Spring Chinook fishing
closes on Aug. 1 above the
Ojalla boat ram. Anglers
are reminded that the bag
limit has been changed for
the 2020 spring Chinook
season to 1 fish per day
and 1 for the year.
when you recover.
Whether you’re stop-
ping for the afternoon
or camping overnight,
bring the essentials with
you: face coverings, hand
sanitizer, trash bags
(pack it in, pack it out),
water, snacks, and toilet
paper.
Choose a park close to
home. The shorter your
trip, the fewer stops you
have to make on the way
there, and the less time
you’ll be in close proxim-
ity with others.
Check the park’s web-
page in advance to learn
what
amenities
are
available. Some may be
closed; read the “reduced
services” section below.
Make a backup plan for
your outing.
Summer is a busy time
at state parks, and people
are extra stir-crazy this
year. If you show up and
the park or parking ar-
eas look crowded, turn
around and follow your
backup plan.
Parking may be limit-
ed, and please don’t park
on road shoulders or pri-
vate roads. It’s dangerous
and you risk your vehicle
being damaged or towed.
If the parking lot is full,
turn around.
Care
Try to maintain at least
6 feet of physical distance
from folks that aren’t part
of your household.
Wear a face covering,
especially when in con-
gested areas like parking
lots, trailheads or re-
strooms.
Take it easy while at
the park: stick to trails
and activities you’re fa-
miliar with. If you get in
over your head and get
injured or lost, that will
further strain our already
thin resources.
Take your trash with
you when you leave. Gar-
bage service has been
significantly reduced and
packing out what you
pack in is a huge help to
park rangers.
With the weather heat-
ing up, campfire restric-
tions may be in effect in
some state parks.
Check
campground
and trailhead notice
boards for posted fire re-
strictions, or call ahead
to double check.
Reduced services
We have far fewer staff
than we normally do for
the busy summer season.
Park rangers will be fo-
cused on essential duties
to keep you safe, so other
typical services may fall
by the wayside.
Events and programs
will be canceled, ice or
firewood sales may be
suspended, and grounds
maintenance and trash
pickup will be less fre-
quent.
Take your trash with
you when you leave. Gar-
bage service has been
significantly reduced and
packing out what you
pack in is a huge help to
park rangers.
With the weather heat-
ing up, campfire restric-
tions may be in effect in
some state parks.
Check
campground
and trailhead notice
boards for posted fire re-
strictions, or call ahead
to double check.
Fall Chinook fishing
opens this weekend in the
lower Siletz River tidewa-
ter up to the Ojalla boat
slide. Expect fishing to be
slow for the beginning of
August but fishable num-
bers usually start to show
up by the end of the
month. Due to low fore-
casted returns for the 2020
season bag limits have
been reduced. The bag
limit for the Siletz River is
1 wild chinook per day
and 5 per year for the 2020
season.
Cutthroat trout fishing
is open in the Siletz basin
and good trout fishing
opportunities will remain
through the summer
months.
The 4.0-mile bridge
(aka Steel Bridge) in the
Siletz gorge is open to
motorized vehicles but is
only open to public vehi-
cles on the weekend.
Anglers can walk/bike in
the road during the week-
days. If anglers do walk in,
they can park at the one-
mile gate and start from
there.
YAQUINA RIVER: Fall
Chinook
Fall Chinook fishing
opens on the Yaquina and
Big Elk systems on Aug. 1.
These fisheries are typical-
ly slow at the beginning of
August but start to pick up
at the end of the month.
Anglers are reminded that
due to low forecasted
returns for the 2020 sea-
son bag limits have been
reduced on the Yaquina/
Big Elk Rivers. The bag
limit for the Yaquina/Big
Elk is 1 wild Chinook per
day and 5 per year for the
2020 season.
TENMILE LAKES:
Trout, warmwater species,
largemouth bass
Largemouth bass can be
caught early mornings and
late evenings in shallow
water. During the middle
of the day bass can be
caught in deeper water
and in the shade of docks.
Re-cent water tempera-
tures have been between
70-75 degrees.
Anglers are catching
yellow perch fishing small
jigs or worms on a hook
near the bottom in 8-10
feet of water. The outside
weedlines are fairly consis-
tent at 9 feet of water
throughout the lake.
Trout fishing has slowed
down with the warmer
water temperatures.
Anglers will have the best
success fishing for trout in
the deeper water and troll-
ing slowly.
UMPQUA RIVER,
SOUTH: Bass, trout
There are consistently
good reports on bass fish-
ing in the South Umpqua.
Trout is catch-and-release
for the South Umpqua
Basin. The mainstem and
tributaries above Jackson
Creek Bridge are closed
year-round.
PACIFIC OCEAN and
BEACHES: Bottomfish,
salmon, halibut, surfperch
Douglas County Parks
are open.
Bottomfishing is
restricted to inside the
40-fathom regulatory line
until Sept. 1. Fishing for
rockfish and lingcod has
been spotty recently when
anglers can get out on the
ocean. The daily bag limit
for marine fish was recent-
ly increased to 7. But
anglers must release all
copper, quillback or China
rockfish when fishing
from a boat.
Anglers are also allowed
2 lingcod per day. Anglers
may harvest 1 cabezon per
day as part of your general
marine fish daily limit.
Anglers may also
choose to fish the offshore
longleader fishery outside
of the 40-fathom regulato-
ry line, which is open
year-round. The longlead-
er fishery has a daily bag
limit of 10 fish made of
yellowtail, widow, canary,
blue, deacon, redstripe,
greenstripe, silvergray,
chillipepper and bocaccio
rockfish.
No other groundfish are
allowed and offshore long-
leader fishing trips cannot
be combined with tradi-
tional bottomfish, flatfish
or halibut trips. Find
information about a long-
leader setup here.
Surfperch anglers are
reporting limited success
fishing the ocean beaches
using sand shrimp or
Berkley Gulp sand worms.
The ocean Selective
Coho (fin-clipped) season
opened on June 22 from
Cape Falcon to the OR/CA
Border. This area in the
ocean is also open to har-
vest of Chinook salmon.
The salm-on bag limit is
two salmon per day.
Ocean salmon fishing for
fin-clipped coho and
Chinook continue to be
good out of Winchester
Bay. As of July 19, there
was 20.7 percent of the
quota remaining.
The Nearshore Halibut
season for the Central
Coast Subarea is open 7
days a week, inside the
40-fathom line, through
the earlier of the quota of
32,591 pounds or Oct. 31.
As of July 19, there is 45
percent of the quota
remaining. As of July 18,
there is 45 percent of the
quota remaining.
The Southern Oregon
Subarea for halibut is
open 7 days a week
through the earlier of the
quota of 8,000 pounds or
Oct. 31. As of July 19,
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Reduced services
We have far fewer staff
than we normally do for
the busy summer season.
Park rangers will be fo-
cused on essential duties
to keep you safe, so other
typical services may fall
by the wayside.
Events and programs
will be canceled, ice or
firewood sales may be
suspended, and grounds
maintenance and trash
pickup will be less fre-
quent. Service availabili-
ty may change quickly.
Many facilities will be
closed or have sharply
reduced hours. Shower/
restroom facilities, rang-
er booths, welcome cen-
ters, and other places will
be affected.
Go to the webpage for
the park you plan to visit
before you leave to learn
what’s open and what’s
closed.
When you arrive at the
park, scope out the open
facilities.
Don’t forget: normal
park rules still apply. Vis-
it the state parks recre-
ation FAQ for a refresher.
Learn more about
safe recreation in parks
during the pandemic,
including more specifics
for day-use and camping,
on the state parks web-
site: stateparks.oregon.
gov.
there is 79 percent of the
quota remain-ing.
ALBACORE TUNA:
Albacore tuna have
started to come into range
for some of the larger pri-
vate recreational boats. If
the weather cooperates,
the fishing can be expect-
ed to improve soon.
During the past two
weeks, the ocean condi-
tions and weather have
prevented anglers from
getting to where the tuna
are. This week may finally
provide a break for anglers
and allow them to get off-
shore to the tuna waters
CRABBING and
CLAMMING
Always check for clo-
sures at the ODA Shellfish
Safety page before clam-
ming or crabbing. http://
ODA.direct/
ShellfishClosures.
Crabbing and clamming
for nonresidents
Recreational crabbing
for nonresidents is now
open from Cape Falcon
(between Seaside and
Tillamook) south to the
OR/CA border. All other
shellfish license activities
(clamming, mus-sel har-
vest, etc.) remain closed to
nonresidents until further
notice.
Cutthroat trout fishing
opened May 22 on the
Alsea River and trout fish-
ing has been good
throughout the basin. The
rivers are dropping quickly
into more normal summer
flows but are still provid-
ing good conditions for
trout fishing and will pro-
vide good opportunities
through the summer
months.
SALMON RIVER:
Cutthroat trout, fall
Chinook
Fall Chinook fishing
opens on