I often wonder what all I have passed on to my kids that was passed on to me – funny pranks, stories, games, that kind of thing.
As I take in all the little, fun things my kids do, I think “What about the important things?”
Remember the telephone game, where one person gets told a story and then passes it on to the next person, who passes it on to the next, and so on. By the time it gets around the circle, the story isn’t much the same.
As an outdoorsman or woman, you learn how to be outdoors. You get taught by your parents or relatives until you are old enough to start learning the little things on your own – trial and error if you will.
As I pass on my knowledge of the outdoors to my children, I worry sometimes that, like the telephone game, as generations go by the story that’s begin told now isn’t the one that started out.
Hunting and fishing five or six generations ago isn’t done today as it was then. Most outdoor activities have changed due to technology, state rules and regulations and a variety of other influences.
As I camped with my family over the extremely wet Memorial Day weekend, I tried to put some emphasis on teaching my three children various safety guidelines for camping and other outdoor activities.
We hiked on trails and noted that if we don’t keep the trash picked up, we won’t have this trail some day. And as we met other campers along our way, I realized that sense in common with common sense really isn’t that common at all. I realized that the knowledge that should have gotten passed down has been largely forgotten.
A lot of outdoorsmen and women enjoy passing along their knowledge to the younger generation about all sorts of outdoor activities. There are youth fishing and hunting organizations to teach the next generation how to do these outdoors activities. An example is the groups who help put on the annual Foster Lake Fishing Derby, which will be held at Foster Lake from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 10, on the banks of Foster Reservoir at the dam.
The organizers and sponsors include Albany Chapter of the Northwest Steelheaders, the Department of Fish and Wildlife South Santiam Hatchery, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USFS Sweet Home Ranger District, Sweet Home Boys and Girls Club, the city of Sweet Home, Linn County, Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division, Sportsman’s Warehouse, G.I. Joe’s, Kids All American Fishing and local volunteers.
The day is filled with fishing fun for youth aged 0 – 18. If they are big enough to hold a pole they are old enough to fish. This derby has been an annual event for more that 15 years and it is a great chance to get outdoors.
It occurs on the same weekend as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Free Fishing Weekend so once the Derby is over, at noon, parents can begin to fish with their children without needing to have a fishing license.
All of the day’s activities are free. Fully equipped fishing poles and worms are available for kids who don’t have their own to borrow.
Prizes of fishing poles and tackle are awarded to youth in several categories, and multiple age groups. Every child receives a goodie bag at registration and we have a free drawing at the end of the day and participants are eligible to win. There are many activities to participate in during the day including fishing, learning how to cast better, learning how to cook and clean fish, and for the smallest of fishermen, aged under 6, there is a visit to the trout pond at the South Santiam Hatchery where they are guaranteed to catch some fish.
Another event for kids 12 and under is the Fishing Derby held the following week, June 17, at Timber Linn Park in Albany. It runs from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. and includes trophies for the largest fish, free pizza, and other fun things.
When you or your kids are near the water this year, remember these important safety tips from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
– Watch your children at all times around the water. Remember, it can take just a few seconds for a small child to wander off and as little as eight seconds for a child to drown.
– Never dive into lakes or rivers – the results can be tragic. Too often, dangers lurk beneath the surface of the water, including rock outcroppings or shallow water.
– Never rely on toys such as inner tubes or water wings to stay afloat.
– Reach or throw a flotation device to help someone in trouble. Don’t go into the water to try to save someone.
You can find more tips, including cold water survival and boating suggestions, at http://watersafety.usace.army.mil/
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– Fishing locally has slowed down with the rise in the river in the last week. Foster Lake is full and Green Peter is rising, thanks to the recent rains.
“I haven’t heard much but we had a really nasty weekend, weather-wise,” Dan Dee Sales owner Jack Legg said Monday.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that Foster Lake was stocked with trout last week.
Green Peter Reservoir is being drafted to help provide desirable flows in the mainstem Willamette for assisting in the out migration of juvenile steelhead. The kokanee fishery has been spotty so far, but has been producing some fish in the 12- to13-inch range. Anglers may also catch some of the juvenile chinook in the reservoir. The chinook may be kept, but should be counted as part of the trout limit and not as kokanee.
The ODFW reports that increasing water temperatures in the South Santiam have caused fish to move upstream. Because of the good weather and water conditions, angling pressure has been relatively high in the mainstem Willamette and lower to middle reaches of the Santiams. Anglers are catching a fair number of steelhead, with summers now outnumbering the winters. Chinook have been moving upstream in good numbers for the last couple of weeks and are now being taken in the lower reaches of both Santiam forks.
Legg said the word he’s heard from fishermen is that the salmon bite has been decent at Lebanon Dam and at Church Camp Hole, where Wiley Creek enters the South Santiam.
Fish counts at Willamette Falls, on the Willamette River, were 3,921 summer steelhead, and 17,326 spring chinook through May 17. These are incomplete numbers since a couple of days earlier in May had not been counted when those numbers were tallied. Winter steelhead counting ended on May 15 with the final season count totaling 6,316.
Since my last column, a late surge of salmon finally started moving up the Columbia River and state fisheries managers moved to re-open the mainstem Columbia river last week for sport and commercial fishing. But it comes as too little, too late to salvage the season for Pacific Northwest fishing families and fishing businesses, already reeling from consecutive years of cutbacks, closures and shortened seasons forced by declining salmon runs on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
“We’re relieved that there are still fish in the river, that the federal government’s abysmal salmon management hasn’t let all of them disappear. But for us, it’s really too little, too late,” said Liz Hamilton, executive director of the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association. “Our spring sportfishing season is already in shambles – again – and may turn out to be the worst we’ve ever experienced. Even if the final numbers end up meeting preseason forecasts, there is no good news here.”
Washington and Oregon fisheries managers initially estimated 88,400 spring chinook would make it past Bonneville Dam this year. Last week, they revised their 2006 forecast downward to 65,000, before increasing it again yesterday to approximately 100,000. That projection, even if it is reached or slightly exceeded by season’s end, will still be far below the level needed for recovery – or to sustain a healthy fishing season.
– Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) officials announced the state’s 2006 auction for a pronghorn hunting tag went for $20,200 at the Oregon Hunters Association, Lakeview Chapter’s annual banquet last weekend.
The successful bidder is an Oregon resident. The tag entitles the hunter to hunt Aug. 1-Sept. 30, anywhere pronghorn hunting and tags are authorized, including Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge.
The 2006 auction was the third pronghorn auction held by ODFW. Last year, the auction netted a record $34,000 for a pronghorn tag. The next auction, for a Governor’s Statewide Elk and Deer Combo tag, will be May 20 at the Oregon Hunters Association annual meeting in Lincoln City.
– ODFW is offering a great opportunity June 24 for women to learn fishing techniques using inflatable pontoon boats and float tubes at a Becoming An Outdoors-Woman program workshop at Magone Lake near John Day.
The “Fishing and Floating” workshop is a one-day event where participants learn angling techniques as well as water safety and navigation skills in pontoon boats and float tubes. ODFW provides all the equipment needed, including float tubes, pontoon boats, waders, fins, life jackets and fly rods. Breakfast and lunch also are included in the $40 registration fee.
BOW workshops are designed to teach women basic skills for outdoor recreational activities and provide a positive outdoor experience. This workshop is one of several offered around the state as part of the BOW program.
“Women learn best by trying activities, and BOW workshops give them the chance to do just that in a casual, non-threatening environment,” said Mary Hoverson, ODFW’s regional BOW coordinator. “This workshop is designed for beginners, but all skill levels are welcome.”
Hoverson noted that space is limited, and encouraged interested women to register as soon as possible. Registration forms are available at ODFW offices throughout the state or on-line at http://www.dfw.state.or.us under Outdoor Skills/Education.
Several additional workshops covering various outdoor recreational activities are scheduled this summer. Information about these workshops will be posted on ODFW’s web page. For more information, contact Heather Oakes at (503) 947-6016 or [email protected] or Stephanie Byrd at (503) 947-5025 or [email protected].