Donation protected
Fellow anglers and conservationists,
My name is Michael and I've been fortunate enough to become friends with the Fish The Swing (http://www.fishtheswing.com/) folks over the last 15 years. Every year I'd look forward to spending time fishing on the Deschutes or on the coast with Fish The Swing. The trips were always more than just the chance to land a beautiful PNW steelhead. For me they were a chance to decompress, eat amazing food, talk about fishing and enjoy each other's stories. Those of us who've been on a trip with Jeff, Kathryn, Barrett and Colby know they're not only stellar hosts, guides and chef's, but they're also dedicated stewards of one of our most precious PNW resources - wild salmon and steelhead.
As steelhead anglers we've all noticed things were changing over the last decade. The numbers were diminishing year-over-year and we were experiencing some pretty insane weather conditions (drought, extreme heat, etc.) It all spelled disaster for salmon and steelhead. Fast forward to August 2021, we all began to see the headlines "Record low numbers of steelhead returning to Columbia River," it was becoming more than a trend or bad year, it was our new reality. We all knew in the back of our heads, something needed to be done.
When I first heard that Jeff and the team were considering cancelling their entire guiding season no matter how things turned out, I was blown away because I knew how important the fall season is to their well being, both financially and mentally. I put myself in their shoes and I wasn't sure if I would have been able to make that decision. But the more I though about it, the more I remember Jeff and Barrett always saying they'd stop fishing when it wasn't responsible to do so. And it looked like that was the case this year.
On August 20th, I received an email (see below) from Jeff saying Fish The Swing was cancelling its entire fall 2021 steelhead season due to the terrible run numbers (potentially the worst in history), high water temperatures, and the lack of proper management. "The risk of killing even one wild steelhead is too many." With that, they turned their focus on putting pressure on state officials and ODFW to act now and protect what fish we did have in the system. That pressure in combination with the collective work of many other conservation groups, (i.e. Native Fish Society, The Conservation Angler and Wild Steelhead Coalition) led to the closure of the fishery in a few Oregon Columbia tributaries to protect the small run so they can spawn. While this was a move in the right direction, it also comes with a downside of steelhead guides having to find other sources of income.
I'm setting up this Go Fund Me page to help support our friends at Fish The Swing during these troubling and uncertain times. All funds raised will be going to support the team at Fish The Swing.
Thank you!
If you are also interested in getting involved or supporting the recovery of wild salmon and steelhead, check out these groups below to volunteer your time or donate to help the recovery a PNW icon. Together we can all can do our part to support our fishing/outdoor community and the fish we love so much.
FISH THE SWING COMPANY STATEMENT - AUGUST 20th, 2021
Hello Friends and Fishing Partners,
Unfortunately, I'm writing here with some bad news. Because of the terrible run numbers, high water temperatures, and continued mismanagement by ODFW and PGE, we have decided to cancel our fall steelhead season on the Deschutes. I'm sorry to have to do this because I look forward to fishing with all of you each year, but I don't feel that conducting our regular business this year is ethical. The risk of killing even one wild steelhead is too many. The river has none to spare.
I have fished the Deschutes River for 30 years and guided the lower river with a jet boat for the last fourteen seasons. It pains me to watch what has unfolded. Many of you have fished with me for years and have seen the same terrible changes to water quality and temperatures and the loss of these incredible fish. I've heard from many of you in the last few weeks. You're seeing the same grim numbers and asking the same tough questions that I am.
This year is on track to be the worst steelhead run in history! As of August 20th 2021, combined Steelhead returns (hatchery and wild) are barely above 25,000 over Bonneville Dam. That is on track to be right around 22% of the current ten year average of around 203,000 total steelhead. But if we zoom out just a little bit, we are on track to only be at 10.7% of the previous ten years average of around 416,000 total steelhead. It is almost unbelievable how few fish are in the system.
As if that isn’t enough to deal with, the limited number of fish that are returning this Summer are facing incredibly hot water temperatures throughout the basin. August 20th was the 55th straight day of Columbia River water temps over 68F. At Bonneville dam, water temps hit 73.9F, almost 3 degrees warmer than the ten-year average high temp for mid-August. Upstream, the water at the Dalles, John Day and lower Snake River Dams is roasting, too.
A similar threshold triggered ODFW to close all fishing on the North Umpqua this year. With similar terrible fish counts, why is the Deschutes still open to fishing? A day after ODFW announced the North Umpqua closure to protect the few wild steelhead in the system, they removed the Hoot Owl protections for the Deschutes even though temperatures were still far too high in the lower river. It doesn't make any sense!
So, while runs have been tough the last five years, we are now left with an ethical decision of whether or not to run our business. We are angry, sad and deeply frustrated. We know many of you are too. This decision should not rest on our shoulders. It is the job of the managers to tell anglers when it is safe and responsible to fish.
We have always said we would stop fishing when it wasn't responsible to do so. Unfortunately, that moment has finally arrived for us. Barrett, Colby and I are losing all of our income this season, but we know we're making the right decision not to fish. We hope that us cancelling will encourage other guides and outfitters to cancel as well and hopefully bring some real public attention to this issue and put some pressure on ODFW, WDFW and the Governor's offices to make some real positive changes. We are hopeful that the numbers will bounce back next year to reasonable numbers and we will have responsible management and can continue our business after skipping this one season.
If you are as upset as I am, please take a moment to take meaningful action here via this link. We want to get as many emails in as possible to both the Oregon and Washington Governors and both State's Fish Commissions ASAP:
Organizer and beneficiary
Michael Dalton
Organizer
Portland, OR
Jeff Hickman
Beneficiary