Direct your scrutiny
to the Bounty
Bounty on the Bay set for this weekend in Garibaldi
[Posted May 14, 2008]
By Niki Price
Oregon Coast Today
This Saturday, if you take a seat at one of the long tables laden with grilled oysters and albacore tuna arranged in the Old Mill RV Resort Lodge, you’ll see anglers, conservationists, politicians and gourmands. It’s evidence of a north coast cooperative: the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership.
The occasion will be the culmination of the fifth annual Bounty on the Bay fishing tournament, a fund-raiser for TEP’s salmon habitat enhancement efforts. The connection is simple, said professional fishing guide Bob Rees, one of the event’s founders.
“The TEP has worked very hard to determine priority problems, which result in issues of flooding, sedimentation, loss of salmon habitat and poor water quality. Now, they have some 80 action items that address those priority problems, projects like riparian plantings, culvert replacements, in-stream habitat placement, reconnecting wetlands and the list goes on,” Rees said. “They do everything they can to help salmon populations, which directly benefits the sport fishing industry.”
The 2008 Bounty on the Bay kicks off Friday, May 16, at the Old Mill in Garibaldi. They’ll serve up a pasta dinner and an angling seminar with a local guide. The fishing tournament on Saturday, May 17, is open to those who have their own vessel or wish to buy a seat on a guided tour (these sell out fast, so call 503-322-2222 immediately if you’re interested). Twelve professional guides have donated their boats, gear and time for the cause, so all proceeds will go to the TEP.
The event’s grand finale on Saturday evening includes a sumptuous seafood dinner and silent auction, hosted by TEP board members, staff, and volunteers. The guest speaker will be Paul Heimowitz, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expert in aquatic invasive species. The cost to participate in the whole weekend begins at $125, but those who wish to attend just the Friday night seminar ($25) or the Saturday night seafood feast ($35) are welcome.
Around 140 people competed in the 2007 tournament, and more than 200 attended the Saturday dinner; in all, last year’s Bounty on the Bay grossed more than $30,000, Rees said. “These are folks who participate in this fishery in the fall and spring, so they have an investment in the health of Tillamook Bay and watershed.”
Recruiting participants into the tournament has been a little more difficult this year, because of the coast-wide ocean salmon closure. Although anglers can’t hunt for salmon outside the Tillamook Bay jetties, it’s still legal to pursue spring hatchery Chinook, easily identified by their clipped adipose fin, in estuaries and rivers.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of bad news coming from the media, saying that we don’t have the number of fish coming back, and there’s some truth to that. Even though the ocean closure is really related to Sacramento, people think that there’s bad fishing coast-wide. That’s not necessarily the case,” Rees said. “We are experiencing a downturn, but we had some excellent fishing on the Columbia River this year, and we’re anticipating a great spring run in Tillamook Bay. I caught my first one on May 9.”
Spring Chinook salmon in the bay average between 19 and 25 pounds, but they can be as big as 40 pounds, he said. The tournament will award prizes based on weight, as well as the best overall catch, in inches. Last year’s biggest fish weighed more than 24 pounds. They’re elusive and challenging, but spring Chinook are worth the work.
“We don’t have a tremendous success rate for this fish, but each one we catch is a unique experience. They have a high fat content, so they are a very flavorful salmon, and they get the highest price on the market. People talk a lot about Copper River or sockeye, but Oregon spring Chinook is the finest salmon that swims.”
The event is made possible by many local businesses and volunteers, with help from sponsors like Leatherman Tools, Sculptor Eric J. Leonard, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery. The latter supplies all the oysters used for Saturday night’s feast. For a full list of sponsors or other information, head to tbnep.org. To make dinner reservations, call 503-322-2222.
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