ON THE WATER FOR JANUARY (2009)

ON THE WATER FOR JANUARY         (2009)                 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL >> & << GOOD NIGHT to our Oregon College Football Games………

 

Yes Pard, our 2 Oregon College Teams each won their respective 2008 Bowl Games >> The DUCKS beat the OKALAHOMA COWBOYS ( 42 to 31 ) & the BEAVES yawned the PITT PANTHERS ( 3 to Zip >< The most exciting part of this game was the last 11 seconds !! )  What to do now ??  Well there is always Fly Tying, Winter Steelhead Fishing, Whale Watching or Pacific Decadal Oscillation (Got’cha on that one didn’t I ??)  P.D.O. is the “Good News” we have been hearing about, off of our coast, which involves the “Up Welling’ of cold nutrient rich water. The Scientists all seem to think this will do “Really Good Stuff” for all of our Ocean Fish & Bird Species. Boys Howdy >><< I sure hope so, after this disastrous year for our Sport & Commercial Salmon Fishermen >>> We need all of the P.D.O. we can get !!!  

 

Hope you all had a good DECEMBER Holiday Season. We have finished getting our Home Christmas Lights & Decorations all put away for next year. (Have you noticed how fast it seems to come around ??) In any event, it was really fun to have our son Mark with us & in spite of the bad weather, he was able to get out of Eugene & back to San Francisco in one piece. (Unfortunately, we were not able to do a Trap Run this year). As always, we had several fun Holiday Club Events >> A Great Breakfast Meeting & Our Annual Christmas Gathering. We Roasted & Recognized MIKE SAMPLES, with a Git-R-Done Trophy, for his ongoing work supporting our Schooner Fish Trap & It was our pleasure to Toast & Honor BRIAN HUDSON as the Winner of our 2008 Joe Longo Award. Let me take a moment to also acknowledge BUTCH MINICH, who won the 2008 CCFF Chuck Scott Award. Congratulations are in order to all of these Fine Men & All of the Lucky Door Prize Winners. (Thanks Again to Bill & Betty Hanus for the Door Prizes & Jacky Thomas & her friends for the Lovely Christmas Club House Decorations).  Moving right along >><< It is always a delight to acknowledge a New Club Member, so please join me in Welcoming ELIE LaMASTER. I would also like to suggest that we keep the following folks on our Angel List >> Lou & Linda Reed >> Chief McAdams >> Bob Breakfield & Frank Stout’s Mother. Now let’s lurch on to the NEW YEAR ………

 

JANUARY starts with a BANG >><< At our (9 AM, 8 Jan.) Breakfast Meeting >< We will be anointing PHIL REED as the Winner of our 2008 Salmon Derby & KEVIN McCARTHY will get to be “The Keeper” of the Smallest Salmon Caught Mascot until next year !!! In addition, BUD ROARK & DEAN FLECK will get Salmon Pins for their ball caps. We will also be doing a Door Prize Drawing that will result in one of our Lucky Members Winning a Day of Steelhead Fishing, on the Siletz River, with Phil Reed >><< This fun meeting will be followed on the 22^nd of Jan. with a Very Special Community Service Meeting, presented by one of our own, Sargent TOM SIMPSON. Tom’s topic will be “Drugs In our Community.” We recognize this is a bit of a reach from our usual “Fish’n Club Material” but we believe you will find this meeting very informative. We may also be visited by a colleague of Tom’s >< Officer T.J. ERIKESEN & his New Drug Searching Dog EYAN (So you better come to this meeting CLEAN !!!) ……..

 

I suppose we could risk getting quite maudlin about the year about to end, what with all of the various calamities occurring around the world & within our own country. Be that as it may, I remain excited & very positive about the prospect of Inaugurating a New President & the resilience of the Wonderful American People that make our Country so Very Special. I have the same positive feelings about what 2009 holds for our Humble Fishing Club & all of its Wonderful Members. As you all may have surmised, my perspective tends to be, that the “GLASS IS ALWAYS HALF FULL” >><< You have to be a little careful with that kind of perspective >< It can sometimes get you “5 yards Short of Common Sense” !!~!!!  but it sure helps when your Rubber Pants are Leaking & the Fish just don’t seem to like any Fly you are putting On the Water !!!!

 

In closing, perhaps the Old Adage of “Either We all Hang Together or We’ll All Hang Separate” may be a pretty good way for us to go into this New Year. I sincerely wish each & everyone of YOU the Very Best of the New Year & lets not worry about the Stuff we cannot control, but do what we can to “Hang Together” & enjoy the Blessings of Each Day & Each Other ……… GOOD ON YOU ALL & HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

Well, that’s the Top of the News as it Looks from Here ………. Hope to See you On The Water >>>                   THE HOOK