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2009 Women with Bait 'FISH BLOG'
2-6-09: Yahoo…Day 1 of Women with Bait is here!! Today we had four boats out, with three boats downriver at Hammer Creek and one boat working its way up at Spring Bar. Sam and Waylon took the Susan Harris group down to Hammer Creek and Ms. Linda Walker was the lucky gal on their boat with two fish, both keepers! 24" and 20"! Way to go Linda! Then, Mike W. and Casey and their ladies, Heather Schreiner and company, sure tried hard but only caught some trout…wish we could count those…they said they were big ones…just nothing that would stretch to that magic 20 inch mark! The big winner for the day down at Hammer Creek was Tony and Mike E., a.k.a., the birthday boy, with (almost) four fish for the day. Trip leader Maria Stone caught a nice 32" wild fish, and then a 19" hatchery…they tried to stretch it into 20", but unfortunately, it just didn't grow. Maria already has booked for next year, stating that fish was her first Steelhead ever and now she's definitely "hooked"! Look forward to seeing you next year Maria! Meanwhile, upriver at Spring Bar, Rich and Jeff were working in a smaller area due to ice, but his group, Kelly Porter and crew, managed to do quite well with four fish of their own! Ms. Kelly herself is leading the tourney so far with biggest fish…a 33 1/2" keeper! Shawna Sonner is our current most fish leader with two; a 30" hatchery, and a 30 ½" hatchery respectively. Krisann Brown was very happy with her 29" wild fish! So far, we're seeing some nice big fish ladies!! Keep it up!
Kelly Porter and her 33 1/2" keeper!
Lenore Whitney and Wendy Nelson with their treasures! |
2-7-09: Well, today was Rich and Mike E.'s turn to be skunked up at Spring Bar! Bummer too…but I was able to personally talk to these ladies…these girls came from all over! We had several from Alaska, Washington and even Arizona!!! They had so much fun, they just didn't care that the catchin' wasn't the greatest because the weather was absolutely spectacular! They said it was a great trip and are comin' back! Cool Cool! Downriver was a little slow today…but I guess the general Trout population is doing well as many were catching trout…they just weren't 20"….yet! Mike W. and Casey had boat #2 of the Afton Coles two-boat clan…Laurie Denning and gang. Wendy Nelson was able to bring home a 33" hatchery, which would put her second for biggest fish! However, on the Sam and Eric team boat…the other half of Afton's group, Lenore Whitney beat out her friend Wendy with a big, fat 34" keeper—which now puts her in the lead for biggest fish! Ooooooo, the competition is heatin' up! Sammy also said the trout fishing has been great so a good day was had by all…again…just can't count those little guys!
Nadra Angermen and crew, along with guides Rich and Mike... so happy after a beautiful day on the Salmon River |
2-8-09: Rich and Mike E. were upriver at Spring Bar again today…their fishing area is starting to open up as the river has been slightly on the rise, which definitely helps break out that ice. For those of you who wonder, where there is ice, there are usually fish…so it's kind of a double-edged sword to be there as you'll never know how it's going to turn out! Ask Judy Bauer (last year's champion) how that ice worked for her….AWESOME—she took home that ATV!! So ladies, don't ever be bummed if you see ice chunks floatin' by…that's usually a good thing! Anyway, they had a nice day with Sheila Cather's crew…two fish for the day! Shari Kappel caught a 25 ½" wild fish, while Heather Smith tied for the lead for biggest fish with a 34" keeper! Downriver, Tony and Casey had their turn at being skunked with Angie Howe and girls. I'm pretty sure these guys are done with that…and I think we are done with it as I have a feeling with these next reports we're going to start seeing some good numbers! Sammy Joe and Eric Pardue took Kelli Martinez and company to some good spots at Hammer with four fish for the day! Kelli Martinez herself took home a 21 ½" hatchery, while Jamie Owsley took home a 28 ½" keeper! Jessica Crane finally took over the lead for biggest fish with a 34 ¼" keeper, but then took second to her friend J.J. Martell, who caught a 34 ½" keeper, which is now big fish leader! I always loved a close race! Meanwhile, Mike W. and Jeff Wieber decided to keep on going down into the lower gorge today and really got into the fish! They caught 5 fish in one hole! Yahoo! Trip leader, Shaun Mulberry, caught a 26" hatchery, and Stacey Francis caught the biggest fish on their boat with a 33 ½" keeper. Trina Pollman caught two fish—a 23" and a 24"—both keepers, while Mandy Mulberry also caught two hatchery fish…a 24" and a 31"!
Jamie Owsley on the lower Salmon River with a beautiful Idaho Steelhead! |
Guide Eric Pardue, Jessica Crane, J.J. Martell, Guide Sam Whitten and "the twins"!! They are only ¼" different!! |
Outlook: You won't hear from us until after Tuesday, the 10th, as that's when we'll have our next boat out…a drift boat, so it will be nice to see how they do. Drift boats have won this derby in the past, and the gal coming up is a real good angler going with one of the best, Norm Klobetanz. I can't wait to see how her day goes! And then we'll be back after Thursday with more jet boat AND drift boat reports!
Shaun Mulberry and company with their fish…and a couple of girls who apparently caught each other!
Everyone, unfortunately, the Idaho Statesman mistakenly thought our tournament was somehow closed to new registrants…NOT TRUE!!! All of you veterans know, we don't ever close this tourney, so if you hear of that news, please tell folks we are still happily taking reservations for drift boats AND jet boats! We actually have lots of spots left and full boat availability! Please pass that good news around as that article has many people guessing and they might miss out on some great prizes by not entering!
We did get some good news…we have been working with Idaho County and we think we might be able to get our last seven miles of Salmon River Road open earlier than we did last year, which is a plus. We want to get up there and work some of that ice out so we can fish more territory!!! So ya'll keep your fingers crossed that we are able to do that! And for those of you who prefer those upriver waters, feel free to contact our Idaho County Commissioners with your thoughts on how much we use and need that last seven miles open! The issue is, it's always been classified as a "seasonal road". We need everyone's support so they'll realize we use it all year round and they need to include it in the previous 19 miles of routine road maintenance! It's definitely important to our community that we keep the access to the upriver corridor open, available and safe! Thanks!
**WE'RE BACK!! Sorry for the delay…I can't believe how many emails I've received about this blog…I didn't realize that many folks read it! Cool! Anyway, I've been in the depths of road maintenance hell…but good news—the road looks like we're gonna get it open! AND…the best part is, we think we might be on the track of getting a February 1st opening from now on. Still lots of details to go over, but I think we now have a very responsive county commission and the USFS also seems to want to help us achieve this goal! Ladies….PLEASE send a thank you to Lonnie Simpson with Debco construction. He is the contractor in charge of the current Salmon River Road project at the bottom end…and he is the biggest help to us! He understands small business and how much fishing means to this community! He has done a fabulous job of opening the road for us when it seemed it couldn't be done! He is also the reason why you ladies get an extra half hour in the mornings to get through the construction to go fishing upriver during the tournament! You can send that thank you to:
Debco Construction
Attn: Lonnie Simpson
217 College Ave Ste 5 Orofino, ID 83544
 The problem above French Creek |
 The road currently... scary and not accessible! |
The solution! Lonnie Simpson, owner of Debco Construction, (left) and Idaho County Commissioner Skip Brandt, (right). We took these guys on a road trip to show them what we're talking about! After a meeting with the Commission, a USFS representative and some interested public parties...we hope we'll be "on the road" to getting this section open every year on February 1st! That will help us tremendously in gaining access upriver so we can give you more fishing areas!
And now I better get caught up on this blog! So here goes since we left off on the 8th...
2-10-09: Well folks, I told you that we'd see a big performance from the teaming up of Norm Klobetanz and Teri Jacobsen in the drift boat…and they didn't disappoint! Teri caught three this day: a 29 ½" keeper, a 28" native and a 33 ½" keeper…this puts Teri in the lead for most fish with a total of 91 inches. Now you all know what you have to beat!!!
2-12-09: Just one boat out today with Michelle Kemner's crew! Mike Wallace and Jeff Wieber said a fun time was had by all!! The temps are cold enough to keep the fish from not being very active. Mike said his "fish finder" is indicating the fish are laying in there…stacked up all over…they just seem to be not too interested yet. However, these girls still got three WILD fish today! Susan Werner's was 22 1/2", Connie Breckenridge's was 23 ½" and Katherine Powell was the bigger winner for the day with 27"!!
Michelle Kemner and super fishing crew! Thanks Michelle for coming all
these years!
2-13-09: Tony B. and Jeff W. took the Lorri Nally group down to Hammer Creek where Melissa Hubbard caught a 26" wild fish! Meanwhile, Sam and Casey had Diane Ford and company also at Hammer Creek, where they were able to pick up five fish. Diana King caught a 23" wild fish, Kathy Haman caught a 25" keeper and Stacy Creek got a nice 33" hatchery! Billie Butler was lucky enough to get two fish…a 22" hatchery and a 34" hatchery—which puts Billie in a three way tie for third biggest fish!
Melissa Hubbard loving life with her bait boy Jeff and nice fish!
Guides Jeff Wieber and Tony Bradbury having some fun in the Salmon River Sun with the Lorri Nally group!
Meanwhile, moving up to Spring Bar area…Mike W. and Rusty had Ashley Hiatt and crew! They were also able to pick up five fish. Heather Patterson and Kay Bengochia were both able to pull in a 24" hatchery fish, while Ronda Walpole caught a 29" keeper and Ashley Hiatt herself didn't disappoint anyone with a 32" keeper!! Meanwhile, Shelly Williams just made that three way tie a four way tie with her 34" hatchery Steelhead!!! Holy Cow folks.....!
Also at Spring Bar, my husband Rich and Mike E. took Lydia Aguirre and ladies out for some good fishing! They also were part of the five fish club today with Carla Armentrout picking up a 23" native while Becky Hebert caught a 29" native. Laurie Draper caught a 31 ½" keeper but Lydia Aguirre was lucky enough to catch two today…by the way, Lydia's first fish in 8 YEARS!!! We're so glad we helped to break that spell! Lydia's first fish was a 27" hatchery while her second….you guessed it…put her now in a FIVE-WAY TIE for third biggest fish with a 34" wild fish! This is just crazy!
2-14-09: Unfortunately a slow, cold day today…but it was the day for love!! Hey, my husband Rich didn't forget me as I got a beautiful dozen red ones! Thanks baby! We did have a soon to be married couple on the river today in a drift boat with Jeff Wieber. Eric Van Zandt brought his lady all the way from Benton City, Washington, and entered her into the WWB contest! Her name is Heather Smith and she was happy to catch herself a 23 ½" keeper!! Now, I did have the pleasure of talking to this couple after the trip was over and I'm happy to report that there are absolutely NO hard feelings after Eric caught the biggest fish of the day….a 37 ½" keeper! Now I know, I know…ya'll are thinking…ugh…he took that fish from his girl! You all know that's not how it goes and I just wanted to report this catch because I want all of you ladies to know that THERE ARE REALLY BIG FISH IN OUR RIVER!!!!! We've had several folks up and down the river catching 40" + and have had big ones reported in this tournament! It's time to see some more!!! C'mon ladies….just keep fishin'!
Rich and Mike E. had Pam Hoogland and lots of family on their boat today at Spring Bar! Pam got a 22 ½" keeper, while daughter Anna Mescher caught two fish…a 23" keeper and a 31" keeper! Way to go Hoogland family! Mike W. and Casey were also up at Spring Bar today with the Montana girls, Nevada girls and Southern Idaho girls…Kelly Acree and crew! Thanks Kelly and ladies, for traveling all this way! Shelly Mackley caught a 29" keeper while Noreen Percifield caught a 31" keeper!
Sam and Rusty took another group of family and friends down to Hammer Creek…daughter Megan Jones, mother Terri Hogmire and grandmother Delores Spaulding!! These ladies have been participating in this tournament for quite a few years now…Megan WON the tournament a few years back and last year, mother and daughter got 2nd and 3rd most fish respectively!! This year wasn't a big catching year for them, but Megan just told me she hasn't laughed that hard in years….so I'm very glad they still had a lot of fun! What a great group of ladies! Their friend Cheryl Beeson caught a 25" keeper for the day!
Rusty Peterson... they love him so much they made him a shirt!
2-15-09: Still slow today with four boats and a drift boat out. We're hoping for some warmer temps to get these fish to biting! Sam and Jeff took some Oregon ladies out today down at Hammer Creek. No fish but Sammy said they had fun anyway!
Tony and Mike E. took the "Pink Flamingos" down to Hammer Creek today…these ladies have been tournament regulars for years now and are lots of fun! Flora Silvers caught herself a 27 ½" wild fish!
Meanwhile, up at Spring Bar, Romine finally decided to take a trip with the Shelley Rambo girls! Yes, our sweet Romine seems to think he's retiring after this year. I really don't think it's very nice of him to devastate all of his ladies who love him…but he thinks it's time. We will surely miss him and all of the wonderful years of service to River Adventures he has given and to the people of the Salmon River Community. I'm so lucky that he's my father-in-law so I'll still get to see him all the time and I can let all of you know how he's doing in his retirement!! He's only doing a select few trips this year, so you'll still hear from him during this tournament. Anyway, back to the fishing! Shelley's girls had a lot of fun with Cindy Clancy catching a 22 ½" keeper for the day!
Also at Spring Bar was Rich and the Mike and Deanna Lee group. Deanna caught a 25" native while Julie Crank caught a 21 ½" keeper.
This is another problem…ICE! We are hoping with warmer temps and some really awesome ice-breaking jet boats, we can finally get up there! This picture taken looking upriver from Bull Creek Ridge.
 Lesson 1 - How to Break Ice |
 Lesson 2 - Pray you get out of the mess! |
2-16-09: Three boats out today and all up at Spring Bar. Lots of ice bridges have been broken out so we're making progress up the river! The temps seem to be warming up also! YAHOO! Mike W. and Mike E. teamed up today with the girls from Animal Taxidermy. Thanks to Craig and Annette Derrick who donate the top prize for the biggest fish…a fish mounted replica of the winning Steelhead! They do an absolute marvelous job and we are so happy with their beautiful fish mounts!!! Angie Rimmer was our lucky girl today with a 22 ½" keeper!
Over on Tony and Rusty's boat, we had some of our local girls aboard for a day of fun! Our very own Glenna McClure from Seven Devils Steakhouse and Saloon caught a whopper 33 1/2" keeper!! Don't forget ladies, in every goody bag are three coupons from Seven Devils! Make sure to go and visit Glenna and crew for a great meal, cold toddies and fun dancing!
On Sam's boat, I'm happy to report that Jonny Hinton is finally back! We've missed him so much…but he's been working away from home so we only get him a few times this year! We'll take what we can get!!! We love you Jonny! Anyway, Sam and Jonny took Shelley Rambo's second day boat out at Spring Bar as well. Some of her ladies had their tournament day yesterday and some are having their tournament day today. They caught six fish for the day! Shelley caught a 26" keeper and Katrina Lynch caught a 22 ¼" keeper. Carole Clemens and Cindy Clancy both caught two fish for the day….Carole a 24" and a 25" keeper, while Cindy caught a 22 ¼" and a nice 31" keeper!!! Nice to have you ladies with us…and Shelley…thanks for always donating the third prize of the tournament for biggest fish….this year it is an exquisite set of pearls from her jewelry store, Steve Rambo Fine Jewelers.
2-17-09: Only one boat out today with Mike Wallace and Jeff Wieber! We had a mixed group of ladies today who all reported a fun day with each other! It's nice to meet new friends! Annette Gilmore caught a 22 ½" wild fish, while both Ashleigh Sayer and Gail Garwick both caught a 23" keeper! Amy Turner caught two fish…a 23 ½" keeper and a 25" keeper!
2-18-09: Okay folks, I think we're finally seeing some fish wake up in the Salmon! With the rising temps (it's like Spring in Riggins with temps approaching the 60's!) and ice coming out, we're starting to see some numbers. We had two boats at Spring Bar today. Mike W. and Casey had a mixed boat today with six fish caught. Misty Neubauer caught a 23 ½" keeper, Mary Lou Coppinger caught a 24" native, Joyce Niederklein caught a 24 ½" native and Kathy Chase caught a 32" keeper. There was a husband of one of today's participants, Donna Fox, who caught two fish as well (non-tournament).
Sam's boat caught 8 fish with two ladies catching three each. Anne Slayton caught a 24 ½" keeper and Jessie Black caught a 27" keeper! Tanya Lampman caught a 22" keeper and two 26" keepers, putting her in third place most fish so far with a total of 74". Erin Timinsky is currently in 2nd place most fish with her three keepers…a 24 ½", a 26" and a 33 ¼" for a total of 83 ¾"!!
Well everyone…there it is up to now. We'll aiming to update this blog much more often now that we're hopefully past the road blues! Thanks for being patient with us and we'll talk again tomorrow! Happy fishing! :)
2-19-09: Sam and Jeff had Tami George and crew upriver at Spring Bar today. Not a bad day overall with 4 fish and lots of fun had by all! Mariah Courtright took home a 23" keeper, while Micalah Kimbal caught a 25 ½" keeper herself. Dani Nelson took home two hatchery fish…a 22" and a 31 ½"!!
Today was a special day for us here at River Adventures!! We had the privilege of taking the ladies from the Best Western Salmon Rapids Lodge!! The SRL is not only where we sign you ladies in every morning, but many of you are staying there when you come up and fish. Please remember to thank Cathy and staff for making you feel welcome and comfortable as they work very hard to do their very best!!! Rich and Mike E. took these ladies fishing today and came home with five fish! Cathy Tumelson, general manager, was lucky enough to take home a 24 ½" fish, while Teri Laughlin got a real nice 33" keeper too!! Candy Dobson and Taffy Kettenburg, who chose to have their official tournament days count on a later date during the tournament, went along today "just for fun" so their fish didn't count toward their tournament run. However, they both caught two each… Rich said they were just practicing! NICE! Taffy caught two hatchery fish…a 24 ½" and a 27" while Candy, who incidentally finished 2nd in our 2008 Big Fish contest and won the '08 Salmon River Chamber of Commerce Derby overall (winning $1100.00 by the way…make sure you all get a $5 derby ticket at check in!) caught a 23" hatchery and a 31" wild fish! Way to go Candy! Those two girls will be back with a boat load of sisters on the 25th for their tournament bid!
Our very own Cathy Tumelson…finally gets to experience WWB! |
Teri Laughlin's first time out on WWB...not bad girl! |
2-20-09: Fishing slowed down today. Three boats out and everyone had to work hard to get a bite! Tony and Rusty had Lanett Palmer's girls downstream at Hammer Creek, but all they got was a suntan! Tony said the weather was beautiful…they did lots of sun worshipping and even went into Whitebird for a burger at the Silver Dollar! Now that is a guide for ya! Yes, they did get some fishing in, but they really, really just enjoyed the scenic Lower Salmon River in the Spring Sun!!
Meanwhile, Rich and Mike E. had Kresta Butts and family on board for their day out. Darcie Moore was the only one to bring home a fish…a 27 ½" keeper!! Whew…thank goodness somebody got something today!
It was a little better for Sammy and Casey, who were also at Spring Bar today. Debbie Dines and company brought six girls and Theresa Dopf was the big winner of the day with three fish…26" wild, 33 ½" hatchery and a 23" hatchery. Unfortunately, not enough to take the lead but enough to get her into third for most fish with 82 ½"!! Well done Theresa!
2-21-09: Downriver at Hammer Creek today we had Sammy, Jonny Hinton and the Roxanne Marshall group! These ladies come back year after year and really know how to have fun! Roxanne recently emailed me and said they had a fabulous and sunshiny day…even though the fish weren't cooperating, although they did catch quite a few trout (Steelhead wannabes)!! The one thing that she really wanted to say as well was that their coupon in this year's goody bag from McCall Jewelry Company was outstanding! She said, "We stopped on our way home to pick up our FREE earrings and all of us walked out with much more than that! The store features a lot of unique jewelry and much of it is made here in Idaho." Thanks Roxanne! Now all the ladies know they better make sure and check out those goody bags as they literally are filled with GOODIES!!!
Roxanne Marshall and the Playboy Bunnies! Bet ya'll didn't know the bunnies come every year!
Hugh Hefner is definitely NOT the bait boy!
Also downriver today was Mike W. and Casey with Tera Seabaugh, the two Karen's…Graham and Peterson, Carrie Sullivan and two of the Wallace girls (Mike's own daughter and his sweetheart Sissy!). Karen Peterson was doing well with a 25" wild fish. But Mike was sure a proud papa when his baby girl Jessica reeled in the current big fish leader….a whopper at 35 ½"!!!
Jess Wallace with the big one so far
Up at Spring Bar, Romine and Pim Hoogland had Kerry Holsher and crew! Kerry said the first time she ever went on WWB was with Romine and she wanted him to go out with her for his last year….we love that Romine! Jenny Sorenson caught a 27 ½" keeper while Sandy Boyington got two fish…a 21" and a 22"!!!!
Also at Spring Bar, Rich and Jeff W. took Melissa Blimka and ladies out for a day of fun! Melissa is one of our biggest supporters in our community! We've known her and her husband Mike for years and are so happy to have them as friends!!! They own the Rodeo Club Bar and Steakhouse and don't forget…the FISH DANCE is the last day of the tournament--March 7th with the River Rock Band playing for all of you!! And also remember that Sammy…one of our wonderful jet boat guides is part of this band—he wears many hats….jet boat guide, mountain lion hunter, rock star…just to name a few! Melissa and her friend, Marla Heckenlively both caught 25" wild fish…we're pretty sure they weren't the same one!
Melissa and Jeff with her beauty!
2-22-09: Down at Hammer Creek today, Tony and Pim were battling boats against Sam, celebrity guest guide Eric Pardue and guest bait boy George Wolfe! On Tony's boat, Neva McGregor got lucky with a 32" keeper while over on over on Sammy's boat, Sharon Dowen caught a 24 ½" hatchery. Both boats were tied with having way too much fun today! Is there such a thing as TOO much fun?
Meanwhile, upriver in ice-land, Mike W. and Mike E. teamed up to take out our very own J.J. Hopkins and crew!!! Gosh I just love that girl! You all know her and love her…she's the one who I beg to do all the calling and collecting of money! Bless her heart! It's a tough job but she is the bomb! JJ got herself a 24" keeper, while good friend Marcena Bjork caught a 22 ½" wild fish! But for the very first time, Mrs. Jodi Petross FINALLY caught her very first Steelhead ever….a nice fish at 24"!!!! We're so proud of you Jodi!
Jodi Petross and proof that yes, Mike Estrada actually DOES smile!!!
Finally, to our last boat of the day…Rich upriver at Spring Bar stretch with Jeff Wieber and the Judy Bauer crew! Judy is our returning champion from last year where she reports that she is still in deep love with her new ATV and would love to get another one! Watch out girls…she's a tough one to beat! Jenny Marson caught a 20" keeper!!! But it was all Judy today, who really gave the leader a run for her money by catching three fish!!! A 22" hatchery, a 29 ½" keeper and a 32" keeper!!! That gives her a total of 83 ½" to hold on for third place! Great effort Judy!
Judy Bauer and a beautiful keeper
2-23-09: Tony and Jeff W. had Rachelle Hubler's ladies downstream at Hammer Creek today. This will probably be our last time heading to Hammer Creek unless we get blown out up above. Caprice Watson caught a 23" hatchery while Glenda Carter caught a 24" keeper and a 32 ½" wild fish! Congrats ladies! A nice way to say "see ya next year" to good old Hammer Creek…home of the biggest fish so far!
Sam and Rusty were upriver at Spring Bar with Stacey Budell and crew. Unfortunately, they just caught some fun!! Fishing is tough right now with ice still above, but with the nice, warm weather we've been having, we are hopeful that soon we'll be able to bust through up above to see if there are any fish roaming around up there. These cold temps have the fish awful sleepy.
Also at Spring Bar, Rich and Jonny Hinton had the Sisters on the Fly. Trip leader Becky Clarke landed a 22 ¼" hatchery fish for the only fish of the day. These ladies always have a good time wherever they are!
2-24-09: Back up at Spring Bar, the second day for the Sisters on the Fly with Mike Wallace and Rusty Peterson as bait boy. Arlene Tribble was our lucky girl today with two fish…a 24" hatchery and a 33" hatchery as well! Nice job ladies…these ladies don't ever give up when it comes to fishing! Their oldest member, Ms. Mazie Morrison, will be 90 years young this May! Now that's a fisher-woman for sure! Happy early birthday Mazie!
Sam Whitten and Mike Estrada had "the wedding party" on board today! These girls traveled all the way from eastern and central Washington to fish with us today and one of them is getting married soon!! So their strategy is to win whatever they can so it can go to her "dowry"!! They sure did give it a good try with 9 fish for the day! That definitely makes it look good for the fishing…finally! Kathy Powell caught a 22" hatchery, while Angela Mayberry caught a 23" keeper. Theresa McKibben caught two fish…a 25" hatchery and a 31 ½" hatchery!! Nancy Saffle also caught two fish…a 24" wild fish and a 33" wild fish! But Shelly Able was the one who was here to win….she caught three fish today! A 21 ½", a 23", and a 34"—all hatchery fish! Not enough to place in the top three but definitely a very nice effort!
2-25-09: Two jetboats and one drift boat out today. Unfortunately the water is definitely coming up and the fish seem to be restless, but not interested quite yet. The good news is…I think by tomorrow…we'll be able to get above Vinegar which will spread out the pressure!
Sponsor Wendy Hafer and crew went out today with Sam and Jeff. These girls are professionals…fisher-women that is! They come up in the off—WWB—season that is and they definitely have "the knack". They worked very hard today and not one fish! They did have three on…bonified hooked and on their way to the boat, according to Sam, but no landings! They are out again tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.
Meanwhile, Mike Wallace and Mike Estrada took Candy Dobson and the "Sister Ship" trip today! This is a boat load of all sisters from around the country!! Candy won our 2nd place big fish prize last year! Her sister was the only one to catch a fish this year…a 23 ½" keeper! We sure did enjoy these ladies coming to visit Salmon River Country!!!! Hope to see you all again next year!
Susan Birge with her first Steelhead! |
The Sister-Ship havin' fun on the Salmon River! |
Rusty had a couple of ladies visiting from Washington State University in his drift boat today! Anne McCoy and Toni Ursich usually come every year and enjoy a power boat, but this year they decided to take a trip with their favorite rafting guide…who just happens to be a great drift boat guide! They unfortunately were faced with the same fate as the jet boats, but still had lots of fun anyway!!!
2-26-09... River Update! First of all, Mike Wallace and my husband Rich decided to "go for it" after talking with their ladies…they are going to attempt to go above Vinegar today. The thing is, no one knows the ice situation until they get there. The river has risen 1,000 cfs in about 24 hours so we're hopeful it's taken a lot of ice out. Other fellow outfitters will be up there busting ice today, so we should be through soon. Last word from Lynn at Shepp Ranch is that Mike Demerse and Chuck Gardner were on opposite ends of the (hopefully) last ice bridge…and the toughest…obviously it's name fits…Bull Creek! She said from the talk on the radio, it sounded like they were about 10 feet from each other so we just might have an open river by this evening!!! It's clear now above Shepp Ranch all the way to Mackay Bar….of course, the part we need open is the hardest! Murphy's Law, right??? Now, I don't want anyone to think that there will ONLY be fish above Vinegar and not below it. Not at all! We just want the fishing pressure to be spread out….there are lots more folks out there besides us who want to fish and Spring Bar was getting pretty worked over. Now that won't be such a problem!!! There should be lots of room for us all!!! Talk to you all soon!
2-26-09: We finally got above Vinegar today! High hopes were in everyone's heart as we finally broke through the ice barrier into "virgin waters" for this year. However, it wasn't what we thought as the fish were just teasing us. Rich and Mike Estrada took Wendy Hafer's group for their second day. A couple of their ladies had already used their tournament day yesterday, so today was just for fun for those few while the tournament was on for the rest of their group. They did have some fun and did manage to catch a few fish. Rich said it was three fish right off the bat, but then nothing for the rest of the day. Discouraging but we're still at it! Sam Logan caught two hatchery fish today…a 24" and a 27"!! Amy Cardenas caught a real nice 33" keeper!
Mike Wallace and Jeff Wieber took a mixed group of ladies today also above Vinegar. Tina Beltman caught their only fish today with a 29" wild fish! We want to thank Richelle Barger and Karma Fitzgerald for fishing on this boat today! Both of these ladies are roving reporters and always have something nice to say about WWB!! Thanks ladies for writing some amazing words about the Salmon River and its famous fish!
2-27-09: Four jet boats out today and not a fish caught. I don't even know what to say. Our guides are all in a really bad mood (I live with one of them…believe me, this really sucks!) because they all take this personally—they really truly care about all of you catching a fish! We aren't sure what to attribute this to other than the temps have been pretty radical and the fish seem to be not quite awake yet. We've had lots of folks in the different sections with all kinds of "fish finders" and they all report the same thing…the fish are just laying in there stacked up…they just don't seem to be too interested yet. We are of course, very hopeful that things will improve soon. We've said before, there is never any rhyme or reason to catching these finicky Salmon River Steelhead!
Nancy Petross and Crew…just happy to be here!
2-28-09: Sam, Rich and Romine all took their ladies above Vinegar today. Mike Wallace took his jet boat to Spring Bar, while Norm Klobetanz and Mike Hicks took their drift boats to the same area as well. The waters are a little off color from some mud coming down from ice-out above them around the Corn Creek area, according to local reports. Just talked to Romine and he said on his trip, he went up to Mackay Bar and it looked like it was starting to clear up some so it should be looking better by tomorrow.
Sammy and Jeff Wieber had some local ladies on board today with Nicola Johnson visiting from the Orofino area! She's still a local to us though! Thanks for coming up for "the party", as she called it! On their boat today, Malia Steiner caught a 22" hatchery while Rexanne Zimmerman of the Riggins Tackle Shop caught a 25 ½" keeper! Thanks so much ladies!
Over on Romine and Pim's boat, Nicole Shanley and company came back again to fish in the contest! Nicole told me she's been doing this for about 7 years or so! Thanks Nicole! That's awesome! And Riggins thanks you for always coming up to visit! Her friend Jan Julian caught a 24" keeper!!
Rich and Mike Estrada had a fun group of ladies!! One of the ladies on board has a husband who was upriver fishing today with Shepp Ranch. Apparently they were lucky enough to run into each other up there on the river. See girls…the boys just can't stand it when we're away from them! Well, a good time was all they had as no fish were caught today. Unfortunately, Mike W., Mike H. and Norm K. all had the same luck. High hopes for tomorrow!
3-1-09: Upriver today above Vinegar Creek, things look like they might be picking up some! Mike Wallace and Pim Hoogland had boat #1 of the Paula Brown group. Paula herself was not being shy about catching some fish today…she was the only one who did and she didn't mess around! She caught three fish, totaling 80 inches! All hatchery fish at 24", 25" and a nice 31"!! Not enough to place but certainly a darn good effort! Way to go Paula!
Over on Rich and Mike Estrada's boat, we had Paula's sister ship, headed up by Theo Lowe! They caught three fish for the day with Jean Humphries catching a 26" wild fish. Theo caught two fish…a 24" keeper and a 33 ½" native!! Keep ‘em comin' ladies!
Meanwhile, Sammy Joe and bait boy Jeff had Nadine Burak and crew! After being harassed by the "use fee police" (which we weren't even sure existed), they decided to go and catch some fish! Lisa Greer and Kandis Ward got lucky with two fish a piece! Lisa caught a 23" wild fish and a 30" keeper! Kandis caught a 21 ½" and a 24" keeper!
Ladies: don't forget there is a $4/person use fee IF you fish above the end of the road at Vinegar Creek! Please make sure you put your money in that drop box so you don't get a fine! Call us at the office if you have questions, but remember, this is your obligation to pay. We do not take care of these fees for you—we are only obligated to remind you!! Thanks!
3-2-09: A much better day today on the river, as far as "catching" goes! We'll start with Sam and Jeff's crew…the Chris Coy gang! EVERYBODY on this boat caught a fish…is that awesome or what?! That makes the perfect day, if you ask me! Chris herself caught a 23" wild fish, while Carla Hare caught a 27" keeper!! Patty Winder caught a 25" keeper and a 33" keeper! Anita Jesser also caught two fish…a 23" hatchery and a 26" hatchery! Denise Martin caught two fish as well, but Sam said she had 5 MORE ON!! Unfortunately they were so big, they out swam the guides and the angler! Denise ended up with a 22" keeper and a 23" keeper! They are definitely in the water just waiting for us!! Way to put up a fight Denise!
The big news today is over on Mike Wallace and Mike Estrada's boat! This was a mixed group of ladies that ended up mixing very well! I do believe these girls will probably go again together as they've all said they really enjoyed each other's company! That is great! First of all, Karen Sanders caught a 22" keeper, while Cammy Benedict and Becki Petterson both caught a 26" fish…one a hatchery and the other a native! Ms. Betty Wilsey, a first timer to WWB, had a spectacular day with two fish…a 25" hatchery and a 34" wild!!! Way to go Betty! But finally, the biggest news of all today is about Cathy Jerrums! She is now our new MOST FISH leader. She caught four fish, for a total of 96 ½ inches! Her fish are: a 23" keeper, a 23 ½" keeper, a 24" wild and a 26" keeper! YAHOO! Way to go Cathy!!!
Betty Wilsey and guide Mike Estrada with Betty's 2nd fish for the day...and first time on WWB ever!
3-3-09: Hey girls!! I finally got to go on WWB today…been waitin' all year long! I have to say, it was definitely one I'll remember for a long time! First of all, anytime I can spend some time with my hubby on the river and NOT answering the phone is an excellent day! I love all of our customers and talking to them daily, but it's really nice to go and visit his office sometimes!
Can you find the fish in this picture? Mother Nature is pretty darn cool sometimes!
I've been going on Women with Bait since I think about 1999. Before we bought this company, I would go with some friends I worked with from Albertson's Corporate office. My friend Dawn Coolbaugh found out where I was from (Riggins IS my hometown) and she had just caught her first Salmon River Steelhead—she was hooked! She talked me into going on this trip. I told her I figured I would do it…as long as Romine was our guide (Rich wasn't working for Sam at the time). Romine is my father-in-law and he had helped me catch my own very first Steelhead years before up at Basin Creek. I'll never forget it…he told me "you are going to cast it there (pointed upriver at the beginning of the drift) and then you are going to catch it there (pointing to about the middle of the drift). And that is what I did, first cast! I was hooked for sure. That was probably one of the reasons Rich married me…because that's one of the few things I will actually get out of bed extra early for. I've never been late to fish!
It was weird for me at first, because my husband was already a guide and we already had our own jet boat. I thought, "why would I want to spend money on something like that when I already have a guide and a boat?" What I didn't know was how important it was to get away from my daily routine with my girlfriends. It was also important that I actually did something for myself! Sure I could talk to my girlfriends on the phone or have coffee or whatever. But WWB was different. It was all a new experience every year and I was leaving "it" all behind. I truly just let go of all the regular worries of daily wifehood, worker-bee-life, and the rut we all seem to get into when we don't get enough recreating! I realized that this experience was mine. Nobody wants anything from me today except for me to catch a fish. And if I don't catch a fish, I at least had a ball trying!
To this day, I'm still simply awestruck by the beauty of our Salmon River Canyon. When we decided to move back to Riggins (which by the way, I swore I'd never do), we couldn't get back here fast enough. I am so completely grateful that we live in such an amazing place. I'm so happy to share it all with you ladies…because I feel I know your stories as I've been there myself. I'm so glad that we can give you this mini-vacation that you probably desperately needed and you didn't even realize it! We as women are so completely spectacular all by ourselves! This is a great celebration of being women and having fun in the outdoors! Thank you all for sending me all the pictures and the really nice notes and emails regarding how much fun you are all having this year! It means a lot to Rich and me as we take every single one of your experiences to heart. It means the world to us that you remember this trip you take here with fondness!
Serenity
Okay, enough of that story. Let's get right down to business! We had a blast today! The morning was a little slow with a light drizzle for the most of it. Around noon, the sun decided to peak out and say hello! Then as soon as we pulled out our amazing buffet we had planned, the fish seemed to get a little hungry too! I didn't break any records today, but I was so happy to catch a Bull Trout! My friend Kim Olsen caught one too and she was just as happy as I was! My other friend, Wendy Hook, caught herself a real nice 24 ½" keeper—just perfect for taking home to the smoker! But the best I have to save for last! My dear friend Tracie Pottenger…who joined me on that first Women with Bait so many years ago, hadn't caught a fish since that first year. Well, this year, she definitely turned that record around! She started out by catching a cutthroat trout that was a nice size, but obviously NOT big enough. Then she caught a 24 ½" keeper as well. Finally, she caught a very big fish. At first, she thought she was snagged on something but Rich knew right away it was a big fish. It took her honestly about 15-20 minutes to land that thing—a 32" wild fish! We were all so happy for her! And then, and I can say this happened because I witnessed it, she had just cast out again and the line hadn't even hit the bottom before she had her third fish on! She landed that big boy too…a 34" native!! Now we knew this was a big deal as she at least had 3rd place! I've never been on a boat with a girl who was actually in contention to win it! That was so exciting! I couldn't have wanted anything more than for her to catch that fourth fish…and fifth! She had another one on before we quit, but he kicked off before she get a good hook! Now I know what some of you must experience when your friends are catching multiple fish…that is the best ever! Tracie never did get that fourth fish, but she does officially have 3rd place with a total of 90 ½"…only a ½" behind the 2nd place leader, Teri Jacobsen. Tracie told me today that she's just so excited that she actually caught some fish!!!
Wendy Hook 'hooked' this one! |
Kim Olsen enjoying the ride! |
 Tracie, Rich and fish #3! |
3-4-09: With some warmer, wet weather, the river went up again today. The runoff is beginning. Today, my super awesome mother-in-law Carolyn Friend went out with her girls, along with her husband, Romine!! They said the day was wonderful with many fish on, but only one being caught! Vicki Stimpson caught a 27" keeper today! Vicki is an extraordinary woman who has suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for about 30+ years! She can only get around with the assistance of a mobile chair these days and special crutches to get her up and down. She's such a trooper and does not miss a fishing day EVER! You are an inspiration to us all Vicki! Keep at it!! What a beautiful lady!
Vicki Stimpson with guide Romine and her catch of the day!
Nothing is going to keep this fisher-gal down!
3-5-09: Two boats out today…both above Vinegar Creek. First off, we have Mike Wallace, Jeff Wieber and the Cindi Baker crew! They had a pretty decent day with three fish altogether, one of them being a monster 24" Bull Trout caught by Cindi herself! I bet that was a blast to pull that bad boy in! We are reminded that Bull Trout are currently on the endangered species list. However, I can honestly say that we probably average at least 1 bull trout being caught a day on the Salmon River in our company. I'm going to guess they are doing better than everyone might think! We still have to throw them back but they ARE fun to catch! Denise Matthiesen caught a 26" hatchery Steelhead while Karen Smith caught a big 31" keeper!
Rich and Mike Estrada had a good day with 6 fish in the boat (plus another Bull Trout…now that I'm reporting about them, I might as well include them—maybe next year we'll see about a prize for the biggest bull trout!) and a lead change!! Susan Pheifer caught a 23" hatchery while trip leader Debbie Livesay caught a 25 ½" native! ZoeAnn Greenfield caught the Bull Trout and a nice, fat 32 ½" wild fish! Alita Svaty caught two fish…a 23 ½" wild fish and a 31" keeper! But the big news here is that Patricia Papiez is now the big fish leader with a whopper of a Steelhead! She caught a 37" wild fish! Rich took the camera this morning before I could download the picture, so I'll have it tomorrow—but what a pretty fish!!! Way to go Patricia!
Sorry for the delay folks…had an operation right after the tournament was over so I've been slow to get back to work. Everything is fine, so thanks for your patience. Here is the final chapter of this year's tournament and thanks to all who participated!
3-6-09: Fishing slowed down again today. Four boats out with only two bringing anything home. Rich and Mike Estrada, and Mike Wallace and Pim Hoogland had the Cheryl Gray group upriver with two boats—good times, but no fish to bring home.
Sammy and Jonny Hinton, along with guest bait boy Cody Wilson, were also upriver with the Sportsman's Warehouse girls!! They did better with three fish boated for the day. Cindy Pratt was able to reel in a 22 ½" hatchery while Shannon Currier caught two fish today—a 25" keeper and a 32" wild fish! The SW girls never let us down in fishing and with their generosity! Remember to thank Sportsman's Warehouse the next time you visit their store in Meridian! Clayton and the crew really know how to help us out up here so we can always put on a great tournament! Thanks so much everyone at Sportsman's Warehouse!!!!
Tony B. and Rusty P. were at Spring Bar and were able to bring home one fish for Michelle Wells…a 24 ½" keeper!!
3-7-09: Final Day of the Tournament! We had five jet boats and 2 drift boats out today…holy smokes! It was definitely a memorable day! We'll start with our drift boats…Jeff Wieber and Mike Hicks both took ladies out today with no luck. They fished hard though and had fun!
Mike Wallace and Casey Green had one boat of Lacie Swope's group, while Tony Bradbury and Jonny Hinton had the other boat—all at Spring Bar. Mike and Casey weren't able to get any fish but Tony's boat got one fish on his boat for Amy Nutsch with a 25" wild fish!
Up at Vinegar Creek stretch, we had Romine and Pim Hoogland with his last Women with Bait trip ever. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. I just can't believe he's going to retire. It's not even fair! He had a really nice day with Mimi Beutter and crew. Mimi has been going with Romine since the beginning and thought it would only be right to end his WWB run with them! Marie Mortensen caught a 27" wild fish! No skunking for you Papa!
Sam and Mike Estrada took home town girl Amy Wilson and company upriver today!! Amy herself caught a 25" keeper, while her friend Angela Robinson also caught a 25" keeper! The big one for the day on this boat was caught by Danielle Keister with a 31” wild fish!! Way to go girls! Lots of local girls who grew up in the Riggins area were on board today with Amy—it was great to see them all come home and enjoy the river!!
Finally, Rich and guest bait boy Mark Hollon took Michelle Hollon and ladies upriver for their chance at fish! Rich decided right off the bat to get as far upriver as he could to get out of all the traffic. They only fished two holes all day long and did pretty decent. He said "it was just one of those days where I just knew something good was going to happen”. Daini Carlson caught a 24 ½” hatchery, while Jeanette Klobetanz caught two fish—a 23” hatchery and a 24” hatchery! Michelle Hollon came home with the third biggest fish of the tournament with a 35” keeper!
Michelle Hollon and her favorite bait boy...her husband Mark with her nice 3rd prize fish—a 35" hatchery Steelhead!
The best part of this day was all about Mrs. Shari Medley! Shari is a native of Alaska, but moved down to the Riggins area years ago—she wouldn't want me to tell you how many as it would age her, I'm sure! Anyway, she's been around fishing (catches a lot of Salmon in her backyard—literally, the Little Salmon, so she really knows how to hook a fish!), but this was her very first WWB! So she goes out today with the girls and does pretty well for the day. She catches three fish the first half of the day….a 23” keeper, a 24” wild and a 31” wild fish. Not enough to place right now, but if she could only catch that fourth fish, she might be in the running for something! For the last three hours of the tournament, no fish. So, it's the last part of the trip, the last part of the day, the last drift. Rich said, "Shari…you better pull a rabbit out of somewhere because this is the last drift of the day!” So, all the girls throw em' in and Shari waits to pull her line out. She says "well, shoot. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.” Michelle Hollon says, "hey, you still haven't pulled that line in so you're still in it.” So with one last jerk on the line…thinking that she was going to reel it in for good….THERE WAS A FISH ON THE END OF THE LINE!!” The entire boat was silent while she reeled this fish in….it seemed like forever. Not until the fish (a 25” keeper) was safely in the net, did the boat erupt with cheers and shouting! What an amazing day and what a perfect ending! Shari is the big tournament first place winner with a total of 103” inches!!!! It just goes to show you... anything can happen even at the very last minute (4:57 p.m. to be exact!)!!!!
Here are the final results of the 2009 Women with Bait Steelhead Tournament!
MOST FISH:
1ST PLACE: Shari Medley 103”
2009 Pretty Blue Yamaha ATV from Hinson Power Sports
2ND PLACE: Cathy Jerrums 96 ½”
Overnight Rendezvous for Cathy and 20 of her closest pals at the Lodge at Riggins Hot Springs (with catering of course)
3rd PLACE: Teri Jacobsen 91"
Jet Boat Sturgeon Fishing Trip on the Snake River in Hells Canyon with River Adventures!!
BIGGEST FISH:
1ST PLACE: Patricia Papiez 37" wild
Fish Mount by Animal Taxidermy
2nd PLACE: Jess Wallace 35 ½" hatchery
Camping Weekend with ATV's by Idaho ATV Rentals
3rd PLACE: Michelle Hollon 35” hatchery
Strand of Pearls by Steve Rambo Jewelry
Other prizes: Random prize bags were given to ladies who attended the fish dance! Prizes were given to:
Jodi Petross, Becky Benson, Gina Stewart, Elaine Banbury, and Cindi Baker—thanks for showing up to dance with us ladies!!!
Smallest fish: Linda Walker and Jenny Marson—they'll receive a rod and reel for their lil' 20inchers!!!
A special presentation was made to Jim "Romine” Scott for all his 30+ years of service in the guiding industry and his commitment to River Adventures! He received a watch from Steve Rambo Jewelry!! Thanks Romine for everything!
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS: Sportsman's Warehouse-Meridian, Hinson Power Sports-McCall, Tony Bradbury & the Lodge at Riggins Hot Springs, Shelley Rambo & Steve Rambo Fine Jewelry, Animal Kingdom Taxidermy-Cascade, Salmon Rapids Lodge-Riggins, River Rock Café-Riggins, Salmon River Motel-Riggins, Little Salmon House & Pim & Pam Hoogland-Riggins, Unique Antler Designs & Douglass Creek Sculptures-Riggins, Rodeo Club Bar & Steakhouse-Riggins, Glenna McClure & Seven Devils Steakhouse & Saloon-Riggins, McCall Jewelry Company, Idaho ATV Rentals-Boise, Eva Marosvari & Scentsy-Boise, Lonnie Simpson & Debco Construction-Orofino, Mountain Reflections-Riggins, Bert & Kate's Cattleman's Restaurant-Riggins, and to Granny Carolyn & Papa Romine for keeping watch over our little Fischer!
2009 Overall Women with Bait Winner Shari Medley on her brand new shiny blue ride! Way to go Shari!!!!
SEE YA'LL NEXT YEAR! :) By the way, if you are going to go next year, now would be a really good time to book for 2010!!! It'll be our 15th Anniversary!
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