Dear supporter,

As anglers we know where we are going. When we hop in our car or truck to head out to a certain secret favorite spot, meet friends out on the river, or make a cast out to a deep pool or rolling riffle - we know where we are going. 

Finally, out of the serious part of the pandemic, the Steelheaders as an organization knows where it is going. We have our leaders, members, staff, and partners all back at it. We are engaging and working together in the chapters, on the water and volunteering to make a difference in the NW fisheries. In my first four months on the job, I have learned a ton about where the organization has been and where we want to go. I am amazed at how we have a ton of help with the partnerships we have bonded. I am impressed and grateful for the businesses who have supported us with items for our auctions and their interest to help us with our mission in the PNW. I am excited to help roll out fishing programs, increasing angling opportunities for those who have never had a chance, building more community with new and old members, and preserving and protecting waters that are habit for the fish we love to catch. 

I’ll be honest, to get there as an organization in 2023, we need support through donations. First, thank you to all those who bid and won at the auction or who have already started giving through Giving Tuesday and other donations. These donations make a huge difference in getting where we are going. We are making it easy this year to achieve our funding goals by having Giving Tuesday, which is now standard in helping organizations raise funds. They have made it easy and safe to share our goals easily with family and friends. 

Tom, Phoebe, and I addressed you all in our year end letter with more about where we are going and our appreciation for those who have helped the organization make a difference this year and in past years. 

If I don’t talk with you or see you, have a very safe and happy holidays, and I look forward to working with you in the New Year!

- Jason Wedemeyer, Executive Director, Association of Northwest Steeleheaders

Thank you all who were able to support the Northwest Steelheaders this Giving Tuesday! We appreciate your support and are very excited to roll out new and upgrade existing programs. Thanks to you, we can create more opportunities to get you all out on the water. Your generosity and support do not go unnoticed and we’re so grateful for your continued dedication to our mission. 

As 2023 approaches, we look forward to announcing all that we’ve been working on over the past few months. Until then, tight lines!

Upcoming Steelhead Clinic in the New Year

Steelhead Clinic Through ODFW in February ODFW will be having their next Steelhead 101 Workshop on February 11th at Glen Otto Park in Troutdale. Registration is open now at the link below, but please try to allow people who haven’t attended a steelhead workshop yet to sign up first. You are welcome to come out and fish even if you aren’t comfortable being a mentor just yet.

If any of you wish to sign up to help mentor the next cohort of beginning steelhead anglers, please let Amanda Boyles at Amanda.M.BOYLES@odfw.oregon.gov know so she can add you to upcoming communications about this opportunity.

Women's Fishing Program Survey

Calling the women of Steelheaders: We are relaunching our women's program!

Could you please take a couple minutes to fill out this short survey? We really appreciate your input and would love to hear about your experience with angling as we relaunch our women's program. We want to take your feedback into account to ensure an enjoyable experience for you and other interested anglers.

Thank you for your time and responses!

Hatching a Plan for Salmon Stewardship

On a gray, drizzly morning at the end of October, a small fleet of volunteers departed the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW) forested campus. Each carried a cooler with hundreds of precious passengers: Chinook salmon eggs, tenderly wrapped in moist towels, destined to delight students across Portland.

It was Egg Delivery Day — a fall event that volunteers and students alike look forward to all year. Our Fish Eggs to Fry volunteers, with different backgrounds, professions, and ages, came together on October 25th united by a single purpose: spreading passion for salmon conservation.

Head over to our blog post to finish reading about how Egg Delivery Day went!

Chapter Meetings

A few chapters have resumed Monthly Chapter Meetings in-person, and we hope to get everyone meeting as soon as possible! To get more detailed meeting information please visit our Events Calendar. If you're having trouble finding a meeting you can attend, please reach out to us at office@anws.org and we'll help you out. As always, Chapter Meetings are free and open to the public. If you're new to Northwest Steelheaders, attending a meeting is a great first step to getting more involved with your local fishing community. 

Upcoming Meetings

• Sandy River Chapter - Thursday, December 1 @ 6:30 pm
• Emerald Empire Chapter - Tuesday,  December 6 @ 6:30 pm
• Mid-Valley Chapter - Wednesday, December 7 @ 6 pm
• Columbia River Chapter - Thursday, December 8 @ 6:30 pm
• Tualatin Valley Chapter  - Thursday, December 8 @ 7 pm
• McLoughlin Chapter - Tuesday, December 13 @ 7 pm
• Salem Chapter - Tuesday, December 20 @ 7 pm
• Tom McCall Chapter - Wednesday, December 21 @ 11:30 am