Ocean salmon is a boon for tackle shops

There will be more than salmon swarming off the South Coast this summer.

Along with the fish come fishermen, eager for that prize catch.

Winchester Bay businesses say if the Pacific Fisheries Management Council approves a sport Chinook fishing season, those fishermen will bring a significant chunk of cash to the area.

Pete Heley, a Stockade Market & Tackle Shop employee, said fishermen can be found on the Umpqua River year-round. They fish for crab, he said. In spring and fall, they angle for coho and Chinook salmon.

All of those are reliable fisheries, Heley said. They consistently draw boats and fishermen to local businesses.

But the volatile summer Chinook season is what tackle shops look forward to.

“The ones who do go, there’s a lot of investment there,” Heley said.

Liz Adamo, the shop’s co-owner, said ocean salmon fishing comprises 40 percent of her summer business.

“We love those fishermen that fish year-round, but … salmon fishermen spend the most money,” she said.

Adamo said salmon lures, bait and other tackle costs more. The people who buy salmon tackle spend more than other customers.

“They’ve made the trip, they’re here to fish, and they’ve got to buy the stuff to do it,” she said. “It’s not cheap stuff.”

Rick Beck, owner of Winchester Bay Market, said sport ocean Chinook season impacts his bottom line.

“We do twice as much in the summer if there’s a season as we do (if there is not a season),” he said.

Sport fishermen were allowed to catch coho salmon in the ocean last summer. The Chinook fishery, however, was shut down in 2008 and 2009 after low returns of the fish were spotted in the Klamath and Sacramento river systems.

PFMC this year is considering having no coho season on the South Coast. All three PFMC options, however, include Chinook.

“Even the worst option, we’ll get to fish for Chinook,” Beck said. “Anyone would rather catch a Chinook.”

Heley said Chinook plucked from the ocean can average 33 pounds. Early season coho weigh just 4 or 5 pounds, he said.

Many summer fishermen are looking for an opportunity to land the bigger, more challenging fish, he said.

“There are people convinced ocean salmon fight harder and taste better,” Heley said.

That bigger fish, he said, is a determining factor for people looking to spend vacation money in Winchester Bay.

“Salmon fishing, for some, is the straw that helps you decide where you’re going to take a family vacation,” Heley said.

Some families come to Winchester Bay not only for fishing, but for ATVing in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, he said.

“We’ve got a lot of options. For someone who can take just a few trips to the coast, we’ll be one of the last places they cut,” Heley said.

Even with no Chinook season, fishermen spent $21.7 million on the South Coast in 2008, according to an economic study prepared by Dean Runyan Associates for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“It’s big out here for us,” Beck said.

Beck said fishermen stay in local hotels and campgrounds. They eat at nearby restaurants. When they catch a salmon, they often buy tackle and snacks in the local shops.

“If they’re catching fish, they’re going to spend more,” he said.

Kathy Hunterton, a camp caretaker at Windy Cove County Park, said fishermen make up one-fourth of the camp’s customers each year.

She said 25 percent of the campground’s annual business is dependent on whether the PFMC allows an ocean Chinook season for sports anglers.

“We don’t get the fishermen if they don’t,” she said. “They (fishermen) are quick-coming, but they’re quick-going if they mess with the season.”

“When it comes down to it, salmon fishermen are where we’re really successful or not,” Adamo said.

Source: http://www.theumpquapost.com/articles/2010/04/07/local_news/doc4bbbb5b7d1642782916543.txt