2010 Women With Bait

“Catching” slowed down again today and we’ve only got two days left!

Norm Klobetanz took out some WWB alums–Paula Prescott and Diana King!!  These ladies had a nice day, bringing home one fish for Paula–a 27″H!  Diana had one to the boat but the little rascal found its way off the hook and back in the river!

Mike Wallace and Jeff Wieber took the Cindi Lou Baker crew today and had a great time!!  She had a gal on board today, Dawn Coolbaugh,  who is one of my old friends from the Albertson’s Corporate office days!  She and I started coming to WWB 10 years ago!  Who would have thought this is where we’d be now!!  Crazy!  Anyway, this group of ladies boated 4 fish for the day!  Dawn caught a 22″H; Lori Ruman caught a 25″H and Kallie Forsburg caught two fish–a 22″H and a 23″W!!  As always Cindi and crew–it’s great to see you!!!

Meanwhile, Rich and Mike E. had local gal Candy Dobson with her “Sister-Ship” crew today!!  They also boated four for the day!  Candy won our 2nd place biggest fish a couple of years ago and that same year, won the Riggins Chamber of Commerce derby with the same fish!!  What fun!  Susan Birge caught a 23 1/2″H; Janel Denton caught a 23″H.  Laure Collins caught two fish–23″H and a 31 1/2″W!

Sam and DUB took the Debbie Livesay group up the river today!  Again, another group of great ladies returning to try and win this thing!!  They ended up with 9 fish for the day and one lady getting 4 fish herself!  Debbie caught a 29″H, while last year’s BIG FISH winner Pat Papiez caught a 26″W.  Teresa Prow caught a 23″H!  Alita Svaty caught two fish–23″H and a 22 1/2″H!  Zoe Ann Greenfield caught 4 fish–24″H, 25″H, 33 1/2″H, 23″H!  Way to go ladies!!  We will see you next year!!

 

Wow, can’t believe we’ve only got a few more days and we’re wrapping this tournament up for the year!!  CRAZY how time flies!!  And don’t forget to visit Riggins this weekend to enjoy not only the FISH DANCE but especially the CRAB FEED!! 

Today, Jake Finley took the mother and daughter team of Cherie Crandall and Jennifer Smith out for their first WWB in Jake’s drift boat!  Jake said these ladies had tons of fun and both were able to each take home a fish!  Cherie caught a 24″ keeper and Jennifer caught a 23 1/2″H!!

Next up we have Rich and Mike Estrada with day #2 of the Wendy Hafer/Sam Logan crew!  Today was tournament day for Wendy, Kristi Cox and Jeannie Amen!  Sam, Amy Cardenas and Deb Charlton were just fishin’ for fun today!  Kristi caught a 25″H; Deb caught a 23 1/2″W; Wendy caught a 24″H and a 25″H; Sam caught a 24″ and a 26″H; and Jeannie caught a 26″H and a 29″H!  These girls have been coming to the tournament for years, with Wendy being our champion from 2007!

Next we have out of retirement for only one day–ROMINE!! and Mike Wallace on board as bait boy!!  I know, I know, you all want to know how in the heck can we get Romine back…well, the only reason he came out of retirement today is because his wife asked him to!  We so miss Romine and believe me, I’ve tried bribing him, begging and pleading with him to come back to us….but it’s still a no.  We are so glad we get to see him at least once during the tournament!  (I’m lucky…he’s my father-in-law so I get to see him almost daily!)  Anyway, Mama Carolyn Friend had a boat load of fun gals today and they ended up boating 9 fish for the day!  Shelley Frisbie caught a 26″H and Vicky Stimpson caught a 24″H!  Angie Fritzler caught two fish–a 24″H and a 30″H!  Native Riggin-ite and still-a-local-to-us/Salmon River GAL Debbie Swift caught two fish as well–a 25″H and a 29 1/2″H!!  Carolyn showed them all with three fish for the day–31″H, 23″W, 22″H!! 

Finally, Sam and DUB had Michelle Kemner’s gang of Fish and Game girls on board today!! Michelle has been coming for a very long time and we’re always so glad to have her back!!!  Their boat ended up with 12 today!!  Cherie Barton caught a 22″H, while Kathy Reynolds got a whopper 34 1/2″W fish!  Keely Duke caught two fish–a 24″H and a 25″H, and so did Susan Werner–24″H and a 25″H!  But Connie Breckenridge and Gail Richardson both caught three fish for the day!  Connie’s: 31″W, 25″H, 23″H; Gail’s: 23″H, 22″H, 23″W!  See you next year ladies!

Christa Braun, DUB and her "catch"...a good ole Salmon River Rock! Now that takes some skill!

The Michelle Kemner gang! What a great shot and what a great day!

 There will an ALL YOU CAN EAT Crab Feed held on the same day as the Women with Bait FISH DANCE on March 6th–it’s going on in the Summerville’s/Rodeo Club parking lot!!!  This will benefit the Salmon River Jet Boat Races, which will be held April 16-18, 2010!  The cost per person is $25.00 and is soooooo worth every penny!  There will be so much food and you’ll really be helping out a great cause!!  Ladies, you can fish all day and come back to eat some amazing crab and all the fixin’s!!!!  If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office…Rich and I wear many hats…we are also the directors of the Jet Boat Races, so you’d be doing us a big favor!!!!  TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!!! Thanks!

A great day on the river, especially for me because I actually got to go on the river!  I’ll of course, have to save my story for last!!

Tony and Jeff had the Rachelle Hubler crew down at Spring Bar today!  I loved their pink G-Loomis skeleton fish hats!  Ladies…those rocked!  These ladies and I had a great conversation at the River Rock cafe last night and I got to know them a little better!  There are three sisters in this group and they have all been coming for quite a few years!!  Another lady in their crew said this was the best time for the 6 of them to get together as they are so busy any other time of year!  What a fun group of gals!  I was glad to talk to them and hope to see them again next year!  Caralea Hinkle-Daniel landed a 22″W fish while Karlan Richards and Caprice Watson both caught a 23″H!!

Upriver, Sam and DUB had day #1 of the Wendy Hafer/Sam Logan tribe!!  Amy Cardenas had her tournament day and caught a 23″H while Kristi Cox was just fishing for the fun of it and caught a 31 1/2″W!  Wendy Hafer was also fishing just for fun today and caught a 30″W!!  But Sam Logan was going for broke as it was her tournament day and caught 4 fish! 24″H, 27″H, 25″H, 27″H!!  Way to go ladies!!  It was fun to have these ladies today and we look forward to seeing what their boat does tomorrow!

Also upriver, Mike Wallace and Mike Estrada had the Pat Wilder crew!  Pat and Cathy Jerrems already came up for “practice” earlier in the tournament, and today they made it their official tournament day to see if they could make perfect!!  Both ladies certainly gave it their best shot with Cathy catching two fish–both 26″ keepers and Pat catching three fish–23″H, 24″H and 23 1/2″H!  Linda McGraw caught a 23″H while Judy Troyer caught a 28 1/2″H and Marilyn Roan caught a nice 30″H!  Our boat saw quite a bit of these ladies today and it was alot of fun bantering back and forth with them!!  But ladies, don’t forget to remind your guide and bait boy…never bring peanuts to a meatball fight!! 

And last but certainly not least, I was able to take some of my friends on their WWB day today!!  It was so nice to get out of the office and into the open air!!  I love my husband’s “office” and wish there were more “take your wife to work” days…this was definitely one I’ll remember for a long time!!  First off, everyone on board caught fish–which to me is the best!  But then, we really got in ‘em and even had 3 double-hook ups!  I only fished for maybe 2 hours tops, but still caught a 23 1/2″ keeper!  Meanwhile, my goal was just relaxing and visiting with all my friends while rooting them on as they kept reeling them in!!  My childhood friend’s wonderful mom, Caroline Pottenger, has been going with us for two years and today she caught two fish–a 27″ and a 27 1/2″–both keepers!!  Meanwhile, her daughter-in-law and my great friend Tracie Pottenger caught 4 fish!! 23″H, 28″H, 23 1/2″H, 24″H!!  Tracie and I did our very first WWB together 10 years ago and we both agreed, this was definitely the very best day we ever had on WWB!!

Tracie Pottenger with one of four!

Caroline Pottenger with a nice fish and a great smile!

Then, another wonderful friend, Kyla Sawyer, who writes great articles for the Star News in McCall, went on her first WWB today and also caught 4 fish (24″H, 26″H, 26″H, 23 1/2″H)!! Her husband Brad served as our “bait boy” today and he definitely had his work cut out for him on this boat!!  He did a great job and we’ve got him down as requested for next year!  My sweet and dear friend, Wendy Hook, who is a totally talented artist (ladies, check out your ‘goody bags’ for a coupon from Unique Antler Design Gallery here in Riggins…so you can see/buy Wendy and her sister Shari’s beautiful work!) caught 3 fish (24 1/2″H, 28 1/2″W, 25″H)!  I’m just so glad Wendy got a day off of work!!  She’s one busy lady!

Kyla Sawyer and Wendy Hook after a double hook up!

And finally, my good friend, and also Salmon River Native, Laurie Swift-Anglen came to town to join up in WWB for the first time!  It’s funny how many locals I know are finally trying out Steelhead fishing for the first time!  Laurie and her family live in the Boise Valley but are often coming through their hometown of Riggins and love to see “home”!  So Laurie not only caught her very first steelhead ever, but then proceeded to turn right around and catch 4 more in a row (24″H, 24 1/2″W, 26 1/2″H, 24″W, 24 1/2″H)!!!  It was so great!  We truly had a sensational day and are still on a high after boating 19 fish!  That is the best day for me…to see not only my friends getting a well-deserved day off, but to see another dear friend reconnect with home and catch her very first Steelie!  What an adventure!!

Myself and Laurie Anglen with OUR double hook up!

Happy March everyone!  This month is definitely coming in like a lamb…weird weather still, but no one is complaining!  Everyone around here is opening up the doors and windows and enjoying this very mild weather for this time of year!  The daffodils are up and it’s really starting to look like winter is truly over.  Meanwhile, it’s been pretty nice on the boats as no one has to get as bundled up as usual!

Sam and DUB took day #2/boat #1 of the Shelley Rambo boats again today.  Today was official tournament day for everyone on this boat, but only two ladies were able to get a fish in the net.  Jane Baxter caught a 23″W fish and Shelley Rambo herself caught a 30″W!  We’ll see all of these ladies again next year as they are already booked up for 2011!! 

Meanwhile, over on Mike Wallace and Mike Estrada’s boat #2/day #2 of the Rambo group, they had a little better luck boating 6 for the day!  Debi Wagner caught a 24″W and Nikki Hope caught two fish–a 29 1/2″H and a 31″W!  These two ladies chose today as their official tournament day!  Angie Davis caught a 27″W and Karen Crosby caught two fish–a 22″H and a 29″H!  These two ladies were fishing today just for fun as their tournament day was yesterday.

Mike Estrada and Nikki Hope

Mike E. and Karen Crosby...notice she's in short sleeves and sunglasses! Gotta love that Idaho sun!

Over on Rich’s boat with the Margene Ford group, Rich was joined by Margene’s husband, District Court Judge Brad Ford!  The ladies had a great time and caught 5 fish in all today!  Margene herself caught a 23″H, while Marnie Couch caught a 24 1/2″H!  Francis Nagashima caught three fish in all today–30″W, 23″H and a 26 1/2″H!!  Thanks ladies and Brad!  We always appreciate you coming to see us!!

Finally, Tony Bradbury and Jeff Wieber were the big dogs today with the Staci Jayo crew!!  Staci is actually a Salmon River native…graduated in ‘87!!  I played sports with her and have great memories of growing up around her!  Today, she brought her daughter Emily to join in the fun and see what this whole WWB is all about!  The ladies on this boat did well with 6 total fish for the day!  Karla Zacher caught a 29″W and Karen Johnson caught a whopper 32″H!  Cynthia Jesser did her one better with a 32 1/4″W and a 26″H!  Kelli Gerard also caught two fish–a 25 1/2″W and a 25 1/2″H!  It was great to see Staci, her beautiful daughter and the rest of the great ladies that came with them!!  We hope to see them again for the tournament next year!

Fishing was slow today, but we’re hoping now that the rain has stopped it will settle the water down and the catching will pick back up!

First boat out today was Norm Klobetanz in his drift boat.  He took Leah Provencio and her daddy, Judge Brad Ford!  Leah won 2nd Biggest Fish prize back in 2007!!  And her father Brad tries to sneak up here as often as he can, when he isn’t doing his judicial duties down in the Treasure Valley!  Brad and Leah went on a drift boat today per her doctor’s orders…the Doc said she’s too pregnant now to be in a jet boat this time!!  So, she still had to get her WWB day in and we’re sure glad she did!  She even took a fish home today–a 23 1/2″H!  Brad will be a guest celebrity bait boy on Rich’s boat tomorrow as Leah’s Mom Margene, will be going upriver in the jet boat!! 

In the same Spring Bar area, Tony Bradbury and Jeff Wieber took the famous “PINK FLAMINGO’S” today!!  What a great group these ladies are!!  They come every year in full decked out regalia, complete with pink Flamingo sunglasses, sweatshirts and hats!!  These ladies are a treat and we sure are happy to see them again!  The group is Linda McDonald,Terrie Jones, Kris Hunt, Julie Traska, Gwen Hunt and Hazel Thompson!!  Kris was the only one on board to catch a fish today, a 23″ keeper!!  See you next year ladies!

Mike Wallace and Casey Green took some Meadows Valley gals today with the Tracy Peterson group!  5 fish were boated in all!!  Tracy herself caught a 25 1/2″H while Mike’s daughter Jessi…who was our 2009 2nd Biggest Fish Winner, caught a 24 1/2″ keeper!  By the way, Jessi rides BULLS in the rodeo…look for her this Spring/Summer as I’m sure her bull-riding days are far from over yet…she says she loves it!  Heidi Wash caught a 25 1/2″H, Heather Yelton caught a 27″H and Nikki Sauerland caught a 26″H!  Thanks Ladies!!

Rich and Mike E. took boat one of two of the Shelley Rambo crew out today!!  We want to thank Shelley and her husband Steve down at Steve Rambo Fine Jewelers in Boise, for donating our 3rd Prize for Biggest Fish…a STUNNING Cyma Watch!!  It’s gorgeous and I only wish I could be eligible to win it because I could really use a new watch!  Jane Baxter was just out for fun today (her tournament day is tomorrow) and she caught a 25″ keeper!  Meanwhile, over on Sam and DUB’s #2 Rambo boat, the ladies caught 6 overall!  Shelley caught a 25″keeper (non-tournament day), while Carole Clements (also non-tournament day) caught a 22″ keeper!  Back in 2004, Carole won for 3rd Biggest Fish of the tournament!!  Karen Crosby had her tournament day today, catching a 23″W fish while Angie Davis also had her tournament day today catching a 29 3/4″ keeper!  Mel Carlson’s tournament day was today as well and she caught two fish–a 25″H and a 23″H! 

Whew!  Things are heatin’ up on the Salmon River and the Women with Bait Steelhead tournament!  Lots to cover…even a couple of lead changes so hold on tight cuz here we go!

First off, Norm Klobetanz took a couple of ladies from Bend, Oregon, out today for their very first WWB!  They had a terrific time, going 4 for 6!!  Julie Spindler (who by the way is a competition shooter!  She may also go by Annie Oakley!) caught a 23″H while her friend Mikelle Willis outdid herself with three fish–a 24″W, a 23 1/2″H and a 25″H!!  These ladies had a BLAST and have already booked and requested Norm for next year!!  It was awesome to have you with us ladies!!  THANKS!

Upriver on the jet boats, Mike W. and Casey Green took Mariah DeLong and friends!  Mariah herself caught a 24″H; Mary Daughtery caught a 23 1/2″H and Kerri Ellis caught a 25″H!!  Jacquelle Stewart caught two fish–a 26 1/2″H and a 27″W fish!!  Way to go girls!!

Meanwhile, my hubby Rich and Jeff Wieber took the Jackson Oil team with Brandee Robbins and company!  11 fish boated for them today!  Sarah Murray caught a 25″W while Brandee herself caught 2 fish–23″W, 23 1/4H!!  Leslie Robinson and Danni Dew both caught four fish today!!  Leslie’s: 23″H, 24″H, 25 1/2″H, 24 1/2″H; Danni’s: 22 1/2″W, 23 1/2″H, 23″H, 36″W!!  That 36″ fish just put Danni Dew in the lead for BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT SO FAR!!!  Congratulations Danni!

We’re noticing a tiny bit of slowdown on the Salmon, but not for long.  The rain will raise the level a bit and color the water too, which will likely produce more of that hott fishing that we started out with! 

Rich and Mike E. were upriver today with the Kresta Davis-Butts group!  These ladies have been coming for years…all mothers, daughters, sisters and sisters-in-law…it’s truly a family affair!  They always know how to have fun together to create some great memories with us here on the Salmon River!  Darci Moore caught a 22″H; and both Charlotte and Jacque Wasia caught a 27″H!!  See you next year ladies!!

Mike Wallace and Casey Green had the Lisa Stevens group today!!  Teresa Garvey caught a 20 1/2″ keeper, while Sheryl Putnam caught a 25″ keeper!  Jamie Simpson caught two fish–25″W and 33″W!  Katie Kilgrow caught three fish for the day–a 26″H, a 25 1/2″H, and a 25 1/2″W!!  Thanks ladies and we sure hope you had a lot of fun!

Finally, Sam and DUB took some of our old favorites…the Diane Ford group!  Gosh, I just adore Diane!  She’s been coming for many years during and outside of the tournament!!  She’s a die hard fisher-gal for sure!!  Lorie Forbus caught a 24″H while Andrea Creek caught a 23″H!  Shannon Meads just put herself into 2nd Place Biggest Fish so far with a 35″W fish!!  Stacey Creek caught three fish–26 1/2″W, 33″W, 27″W!  Billie Butler also caught three fish–26″W, 26″H, 27″H!!  Can’t wait to see you again Diane and company!!!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)TERIE RYALS, 8 FISH/201 3/4″; (3)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)Angie Kelly, 35 1/4″; (2)Shannon Meads, 35″; (3)Marsha Mead, 34″

SMALLEST FISH–SUE RYDER, 20 1/4″.

Hi everyone!  Today, Mike Wallace and Jeff Wieber teamed up to take the Kathy Chase group out!!  These are a bunch of Saint Alphonsus employees from the Boise area!!  They’ve been coming for years as well and we always enjoy seeing them!  Sheila Beeman caught a 25 1/4″ keeper, while Mary Lou Coppinger and Misty Neubauer caught two fish each!  Mary Lou’s: 23 1/2″W, 22 1/4″H; Misty’s: 24″H, 26″H.  Thanks ladies!!

And also going out today with Rich and Mike E. is the Animal Kingdom Taxidermy team lead by Annette Derrick!!  Annette’s husband Craig does our first place biggest fish mounts for us!  They are AMAZING!!!  These gals boated 12 fish for the day!  Natalie Harvey caught a 23 1/2″H while Mandy Salas caught a 24 1/2″H!  Amanda Rimmer caught a 23 1/2″H while Annette Derrick caught a 25 1/2″H!  Dee Dee Gossi caught two fish– 21 1/2″H and a 27″W as well as Stephanie Bennett caught two fish–24″H and a 23 1/2″H!!  Finally, Angie Rimmer is the big catch of the day with 4 fish! 27″W, 25 1/2″H, 27″W, 25 1/2″W!!  Way to go ladies!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)TERIE RYALS, 8 FISH/201 3/4″; (3)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)Angie Kelly, 35 1/4″; (2)Marsha Mead, 34″; (3)4 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson, Roxanne Marshall.

SMALLEST FISH–SUE RYDER, 20 1/4″.

Hey everybody!  Today, we had two boats out with one being a “mixed” boat! 

First boat was the Sarah Allen group going with Sam and DUB!  They had a good day, boating 6 fish!  Cristi Webb caught a 22″H, Abbie Nickel caught a 27″H, and Kandi Ward caught a 26″H!  Lisa Greer was enjoying her 2nd day of fishing this week with us and caught a 33″W fish!  Finally, Sarah was the lucky girl with the great bait as she caught two fish today…a 24″H and a 25″H!!  Congratulations ladies and we sure hope we see you next year!

Lisa Greer, DUB and a nice 33" fish!

Our next boat was a “mixed boat” that included singles and couples that we were able to join together to complete a full boat.  I have already received one email that said it was alot of fun to meet all the new people and they really enjoyed the day together!  Sandy Mills caught a 27″W and Debbie Fidler caught a 27″H!!  Melanie Barrett caught a 25 1/2″W fish!!  Glenda Rentsch caught two fish–a 24″H and a 23″H!  Finally, Donna Fox, who has been coming for years, caught three fish today!  24″H, 25″W, 20 1/2″H!!  Thanks for coming everyone!!  And thanks to those husbands today who decided to tag along with their ladies!!!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)TERIE RYALS, 8 FISH/201 3/4″; (3)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)Angie Kelly, 35 1/4″; (2)Marsha Mead, 34″; (3)4 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson, Roxanne Marshall.

SMALLEST FISH–SUE RYDER, 20 1/4″.

Rich and Mike E. took our very own Best Western Salmon Rapids Lodge ladies today!!  Make sure you tell those folks at the Best Western what a great job they are doing down there!  WE sure appreciate all their hospitality!

Gotta love the shirt!

Maggie Bowman’s first time on WWB today and she caught a 23″H!!  Then returning angler, Taffy Kettenburg, caught three fish–23″W, 23″W, 25″W!  And finally, Barb Galli, another returning fisher-gal, caught four fish for the day!! 23 1/2″H, 23″H, 22 1/2″H, 22″H!!  We had some other folks joining us that day that were not in the tournament so in the end, the boat ended up landing 16 total!  Rich said the water is very low and very clear…we’re hoping we see some rain to make the water just a little more off-color for even better fishing!  Fishing is still fabulous with those infamous “B” run fish still coming!!!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)TERIE RYALS, 8 FISH/201 3/4″; (3)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)Angie Kelly, 35 1/4″; (2)Marsha Mead, 34″; (3)4 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson, Roxanne Marshall.

SMALLEST FISH–SUE RYDER, 20 1/4″.

We had three jet boats and one drift boat out today!!  Another beautiful, sunny day here in the canyon…but definitely still winter time as it was a bit chilly!  All the better for the fish!

First, we have Rich and Mike E. and Mike Wallace and Pim Hoogland who took 2 boats upriver with the Paula Brown/Theo Lowe tribe!  These are 12 great women who love to come up here and fish!!  First with Rich and Mike E. and Theo Lowe’s girls…5 fish for today in all!  Sonya Christianson caught a 25 1/2″H while Anita Christianson took home a 26″H!  Jean Humphries caught a 31 1/2″ keeper while Rebecca Frank took two fish home…a 26″H and a 25″H.  Then over on Mike and Pim’s boat with Paula Brown and her crew, we saw 8 fish boated for the day!  Lindsey Schram caught two fish–a 26″W and a 25″H.  Lynda O’Neil caught three fish–a 23″H, a 24″H and a 24″H.  Paula Brown also caught three fish–25″H, 28″H, 29″W!!  We love to see these ladies every year!!  Come back and see us soon ya’ll!

The unsinkable Paula Brown with a great fish!!

Finally, Sam and DUB took the Cheri Collins group upriver and ended up with 12 for the day.  Mary Lorcher caught a 25″W fish while Bailey Collins caught a 26″H!  Chelsie Massengale caught two fish–both 23″!  But the BIG NEWS HERE is that Terie Ryals caught 8 fish and folks…this moves her officially into 2ND PLACE MOST FISH with 201 3/4″.  Her scores were: 24″H, 28″W, 24″H, 25″H, 26″W, 23 1/2″H,  23 1/4″H, 28″W!  Congratulations Terie!!!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)TERIE RYALS, 8 FISH/201 3/4″; (3)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)Angie Kelly, 35 1/4″; (2)Marsha Mead, 34″; (3)4 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson, Roxanne Marshall.

SMALLEST FISH–SUE RYDER, 20 1/4″.

A misty morning on the Salmon River!! Breathtaking!

5 boats out today…4 jet boats and 1 drift boat!  Norm Klobetanz took Melanie Jacobs out today and she said “it was the best day ever!”  She hooked 5 fish but was only able to land one–a 24 1/2″keeper!  By the way, she was a last minute booking for the tournament…literally, she booked LAST NIGHT!  So there is still room here and there if anyone is interested in going on WWB this year!  Just give us a call!

Also in the Spring Bar section, Tony and Jeff took the Dawn Scarrow group!  They had a terrific day and boated 5 fish in all!  Dawn and Kathy McKinney both caught a 23″H each!  Kelly Moyle caught 3 fish–23 1/2″H, 23″W, 22 1/2″H!  These girls are already booked for next year!!

Dawn Scarrow and friends...and just a couple of fish they caught!

The Mike Wallace and Casey Green duo took the Sherri Potter crew upriver today, where they ended up with 13 fish for the day!  Barbara Boyles caught a 26″H and Monica Cortez caught a 22 1/2″W fish!  Nichole Parker caught two fish–a 24″H and a 23 1/2″H.  Jeannie Sila also caught two fish–31 1/2″W, 25″H.  Cindy Johnson caught 3 fish–25″H, 27 1/2″W, 23″H.  Sherri Potter caught 4 fish–27″H, 24″H, 24″H, 25″W.  Nice job ladies!!  Hope we see you all again next year!

The Sherri Potter crew...enjoying the day and some Mardis Gras Fun!

Next up we have some old family and RA friends of the Nadine Burak group!  Nadine and I go back a ways and it’s always so nice to have her come up and go fishing with us!!!  Their boat had a terrific day, boating 17 fish!  Carol Lungren caught a 23″H and Lisa Greer caught a 26″H!  Prudy Young caught two fish–a 30″H and a 23″H!  Nadine and Sue Ryder both caught 4 fish today! Nadine’s: 30″W, 27″W, 27″H, 24″H; Sue’s: 23″H, 27″H, 20 1/4″H, 22″H!  Sue’s 20 1/4″ fish just put her with the smallest fish caught so far in the tournament!  By the way, if that measurement holds, Sue will receive a new rod and reel, courtesy of River Adventures, Inc.!  See–even the little fish can win you something!  And last but certainly not least, we have Theresa Hughes, who caught the most on this boat today with 5 fish in all! Her scores are: 26″H, 23″H, 25″H, 24″W, 23″H!!  Way to go Theresa!!!

The beautiful smiles of Nadine Burak and Justin Whitten...and we think that fish might be smiling too!

Finally, we have Rich and Mike E. upriver with the Judy Bauer group!  What a great bunch these gals are!  Judy just happens to be our 2008 WWB Champion and she came ready to try and get that title back!!  Elaine Derry caught a 28″W while Kerrigan Kalange caught a 23 1/2″ keeper!  Tracy Malay caught 3 fish–22 1/2″H, 21″H, 25″W.  Linda MacLeod and Judy Bauer both caught 4 fish today!  Linda’s: 23″H, 26″H, 23″H, 25″H; Judy’s: 27″H, 28″H, 25″H, 28 1/2″W.  Kalisa Karnes tried to go for it today and landed 6 fish!  6 fish is what Judy caught to win the 2008 tournament!  Kalisa’s: 26″H, 30″w, 23″H, 26″H, 32 1/2″W, 24″H.  We just wanted to add an honorable mention for Terri Simpson who didn’t catch a Steelhead, but she did catch a really nice Bull Trout that could have easily been recorded ‘cuz they said it was kind of a fatty!

Mike E. and Kalisa Karnes with a proud fish!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″; (3)GINA CROWLEY, 8 FISH/189″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)Angie Kelly, 35 1/4″; (2)Marsha Mead, 34″; (3)4 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson, Roxanne Marshall.

SMALLEST FISH–SUE RYDER, 20 1/4″.

Happy Mardis Gras everyone!!!  Colorful beads were everywhere today as we had another 4 boats out!!

Returning favorite, Annette Gilmore and company drove all the way from Pocatello, ID, to partake in the fun today with Tony Bradbury and Jeff Wieber!!  5 fish in all for these ladies!  They are already to book for next year…by the way, we know we said we weren’t going to take bookings until after the tournament is over…but go ahead and call them in if you are ready!  Anyway, back to fishing!  Ashleigh Sayer caught a 24 1/2″H and Annette herself landed 4 fish in all; 23 1/2″W, 23″H, 22″H, 22 1/2″H.  Way to go ladies and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

Annette Gilmore Group with their guide, Tony Bradbury

Another one of our returning favorites, the Ruth Gibson clan, went upriver today with Rich and Mike E.  They did quite well, boating 15 fish!!  Carla Armentrout took home a 24″keeper, while Lydia Aguirre caught a nice 32″W fish!  Ruth, Laura Draper and Rebecca Hebert all caught 3 fish each! Ruth–26 1/2″W, 23″H, 22″H; Laura–25″H, 28″W, 24″H; Rebecca–24 1/2″H, 25″H, 25″H.  Marilyn Johnson was high count today with a total of 4 fish! 24″H, 29 1/2″H, 26″H, 23″H.  It’s always nice to see these girls…they’ve been coming for years and really are a group of truly classy ladies!!!

Mike Estrada and Lydia Aguirre with a SWEET FISH!

Mike Wallace and Casey Green had another group of our favorite returnees…lead by the mother and daughter duo of Roxanne Marshall and Jenny Buckner!  Congrats to Jenny who is now the proud mama of a baby boy named Beau!

Baby Boy Beau Buckner--newest member of the RA/WWB family!!

Jenny said we could let ya’ll see him so we thought you might get a kick out of how darn cute he is!  He came with his Mama Jenny last year during the tournament…as he was still “in the oven“!  Anyway, these ladies had a wonderful time today with Mike and Casey, ending up with 17 for the day!  Kathie Zehr caught a 23 1/2″W; Marie Endecott caught a 24″W; Liz Rehn caught a 23″H; Lauren Bruett caught a 25″H.  Kendra Tietz caught two fish–24″H, 27 1/2″W as well as Jenny Buckner–24 1/2″H and 24 1/2″W.  Kathy Fournier caught 4 fish–25″H, 23 1/2″H, 21″H, 24″H.  But Grandma Roxanne showed ‘em all how it’s done by catching 5 fish today! 25 1/2″W, 24″H, 25″H, 23 1/2″H and a 33″H–which now puts her in a 4-way tie for 3rd place biggest fish so far!  Holy Cow…what are we going to do for a tie-breaker if that holds???

"Gills Gone Wild"!...can't wait for the video!

Roxanne may now be a Grandma, but she still can catch a fish!

Finally, on Sam and DUB’s boat, we had our very own River Adventures sweetheart extraordiannaire…and my left hand…Mrs. JJ Hopkins and her local gal pal crew!  They had a great time today and ended up with 18 fish for the day!  Tawnia Russell came up from the valley to join this bunch and she landed a 26″W fish!! First time WWB’r (and my neighbor!), Mrs. Summer Swopes took home a nice 28″keeper!!  JJ herself was able to land a 27″W and a real nice 30″keeper!  Another local girl, Marcena Bjork (you can see her down at the Mountain River Outfitters coffee shop–check out their awesome coupon in our goody bags!), landed three fish–24″H, 26″H, 25″W! Mrs. Marsha Mead, another local sweetie, caught 4 fish–24″H, 34″W, 23″H, 25″H! Marsha’s 34″ fish just put her in 2nd place biggest fish!  Congrats Marsha!  And finally, my wonderful friend Joyce Pottenger (she and her husband have Idaho’s Big River Outfitters here in Riggins as well!) really got busy to catch fish today–landing 7 in all!  Way to go girl! Her scores: 22 1/2″H, 25″H, 25″H, 24″H, 24″H, 26″H, 24″H!!  These ladies always have a great time and I can’t wait to get some of their pictures on here too!!!!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″; (3)GINA CROWLEY, 8 FISH/189″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)Angie Kelly, 35 1/4″; (2)Marsha Mead, 34″; (3)4 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson, Roxanne Marshall.

SMALLEST FISH–ADRI HICKS, 20 1/2″.

Fishing is still going steady with four boats out today and all with good numbers!

Rich and Mike E. took the Linda Williams crew out today and everyone on this boat caught a fish today–7 in all!  Linda herself caught a 23″H; Deanna Weaver cuaght a 23″H; Katherine James caught a 22″H; and Helen Goerke caught two fish–a 31″W and a 24″H.  The mother and daughter duo of Kelly and Katelynn Bowden really NEEDED this fishing day together…Daddy is deployed in Iraq right now, so they took this day to spend together and have some fun!  And fun they had with Kelly catching a 23″W fish and 9 year old Katelynn catching her very first Steelhead, a 24″keeper!!  We just want to take this opportunity to say thanks to our US troops who fight for our rights every day to live in this great country and be able to do amazing things like FISH!!!!

Bait Boy Mike Estrada, Katelynn Bowden and her very first Steelhead! Katelynn says hello to her Father serving in Iraq!

Down at Spring Bar, Tony Bradbury and Jeff Wieber had the Nicole Shanley group.  They boated 9 in all today! Sherri Krzesnik caught a 26″H and Diane Pegram caught a 26″W.  Nicole Shanley caught two fish, a 28″W and a 31″H. Rachel Bollinger also caught two fish, a 22 1/2″H and a 26″H.  Finally, Jan Julian cuaght three fish today with a 25 1/2″H, 29″W, 23″H.  Great day ladies!

Back upriver with Sam and DUB and the Bonnie McGraw group, they ended up with 10 for the day.  Asia Cilley caught a 24″H. Bonnie McGraw, Tracy Horton and Pam Tilley all caught two fish each! Bonnie’s: 27″H, 24″H; Tracy’s: 24″H, 24 1/4″H; Pam’s: 24″H, 27 1/2″W.  And Shanda McGraw was the lucky girl today to catch three total: 27″W, 23″H, 32″W.  See you next year Bonnie and company!

And finally we have Mike Wallace and Casey Green with the Tera Seabaugh group!  They had a great day, boating 12 fish!  Carrie Sullivan took home a 22″H, while Karen Graham caught two–23 1/2″H, 26 1/2″H! Karen Peterson caught three fish–25 1/2″H, 22″H, 25″H!  And Phaedra MacNeil made a run for it with 6 fish in all! 24″H, 25 1/2″W, 25″H, 23″H, 21″H, 24″H.  Mike said if she would have landed all that she actually hooked, she would have easily been in 2nd place overall!!  Those fish are there girls so don’t give up!!!

Hi again everyone!  We had two drift boats and two jet boats out today and just about everyone caught a fish!!

We’ll start out with our drift boat boys in the Spring Bar section!  First off, we had Jake Finley and a little lady by the name of “Levi” Sittser!  Her real name is Carolyn, but she likes to go by Levi!!  She outfished her husband today, who happened to go along, and took home a nice 24 1/2″ hatchery keeper!!  Great job Levi and great name!

Then, Mr. Mike Hicks fished with some ladies from Washington State University.  Marcia Saneholtz, the former WSU Senior Associate Athletic Director (who I just found out has the Washington State University’s home volleyball court named in her honor!), caught a 26 1/2″ keeper while her friend, Toni Ursich, who is the Senior Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the WSU Division of the Office of the Attorney General…(boy is that a mouthful!) caught a 23 1/2″ keeper as well!!  I love to know where our ladies come from and what they do!  It’s so exciting to see all the “walks of life” that come through our doors!

Upriver with the Mike and Mike duo of Wallace and Estrada, they took the Stephanie Johnson crew!  There were 9 ladies strong on this boat and they sure had a lot of fun!  They boated 14 fish for the day!  Andrea Stenquist caught a 24″H; Anna Wallace-25 1/2″H; LeAnn King-24″H; Melissa Karabinus-22″W; Teresa Colebrook-23″H, 23″H; Morgan Rounds-25 1/2″H, 26″H; Stephanie Johnson-24 1/2″H, 28″H,25″H; Amy Johnson-23 1/2″H, 24″W, 25″W.  Way to go girls!

Finally, Sam Whitten and Jeff Wieber took the Micalah Kimball group today and caught 34 fish!!  We DO have a lead change, so let’s get to it! Micalah Kimball caught 2 fish–25″H, 25 1/2″H; Kari Harp, 3 fish–24″H, 24″H, 22″H; Aundi Fabbi caught 4 fish–24 1/2″H, 32″W, 24 1/2″W, 23″H; Angie Kelley caught 6 fish–27″H, 24 1/2″H, 24″H, 26″W, 35 1/4″W, 24″H.  Angie’s 35 1/4″ fish now puts her in the lead for biggest fish caught so far!  Dani Nelson caught 7 fish–24″H, 22″H, 24″H, 24″H, 32″W, 23 1/2″H, 24 1/2″H; and finally, last but certainly not least, is Joan Stanley, who caught 8 fish! 22″H, 23″H, 24″H, 24″H, 24 1/2″W, 22″H, 22″H, 24″H (totalling 185 1/2″).  Unfortunately, that did not give her enough inches to take the 2nd or 3rd place spots, however, way to give it your best try Joan!

Current Biggest Fish Leader Angie Kelly...don't worry, Jeff didn't drop it!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″; (3)GINA CROWLEY, 8 FISH/189″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)Angie Kelly, 35 1/4″; (2)3 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson; (3)SHEENA PULLEN, 32 1/2″.

SMALLEST FISH–ADRI HICKS, 20 1/2″.

 There will an ALL YOU CAN EAT Crab Feed held on the same day as the Women with Bait FISH DANCE on March 6th!!!  This will benefit the Salmon River Jet Boat Races, which will be held April 16-18, 2010!  The cost per person is $25.00 and is soooooo worth every penny!  There will be so much food and you’ll really be helping out a great cause!!  Ladies, you can fish all day and come back to eat some amazing crab and all the fixin’s!!!!  If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office…Rich and I wear many hats…we are also the directors of the Jet Boat Races, so you’d be doing us a big favor!!!!  TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!!! Thanks!

I just can’t say enough about this fishing…IT’S SIMPLY AWESOME!!  If you know someone who might want to go fishing, call up here to Riggins!!  This town will “hook you up” with some fish!!!

Today was another amazing trip on the river!  Just one boat out today, with Rich and Mike Estrada.  But on this boat, we had folks from as far away as TENNESSEE and even AUSTRALIA!!  This boat landed 17 fish today (2 of those were caught by guest, Dwayne Burnett, who accompanied his friend Lisa Skelley, all the way from The Volunteer State!)  Lisa ended up catching two fish today–a 23 1/2″W and a 23″H!  We were also happy to say we had some “local gals” on the boat with us today….all from our excellent service industry here in town!  These ladies work in all areas from restaurants, pubs, motels, and even City Hall!  Dawn McGowan, who owns the River View Motel here in Riggins, caught her first Steelhead–a 24 1/2″ keeper!!  Way to go Dawn!  Then we have my good friend Melissa Blimka, who owns both the Rodeo Club and the Seven Devils Steakhouse and Saloon–which keep in mind is where the FISH DANCE will be held this year!  Melissa just went for fun today as she already had her tournament day on the 7th…but she had so much fun she just wanted to go one more time for the heck of it!!  She caught two fish: 24″H, 23″H.  Then we have my life-long friend, Jill Marolf and her good friend who came to visit her from a cattle station in Australia–her name is Annabelle Coppin!  This chick does it all!  Lives and works on a cattle station, FLIES A HELICOPTER, has that really cool Australian accent, and now is a fisher-gal!  What an interesting lady!!  Thanks for coming to check out the Salmon River country Annabelle!  We hope we see you again!  She ended up taking home 2 fish as well: 24″H, 23 1/2″H!!  Meanwhile, Jill caught 4 fish and today she told me “she squealed like a little girl”–that’s what you are supposed to do!!  Her scores are: 23″H, 23″H, 24″H, 25″H!!  By the way, Jill is interesting in her own right–she used to train champion race horses in Florida and now raises Welsh ponies in McCall with her husband and two boys!  Finally, we have one of my favorite local ladies…Mrs. Eddi Joyce!  She’s a waitress at the Seven Devils Steakhouse and when she isn’t doing that, she’s raising her 4 children and going to Mexico and helping to build houses for poor folks down there!   WOW, all of you women who come and visit us sure have some amazing lives you lead!!!  I love it!  Anyway, she not only caught her very first Steelhead ever, Rich said she hunkered down and got busy catching three more!!  Way to go Eddi!  Her scores: 24″H, 25″H, 31 1/2″W, 24″H.  And I’d like to give an ‘honorable mention” to my great friend, Susan Hollenbeak!  She DID have a “fish on”, but was unable to get that stubborn fella into the darn net!  Susan has lived here virtually her whole life but has never had the opportunity to go above Vinegar Creek into the Frank Church Wilderness on a jet boat!!  We are so happy that she was able to join us today!!  Anytime you ever need help with anything city related, just give her a call at Riggins City Hall!!  Happy Fishing Everyone!  We have a day off tomorrow, so we’ll see you Thursday!   WE NEED PICS TO POST ON THE BLOG! SO LADIES, AFTER YOUR TRIP, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL US SOME PHOTOS SO WE CAN GET YOU ON HERE!! THANKS!

Australian Annabelle Coppin with her first Steelhead EVER, along with Bait Boy Mike Estrada!

Jill Marolf with a nice fish and an even better smile!

CURRENT LEADERS:

 

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″; (3)GINA CROWLEY, 8 FISH/189″.

BIGGEST FISH–3 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson; (2)SHEENA PULLEN, 32 1/2″; (3) 2 way TIE, both with a 32″ fish: Amber Smith, Ami Packer.

SMALLEST FISH–ADRI HICKS, 20 1/2″.

Happy President’s Day everyone!  ANOTHER great day on the river today!!  First up, we have my favorite guide, Rich Friend and Mike Estrada, upriver with a lovely group of ladies from Klamath Falls, Oregon, who decided that they better bring their husbands too…just so they didn’t think they’d be having too much fun without them!  They boated 17 total, and the 4 ladies landed 8!  Katrina Kessler caught two fish–25″H and 26″H.  Lisa Kessler was the one with the lucky lure as she caught 6 fish!  Wow…remember the days when 6 fish would win a tournament?  Anyway, her scores are: 25 1/2″H, 24″H, 26″W, 26″H, 33″W, 25″H.  And yup, you guessed it!  That 33″ Wild fish just put Miss Lisa in the lead for biggest fish caught so far!  Congratulations Lisa!

Meanwhile, back downriver at Spring Bar, Tony Bradbury and Casey Green had a mixed group of doubles today (that sounds kind of like tennis, doesn’t it?).  They must have been doing something right because they boated 9 fish for the day!  Tami George took home a 24 1/2″H, while her friend Mariah Courtright caught a 25 1/2″ keeper!  Beth Blackwell caught two fish, a 23″H and a 26″W!  Cathy Jerrums, who by the way was merely “practicing” today (this wasn’t her official tournament day), caught 5 fish!!  24 1/2″H, 26″H, 26″W, 25 1/2″H, 24″H.  Way to go ladies!!!  GREAT DAY!

Next up, we have Shaun Mulberry’s group going with Mike Wallace and Jeff Wieber!  They also had a nice day today, boating 15! Rosean Newman caught two: 23″H, 24″H.  Trina Pollman caught two as well: 24″H, 26″.  Sandy Frickey caught three fish: 22″H, 23″W, 23″H; but so did Shaun Mulberry: 22″H, 25″W, 23″W!  Stacey Francis took home the gold medal on this boat with 5 fish!  24″W, 23 1/2″H, 22″H, 33″W, 24″H–that 33″ fish just tied her for first place biggest fish!!  Way to go Stacey!

"Rookie" Sandy Frickey and her first Steelhead EVER! with bait boy Jeff!

 

Trina Pollman's fish she caught on the 1st CAST OF THE DAY!

And last but not least, we have Sammy Joe and DUB!!  They took Shaun Mulberry’s “sister” boat from Montana today–the Sheila Cather group…these girls always have a great time too!  They landed 28 fish today…NICE!  Everyone caught a fish today too!  Jennifer Crofts and Kelly David both caught three fish!  Jennifer’s: 26″H, 24″H, 26″H; Kelly’s: 26″H, 24″H, 23″H.  Sheila caught 4 fish–24″H, 24″H, 25″H, 24″H.  Shari Kappel caught 5 fish: 26 1/4″H, 24″H, 22″W, 25″H, 25″H.  Erin Knutson caught 6 fish: 23″H, 24 1/2″H, 23″H, 26″H, 26″H, 33″W.  Erin’s 33″ fish just put her in a 3-way tie for 1st place biggest fish caught so far!!  But the big catch of the day was Teri Schuster with 7 fish!! 23″H, 25″H, 23″H, 25″H, 22″W, 24″H, 25″H.  What a great day ladies!!!!

Erin Knutson and her 33" fish!

Sam, DUB and Sheila Cather's Montana bunch!

NICE SHIRTS!

CURRENT LEADERS:

 

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″; (3)GINA CROWLEY, 8 FISH/189″.

BIGGEST FISH–3 way TIE, all with a 33″ fish: Lisa Kessler, Stacey Francis, Erin Knutson; (2)SHEENA PULLEN, 32 1/2″; (3) 2 way TIE, both with a 32″ fish: Amber Smith, Ami Packer.

SMALLEST FISH–ADRI HICKS, 20 1/2″.

Another stellar day on the river!! WOW!!  It’s such great fishing right now and it doesn’t look to be letting up at all!!  We are now starting to see those “B” run fish…I’m sure that stands for BIG!  Anyway, let’s see how we did today!

Drift boat guide extraordinairre Norm Klobetanz is up to bat first with Tobi Rubelt and Susan Korte!!  They had a nice day, catching three fish in all.  Norm said there were lots of strikes and many fish on…he said, “we just couldn’t seem to get those little buggars in the net!”  He said the ladies had a wonderful day and we’re each able to take a fish home!!!  Tobi caught a 25 1/2″H and Susan caught two, a 25 1/2″W and a 25 1/2″H.  Norm jokingly said if it wasn’t exactly 25 1/2″ long then it must not be allowed in the boat!!!  Way to go Norm and ladies!!

Next we had Tony Bradbury and Jeff Wieber and the Deb Jenkins group!  They had a really nice day at Spring Bar, boating 7 fish total.  Kris Collins caught a 25 1/2″H and Lori Hale was able to keep a 22″!  Deb Jenkins caught a 31″H and a 25″H, while Jessi Lukehart used her tournament day today and landed 3 fish–a 22″H, 25 1/2″H and a 24″W.  Nice to see it picking up at Spring Bar!!  Thanks Deb and crew for coming to the tournament!  Hope we see you back next year!

As we move upriver, Mike Wallace and Casey Green had Holly Loomis and crew!  They boated 12 for the day!  Miss Anna Loomis, who by the way is 9 years old and just broke her arm last week, was determined to get herself a fish–even with a cast all the way up her arm down to her fingertips!  Guess what ya’ll, she did it and was able to take home a 24″ keeper!! Congrats Anna!!  Heather Tramp also caught a 24″ keeper.  Laurie Gurske, Stefani Jerman and Stacy Brainard all caught 2 fish each.  Laurie’s: 24″H, 25″H; Stefani’s: 25″H, 24″H; Stacy’s: 26 1/2″H, 22″H. Anita Jerman was the big catch of the day with 4 fish…26″W, 23 1/2″H, 24″H, 28″H.  It was nice to have you all ladies…hope to see you again soon!

Casey Green holding 9 yr. old Anna Loomis's very first Steelhead!

Also upriver, Rich Friend (my special valentine!) and Mike Estrada had the Mimi Beutter group today!!  What a great group of gals!!  They boated 19 fish for the day!  Maria Mahan caught a 22″H, while Mimi herself caught 2 fish–25″H and 24″H.  Karen Roberts also caught two, 25 1/2″H and 25″H; as well as Cindy Volk–22″W, 27 1/2″W.  Renee Miller and Renee Cataldo each caught 3 fish!  Miller–25″W, 26″H, 27 1/2″W; Cataldo–25″H, 26″H, 23″H.  Adri Hicks caught the most on her boat with 6 fish!!  Her fish were: 20 1/2″H, 25″H, 27″H, 22 1/2″W, 23″H, 28″W.  Adri’s 20 1/2″ fish, I believe, is the smallest fish we’ve recorded so far…which could mean a new rod and reel for her!!  We’ll just have to see if that gets beat!  Stay tuned! 

Adri Hicks and her "lil fish"! Anyone can win prizes at WWB...EVEN for the smallest fish!

Finally on our last boat upriver with Sam Whitten and DUB and the Debbie Dines crew!  They were able to land 21 fish for the day.  Kay Thompson caught a 25″W, while Sherrie Brooks caught 2 fish–26″H, 24″H. Theresa Dines caught 3 fish: 23″W, 25″H, 24″H. Debbie Dines also caught 3 fish: 29 1/2″H, 25″H, 26″H. Myrna Harris caught 5 fish–25″H, 23″H, 23″H, 26 1/2″H, 21″H.  And Karla Thompson was the most for the day with 7 fish!!  Her scores were: 23″H, 24″H, 27″W, 25″H, 21″H, 25″W, 24″H.  Nice job ladies!!  We love to see it when everyone on board gets fish!!!  YAHOO!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″; (3)GINA CROWLEY, 8 FISH/189″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)SHEENA PULLEN, 32 1/2″; (2tie)AMBER SMITH, 32″, (2tie)AMI PACKER, 32″; (3)TARA FLUME, 31 1/2″.

SMALLEST FISH–ADRI HICKS, 20 1/2″.

Up at Spring Bar, Tony Bradbury and DUB had only one fish caught, but it was enough to give this young lady a tie for 2nd place so far for biggest fish–Amber Smith and a 32″!!  Way to go Amber!

Next we have Mike Wallace and Mike Estrada with the Kelly Acree group above Vinegar Creek.  Everyone on this boat caught a fish today…that is AWESOME!  Kelly Acree (1)–24″H; Shari Averman (1)–26″W; Shelli Meckley (1)–26″H; Tami Irle (1)–24″H; Michelle Newlan (3)–23 1/2″H, 26″H, 24″W; Noreen Percifield (4)–23″H, 25 1/2″H, 24 1/2″H, 26 1/2″H.  We want to also thank this group of ladies…they’ve been coming back every year for several years now and we just appreciate our return gals soooo much!!!  Thanks ladies!!!!

Then we have my hubby Rich Friend and Mr. Pim Hoogland on deck today with Pim’s daughter, Anna Mescher and crew!  Welcome back Pim!  Pim helps us out once and awhile with the tournament and he’s developing his own following!!!  Thanks Pim!  Anyway, his wife and daughter were on board today and they had a pretty nice day today, boating 12 fish overall with everybody on board at least catching one fish!  Anna Mescher (1)–24″H; Tiffany Echanis (1)–21″H; Pamela Hoogland (2)–23″W, 22 1/2″H; Jessie Lukehart (2)–24 1/2″H, 24 1/2″W; Tara Flume (2)–23 1/2″W, 31 1/2″W; Chelsea Bradley (4)–26″H, 25″H, 24″H, 24″H.  Way to go ladies!!

Okay everyone…I need to tell you all to sit down and grab something to hold on to…cuz this next report is pretty much going to blow your socks off!  Sam Whitten and Jeff Wieber took the Kathreen Steiner group upriver today as well…in the same section as Mike Wallace and Rich Friend.  And just for the record, these ladies have been going every year in this tournament and never really had much to write home about, but still always had a nice time.  Well, I think their luck just changed!  I think they had some magic going on because I think we’ve pretty much set some records here today!  Their boat caught 46 fish!!  And we definitely have a new leader…with 365 inches by herself!  But we’ll get to that!  Okay, Kathreen’s daughter Malia got a single fish, a 26″W!  Mary Dahlin caught 3–23″H, 23″H, 25 1/2″H; local lady Kathreen Steiner also caught 3 fish–22″H, 22 1/2″H, 23 1/2″H; another local lady Sandy DeVeny caught 4 fish–23 1/2″, 23 1/2″W, 23″H, 23″H; Kathy Brilz caught 5 fish–23″H, 24″H, 23″H, 24″H, 26″W; Linda Schweich caught 7 fish–23 1/2″H, 24″H, 22 1/4″H, 24 1/2″H, 22 1/2″H, 25″H, 24″H; Riggins Tackle Shop owner and one of my sweet ladies Rexanne Zimmerman caught 8 fish and is now our new 2nd place leader for most fish overall–23″H, 23″H, 24″H, 21″W, 23 1/2″H, 24 1/2″H, 24 1/2″H, 28″H!  That puts her at 191 1/2″, which will move Gina Crowley to 3rd place with 8 fish/189 inches overall.  Now we move to our new leader, Nikki Johnson!  Holy Smokes folks!  This is a big deal–really goes to show how great the fishing is! It is also a testament to what a great little fisherwoman this little gal is…and seriously, I think this little gal might be 5 ft. nothing and about 90 lbs. dripping wet!  She used to live in our fair little town but now hails from Orofino, Id–just down the road!!  She is now leading the tournament with 15 fish and 365 inches!!!  23″H, 24 1/2″H, 23 1/2″H, 23 1/2″H, 23″H, 22″H, 23″H, 25″H, 24 1/2″H, 23 1/2″H, 25 1/2″H, 28″H, 27″H, 24″H, 25″H.  I just talked to Sam and he’s still completely stunned!  He said in all his years fishing for Steelhead, he doesn’t recall ANYONE–man OR woman ever catching that many fish in one day!!  That is awesome and we’re so excited to see these numbers!!  Congratulations Nikki!! 

Well everyone, now the bar has been set yet again! We’re sure grateful for this wonderful run of fish!!  What a great year so far!!!  Happy Fishing!

CURRENT LEADERS:

MOST FISH–(1)NIKKI JOHNSON, 15 FISH/365″; (2)REXANNE ZIMMERMAN, 8 FISH/191 1/2″; (3)GINA CROWLEY, 8 FISH/189″.

BIGGEST FISH–(1)SHEENA PULLEN, 32 1/2″; (2tie)AMBER SMITH, 32″, (2tie)AMI PACKER, 32″; (3)KATHY CLARK, 30 1/2″.

Heidi Stutzman

We’re back after a few days off.  Now the grind really begins!!  I was lucky enough to go fishing myself with our family and friends on Thursday–we had a spectacular day, boating 28 fish!!  I got 7 fish myself and I wasn’t even fishing ultra-hard, plus a guy on our boat caught 12 fish himself, so it CAN be done ladies!

First off, we had Tony Bradbury and Jeff Wieber at Spring Bar.  We want to welcome back Lee Ann Jasper and crew!  These girls travelled a long way to have some fun and we want to say thank you ladies for coming back!!  They caught two fish today–Rhonda Bartholomew caught a 23″ keeper and Heidi Stutzman caught a 25 1/2″ keeper!!  Even though we’ve seen some slower fishing at Spring Bar, we know the next “wave” will be coming through soon, so we’re hoping to see some rockin’ good numbers in this stretch soon…it’s all up to Mother Nature and the fish right now…they are everywhere and anywhere!

Rhonda Bartholomew

  Next up, Sam Whitten and his son, DUB, took Kelli Martinez and crew up the river for some fishing and ended up boating 12 fish for the day.  Crystal Grigg (1)–26″H; Kimmi Johnson (1)–25″H; Paula Riggs (2)–24″H, 25″H; Kelli Martinez (2)–24″H, 23″H; JJ Martell (3)–24″W, 24″H, 26″H; Ami Packer (3)–32″W, 25″H, 23″H.  Ami’s 32″ fish puts her in 2nd place for biggest fish caught so far!  Nice going ladies!

The Kelly Martinez crew with their guide, Sam Whitten! Oh ya, and some fish too!

Now we move over to Mike Wallace’s boat, along with Casey Green and the Ashley Hiatt group.  They ended up with 17 fish overall! Ashley Hiatt (1)–23″H; Kathy Clark (1)–30 1/2″H; Shelly Williams (1)–25″H; Michelle Hardison (2)–25″H, 25″W; Heather Patterson (2)–25″H, 25″H; Beverly Williams (3)–26″W, 24″H, 23″H; Erin Ingersoll (3)–30″W, 25″H, 24″H; Kay Bengoechea (4)–23″H, 22″W, 24″W, 24″H.  Congratulations ladies…nice job!!  It’s always wonderful when everyone on the boat catches a fish!  By the way, Kathy Clarks 30 1/2″ keeper puts her now in 3rd place for biggest fish caught so far!

Ashley Hiatt CREW--takin' over the Salmon River!

Finally, Rich Friend and Mike Estrada caught 24 fish for the Becky Carter group!!  3 ladies even caught 5 fish each, still with everyone catching fish on board!!  Those are the best days!!  Angie Carter (2)–26 1/2″H, 24″H; Diane Newton (3)–23″H, 26″H, 24″H; Becky Carter (4)–23 1/2″H, 21″H, 25″H, 26″H; Barbara Aslect (5)–24 1/2″, 26″H, 25 1/2″H, 23″H, 23 1/2″H; Maureen Crowell (5)–25″H, 27″H, 26″H, 23″H, 23″H; Shawna Coopman (5)–23″H, 27 1/2″H, 23″H, 24″H, 23 1/2″H.

PRETTY SWEET!!

We want to let everyone know that we will be posting our prizes on the website–hopefully the site manager will have it updated by Monday!  We have switched a few things up this year and hopefully, with these hard economic times that we’ve been seeing, everyone will really appreciate the changes we have made!  Don’t worry, they are still really awesome and every bit worth what they have been in the past!!  Stay tuned!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everybody!  Today Mike Wallace and Jeff Wieber took one of our wonderful sponsors, Mrs. Melissa Blimka and her crew from the Rodeo Club Bar & Steakhouse and also the Seven Devils Steakhouse & Saloon here in Riggins!  Don’t forget to look inside your “goody bags” everyone as these two establishments have awesome coupons for you in celebration of the tournament!  Anyway, they decided to leave all the boys to watch the big game without them while they took advantage of the boys NOT being on the river!  It was a great day for them too!  They boated a total of 32 fish!  Lots of numbers to input so here we go! Melissa Blimka, 2 fish: 25 1/2″H, 23″H; Vonnie Vaughn, 3 fish: 23″H, 24″H, 24″H; Lissa Colyar, 3 fish: 26 1/2″H, 24″H, 25″H; Camarie Thomas, 4 fish: 24″H, 26″W, 25″H, 24″H; Sabrina McClure, 4 fish: 25″W, 24 1/2″H, 23″H, 27″H; Marla Heckenlively, 4 fish: 24″H, 24″H, 25″H, 23″H; Shelby Schmadeka, 6 fish: 25″H, 25″W, 24″H, 26″H, 22″H, 24 1/2″H; Sheena Pullen,6 fish: 32 1/2″W, 23 3/4″H, 25″H, 25″H, 24 1/2″H, 22″H.  Thanks to Melissa and Mike Blimka for all their support of the tournament and this community!  They are not only wonderful people, they are wonderful friends!

Jeff Wieber and Melissa Blimka

Sheena’s 32 1/2″ fish moves her to 1st place with biggest fish caught so far, while moving Jamie Coffey to 2nd place with her 30″ fish and puts Keelee Harold in 3rd place with her 29″!  Gina Crowley still leads the tournament overall with the most fish caught so far at 8, totalling 189 inches; Jane Suggs is in 2nd with 7 fish, totally 174 1/2″ and 3rd place is still Melanie Higgins with 7 fish totalling 173 inches. 

Sheena Pullen and Jeff Wieber

We’ll see you all on Friday, February 12th, when we really start “the grind”!  That will take us into President’s Day Weekend, where we’ll be seeing lots of fisher-ladies up here to try and catch the big ones!  Hmmm…looks like we might have some open days coming up this week!  Please tell all your friends who haven’t signed up for the tournament yet that we definitely still have openings so give us a call at 1-800-524-9710 so we can get you on the schedule!! 

If any of you ladies have photos you want to share with us, feel free to email us at trips@riveradventuresltd.com and we’ll get them out here on the blog!  This blog is a new format for us so we’re trying to figure out how it all works!  We’ll get those pics out here soon, we promise!!  Thanks to those of you who have already sent in photos…we will use them!  Take care everyone and see you soon!

Another wonderful day on the river!  Tony Bradbury and Jeff Wieber had the lovely Maria Stone group at Spring Bar today!!  Miss Maria herself caught a 25 1/2″ keeper while Melanie Stone caught a 24″ keeper!  Anji Nett caught two fish for the day, a 25 1/2″W and a 25 1/2″H!  We’d like to give a shout out to Kate McGwire of MIX 106 Radio of Boise!  She was on Maria’s boat today and said she had a great time!  Thanks Kate for plugging us on your morning show and we hope this gave you some great stories for next week!  Thanks to all these ladies and we’ll see you next year!

Now we move on upriver to Rich Friend and Justin Whitten, a.k.a. “DUB”.  DUB is returning to the tournament after being away on hiatus for a few years!  Welcome back DUB!  They had the Mandee Kauffman group.  I was able to talk with this group after their trip and they said they really had alot of fun!  This was a first tme trip for these ladies…mostly made up of nurses and they were a treat to have on board!  They boated 11 fish for the day!  Ann Hall caught a 24 1/2″H, while Shelley DeVore caught a 26″H and a 22″H.  Brandy Bommersback also caught two fish: 25″H, 25 1/2″H; so did Joan DeVore: 23″H, 251/2″H.  Mandee Kauffman caught 3 fish for the day: 23 1/2″W, 23″H, 25″H.  Thanks ladies and see you next year!

Now on to Mike Wallace and Casey Green’s boat with the Stephanie Hailey group!  They boated 15 for the day!  Liza Clinger caught a 24″H, Liz Thompson got her by an inch with a 25″H.  Kelbie U’Ren, Lora Seabaugh and Stephanie Hailey all caught 3 fish! Kelbie’s: 23″H, 23 1/2″H, 22 1/2″H; Lora’s: 23 1/2″W, 23″H, 24″H; Stephanie’s: 25 1/2″H, 28″H, 22″H.  Stephanie’s 28″ puts her in a 3-way tie for 3rd biggest fish caught so far.  Way to go girls!

Lora Seabaugh and Casey Green

Stephanie Hailey

Casey Green and Amanda Watson...her first time fishing EVER! She caught 4 fish total!

Finally, we have Sam Whitten and Mike Estrada–who by the way is celebrating a birthday today! Happy Birthday Mike!  They had one of Mike’s classmates, fellow SRHS alum, Amy Wilson and her group of super girls!!  It’s always fun to have our home-town girl come back for a visit!  Amy’s girls did really well today with a total of 20 fish caught!  Ish Green had a 24″W while Jana Nearing caught a 24 1/2″H.  Angie Robinson caught 3 fish: 25″H, 25″H, 24″W; Amy Wilson herself also caught 3 fish: 25″H, 25″H, 24″H.  They had 3 ladies who caught 4 fish each! Keri Barbero: 23″H, 24 1/2″W, 23 1/2″H, 24 1/2″H; Danielle Keister: 25″H, 24″H, 23 1/2″H, 22 1/2″H; Drusilla Swopes: 23 1/2″, 23″H, 25″H, 25 1/2″H.  Dru is also one of our home-town girls!!  Nice to have you ladies with us again this year!  Hope to see you next year too!

All I can is WOW.  What a spectacular day and what an amazing start to our 15ht Annual tournament! Again, the fishing has really, really turned on up here and we’ve got alot to input today so let’s get to it!

Cyndi Troxel

First off, on Mike Wallace and Jeff Wieber’s boat with the Melanie Higgins group!  This boat landed 30 fish for the day…that’s an amazing number and it’s day #1!  Peggy Johnson caught 3 fish: 24″H, 23 3/4″H, 25″H; Cyndi Troxel caught 3 fish: 23″H, 23″H, 24 1/2″W; Lori Emerson caught 4 fish: 25″H, 24″H, 24″H, 25″H; Cathy Gifford caught 4 fish: 22 1/2″H, 28″W, 25″W, 23″H–her 28″ fish has her with 3rd biggest fish caught so far! Keelee Harold caught 4 fish: 24 1/2″H, 29″W, 25″W, 24″H–her 29″ fish has her sitting in 2nd place for biggest fish so far! Cathy Cagle caught 5 fish: 23 1/2″H, 24″W, 23 1/2″H, 23 1/2″H, 23″H; and Melanie Higgins caught 7 fish that puts her in 3rd place overall for most fish caught so far (totalling 173 inches): 25 1/2″H; 25″H, 23 1/2″W, 24″H, 26″H, 27″H, 22″H.  And we’d like to give an honorable mention to Miss Sandy Hopkins–Mike said she worked very hard and had 5 rambunctious fish on, but they decided to jump off right as they were getting to the net!  Little rascals anyway!  Great effort Sandy!

Jeff Wieber with Cathy Gifford

Cathy Cagle

Now on to Rich Friend and Mike Estrada’s boat with the Luanne Ostrow group! Their boat only beat out the other boat by 3 fish overall, with a total of 33 fish boated!  Everyone on this boat caught fish and really had a great time! I talked to their group leader this a.m. and she said it truly was one of those “perfect days” to be on the river and she said she was so happy to have caught her very first Steelhead ever!!  Luanne Ostrow ended up with 2 fish for the day–a 23″H and a 25″H.  Whitney Croft caught 3 fish: 23″H, 25″H, 24 1/2″H; Jamie Coffey caught 3 fish: 23″H, 30″H, 24″H–Jamie’s 30″ fish puts her in 1st place for biggest fish caught so far! Holly Hattan caught 5 fish: 23″H, 24″W, 22″H, 27″H, 25″H; Stephanie Coffey also caught 5 fish: 24″H, 23″H, 28″W, 24″H, 25″W–Stephanie’s 28″ fish ties her for 3rd biggest fish caught so far; Jane Suggs caught 7 fish, which puts her in 2nd place overall for most fish caught (totalling 174 1/2″): 25″H, 25″H, 24″H, 25″H, 23 1/2″H, 25″H, 27″H. Our big winner of the day and in 1st place overall with 8 fish caught (totalling 189″) is Gina Crowley! She caught every fish on a single lure her husband tied up for her!!  Way to go team Crowley! Her fish are as follows: 25″H, 24″H, 24″H, 22 1/2″H, 24″H, 23″H, 24″W, 22 1/2″H.  Luanne said she’ll be sending pictures that we can put on the blog soon!

Luanne Ostrow and first Steelhead ever!

Great DAY!!

Well, that’s it for right now.  Anything can happen at this point!  Thanks in part to this El Nino weather, it’s made for a terrific run this year…one for the ages, they are saying!!  We’re looking forward to seeing what the boats do on Saturday!! Happy Fishing everyone

Hey everybody!  Even though our first boats don’t go out until tomorrow, we thought we’d give you a big heads up on what the river and fishing conditions are currently.  First of all, we’re VERY excited and feeling quite blessed with all of this wonderful mild weather.  It’s allowed the sections upriver at Spring Bar and Vinegar Creek to already be open so we’ll have full use of all fishing grounds right off the start!  PLUS, we’re hearing of excellent fishing reports EVERYWHERE…no matter where you fish, it’s looking great!  We just received word this a.m. from a guide who took a two day trip down in the lower gorge (below Hammer Creek area) and boated over 30+ fish in the two days they were there!  PLUS, Spring Bar fishing has been extremely hot with many catching lots of fish there too!!  Rich and Gary Miller (of Gary’s Smoke House–see below) went up yesterday to do some “research and development”…got all the way up almost to Polly Bemis…not even hard fishing all day and still came home with 10 keepers between them!  So ladies…it’s wide open and anyone anywhere can catch fish!  Now it’s up to you!!!!!! 

The "Shut Up and Fish" Flag! Betcha can't guess WHAT that flag is made of??

TODAY, Rich took a guys trip and you wouldn’t believe me if we told you–so all we’re going to say is the fishing is absolutely UNREAL!  This year’s tournament should really start out with a bang!

One more thing we want you to keep in mind for this year’s WWB…we have a really wonderful NEW SERVICE here in Riggins that we personally think you’ll all be very excited about!  It’s called “Gary’s Smoke House”.  It’s a pretty neat deal…you can either drop your fish off and pick it up on the way out of town (it takes approximately 6 hours from start to finish to properly process) or he can vacuum pack/ship it to you if you aren’t able to wait.  The cost per fish to smoke is $10.00 a fish plus any shipping charges (NOTE: Game fish are not for sale).  We just want to tell you that this is seriously some of the best smoked fish we’ve ever had…and in the business we’re in, we’ve tried it all!!  So keep that in mind when you bring your keepers home with you!!  A smoked fish is a nice way to enjoy your catch!

And ladies, don’t forget to use those coupons and specials you receive in your “goody bags”!  The nice folks from all the businesses who participate in putting that information in those bags really want to see your smiling faces in their establishments!!  Take advantage of all that good stuff and show these businesses that it IS worth their efforts in coming up with these deals for you!!  Most coupons are good through the entire tournament and beyond!!

Finally, one last thing to put on your calendar!!  This year, not only are we celebrating the end of the tournament on Saturday, March 6th, but this time we’re adding something special to that day!!  BRING EVERYONE back to Riggins on March 6th to join in on our 2nd Annual Crab Feed that will benefit the Salmon River Jet Boat Races later in April.  All proceeds of the crab feed go to the jet boat races we have here every year…it takes fundraisers like this crab feed in order to make these races happen–we’ve been hosting one of the best race events right here in Riggins for over 25 years!!  The Crab Feed will be going on all day long on Saturday and into the evening, so the ladies that will be fishing that day can plan on eating some yummy crab and fixin’s that night before the awards and of course, dancing all night long to the River Rock Band!  If any of you have any questions regarding this event or would like to donate toward the races, feel free to contact me at trips@riveradventuresltd.com .  See you all later and happy fishing!

The first tournament boats are scheduled to go out Friday, the 5^th!!