Wednesday, February 25, 2015

My Reel Report For February 25, 2014

March is upon us, shuffling in and shaking like a soaked dog that played in the yard too long. Winter is still cold mornings and hot coffee, but afternoons can be warm and flowing, like our favorite steelhead memories.

Here in Oregon, where Spring and Winter sometimes resemble each other remarkably, it is important to be prepared before you head to waters. Bring extra socks, matches, gloves, and food and water.

The Alsea River has been fair to good for steelies so far this season, and March should offer the same opportunity. There will be less fish, but the fish that come in late often are larger and native. Be prepared to release fish quickly and efficiently by having needle-nose pliers handy. I keep mine in the back pocket of my jeans. Fishing this river means paying attention to riverflow data at the United States Geological Survey. The USGS offers real-time water data that is essential to planning a successful fishing trip.

The Siletz River has been very good this Winter, and that will not change. From below the town of Siletz to up in to the Siletz River Gorge, winter steelhead fishing here can be spectacular in March. The size and abundance of large hatchery and enormous wild fish can make March the river trip of a lifetime. The five biggest steelhead I have caught, have been on this river. Be sure to pack out litter and leave no trace.

In Albany where I live, late Winter fishing opportunities are plentiful. Regular trout stockings occur at Waverly Lake, Timber-Linn Memorial Park, as well as other local ponds. On the Calapooia River, smallmouth bass fishing is starting to heat up. Fish worms and shrimp.

The South Santiam River also is beginning to exit its Winter freeze, thawing swiftly as if it were frozen bait in the warm sun. Salmon and steelhead will start to show in March, with numbers increasing until late June.

The local bass ponds are also warming up, and offer opportunities for big bass. Fish plastic worms or nightcrawlers at a slow pace. The pond water is still cold, and a slower presentation will get fish interested fast.

Wherever you decide to fish this season, remember to handle fish with care, take many photos, and thank-you for not littering.

Fish on!





Monday, February 23, 2015

Buying Local Makes Cents

Whether you live in a city neighborhood or a small-town community, buying local helps create robust economies and ensure economic stability. Now is a great time to change your consumer habits and help your local businesses thrive.

We could all use more produce in our diets. Buying fruit and vegetables from local stands and area farms help keep family farms in business while building local economies. Buy from farms and experience the perfect tastes of fresh produce.

In Oregon's Willamette Valley where I live, two choices exist for other local farm products such as dairy products like milk and cheese. Local grocery stores that sell milk from local dairies is your best option. Walmart milk, trucked from Arkansas, is the worst option. The reason for this is simple: Local markets grow from local money.

Electronics, everybody's wishlist items, can be purchased locally as well. Sure, Amazon can ship it overnight for a great price, but why not support the local shop? Buying from a local television dealer, keeps local dollars in the immediate community, and helps keep our neighbors in business.

Service goods such as auto insurance, are better when purchased local. Being able to have close, personal relationships with business partners helps create a tight-knit, caring atmosphere, which serves all parties much better than say, buying car insurance online. You may get a cheaper price, but you get what you pay for.






No matter what you find yourself shopping for, it can probably be found locally. It might be a print for the photo above, or it may be the latest video game or digital movie disc. Find it not at Costco, nor online. Instead, look up your local options by using Google or your own Chamber of Commerce.

Shopping at small businesses that make up the neighborhoods we live in, provides stable and vital economic stimuli for our communities to grow and invest. Building robust communities starts with our consumer habits. Think about your hometown the next time you head to the grocery store, and think about how to make it better place to live.









Friday, February 20, 2015

This Week In Photos

I shoot Canon gear, the venerable 7D & the capable T3. I own the EFS 18-55, EFS 60mm Macro, Sigma 10-20mm, EF 50 f1.4 and f1.8, and the very good EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM.

My photography is a hobby and I edit in Photoshop CS5.

Click any photo for Gallery Mode."






















Copyright Ronald Borst 2015

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Why Brian Williams and John Kitzhaber Should Resign

In America, it is in fact a positive vote to vote mostly with the liberal Democrats. But that is only because they are the lesser of two evils. America's government is generally corrupt.

The latest ego fiasco from the left wing features popular Democrat Governor of Oregon, John Kitzhaber; and NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams.

They both should step down.

Williams' has been the managing editor and anchor at NBC since 2004, and in the past week has "temporarily" taken a leave of absence over a story Williams told, portraying himself as a survivor of a helicopter attack during the Iraq conflict in 2003.

Williams has recanted that story.

With all due respect, Williams' only fault here is an egotistical story that is commonplace in human behavior. We tell fish stories, plain and simple.

The reason that Williams must resign, is that while we all tell glory stories from time to time, Williams is relied upon by the NBC nightly audience, to tell the truth in a precise and accurate manner. He simply has made himself a question about trust, and in journalism the public must trust that the nightly news is telling the truth.

When we live in a world where the general public uses a media outlet like NBC Nightly News to the extent that Americans do, the work has to be highly respected, ethical, and uncompromisingly truthful.

The same goes for the people that perform that work. When I tell a fish story, it really is no big deal. When Brian Williams,  anchor of a broadcast television nightly news program, tells a fib, credibility and trust is shot.

It does not matter that Williams did not lie about news. He puffed himself up during a story about working, and journalists have to be held at a higher standard than the general public in regard to ethics and truths.

The ten-year news anchor veteran is the winner of numerous journalism awards, including the Peabody Award.

Williams although a likable guy, has to go.





In Oregon, Fourth Term Governor John Kitzhaber is facing ethics complaints so substantial, his closest allies are fleeing for their political lives.

Kitzhaber's leadership of Oregon had very high approval ratings through most of his first three terms. The success of the Oregon Health Plan, removal of dams for salmon restoration, and Willamette Valley business initiatives, led Oregonians to elect Kitzhaber for a historic fourth term in November 2014.

In late 2014, the approval rating for Kitzhaber began to shrink after reports surfaced about the governor's girlfriend and her illegal activities. A "green- card marriage" and an illegal marijuana grow were Cylvia Hayes' doing, but the governor's office was starting to feel the heat.

Then in 2015, news media reported of Hayes' use of Kitzhaber's office for personal financial gain, and Hayes' failure to report income on her tax returns.

That in turn has prompted newspapers to editorially condemn Kitzhaber, asking for his resignation. And two legal petitions have been filed, asking for a recall of Kitzhaber.

On the surface, it is entirely apparent that Hayes used the state office for financial gain, It is almost as apparent that Hayes lied on tax filings.

Most damaging, is that it appears Kitzhaber was aware of at least some of the improprieties of business trips and money flow in the direction of Hayes.

In government, no matter how much one has done for the public, maintaining ethics and practicing ethics should be held in the highest regard and to the highest standard,

Kitzhaber has done neither. His callous and aloof approach to these complaints, has raised questions not only about his leadership, but also about his ability to lead.

Under shadows of F.B.I. investigations and ethics evaluations, Kitzhaber simply is not the man to lead Oregon in the future. Kitzhaber must realize that his mistakes have unraveled the threads of truth in government, and for Oregonians, they need to trust their government. John Kitzhaber cannot effectively lead Oregon anymore.

Like Brian Williams, Kitzhaber is a likable guy. Still, he must resign.





Thompson's Mills State Park in Shedd, Oregon

Copyright Ronald Borst - April 6, 2017