The Meaning of Our Name and Our Organization

     Anadromous ( a nad ra mous ) Literally means ascending from the sea for breeding, referring to the life history of salmon and steelhead.

     Curry Anadromous Fishermen (CAF) is a non-profit service organization dedicated to the preservation of Fall Chinook salmon while providing future salmon for commercial and recreational fishing. We are located in Gold Beach Oregon at the mouth of the Rogue River. CAF is part of the Salmon Trout Enhancement Program (STEP), a statewide volunteer program that works with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to restore and enhance native fish runs.

Our Goals are to:

1.   Rehabilitate and enhance the natural habitat of Fall Chinook salmon in the lower Rogue River and other south coast streams.
2.   Increase populations of Fall Chinook salmon, by operating the Indian Creek Hatchery.
3.   Support and promote an educational program to increase the public's understanding of Oregon's aquatic resources and the environment. We provide educational scholarships, science awards and student assistance through Gold Beach Schools
4.   Provide the greatest possible opportunity for citizen volunteer participation.

     CAF is comprised of all volunteers. Contributions and membership dues provide us with our main sources of income.

     The following people have made a significant contribution to the Curry Anadromous Fishermen or the Indian Creek Hatchery. If you have any additional information about these individuals, please send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ray


Kathy Moore - May 11, 1941 – July 19, 2005

      Kathy Moore and her husband Ralph started attending CAF meetings regularly as soon as they arrived in Gold Beach in 1995. She immediately saw a need and filled it. Kathy felt if people received training they were more likely to feel comfortable volunteering at the hatchery. She saw training and coordination as a necessity and took the ball and created her position as Volunteer Coordinator. This position opened up so many opportunities for people and resulted in obtaining new members. One of her first contributions was the scheduling and training of the feeders. Kathy was responsible for putting together much of the training manual which is still being used today. There was barely a CAF event that Kathy wasn’t in the forefront. Kathy enjoyed giving hatchery tours to all ages, especially the children who were fascinated by her knowledge. Kathy trained hundreds of volunteers in the spawning, raising and releasing of 150,000 eggs each year. Kathy was known for keeping the refrigerator at the hatchery stocked with cookies and supplying work parties with tasty meals. And she loved those BBQ’s where everyone pitched in and helped. For her dedication at the hatchery, she received many awards including Volunteer of the Year several times. Kathy appreciated her volunteers and never had a bad word to say about anyone. Kathy Moore was special: she changed lives, she became a role model to many, she believed in living life with fullness and zest. Her generous spirit and sense of fun will remain in the hearts of all who knew her. A beautiful lady who gave so much to the little fish she called her “babies”. She will be missed.


Les Richey

      In 1989, Les helped build the new hatchery facility on Jack Leith’s property on Hunter Creek. Les Richey was one of the mentors at the hatchery in the mid 90’s. He was a gentle man who could say more with his hands and his smile than he could by speaking. He knew how to handle every aspect of the hatchery. After he had a tracheotomy, he learned to teach by touch and demonstration. In 1990, Les became one of the first board members. He helped with everything from BBQ’s at the County Fair to rummage sales. He was kind and understanding and much loved by everyone. 
 

Robert Myron Knox and Charles Knox

Robert September 7, 1901 – April 1, 1986

      Robert was born in PeEll, Washington. He worked as county extension agent in Lewis County, Washington and Coos and Curry Counties, Oregon for more than 20 years. He operated ranches in Wedderburn for more than 50 years.

      Robert and Charles Knox started stocking salmon fry in Indian Creek in the late 1970’s. In 1980 the Knox family had a hatch box on the back porch of Grant’s Pancake House (now the Indian Creek Cafe) on Indian Creek. They added two more hatch boxes the next year and two more the year after that. Besides providing fed-fry to Indian Creek, the hatch boxes were an educational opportunity for the customers. In 1983 the Knox family, (Bob, Charles and Scott), built a hatchery building by the earthen pond they had dug many years earlier. The water came from and an old wood flume which had been the secondary water supply for Gold Beach. They received approximately 200,000 “eyed” eggs from the Cole River Hatchery. These eggs were hatched in the building and the young fish were then placed in the pond and in commercial “Doughboy” liners reinforced by cedar boards. Half of the salmon were released as pre-smolts and the other half as smolts. When the salmon were ready to be released, they just opened the valve and sent the smolts through a pipe into Indian Creek. This operation was completely financed by the Knox family. When the salmon returned, some pairs were kept at the hatchery, some were transported further up Indian Creek, and others were transported to various creeks feeding the lower Rogue River

      The biggest year for the Knoxes was 1987 when they received 265,000 eyed eggs. Returning salmon flooded Indian Creek and drew huge crowds to watch the spectacle. Over 2500 adult salmon returned in one year, probably the highest rate of return in the state.

      They continued to raise Fall Chinook until the Curry Anadromous Fishermen took over the operation in 1988.

Eugene ( Gene ) Valentine Rizzi - April 1, 1913 – July 24, 2001

      Gene was born in Austria to Eugenio and Anna Maria Rizzi. Gene was a graduate of the Music Conservatory in Vienna, Austria. He served in the US Army between 1942 and 1945 in the 396th Signal Company in the Asiatic Pacific Theatre. He was an professional violinist, actor and a sales executive with Brown and Bigelow. He moved to Gold Beach in 1977 and, later, moved to Eugene in 1992. Gene was an avid fly fisherman, a fish conservationist for Oregon working with the Salmon & Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) and a volunteer with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

      Working with other volunteers at the Indian Creek Fish Hatchery, Gene suggested they name the group, Curry Anadromous Fishermen. In 1989, he was the project coordinator for all the work at the hatchery

Robert ( Bob )F. Stansell - March 19, 1927 - December 6, 1996

Vice President 1988

      Bob was born in Hillsboro Oregon to Allen and Hazel Stansell. He moved to Gold Beach in 1942. After high school, he joined the army and was stationed with the occupation army in Germany. He retired from Coos-Curry Electric Co-op in 1987.

      Bob developed a mini hatchery on his property and maintained several hatch boxes on the Pistol River.

      He released several thousand Fall Chinook Salmon into the Pistol River. In 1989, he released 20,000 smolts, helped built a facility on Hunter Creek and personally finclipped 5,700 fingerlings for Hunter Creek. In 1990, he initiated the Watson Creek project. In 1991, he received the National Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Conservation Award for work with the Curry Anadromous Fishermen.

Albert ( Al ) Norman Fowler - September 13, 1936 -July 21, 2000

President  

     Family members note that Al was a great fire fighter and a man of compassion, a man with an awesome sense of humor, and a helpful friend to many. His hobbies included growing garlic, dedication to the Oakland Raiders and total enjoyment of life by the ocean.

Clayton A. ( Clay ) Fox - September 10, 1920 November 27, 1999

President 1987
Long term board member

     Clay was born in Flint Michigan to Floyd and Flora Fox. He was raised in Lonepine, Montana and moved with his parents to Oregon where he worked with his father in the timber industry near McMinnville. During World War II, he served in the Coast Guard. Clay moved to Gold Beach in 1964 where he worked in the timber and wood products industry. He joined the USFS in 1965, working as a Timber Sales Administrator, retiring in 1980.

      Clay was the first President of Curry Anadromous Fishermen and the Chairman of the Hunter Creek project in 1989. Clay was the Stream Chairman for Hunter Creek and always helped with rummage and bake sales. Clay was a life-long sports fisherman and had several favorite fishing holes along the Rogue River. He always had a friendly smile and words of encouragement for friends and fellow fishermen he met on his river.Irmadean L. Roberts - November 4, 1926 April 28, 1999

      Irmadean was born in Greybull, Wyoming and moved to Gold Beach in 1991. She was a member of many organizations including the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Curry Anadromous Fishermen and Elder of the Presbyterian Church.

Mike Okie - May 10, 1938 to June 11, 2003

      Mike was born Michael John Okoniewski, of Polish parents Mel Choir Vincent Okoniewski and Helen Frances (Torkowska) Okoniewski in Buffalo, New York. He was an only child. His dad was a surgeon in a small town in upstate New York. He and a friend owned a small plane that his parents bought for them when he was about 15 years old. He loved to fish the streams of N.Y. He moved to California in 1964. He was in the service for a while when McDonnell Douglas ask the Government to let him work for them as an engineer and test pilot. He owned Race Cars and sponsored or helped with the races. He also attended and participated in the Westminster Dog Shows in New York.

      Mike moved to Gold Beach in 1994 after his retirement from McDonnell Douglas. He obtained three college degrees, including a degree in botany. He was an avid fisherman and made most of his fishing rods as well as his lures. He also made a wooden drift boat and used it on the Rogue and Pistol Rivers as well as Hunter Creek. Mike was a dedicated volunteer and friend of the Indian Creek Hatchery for over six years. As a member of CAF, he served on the board of directors, on the nominations committee, and trained many volunteers over the years in spawning techniques. His engineering skills enabled the hatchery to improve the plumbing and electrical systems. His wry sense of humor was enjoyed by all who knew him. Many a stormy night he and Glenn Miller would check to be sure the waterlines were clear. In addition, Mike was an active member of the Curry Historical Society.



Jim Stoops

President 1993 & 1994  

Jim Sutton

     Jim was a tall soft-spoken fellow that only raised his voice when necessary. He was a unifying force in CAF and handled varied personalities with ease. As president he worked to improve both the organizational and hatchery procedures. Jim had great rapport with everyone in town, sold a lot of raffle tickets and spread goodwill. He was a great storyteller and we often enjoyed his yarns. Jim spoke of having George Foreman as an inmate when he worked at the youth facility in Pendleton. He was a true gentleman and was always one of the first guys to greet you when you arrived at the hatchery. He would have a pot of coffee going and ask if anyone wanted a cup. His job was to bleed the female fish before spawning them and he always brought a sharp knife. ( It was his job and everyone let him do it. ) He was always aware of new volunteers and greeted them in an effort to recruit them as new members of CAF. He made them feel comfortable. He would religiously wear the black CAF coat around town and would always make an effort to recruit new volunteers.

     The Curry Anadromous Fishermen work in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to provide local area schools with insulated aquariums, and fertilized salmon eggs. Students care for the eggs while they hatch and develop. In this way they learn about the salmon and the salmons’ life cycle. Members of the CAF regularly visit the aquariums to replenish the water and answer questions. When the eggs have hatched and progressed to the fry stage, the children take a field trip to a local stream and release “their” fish. Students come away from the experience with a greater appreciation for the resource and a stewardship ethic toward the salmon and local streams.

     Later in the year, a mature salmon will be brought into the classroom for dissection and biological identification. Students learn how the organs function to help the fish adapt to varying conditions throughout the fishes life cycle. Students also gain an understanding of the unique role that these fish play in the ecosystem as well.

     Free guided tours of the Indian Creek Hatchery are offered at 9 AM daily during the summer months. The tours start (middle of May through Labor Day).. People wishing a tour should meet at Indian Creek RV Park prior to coming to the hatchery. Call 247-7704 for directions.

     During June, there is a free fishing weekend at Libby Pond hosted by the Gold Beach Rod and Gun Club. On Saturday, there is a fishing derby for children sponsored by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Members of Curry Anadromous Fishermen are on hand to help monitor the fishing activities, provide fishing instructions and assist in measuring the days catch. Generous prizes donated by local merchants are awarded to the winners in each of three age groups.

     Robert Deniston Hume first came to Gold Beach in 1876. In time, he owned and controlled thousands of acres including all the tidelands on both sides of the Rogue river. Hume’s first hatchery was built in 1878 at “Hatchery Gulch”, about a quarter mile south of Indian Creek. His second hatchery was next to Mill Rock. The buildings burned in the 1893 fire that destroyed much of Hume’s holdings on the Gold Beach side of the river. Remains of the concrete pens can still be seen under the south end of the bridge. In 1890, Hume built a hatchery at Trail on the upper reaches of the Rogue. His final hatchery project was on Indian Creek in 1906 on what is now the Knox family property. Hume was a pioneer in hatchery production to supplement the natural runs of salmon. In 1907, he had about 1,400,000 fry in his hatchery pens. He fed them blood, horse meat, herring, salmon, and beef. The Indian Creek hatchery was owned and run by Hume until 1926. At that time, the state of Oregon took over the operation of the hatchery.

     In the mid 1930’s, the state closed the hatchery.

     State law halted commercial fishing on the Rogue River in 1935.

     In 1958, a group called Salmon Unlimited was organized to improve salmon production in the lower Rogue system. In cooperation with the Oregon Game Department, a salmon trap was built above Bark Shanty crossing on Lobster Creek. The fall Chinook captured there were the source of eggs placed in the Bandon hatchery. Libby Pond and an earthen pond dug at the Knoxes’ Indian Creek property were the rearing areas for the thousands of Fall Chinook fingerlings brought down from the Bandon facility. Over time, many of the people that started the Salmon Unlimited program moved away and the program ceased.

     In the 1970’s, several volunteer groups were having success rehabilitating weak salmon runs by using “hatch boxes” along the tributaries. They called themselves S.T.E.P. volunteers, indicating their purpose - a Salmon Trout Enhancement Program. In 1981 STEP received state support and organizational standing. Local sportsmen formed a club affiliating themselves with the Northwest Steelheaders, which was headquartered in Woodland, Washington. The group was devoted to promoting better fishing opportunities throughout the state. Habitat improvement was an important goal of this group. In addition, hatch boxes were placed on several tributary streams of Euchre Creek, Rogue River, Hunter Creek and Pistol River. Two of these hatch box locations turned into mini hatcheries on the Pistol River and Hunter Creek. These hatcheries were discontinued when the natural production began its rebound.

     In 1980 the Knox family had a hatch box on the back porch of Grant’s Pancake House (now the Indian Creek Cafe) on Indian Creek. They added two more hatch boxes the next year and two more the year after that. Besides providing fed-fry to Indian Creek, the hatch boxes were an educational opportunity for the customers. In 1983 the Knox family, (Bob, Charles and Scott), built a hatchery building by the earthen pond they had dug many years earlier. The water came from and old wood flume which had been the secondary water supply for Gold Beach. They received approximately 200,000 “eyed” eggs from the Cole River Hatchery. These eggs were hatched in the building and the young fish were then placed in the pond and in commercial “Doughboy” liners reinforced by cedar boards. Half of the salmon were released as pre-smolts and the other half as smolts. When the salmon were ready to be released, they just opened the valve and sent the smolts through a pipe into Indian Creek. This operation was completely financed by the Knox family. When the salmon returned, some pairs were kept at the hatchery, some were transported further up Indian Creek, and others were transported to various creeks feeding the lower Rogue River.

     In 1985, the Northwest Steelheaders, believing their membership dues should stay in this area, changed their name to Curry Anadromous Fishermen and disassociated themselves from the Northwest Steelheaders.

     The biggest year for the Knoxes was 1987 when they received 265,000 eyed eggs. Returning salmon flooded Indian Creek and drew huge crowds to watch the spectacle. Over 2500 adult salmon returned in one year, probably the highest rate of return in the state.

     By 1988, the hatchery had become a full time job for Scott Knox, the lower Rogue salmon needed help and the hatchery needed a lot of work. So Curry Anadromous Fishermen agreed to take over operation of the hatchery. Three new Doughboy pools were installed. Coos Curry Electric donated poles, lights and manpower to install the outside lights.

     Later, the Gold Beach Rotary Club built an addition on the existing building with a walk-in freezer. The hatchery was supposed to be a central distribution point for fish food for all the hatcheries in the area. This never happened and the freezer was too expensive to operate. So the door and the compressor were sold and the freezer became a storeroom.

     By 1991, with the advice and some financing from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and a Government Economic Development Grant of $300,000, a dam was reconstructed, new waterlines were brought in, a concrete fish ladder and holding tank were built, 3 metal - plastic lined raceways were constructed and improved incubators were added. Additionally, the road from Jerry’s Flat to the hatchery was paved by the County.

     In 1996 and 1997 jump pools for the fish were placed below the old dam which once diverted the water to the city of Gold Beach.

     Today, the hatchery has a strong base of volunteers belonging to Curry Anadromous Fishermen and enjoys an excellent partnership with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is the goal of the hatchery to place 75,000 unfed fry in streams feeding the lower Rogue River and releasing 75,000 smolts into the estuary during the late summer and early fall.

The following people contributed to this accounting of historical data.

Scott Knox
Ray Rediske
Walt Schroeder “They Found Gold On The Beach”
Milt Walker

The hatchery is a cooperative venture with Curry Anadromous Fishermen, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, people of Central Curry County, and the Knox Family to increase the number of Fall Chinook Salmon in area streams.  Besides raising and then putting 80,000 to 100,000 young salmon in the Rogue River every year, we show the residents and visitors of Curry County how we do this and who makes it happen.

TWO SPONSORS OF THE MONTH

Curry Home Inspection

Curry Home Inspection is owned and operated by Paul Smith, a certified home inspector residing in Gold Beach with over 25 years of construction experience. He worked as a licensed, bonded and insured construction contractor, working on both home re-remodeling and building new homes. Paul offers his customers a hands-on approach drawing from his practical construction background offering in-depth knowledge about the inspection process. He puts on his detective hat as he looks at

everything to determine the condition of the house. He’s interested in finding the underlying cause of the problem. “Looking out for buyers” is his mantra; the home buyer is his number one priority. This is why he devotes an entire day to each house inspection.

Inspections are completed following the Oregon Standards of Practice for Certified

Home Inspectors.

Contact 541-373-7250  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information, read the March 2024 Riffle

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J.T. & Sons Tree Service

J.T. & Sons Tree Service is a family-owned business located in Gold Beach serving

the Southern Oregon Coast.  Jason and his family moved from California six years ago, finding our quaint small-town jewel where the family has successfully carved out a new life. With over 25 years of experience in the tree industry, first working for Davey Tree Service in CA as a power line clearance operator, Jason has grown the company and gained a respected reputation in our community. Talon, Jason’s oldest son, is a skilled worker with six years of experience under his belt. Teresa, Jason’s wife, is the office manager and keeps things running on schedule. Together, the family works as a well-oiled machine.

Giving back to the community is an important part of the family’s mission.

J.T. & Sons Tree Service expertise includes: Tree removal, trimming, brush chipping, hazardous tree removal, land clearing, land maintenance including fire reduction/fire clearing.

Give Jason and Teresa a call for all your tree service needs at 541.425-5232.

Check out their website www.jtsonstree.com

For more information, read the March 2024 Riffle

     Curry Anadromous Fishermen is a volunteer organization. Membership dues and contributions are the primary sources of revenue required to run the Indian Creek Hatchery. In considering whether or not to become a member ask yourself a couple of questions: Are you a fisherman who has experienced (or is hoping to experience) the thrill of catching these large, uniquely spirited and hard-fighting Rogue River Chinooks?

      Are you interested in seeing Rogue River runs of these remarkable fish remain at current levels or hopefully increase in numbers for the enjoyment of future generations?

      If your answer is "yes" to one or both of these questions, you must consider a membership in Curry Anadromous Fishermen. Annual dues are only $20. A membership carries with it certain benefits and/or opportunities. For example---

      You will receive "The Riffle" a monthly newsletter which normally contains a number of interesting tidbits such as minutes of our meetings, upcoming events at the hatchery, local fishing reports, special projects, etc. If you live in the vicinity of Gold Beach or are vacationing in the area you can---

      Visit the hatchery and either observe or participate in hatchery activities.

      Observe or participate in miscellaneous other activities that are announced in the "Riffle". These include field trips to release fry in local streams and rivers, netting wild fish from the Rogue for use in hatchery spawning, improving breeding habitat in local streams, catching and relocating adult hatchery salmon for spawning in locations other than Indian Creek, etc.

      Attend meetings which are held on the second Thursday of each month. Every year the Indian Creek Hatchery places over 120,000 salmon in Curry County creeks and rivers. The hatchery is run by volunteers and supported primarily by membership dues. So if you feel (as we do) that our efforts are both valuable and indeed necessary in preserving and enhancing the runs of these extraordinary fall Chinook.

Please Join us.

To become a member: