Bolon Island Move “We’ve really outgrown the old boatyard. Having just one ways really slows us down,” stated Fred’s son Mike Wahl. “On the new property we will be able to haul a large number of boats and move them under cover for painting, major repairs, sponsons, mid-bodies, or deck modifications,” he explained. The Bolon… Continue reading Fred Wahl Opens New Yard on 38 Acre Island
Category: Commercial Fishing
Salmon Tender Duke–Oldest Boat on the Columbia River
After 112 Years Afloat, the Duke Retires to Museum in Astoria The older a wooden boat gets, the more work it takes to keep it seaworthy. That’s a lesson that many boatmen learned the hard way. On the lower Columbia River where there are still a handful of owners maintaining and using traditional wooden gillnetters.… Continue reading Salmon Tender Duke–Oldest Boat on the Columbia River
An Introduction to Collecting Early Tools
An Assignment for the National Fisherman Yearbook in 1989 “If I only had the right tool for the job”- this is often the do-it-yourselfer’s lament. When you have áll the tools you need, another problem may threaten your workspace – where to put them all! If you have ever found your tool collection expanding beyond… Continue reading An Introduction to Collecting Early Tools
Salmon Fishing on the Columbia–CRFPU, CRPA, Bumble Bee
Note: I compiled this history from many online sources. Salmon was a dietary staple of Northwest aboriginal people. Large, tasty, and available at predictable times and places, the fish were an ideal source of protein, easily caught with basic fishing technologies such as spears, baskets, nets, and brush weirs. Natives harvested salmon all across western… Continue reading Salmon Fishing on the Columbia–CRFPU, CRPA, Bumble Bee