Tulalip News

Red Wind Casino Plans $45 Million Expansion

Construction Starts Next Month; Completion Set for December 2014

52686534e0156.image — Expanded casino
An artist’s drawing shows what the Red Wind Casino will look like once a $45 million expansion project is completed. Work is set to begin in November on the project, which will add 42,700 square feet of floor space to the casino, including a non-smoking section. The project will be completed in December 2014.

October 23, 2013 Nisqually Valley News

OLYMPIA, WA – A $45 million expansion of the Nisqually Red Wind Casino will bring 70 new jobs to the area and will continue to fuel a significant economic expansion that has occurred within the Nisqually Indian Tribe in the last year, said Cynthia Iyall, chair of the Nisqually Tribal Council.

Construction is set to begin on the casino expansion project next month and will be completed by December 2014. In all, 42,700 square feet of gaming space will be added to the current 95,000-square-foot structure. A remodeling of the parking structure will add 600 spots. The expanded space will include a smoke-free casino.

Only about 1 percent of the roughly 400 employees at the casino are members of the Nisqually Tribe, Iyall said. Many of the tribe’s 766 members are employed in tribal government positions; there are about 300 such positions.

“We rely on the surrounding community for employment, and it seems to be a good partnership,” Iyall said.

The remodeled and expanded casino will carry on with a natural elements theme begun with the construction of the Tribal Center. That building’s roof is curved to

reflect the back of a fish and the flowing Nisqually River. The old tribal building behind it is being remodeled with a pitched roof, which is reflective of a mountain, Iyall said. The upgraded casino building will incorporate grass-like elements because the Nisqually Tribe’s historic name, Schally-Absch, means people of the river and people of the grass country, Iyall said.

The original casino, which was built in 1997, is the tribe’s economic engine, Iyall said, and revenues from that business have allowed the tribe to expand its economic presence in the region. Four new tribal businesses have opened within the past year alone. The tribe has a new construction company called Nisqually Federal WHH Construction.

The tribe opened a seafood processing plant, called She-nah-num Seafood, in Tumwater about six months ago. Tribal fishermen sell their catch to the plant, which processes it and prepares it for retail sale. Then the seafood is purchased by casinos, buffets and fine-dining restaurants up and down the coast.

The tribe has also opened two convenience stores, the Nisqually Market in Lakewood and the Nisqually Market Express in the Nisqually Valley near Interstate 5. Both of those have opened within the past year, Iyall said.

“We utilize our gaming as a springboard to get into other types of businesses for the tribe,” Iyall said. “It is the engine of our economic development. With a portion of these funds, we have been able to diversify our economy on and off the reservation, strengthening our sovereignty and building the tribe for the future.”

The money generated from those jobs brings security into tribal homes, Iyall said. There are just so many positives from the casino operation, she added, and the expansion will help spur future economic growth.

The casino earnings will also help fuel an upgrade of the convenience store on the reservation, the Rez-Mart. That project will begin soon and will add products and services, including perhaps a post office and office space, Iyall said.

In addition to these projects, the tribe is also extending its wastewater treatment system and is building a public safety complex, according to a statement provided by Iyall.

“The Nisqually Tribe is investing in the future,” Iyall said in that statement. “The tribal council wants to provide long-term opportunities for our members and their families — opportunities for good jobs, good health care, good homes and good education. We especially want to provide quality care for our elders.”

The tribe contributes more than $1 million each year from casino revenues to charitable and nonprofit organizations and local governments that extend the benefits of the operation into the surrounding communities, according to the statement. The current casino boasts three restaurants, 975 video lottery terminals and an assortment of gaming tables.

The tribe’s Medicine Creek Enterprise Corp. manages the casino. That corporation is chaired by John Simmons.

“We’re proud of the casino’s success,” Simmons said in the statement, “and we welcome the opportunity to keep growing, to keep generating income and to benefit our members.”

Korsmo Construction will be the general contractor for the expansion, according to a statement. That is the same company that built the new Tribal Center across the street from the casino. KMB Designs is the architect for the project.

The Myth Of The Casino Cash Cow For Native Americans

Contrary to popular stereotypes about tax-exempt gambling profits on reservations, most Native Americans struggle to make ends meet.

The Fond-Du-Luth Casino in Duluth, Minnesota. (Photo/Michael Hicks via Flickr)

By Katie Lentsch

October 23, 2013 MintPressNews

Today’s casinos of flashing lights and slot machines in smoke-filled rooms attract high rollers and bad losers. Many see casinos as a lucrative business for Native American reservations — but does this myth of money-making match reality?

Twenty-five percent of the U.S. population aged 21 and over visited a casino and participated in gambling in 2010. In that year alone, U.S. casinos enjoyed revenues of $34.6 billion, according to the American Gaming Association.

It’s a common assumption that the gaming industry is a cash cow for Native Americans, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that as part of tribal sovereignty, state tax and regulatory laws do not necessarily apply to Native Americans living on reservations.

Tribal sovereignty refers to tribes’ right to govern themselves, define their own membership, manage property, and regulate tribal business and relations while recognizing a government-to-government relationship with states and the federal government. But despite tribes’ independence and exemptions, the Native American population as a whole comprises the minority living with the largest disparities in health, education and income in the United States.

The unemployment rate on some reservations can reach as high as 75 percent, with nearly 10 percent of all Native families being homeless. For some of those families who do have homes, they may lack electricity or running water, Liberation news reports.

Gaming has helped raise tribal communities out of poverty by providing funds for housing, schools, health care and education, as well as stable jobs for community members, but according to the Native American Rights Fund, of the estimated 560 federally recognized American Indian nations, only 224 are involved in gaming. Tribes who are geographically located on rural, unpopulated land may never take part in the industry, while those who reside near major urban areas benefit the most from gaming operations.

Can tribal sovereignty exist within a city?

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa not only has a casino on its reservation in northern Minnesota, but one that is located 20 miles to the east in downtown Duluth. With the “Fond-du-Luth” casino establishment located outside of the reservation, issues pertaining to tribal sovereignty and gaming revenues are currently being disputed by city leaders.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that because Fond-du-Luth is outside the reservation, a 1994 agreement was enacted, stating that the casino would pay a 19 percent “rent” of its gross income for 25 years and an unspecified rate for the following 25 years to the city in exchange for services. This provided Duluth with around $6 million income annually from the Fond du Lac band, but in 2009, the band stopped paying.

Karen Diver, chairwoman of the Fond du Lac band, said payments were halted when it began questioning the legality of the agreement. After asking the National Indian Gaming Commission to review the 1994 consent agreement, it found the agreement violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which requires tribes to have “sole proprietary interest” for tribal casinos.

The band negotiated a payment-per-services model, covering services like law enforcement and fire protection, but a U.S. District Court judge ruled this month that $10.4 million is owed from the Fond du Lac band’s halted payments from 2009 to 2011, which the band might be able to appeal.

The issues that arose in Duluth were similar to those when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was onboard for a plan to build casinos under the Seneca Nation in Rochester and other areas upstate.

Initially, like Fond-du-Luth, there was discussion of the state government receiving a negotiated piece of the casino’s gross intake, but the sovereignty issue again posed question.

“How could you put a sovereign nation in the middle of your downtown?” said Lovely Warren, Rochester city council president.

Steve Siegel, formerly of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Niagara University, told Rochester City Newspaper that most of the time, when a tax-exempt casino is placed on what is claimed to be sovereign land within an urban setting, all of the gain goes to the casino complex.

“Local businesses are devastated because they can’t compete with this massive nontaxable entity,” Siegel said.

Native Americans are still Americans

Although the casino institutions themselves are not federally taxed, in 2006 the IRS issued a bulletin stating that individual Native Americans, especially those living outside of a reservation, are still subject to federal income tax every year.

More than seven in ten Native Americans and Alaska Natives now live in metropolitan areas, and 27 percent live in poverty, according to the Census Bureau.

The bulletin states:

“While there are numerous valid treaties between various Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments and the United States government, some of which may contain language providing for narrowly defined tax exemptions, these treaties have limited application to specific tribes … Taxpayers who are affected by such treaty language must be a member of a particular tribe having a treaty and must cite that specific treaty in claiming any exemption. There is no general treaty that is applicable to all Native Americans.”

Even so, many Native American families subject to treaties are still not exempt from taxes. The IGRA has provisions that permit tribes to make per-capita distributions from gaming activities to tribe members and the community. But according to the bulletin, “Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, any distribution of casino gaming proceeds to individual tribe members is also subject to federal income tax.”

Essentially, Native Americans are living in a nation where the majority of its population is struggling to make ends meet. They face taxes and economic strife while trying to support their families. Some may sit more comfortably than others, but the late-night hours from visitors at the slot machines or blackjack tables don’t quite live up to the dream.

HiJinx Carnival treats grade school kids to Halloween fun Oct. 26

Karen Whitehead helps her son Bryson don his Wolverine costume at the Oct. 22 'Give a Costume, Take a Costume' exchange in preparation for the Oct. 26 HiJinx Carnival.— image credit: Kirk Boxleitner — Karen Whitehead helps her son Bryson don his Wolverine costume at the Oct. 22 ‘Give a Costume, Take a Costume’ exchange in preparation for the Oct. 26 HiJinx Carnival.
— image credit: Kirk Boxleitner

Kirk Boxleitner, Arlington Times Reporter

LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood School District doesn’t want their grade school kids to be left out of the seasonal fun on the weekend before Halloween, which is why Lakewood Elementary, English Crossing Elementary and Cougar Creek Elementary have come together again to stage the annual HiJinx Carnival from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, in the gymnasium of Lakewood High School.

David Campbell, president of the English Crossing Elementary PTA, explained that local PTAs put on this fall carnival for all the families in the Lakewood School District and the surrounding community.

“Our main focus is to provide the students of our schools the chance to come together, in a spirit of friendship and community, in a safe environment for kids,” Campbell said. “Since we encourage each of the kids to come in costume, we’ve arranged for a few local family photographers to capture this moment. The Lakewood High School Drama Department has also agreed to give us a great time of spooky stories throughout the night.”

These new features will complement familiar favorites such as games, bouncy houses, raffles and a cake walk, all of which are administered by PTA members and volunteers to whom Campbell expressed his appreciation.

“HiJinx is a great carnival that is completely volunteer-run,” Campbell said. “While the PTA is a main sponsor of the event, we recruit local individuals, businesses and other groups to help out with the event, and we always encourage groups and clubs from the high school and middle school to come by and pitch in. The football team, the cheerleaders, Drama and Honor Society, just to name a few, help run our games, paint faces and generally support the elementary school kids.”

According to Campbell, a yearly average of 30 adult volunteers are required to set up and tear down the staging for the event, but the majority of volunteers come from high school groups.

“These students really fill each of the booths and help the younger students have a great time,” Campbell said.

This year, Lakewood Elementary PTA President Julane Urie suggested a costume exchange, which took place at her school on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and marked the first “Give a Costume, Take a Costume” event for the Lakewood School District.

“It was a huge success,” Campbell said. “Anyone with school-age kids probably has a few boxes of costumes from years past that are still in great condition, but are too small for their own kids to wear another year. For many families, these costumes are worn only once, then put into storage, so this was a great way for everyone to get the chance to try a different costume without spending any cash at all.”

Especially in light of the country’s ongoing economic troubles, Campbell acknowledged that a number of families in the Lakewood School District might not otherwise be able to furnish their children with Halloween costumes.

“We really hope that this gave them a chance to step forward and enjoy this lasting memory,” Campbell said.

Looking to the HiJinx Carnival itself, Campbell reiterated that the invitation to this event extends beyond the boundaries of the Lakewood School District, to all grade school-aged kids. “This event isn’t about school politics, PTA grants or sports boosters, but rather, it’s just about clean safe fun for all families,” Campbell said. “In recent times, trick-or-treating has caused anxiety attacks for parents, when they think about sending their kids out door-to-door, so we strive to create a safe place for parents and kids to come and enjoy this holiday.”

Although the fall can often turn into a mad dash between various school sports and extracurricular activities, Campbell hopes the community will take the time to treat themselves to one of the largest volunteer-run events presented by local PTAs throughout the year.

“Halloween is a holiday that parents and students should try and fit into their busy schedules,” Campbell said. “By encouraging appropriate costumes for all of our families, we hope to allow parents and their children a chance to enjoy this event and celebrate the season.”

Lakewood High School is located at 17023 11th Ave. NE in Arlington.

5 Cons From Obama’s First Year of Second Term

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

For President Barack Obama, the first year of his second term has been filled with plenty of ups and downs for the United States but also for Indian country.

The country has seen the Obama Administration deal with a government shutdown, and the Benghazi incident in the short span that has been this second term so far.

On October 10, Indian Country Today Media Network highlighted five positives that the administration has produced so far this year.

Not everything has been positive within Indian country as the administration has produced some negative effects as well. Below are five of them.

Just a Miscalculation

In March the National Congress of American Indians released a policy paper saying that tribal economic growth had already been thwarted; the National Indian Education Association said the cuts “devastate” Indian education; and Native journalist Mark Trahant estimated that the overall financial reduction for funding in Indian country totals $386 million—and that was just through the end of September. This all came out under the federal government’s sequester.

In all, the joint decision by Congress and the Obama White House, first made in 2011 and carried out on March 1, to allow an across-the-board 9 percent cut to all non-exempt domestic federal programs (and a 13 percent cut for Defense accounts)—known collectively as the sequester—amounted to a major violation of the trust responsibility relationship the federal government is supposed to have with American Indians, as called for in historic treaties, the U.S. Constitution and contemporary American policy.

While all of the cutbacks are troubling and difficult to bear, perhaps the most problematic of all were the ones happening at the Indian Health Service (IHS), housed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux and her staffers had said at various tribal meetings and in letters throughout 2011 and early 2012 that “the worst-case scenario would be a 2 percent decrease from current funding levels” for IHS, rather than the 9 percent forecasted. Then Indian country began to learn those predictions were wrong. IHS would be cut on March 1 at the same rate as every other non-protected agency.

Leaders Raise Concerns Over Budget Cuts

In April of this year, leaders throughout Indian country raised concerns about President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for 2014 and the lack of support at upholding the nation’s trust responsibility to American Indians as he has promised.

The budget, released April 10, was the president’s first time while in office to dramatically shrink his support for Indian programs in some key areas, including reductions in contract support services, education and school construction cuts, and spending on low-income housing.

Maintaining the Status Quo on Education

With President Barack Obama’s first term came hope for improvements across the board of Indian education, but five years later that hope has waned and now it’s gone to a “just hang on” mentality.

Indian education was still reeling in 2009 in Obama’s first term with No Child Left Behind under the Bush regime. Native culture, learning methods, and tribal language development were largely not on the minds of federal policy makers when the law was passed.

Since then successes have been small, funding cuts have occurred under federal sequestration, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind Act) has still not been reauthorized due to gridlock in Congress.

First Native Council Meets Sans Tribal Leaders

President Barack Obama announced the establishment of the White House Council on Native American Affairs on June 26. On July 29, the first meeting of the Council met without tribal leaders present.

According to the Obama administration the Council is intended to oversee and coordinate the progress of federal agencies on tribal programs and consultation with tribes across the federal government.

Instead of being present for the meeting, Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, appointed chair of the council by Obama, asked tribal leaders to provide input via conference call held July 26. The input from the call was used to guide the meeting.

Tex Hall, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, may have said it best, “That’s not a real government-to-government relationship.”

Cheating Tribes on Health Costs

According to the U.S. Supreme Court 2012 ruling in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter the federal government must pay for the full contract support costs (CSC) incurred by tribes while providing healthcare and other government services for their tribal citizens through Indian Self-Determination Act contract agreements.

The White House shared with Congress late this summer a continuing resolution budget proposal that would allow the federal government to forgo paying millions of dollars worth of CSC to tribes. The proposal authorizes the Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to limit how much each tribe would be paid for CSC. Leaving tribes to pay for any CSC funding not appropriated by Congress.

Tribal leaders who have reviewed the plan say it’s a tribal cap on a tribe-by-tribe basis that would wipe out tribal legal claims and put tribes in the difficult position of being required to spend money to administer contract support programs without providing them the funding to do so.

AIM and Idle No More to Protest at Redskins-Broncos Game Sunday

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

Two Denver-based groups are set to protest against the Washington Redskins refusal to change its name and mascot.

Members of the American Indian Movement and Idle No More in Colorado will call on the football team to change its name at the Broncos-Redskins game on Sunday.

Protestors at Lambeau Field in Green Bay last month. (Associated Press)

Members of the group say that the name is “racist” and “an insult to all indigenous peoples.” They are also telling all Colorado news and sports journalists to banish the so-called ‘R’ word from their reporting; asking that local press such as The Denver Post and NBC’s KUSA to call them “the team from Washington, D.C.”

Both groups say that most American Indians consider the word to have a long racist history in the U.S.

Most recently, about 20 members from various Native American tribes protested outside Lambeau Field at the team’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

In a news release, the group invited “all people of goodwill” to protest at the football game. Protestors will gather at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. No location or time information has been announced.

Cabela’sTulalip Spooktacular, Oct 26

Cabela’s halloween

Cabela’s Tulalip will host a “spooktacular” for kids and adults from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, with trick or treating in each department of the store. Then take a stroll through the haunted aquarium, try a shot in the 3D Pumpkin Archery Range, decorate yourself with ghostly camo face paint, sample some terrifyingly delicious Dutch oven treats and hunt for the elusive, hairy Sasquatch. Try your hand (1-15 years of age) at the Sasquatch calling contest at 1 p.m. for a chance to win prizes.

For more information, call 360-474-4880.

How the Affordable Care Act Improves the Lives of American Women

By Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services

Today, we join our White House colleagues in celebrating National Breast Cancer Awareness month; and almost four weeks into the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace, I’m reminded of the tremendous impact the Affordable Care Act has on the lives of American women.

As the President said, the law is much more than just a website – it’s affordable, quality health insurance made available to everyone. Through the Marketplace, 18.6 million uninsured women have new opportunities for affordable, accessible coverage. And if you’re one of the 85 percent of Americans who already have insurance, today you have stronger coverage and more choices than ever before.

Important preventive services are now available to women at no additional cost. These include an annual well woman visit, screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer; certain contraceptive methods; smoking-cessation treatment and services; breastfeeding support and equipment; screening and counseling for interpersonal and domestic violence; immunizations; and many more. Thanks to the health care law, more than 47 million women have guaranteed access to preventive services without cost-sharing.

These preventive services are critical to keeping women healthy. For example, breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women and the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the US, after lung cancer. But when breast cancer is caught early and treated, survival rates can be near 100 percent.

The Affordable Care Act also protects women’s access to quality health care. No one can be denied health insurance coverage because of a preexisting health condition, such as breast cancer, pregnancy, depression or being a victim of domestic violence. And there are no more annual and lifetime dollar limits on coverage.

Today, health plans in the Marketplace offer a comprehensive package of ten essential health benefits, including maternity care. An estimated 8.7 million American women currently purchasing individual insurance will gain coverage for maternity services, and most women will no longer need a referral from a primary care provider to obtain obstetrical or gynecological services.

Cost has also been a significant barrier to care for many women. According to one study, in 2010, one third of women spent 10 percent or more of their income on premiums and out of pocket costs. For low income women, that situation is much worse – over half of women who make $11,490 per year or less spend at least $1,149 a year on care. But through the Marketplace 6 out of 10 uninsured individuals can get coverage for $100 or less.

This year, as in every year, women will make important decisions for themselves and their families about health care. They can apply for coverage through the Marketplace: Online at Health care.gov; Over the phone by calling the 24/7 customer service center (1-800-318-2596, TTY 1-855-889-4325); Working with a trained person in their local community (Find Local Help); or by submitting a paper application my mail.

The six-month enrollment period has just begun. And unlike a sale on Black Friday, coverage will not run out; it will not get more expensive. Sign up by December 15, 2013 for coverage starting as early as January 1, 2014. Open enrollment continues until March 31, 2014.

To read more about the how the Affordable Care Act addresses the unique needs of women, visit: http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/blog/2013/08/womens-health-needs.html

New hotel to be paired with Angel of the Winds Casino

October 23, 2013

By Sharon Salyer, Everett Herald writer

ARLINGTON — The Angel of the Winds Casino, which drew more than 1 million visitors last year, has announced plans to add a $20 million, 125-room hotel.

Construction is scheduled to last 14 months. “I would like to see a grand opening maybe on New Year’s Eve of 2014,” said Travis O’Neil, the casino’s general manager, on Wednesday.

The casino, which opened in 2004, is one of the last along the I-5 corridor to add a hotel, he said.

The five-story hotel will make the casino a destination rather than just a day-trip site, he said. “It’s something the guests have been asking for for quite a while.”

The project also will add more than 100,000 square feet onto the casino and include a new gift shop, smoke shop and drive-up entryway.

Bellingham-based Exxel Pacific has been selected as the project’s general contractor.

Plans for the hotel have been under consideration for the past 18 months, O’Neil said. Casino staff went to members of the Stillaguamish Tribe to see “what we could do and what we could afford,” he said.

The hotel doesn’t aim to be a copy of the five-star, 370-room Tulalip Resort Casino, O’Neil said. Instead, he said, it will fit the character of the casino, known by its advertising tagline, “The World’s Friendliest Casino.”

Room prices will be in the $100- to $120-a-night range with plans to offer promotional packages with discounts on those rates, O’Neil said.

Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday. Workers erected a fence around the construction site on Monday.

That has greatly reduced the parking on the south side of the casino, but parking on its north side hasn’t been affected. Shuttles are available to help people navigate the area, O’Neil said.

The casino is expected to hire an additional 50 employees to work at the hotel.

“We are truly blessed to have an opportunity to add a hotel to our facility and provide more services to our guests,” Shawn Yanity, chairman of the Stillaguamish Tribe, said in a statement. “Not only are we growing our tribal economy, but growing the local economy too by increasing job opportunities and tourism.”

The last major expansion at the casino, at 3438 Stoluckquamish Lane, was in 2008, a $44 million project that tripled the size of its gaming area.

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.

Chief Wansum Tail Seeks Pocahottie: Yes, It’s Halloween Again

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

Sorry ladies, but we’re calling Halloween 2013 a win for the boys.

Because Halloween in Indian country is always a horrorshow of snide stereotypes peddled to mainstream America as harmelss costumes. Usually — like, almost always — the stereotype is the playful “Native American women are sluts.” Oh, so fun. But this year we’re struck by the men in the Dreamgirl “Restless Wranglers”collection of Halloween costumes: Chief Wansum Tail and Chief Big Wood.

Really? Chief Wansum Tail is OK? Because we wonder whether the same company would dare market an African-American themed costume (we don’t claim to know what it would look like) with the name “Big [anything sexual] Jones.” And lest we neglect the American Indian women unjustly characterized as “Pocahotties,” let’s also wonder whether Dreamgirl could put out an Asian-themed costume called “Little Miss [anything sexual] Geisha.”

Here’s the complete collection of Native-themed costumes from Dreamgirls — and yes, we’re aware that most of them were available last year, if not earlier. No points for longevity. Dreamgirl has a Facebook page.

Chief Big Wood

Chief Wansum Tail

Hot On the Trail

Pocahottie

Rain Dancing Diva

Reservation Royalty

Tribal Princess

Tribal Trouble

Eastside steelhead fishery off to fast start

By Wayne Kruse, The Herald

The upper Columbia and its major tributaries opened for steelhead last week and anglers found “lights out fishing in the Methow for the first few days,” according to Don Talbot at Hooked On Toys in Wenatchee (509-663-0740).

Instead of a simple float-and-jig rig, Talbot said, more and more steelheaders in his bailiwick are going to a “float-and-whatever,” adding a second lure to the setup hanging under the float.

“They’re tying a couple of feet of leader directly to the jig hook (the bend, not the eye), and then either a small Corky or a same-size bead on a number-4 hook to finish off the second lure,” Talbot said. “Use a Corky if you want the second lure to float, or the 6- to 8-mil bead if you want it to sink.”

Pinks are popular colors for the rig, as are red/black combinations.

“The setup is a little unwieldy to cast,” Talbot said, “but on the other hand, you always hope you’re going to hook a double.”

The bottom 12 miles of the Methow have been the most productive so far, he said. The lower Wenatchee is also a possibility, although there are fewer fish, apparently, in the Wenatchee run.

“Put in your time on the river, cover a lot of water, change colors,” Talbot said. “Persistence pays off.”

State Fish and Wildlife Department regional fish manager Jeff Korth in Ephrata said about 14,000 adult steelhead are expected to return to the upper Columbia system this year, enough to allow a fishery, but with a caution. Korth said fishing will be more tightly regulated this year than last because protected wild-stock fish are expected to make up a higher percentage of the run.

These fisheries traditionally remain open through the winter, but Korth said, “We may have to close early due to the higher number of encounters with wild steelhead expected this year.”

Anglers are required to keep the first two hatchery, fin-clipped, steelhead they catch, and that with the exception of the Columbia proper, where bait may be used, selective-gear rules apply.

San Juan salmon

Fishermen in the San Juan Islands are transitioning from coho to winter blackmouth, with pretty fair fishing available for both right now. Kevin John at Holiday Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361) said big, wild, “hooknose” coho are the target along the west side of San Juan Island, while blackmouth anglers are finding fish “inside” at Lopez Flats and around Cypress Island. Small baits and lures — yellow-label herring, Coho Killer spoons in shades of green — are popular choices, John said.

River coho

Work some different water for coho; try the main stem Stillaguamish, which has been putting out better than usual fishing the past couple weeks. Kevin John said the I-5 and Silvana areas are both good bets, although coho are where you find them. Try Dick Nite spoons in green, chartreuse or 50-50, he said.

The best bet for boat fishermen right now might be the Skagit River in the Sedro-Woolley area, backtrolling Brad’s Wigglers or drifting Vibrax spinners.

Snow geese

Waterfowl hunting has been slow around the state, with bluebird weather the general rule, but when winter storm fronts start marching through the area, there should be snow geese available locally. The prediction by state biologists is that it was at least a fair hatch and that it should be a decent, if not great, hunting season.

Because of changes in farming practices on the Skagit delta, and other factors, over-wintering snows have separated themselves into three fairly distinct groups: the Stanwood flock, the Fir Island flock and the Bow flock. Goose populations at all three locations are building each day.

Steelhead clinic

Mark your calendar for the annual Steelhead and River Fishing Workshop sponsored by the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club and Everett Parks & Recreation. It’s free and open to all interested anglers. The popular seminar is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 at Floral Hall in Forest Park in Everett.

The event covers methods and techniques for river fishing, tackle selection, hook tying, rigging and casting, reading water and more. There should be something here for both beginning and experienced anglers.

For more information, call Everett Parks at 425-257-8300, extension 2.

Cabela’s halloween

For more information, call 360-474-4880.