By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/Lincoln Chronicle
Name any Pacific Northwest fish and Bob Jacobson has probably hooked one.
Jacobson, 85, is a retired Oregon State University Marine Extension agent, and the past owner of the F/V Jeanoah which he used for fishing in Alaska for more than 30 years.
He has led a big life, filled with family, friends and fish.
Jacobson was born in the fishing/logging town of North Bend and his father was passionate about two things — fishing and Oregon State University basketball. He began to teach his two sons to fish when they were just 5 years old, and by the time Jacobson was in grade school he was walking out his front door to fish for striped bass or flounder in Coos Bay. Bill Jacobson also taught them to root for OSU as they listened to every game on the radio, an antenna hung in a tree outside for better reception.
He and his younger brother delighted in the outdoors. They hunted for every mammal or bird that was allowed – elk, deer, ducks, geese, pigeons. And they looked forward to annual family traditions like picking native evergreen blackberries on the Fourth of July.
In high school he and four friends each purchased used Model A Fords, none of them paying more than $35. They outfitted those old cars with oversized tires and somehow kept them running as they spent hours roaming the sand dunes between Coos Bay and Reedsport. As many friends as possible often came along as passengers and all have fond memories of their teenage freedom.
Jacobson went to OSU on a basketball scholarship. He feels certain that he received that scholarship because the coach at Klamath Falls High School recommended him to the OSU assistant coach, Paul Valenti. That coach, Don Megale, became a lifelong friend. The full ride scholarship came with a string attached – all the players had to work 20 hours per week doing chores at Gill Coliseum.
In the summer before his senior season Jacobson cut off part of three fingers on his right hand while working in a Coos Bay sawmill. Although his finger stubs weren’t quite healed, he played basketball the next season, and learned to fire a rifle using his little finger in time to shoot pigeons that fall. The only task that took quite a lot of practice was fastening the button of his left sleeve.
Jacobson now lives in Peterson Park in Waldport, but he also owns a home upriver about 10 miles on the Alsea River. He’s looking forward to this year’s salmon season.
Question: What is the salmon fishing season like on the Alsea?
Answer: Sometimes there are as many as 40 boats in the half-mile stretch of the river in front of my home – and not all of them are courteous to one another. I never want to be in the same spot as other fishermen. Fish move in spurts as they migrate up the river to spawn. They will stay for days or weeks in the bay to start with, then move just a short way up the river and settle there for a while. They repeat this process many times. If it starts to rain they will definitely start moving again. A big part of the fun of fishing is finding the current hot spot all on your own. The competitive spirit in me feels this is the absolute essence of fishing. Strangely, many fishermen share the spot they have found on social media these days – a completely foreign idea to me.
Q: What did you do as a Marine Extension agent?
A: When I took the job back in the early 1960s it was a brand-new position. One of my college professors had applied for a federal grant to get funding. Like all Oregon State Extension positions it was primarily about education. The fishing community wasn’t organized in any way at that time – each fisherman was operating on his/her own. I offered classes about a wide variety of subjects – things like fishing regulations, marine welding, and how to keep financial records. Until the industry became more organized, I often acted as the voice of the fishing community to the regulators.
At first I was the only Marine Extension agent, covering the whole coast. Over time four others were hired and we covered different sections of the coast. I was lucky that OSU allowed me to take five months of leave without pay each summer so I could fish commercially in Oregon and Alaska.
Q: What was it like to fish in Alaska?
A: We tendered salmon all summer and we fished for everything — halibut, Dungeness crab, king crab, snow crab, black cod. It was all exciting and action-packed. My favorite was halibut. The seasons are very short – 24 or 48 hours, and all the fishermen flex their muscles to come in with the biggest catch – it’s very competitive. During my best 24-hour season my crew and I set 15,000 hooks and caught approximately 120,000 pounds of fish. The average halibut weighed 55 pounds in those days, so that’s 2,182 fish. We won that day.
Since I was fishing only in the summer months I only had to deal with very bad weather and seas a couple of times. The most painful memory of those years is that two of my men went overboard and drowned on the F/V Jeanoah. I still think of them almost every day.
Q: How many boats have you owned in your life?
A: My first boat was a 40-inch toy boat that a gentleman in our neighborhood made for me when I was four years old. I loved it. My first real boat was a 22-foot dory I purchased when I was 29. I traded that before long for a 32-foot boat with a cabin, and then again for a 40-footer. After that I decided to have a 45-footer built. Sadly, that one sunk, luckily with no casualties. Finally, I invested in the Jeanoah with my brother and two other partners. At one time I owned part of three Alaska fishing vessels.
Q: What is an unusual community service you are involved in?
A: First, I share my river house with all my friends and relatives. I only stay there myself a few times a year. Mostly I want other people to enjoy it. Second, I try to invite young people to fish and crab with me every year. It’s hard to get started as a fisherman if you don’t have someone to teach you. Third, I’ve been able to help about a dozen young couples purchase a home by providing financing. The housing market has made it so hard for young people to get started with home ownership. This has been a rewarding endeavor – all but one couple have made every payment on time.
Tell us a secret
Everyone who comes to my home in Peterson Park wants to know how I manage to grow strawberries from May through September, sometimes into October. Lots of strawberries — in the third week of August we picked 1.5 gallons. They are SeaScape strawberries which I protect from the deer with an electric fence. I think they grow so well because the plot is on the south side of my home, right next to the house and is warmed by the concrete foundation.
- Kathleen O’Connor is a Waldport freelance writer who can be reached via email at kmoc8916@gmail.com
Jake has always been a central Oregon coast icon. I remember playing volleyball with him at the OSU Marine Science Center where I was a grad student in the 1960’s. You did not want to be around him when he spiked the ball!