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OUTDOOR JOURNAL Chetco motor ban proposal has Brookings abuzz Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jun. 10, 2016 at 9:28 AM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jun. 10, 2016 at 9:28 AM --> How to comment Those who want to weigh in on the proposal to ban motors along a 10-mile stretch of the Chetco River have two options. Attend the meeting: A public hearing is sche... » Read more X How to comment Those who want to weigh in on the proposal to ban motors along a 10-mile stretch of the Chetco River have two options. Attend the meeting: A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, June 13, at the Best Western Beachfront Inn, 16008 Boat Basin Road, Brookings. Written comments will be collected there until the close of the meeting. Send an email: Send comments to [email protected] or through Monday evening.     » Social News BROOKINGS — The running feud between bank anglers and driftboaters is raising hackles again, this time along the lower Chetco River about whether outboard motors are ruining the fishing experience or simply are a effective tool in the winter steelhead fishing trade. A group of bank anglers have petitioned the Oregon State Marine Board to ban motors on the roughly 10 miles of the Chetco outside of tidewater where motors are legal. At issue is whether driftboaters, including most fishing guides, should side-drift bait in a steelhead run, then motor up past bank anglers and drift through again, and again, because, well, that's where the fish are. "It's when they motor back in front of you when the tension gets high," says Paul LeFebvre says. "It's not the exception, it's the rule. And something needs to be done. It's chaos." To guide Andy Martin, it's an overblown and misguided attempt to get the Marine Board to choose one user group over another while causing more new problems than it solves. A motor ban in the waters from the Ice Box launch down to river mile 3.2 would push more guides and other driftboats above the Forest Service boundary where motors are banned and the catch is almost all wild steelhead, Martin says. Most conflicts are in a roughly 2½-mile stretch of the 55 miles of Chetco open to angling, Martin says. In that stretch, driftboats without motors would be at a disadvantage because they'd get one pass through a steelhead run during high water unless they rowed up past the bank anglers or got out and dragged their boats upstream, Martin says. Or worse, anchor. "There will always be people trying to catch fish with whatever advantage they can find," Martin says. The Marine Board will come to Brookings Monday, June 13, to try and hash out what to do about the proposal in a public hearing. The board is set to decide June 28 whether to deny the petition or start the rulemaking process. While motor bans are not unheard of, and streams like the nearby Elk River have bans on gas motors in most stretches, the Marine Board generally isn't in the business of policing angling etiquette. "It feels like a fishing problem, not a boating problem," says Randy Henry, who oversees the Marine Board's law-enforcement program. "We do have an open mind on this." These intra-angling clashes can turn into something of a soap opera, and this one is going prime time in Brookings. Social media has provided a bull horn, with river users on both sides taking turns trashing each others' motives. Users disagree on how big or small the problem really is — and even how long one should see 97415 on their address before taking it upon themselves to shape Chetco rules. While those are typically boilerplate arguments over angling regulation changes, this one sports a new caveat. Chairing the meeting for the Marine Board is Val Early, a Brookings-based Chetco guide. She says she will recuse herself from voting, but will still run the 7 p.m. Monday meeting at the Best Western Beachfront Inn. "It's a major conflict of interest," Early says. While both sides agree there is a conflict, they differ widely on the scope and the solution. Both sides believe they have the public behind them. Both sides agree that Marine Board-funded patrol of the Chetco during winter steelhead season is a must. Martin believes the dust-up really is between a handful of abrasive, confrontational bankies and a similar handful of boat anglers who should be dealt with under existing laws. Guides who act unprofessionally should be hauled up before the Marine Board's Guides Advisory Board, he says. LeFebvre sees it as an ever-escalating problem that can't go unchecked and can't be solved with another round of guys-please-play-nice posters at boat ramps like the Marine Board proposed when the issue last boiled over eight years ago. LeFebvre says the petitioners considered several options, such as following the Elk River model and petitioning for only electric motors. "This is the horse we're riding," he says. "Maybe you lose a couple friends over this," LeFebvre says. "In the end, we tried to do the right thing." Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jun. 10, 2016 at 9:28 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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