February General Meeting:
The February General Meeting is on February 18th at Sheridan Center 680 Lebo Blvd, Bremerton. Doors open at 6:30pm, meeting begins at 7:00pm. We will have pizza and a Q&A with Mathew Messing of Messin’ Around Fishing Charters. Mathew fishes out of Brownsville Marina and offers much knowledge to share, so bring your questions and consider booking a trip at https://messinaroundfishingcharters.com/. Please bring your own beverage and some to share if you have spare.
STEAM nights at local elementary schools:
We were happy to participate at Olalla Elementary’s recent STEAM night where students had a chance to tie and take home some flies. Sidney Glen Elementary has also asked if we’d like to participate in their STEAM night on 3/18/2025, however we are looking for at least 3 Poggies to attend before we commit. It’s an open-ended opportunity to talk with students about local fisheries, show off fishing gear and promote events like our Kid’s Fishing Party. If you’re interested in attending the Sidney Glen STEAM night, please speak up at the general meeting or e-mail kitsappoggieclub@gmail.com
Salmon in the Classroom:
It’s nearly time for the students to release the salmon at Otto Jarstad Park! We need Poggie volunteers at Otto Jarstad Park to help with the salmon release with schools scheduled on the following days:
- 3/31: South Colby Elementary
- 4/1: Manchester Elementary
- 4/3: Burley Glenwood Elementary
- 4/4: Sunnyslope Elementary
The Poggie Club is planning five activities for the students during the salmon release days including:
- Fish Autopsy
- Fish feeding and fin clipping
- Stream scent game
- Manchester / Port Orchard library presentation and fish release
- Salmon Limbo
2025 Board Elections:
We have several board positions opening up in the 2025 election cycle and our election will be held at the March general meeting. Nominations are currently open and will continue to occur up to the election in March. The open positions are as follows:
- 1 President (2 year term)
- 2 Vice President (2 year term)
- 1 Secretary
- 1 Treasurer
- Board Position #1 (1 year term)
- Board Position #2 (1 year term)
At the board meeting we discussed term limits, especially regarding the Treasurer and Secretary positions, for which the current board members in those positions have served for quite a long time. Discussions around term limits for those positions are expected to continue. While the existing Treasurer and Secretary board members have accepted renewed nominations for the positions, the two positions are also open for new nominations during this 2025 election cycle.
Board Met:
February 12th 7PM at Art Bruner Residence. Next board meeting is March 12th.
Winter Blackmouth Derby:
You may have seen the WDFW news release stating that opening day for winter chinook fisheries in Marina Areas 10 and 11 has been changed to April 2nd, Wednesdays through Saturdays only. Consequently, we have changed our winter blackmouth derby date to Saturday April 5th. This is a members only derby with a weigh-in station at Brownsville Marina. Contact Randy Fox for ticket information.
Kid’s Fishing Party:
The2025 Kid’s Fishing Party is scheduled for April 26th at Otto Jarstad Park. We will need lots of help with that starting with transferring coho out of the raceways at Gorst Hatchery on March 17th. If you are available to help with that, please sign up at a general meeting or e-mail kitsappoggieclub@gmail.com. Other volunteer opportunities include:
- Work party to prepare fishing poles, likely 3/15 or 3/29
- 4/24: Fish arrival day at Otto Jarstad Park
- 4/26: Kid’s Fishing Party
- 4/27: Clean at Otto Jarstad Park
- Work party to clean gear, trailer, etc.
Dues:
2024 annual dues ended on December 31st, 2024. 2025 dues are being accepted now and you can pay on the web at https://kitsappoggieclub.com/about/membership-application/, you can pay by mail, you can pay at a meeting.
Please choose one and get caught up on your dues. Dues serve the community through camp scholarships, salmon in the classroom, Kid’s fishing party, etc., Per a recent internal audit the number of dues paying members has dropped below 100 members, which is not a sustainable number given our annual budget for programs like salmon in the classroom, Kid’s fishing party, conservation camp scholarships, etc.
Don’t forget to invite your friends and family to our events and recruit them to join!
Club needs:
- Salmon in the Classroom volunteers (contact Louie Morton, see above)
- Coho Transfer volunteers on 3/17 (see above)
- Winter Blackmouth Derby helpers (contact Randy Fox)
- Kid’s Fishing Party volunteers (see above)
- Summer Auction and Salmon Derby prizes and donations. We are always open for sponsors and donations. If you or someone you know can offer experience or destination based donations like a one night stay at a hotel casino, or a guided trip, etc., then please consider donating to the Kitsap Poggie Club as this can be a great fundraiser during the summer picnic.
Upcoming events:
- 2/18/2025: Kitsap Poggie February General Meeting
- 3/17/2025: Coho transfer at Gorst Hatchery
- 3/31/2025 – 4/4/2025: Release dates for Salmon in the Classroom at Otto Jarstad Park
- 4/5/2025: Kitsap Poggie Winter Blackmouth Derby
- 4/26/2025: Kid’s Fishing Party
- 8/24/2025: Tentative date for Poggie Summer Picnic
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