A sad day in Oregon

Friday, December 29, 2006

Update: Survivor recounts ordeal in fatal river accident
Searchers recovered the body of retired fishing guide Jim Erickson this morning along the bank of the North Fork of the Nehalem River.

Erickson, 72, of Wheeler, and Scott Gray, 44, of Watertown, N.Y., were fishing for steelhead on the North Fork on Thursday when their raft hit a snag and capsized.

Both men floated several hundred yards downriver. Neither was wearing a life jacket, according to the Clatsop County Sheriff's Office.

In an e-mail this morning to The Oregonian's Bill Monroe, Gray recounted the Thursday accident:

"Hi Bill, ... I was actually with Jim, I am Scott Gray.

"I was the last one to see Jim; we struggled and struggled diligently to get out from under water, as we were trapped by the raft. I feel terrible I was unable to help him, but it was such a struggle.

The last time I saw him, we were both out from under the raft but having endured a battle, Jim was not fighting, and I was still fighting being taken underwater several times.

I was trying to get to shore through the rapids, as well as shedding clothes underwater. I only knew Jim a short period, but it felt like I knew him forever. I am sorry for the family and the fishing communities loss.

"I am also a county legislator from New York State and Jim and I were having quite the political conversation. That 2 hours of my life will never leave me."

Searchers, including dive teams, hunted for Erickson for several hours on Thursday, aided by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flying from Astoria.

Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin said two construction workers spotted Erickson's body about 8 a.m. this morning on the river bank along Oregon 53, about 3 1/2 miles downriver from where the accident occured.

Erickson was one of the best known fishermen in Oregon. He had fished the North Fork for 40 years.

The Oregonian's Monroe, who has known Erickson for more than 20 years, said, "You can't think of the North Fork Nehalem without thinking of Jim Erickson. ... he was a riverkeeper long before Riverkeeper concepts were formed ... in fact, he could have been a model."

"The popular fishing ramp built for disabled anglers at the Nehalem Hatchery is there because Jim had a dream, " Monroe said. "The river is perhaps the best hatchery winter steelhead stream on the coast. The hatchery has thrived there in no small part because of Jim Erickson
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We all know better, that is to wear a life jacket. But then, how many of use have taken to the water without one? They do no good stowed away, you have to wear one. For that matter, in water such as the North Fork of the Nehelem, you could say the also should have worn hard hats too. A sad day in the fishing world. Jonezee

Bill Monroe is the Oregonian newspaper outdoor writer and has been for over 30 years.

this is a bad string of events in this state, really bad, bad...




no life jackets!?

The temptation to run a Fork of a river is great if the main river is high. The problem is the Fork is faster and shallower and you have less reaction time and a regular Drift Boat doesn't float high enough.
I am very sorry for Jim and his family. :cry:
Doug

I propose, we use this unfortunate incident to expect all prudent guides and fishermen in general to use common sense and done life vests when the situation warrent their use. I have said a prayer for the poor soul but that does not bring him back. Respectively, Jonezee

Saturday's paper said Jim and Scott were not alone. There was a second raft with them that also got hung up on the log, but broke away from it. The second raft picked up Scott from the bank.
Jim's raft flipped over and trapped them and they had to fight to get out.
The reason they ran into the snag was dense fog.
Doug