Seattle fishing patriarch Yee still getting out on the water at age 90

Fishing author William G. Tapply once wrote: "I've gone fishing thousands of times in my life, and I have never once felt unlucky or poorly paid for those hours on the water."

For more than 60 years, Joe Yee of Seattle has been living that dream by casting a cut-plug herring or a fly into just about every fishing hole one could imagine.

Yee is considered a patriarch by many in the local sportfishing community, and to celebrate his 90th birthday about 100 friends will gather Nov. 21 at the Sun Ya Restaurant in the International District, to pay tribute and exchange stories.

"I was about 21 years old when I met Joe for the first time, and back then I wasn't into fishing and probably into other stuff I shouldn't have been," said longtime friend John Laws, now 54, of Edmonds.

"It was summer steelhead fishing time, and me and a friend asked if we could tag along. So Joe took us to the mouth of the Tolt River where we showed up with six-foot trout poles," said Laws. "We stood in the water for a couple of hours and got nothing. Then we decided to go and lay down in the car."

"Then I heard someone yelling, "John, John." And I ran back and there was Joe tugging on an 18 pound steelhead. I was kind of hooked at this point, and then he sat down next to me and told me his golden rule."

That Yee rule was: "Just watch what is going on among the line of bank fishermen, and find out who's catching the fish. Then walk over to see what they're doing and using. Then when they leave you jump right in their spot, and do the same thing."

Laws then closely observed what Yee did that day.

About 15 minutes later Laws' puny trout rod was screaming out line, which then got tangled and the steelhead did a tail dance about 10 times before he saw it swim away.

Yee lived in Portland, Oregon during the late 1940s, and then moved to Seattle and met his wife Juanita in the summer of 1956. They eventually got married, and Joe spent time in the military and then worked for the U.S. Postal Service until he retired in 1986.

It was around the 1950s when Yee began fishing for spiny rays and steelhead in local lakes and rivers.

"I really like steelhead fishing, but then started to go salmon and trout fishing the most," Yee said. "I even tied my own fly called an Olive Lady, which was actually a woolly bugger, but since it was so beautiful, I came up with the name Olive Lady. I really enjoyed tying flies."

Some of Yee's most favorite rivers were the Sauk, North and South Forks of the Stillaguamish, Toutle, Cowlitz and Kalama.

Yee really took to saltwater salmon fishing and enjoyed a technique called mooching, where an angler simply uses a banana weight sinker attached to a leader and cut-plug or whole herring, and drops it to the bottom and then retrieves it back to the surface.

"Joe took me fishing every week and taught me how to tie hooks and showed me the art of salmon mooching, which in turn I showed all my friends and my son," Laws said. "It helped my son stay out of trouble and then he showed his friends how it's done. No matter how many downrigger folks you see out there now, mooching is still not a dying art."

Just a couple weeks ago, Keith Robbins, owner of A Spot Tail Salmon Guide was fishing with Pat Pattillo with state Fish and Wildlife and Tony Floor, the director of fishing affairs for the Northwest Marine Trade Association, when they ran into Yee who had just caught an 8 pound hatchery chinook on Possession Bar.

"Joe is a very well known moocher from Seattle, and it was great to see him out on the water and still fishing," Floor said. "He used to always come to my fishing talks at fishing and boat shows."

Yee is also a senior member of the second oldest fishing club in the Seattle area called the Poggie Club, which was founded in 1932.

His other passion was getting kids involved in fishing. He became a fixture at the C.A.S.T. For Kids Foundation events held every spring at Green Lake in North Seattle, and was also a longtime volunteer for the kids' trout fishing ponds at the Seattle Sportfishing Shows.

"I did volunteer work at the kids' events for quite a few years," Yee said. "I enjoy teaching kids how to fish because when they get a nice fish, I say gee you're a good fisherman. Then they get a big smile on their face and it makes me really happy."

Those big kid smiles date back many years, and he has touched the hearts and souls of so many others growing up in the area.

Take Tom Dunstan, age 66, of Seattle, whose father abandoned him when he was only five years old.

"I was about 15 years old, and it was 1959 when I went fishing for bass in Lake Washington and ran into Joe. It wasn't too long after that when we headed to his "secret lake" to fish for bass," Dunstan said. "I remember we slaughtered the fish that day and had a wonderful time, and then at one point Joe hooked my scalp and ear with a treble hook and had to run me to the hospital."

From then on, Dunstan had a wonderful friendship with Joe that went on for more than 49 years.

"I moved to Hawaii [in 2001] for about nine years when I retired," said Dunstan, who still kept in touch with Yee.

"On one Father's Day, I got a call from Tom, and he said: "Joe, Happy Father's Day. And I said what do you mean?"

Then Dunstan replied "Joe nobody took me out fishing when I was a kid, and you have been taking me all these years, so you're just like my dad, which really touched me," Yee recalled.

"Joe has been a very precious surrogate father all of my life, and I'm fortunate to have him come along," Dunstan said. "I have a great fondness with him. He's a pretty incredible guy and that still carries on today."

Those sentiments, no doubt, can be shared by many others whom Yee has touched over the years.

Notes

• The Eastside Puget Sound Anglers meeting is 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at the North Bellevue Community Center, 4063 148th Ave. N.E. Guest speaker John Abbott of "Captain Downriggin" will discuss blackmouth fishing and tackle to catch them. Details: 425-408-1930.

• The Washington Fly Fishing Club is hosting a beginning fly tying class starting Jan. 7 at the Mercer Island Covenant Church, 3200 78th S.E. Cost is $45. Details: 206-542-4623.

• The Roche Harbor Hook 'em & Hold'em Salmon Derby & Texas Hold'em Tournament Dec. 3-5 has 45 spots left. Cost is $100 per angler. Details: 800-451-8910 or 360-378-5562 or www.rocheharbor.com.

• The new nonprofit Cascade Musky Association is looking for members. Cost is $25 or $35 for a couple/family membership. Details: www.cascademuskyassociation.com or www.wafish.com.

• The Washington Fly Fishing Club meeting is 5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Seattle Tennis Club. Please RSVP to attend meetings. Details: www.WFFC.com.

• The Western Bass Club meets every third Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Kennydale Hall in Renton. Details: www.westernbassclub.comor www.nickbarrfishing.com.

• The Washington Trails Association offers statewide trip reports and trail conditions. Details: www.wta.org.

• The Northwest Fly Anglers offer various public classes through the year. The public also is invited to club meetings on the third Thursday of each month, at the Haller Lake Community Center, 12579 Densmore Ave N., in North Seattle. Details: 206-684-7524.

• The Emerald Sea Dive Club offers year-round activities, including the big buddy program and weekly and monthly dives. The club meets on the first Wednesday of every month, 7-9 p.m. at Alfy's Pizza, 4820 196th SW in Lynnwood. Details: 425-775-2410 or www.emeraldseadiveclub.org.

• The Seattle Audubon Society offers field trips and classes every month. Details: 206-523-4483 or www.seattleaudubon.org.

• Northend Bassmasters is accepting new members who want to learn more about bass fishing. The group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Crystal Creek Cafe, 22620 Bothell-Everett Highway (Canyon Park) in Bothell. Details: 206-789-4259 or e-mail Gary Millard at glmillard@comcast.net.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com