One of the definitive highlights of the Salmon Tales Festival held last weekend at venues in Westport and Grayland was the gathering in McCausland Hall Saturday evening, Sept. 28, to learn about and to honor the second set of three inductees into the Westport Sportfishing Hall of Fame.
At the inaugural Salmon Tales event last year, Neddie Rose Farrington, Bob Williams and Del Fender were the first pioneers in Westport charter fishing inducted into the new Hall of Fame.
This year’s inductees include Ken Ensley, Frank Schnider and Jack Westrick. Both Schnider and Westrick were able to attend, along with many family members. Only the inclement weather prevented 99-year-old Ken Estey from making it to the event in his honor.
McCausland Hall was packed with fellow charterboat skippers, charter office owners and other well-wishers, who enjoyed a variety of smoked salmon and cheeses, along with other goodies, as well as time spent sharing reminiscences of times spent either working on charterboats or managing the businesses that send the boats out to catch Westport’s favorite fish.
Following a social hour, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Director, Phil Anderson, a longtime rural Westport resident and former local charterboat deckhand and charterboat owner/skipper, served as emcee for the induction of the Hall of Fame’s newest members.
In his opening remarks, Anderson said, “We have three individuals that we want to honor this evening. Each of them was a pioneer in the charter industry that opened the way to those like myself and others in the room here tonight. Each of our honorees was innovative, creative and took calculated risks that together paved the way for a multi-million dollar industry to be built right here in Westport. The many that followed have reaped the benefits of their efforts, their risk taking and their foresight.”
The following is information shared by Anderson about each as they were introduced:
Ken Ensley
• In 1954, with his wife Kaye, Ken Ensley brought the Mardo to Westport and began his 16-year career in the charter business.
• In 1955 he bought Ken’s Kourt Motel next to where Lewis Charters used to be located.
• From 1964 through 1967, Ensley owned and operated the Maverick out of Lewis Charters.
• In 1965, he sold Ken’s Kourt Motel and he and Kaye partnered with Frank and Mary Wilcox to buy Lewis Charters from Harry Lewis.
• In 1968, he started running the brand new Jim Dandi for George Turner and hired me, Phil Anderson, as his deckhand.
• Ensley left the charter industry following the 1970 season with the exception of a short stint running the Maverick in September of 1971.
Ensley was a true pioneer and entrepreneur. He ran a charterboat in an era that preceded most radars, Lorans and fancy fishfinders, yet he was an accomplished navigator, in part due to his experience as a pilot. It was not uncommon for us to have five or six boats follow us in on foggy days.
He was pragmatic about whatever circumstances in which he found himself. If the fishing was slow and I was perturbed about the day, he would quietly ask me to look around and ask myself if I was the only one on the boat that was upset and not enjoying myself. Most of the time, after I looked around, I saw that I was indeed the only one.
Ken Ensley prided himself on giving great service and said if we did that, everything else would take care of itself—a lesson that I tried to practice every day of my career.
Frank Schnider
• Frank Schnider began his career in the charterboat business in 1956. That year he ran the Lucky Strike, a six-man boat, for Claude Durham out of Salmon Charters.
• In 1957 he purchased the Dorothy Rose, a 42’ steel boat that ran out of Lewis Charters. He reportedly paid $7,500 for the boat. He and Charlie Fisher decided to put a crab tank in the boat, caught 28,000 pound of crab at 5 cents a pound and the rest is history, as the saying goes.
I understand that a customer by the name of Tom Peterson caught the derby winner in 1959 with a 56-½ pounder.
• In 1960, Frank had the Maverick built by Grandy Shipbuilders in Seattle. The Maverick was a classic fly bridge wood boat that epitomized the charter boats of the future—boats that were designed and built especially for the charterboat business right here in Westport.
• In 1965, Frank and his wife Dorothy (Dot) set out on their own by renting a small building between Rocky’s Charters and Freddie Steele’s and started Coho Charters. That led to the building of a state-of-the-art two-story motel and RV park, along with continuing Coho Charters at the new location on N. Nyhus Avenue that is now the Westport Inn.
Frank contributed to the City of Westport by serving on the city council and contributed to the growth of Westport in a number of other ways, as well. Frank and Dorothy were a true team, as I am sure they are today. You know what they say, behind every successful man is a woman who makes it all possible.
Frank Schnider was a true pioneer in this industry and he paved the way for others to prosper. Frank and Dorothy sold Coho charters in 1976 and Frank retired as a skipper two years later in 1978.
Jack Westrick
• After serving in the Korean War where he was wounded, and earning a teaching degree from Western Washington University, Jack Westrick followed-up on an advertisement in a Seattle newspaper around 1958 for a business opportunity in Westport. That opportunity was the purchase of G&M Charters. Jack came to investigate, liked what he saw and bought the business.
• In 1960, the Westrick family moved to Westport full time. G&M Charters offered charter trips, U-Drive boats, fishing tackle, bait and a few rickety docks.
• Westrick also taught school at Ocosta from 1962-74, as well as serving as a basketball coach who reportedly used unorthodox, albeit effective, coaching strategies.
• Jack ran a 42’ boat called the Melody through 1965.
• He then he caught the ‘bug’ — the speed bug that is. He needed a new boat, and wanted one that was fast, so he bought an aluminum twin engine boat that was really fast. The speed was great fun, and he regularly beat everyone to the fishing grounds and home.
The problem was that this aluminum boat had a tendency to leak, as cracks developed from time to time. So, Jack also got a fair amount of experience with shipyards.
• Jack hired Bud Eaton to run the Hula Girl in 1976 before turning it over to his son Steve in 1977.
• From that point, Westrick made a number of stops, as well as taking on new challenges and adventures.
• In 1978, he and his wife Donna ran the Sea Star out of Larsen Charters.
• That winter, he built a 53’ Little Hoquiam boat, the Nauti-Gull, which he ran out of Rainbow Charters.
• In the winter of 1981, he built a 56’ Blanchard Hull and named it the Ultimate.
• He also ran the Neddie Rose, the Scooter, the Leigh High, and the C-Maiden, along with a four-year stint on Decatur Island, where among other things, he ran the little passenger ferry between there and Anacortes. The boat was the Leprechaun, a Westport charterboat that came back to Westport when Jack and Donna did, and is now named the Ultimate, owned and operated by their son Phil Westrick.
Jack Westrick served as President of the Westport Charter Association in one of the most difficult time periods during the mid-eighties. Salmon were scarce, seasons were short, and the pressure was enormous. Through all of that, he stayed true to his values and fought with everything he had to protect the industry that he loves.
Jack Westrick was a true pioneer of the charter industry in Westport. His passion, commitment, and willingness to take risks propelled him to a long career.
He also paved the way for others and today, his sons Steve and Phil, along with his grandson Jason, continue the Westrick tradition of excellence in the charterboat industry out of Westport.