About San Francisco Tyee Club

The Tyee Story 

On August 20th, 1968, the San Francisco Tyee Club observed its 13th birthday. Originally conceived when the vast bulk of Shasta Dam loomed as an insurmountable barrier to the passage of Salmon bound for the spawning beds, the club, through the intervening years, has devoted its funds and the time and talents of its members to the preservation of the salmon runs.

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Beginnings

As originally constituted, the club consisted of 250 members, each of whom was granted a life membership. Subsequently, a prerequisite for membership was to land a salmon weighing at least 30 pounds on registered tackle. This feat, difficult as it was, did not pose the challenge faced by Taiʻi anglers today. Tackle, especially line with a dry breaking strain of 27 pounds, was stronger, fish were more numerous, and no bag limit was imposed before July 15th, 1938.

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The club was originally started for men only. However, in 1990, this was changed to include men and women over the age of 21.

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Early Conservation Activities

In retrospect, the conservation feats of the club during its first decade are truly amazing. Despite a small membership, virtually every man was enthusiastic, interested, and eager for active participation. In a relatively short time, the San Francisco Tyee Club had gained the unique reputation of being the guardian of the Salmon and was respected for its knowledge and integrity by commercial fisheries, government bodies, and other sportsmen's groups.

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The club, operating through its conservation committee, maintained a consistent vigilance at the state legislature, scrutinizing all measures pertaining to fish, stream flows, and population. It actively supported the 1942 Central Valley Salvage Plan to protect Salmon spawning beds, and led the fight to prevent erection of both Iron Canyon and Table Mountain dams, which, if built as originally designed, would have dealt a grievous blow to the salmon runs.

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The second decade marked continued Club growth and vigor. A salmon tagging program under the auspices of the California Department of Fish and Game, very valuable from a scientific standpoint, brought the club national recognition. Tyee members assisted State biologists in tagging salmon caught at sea. The Club then posted rewards totaling $1,000 for tag returns from recaptured fish, thus increasing the fund of knowledge on migratory habit and instincts. The project was marred by a tragic accident on Sunday, February 18, 1951. One of our boats, with a crew of six, including a state biologist, capsized in an angry sea. Only one man was rescued.

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