Join us for our March 2026 monthly club meeting with John R. McMillan!

John is President of The Conservation Angler and a fisheries scientist with nearly three decades of experience studying salmon and steelhead. Raised along the Washougal River in a fly-fishing family led by his father, Bill, his fascination with wild fish began in Pacific Northwest rivers and eventually carried him underwater—snorkeling among salmonids—into a career devoted to understanding their biology and resilience.

He has conducted research for the U.S. Forest Service, the Hoh Indian Tribe, Wild Salmon Center, and NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center, where he played a key scientific role in the Elwha River dam removal project, documenting fish populations before and after the dams were removed. He later served as Science Director for Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative.

His work focuses on the ecology and life-history diversity of steelhead and rainbow trout and how that diversity underpins population resilience. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers, books, and essays on fish and rivers.

Since becoming President of The Conservation Angler in December 2024, John has worked to translate science into action—developing research initiatives, educating anglers, and advancing conservation solutions for wild steelhead and salmon. He lives on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula with his wife, Laurel, and continues to study fish in the rivers that inspire him.

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 Same meeting venue: The Hall at Occidental

The Hall at Occidental, 589 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle.

Here’s the lowdown on the location:

• It’s directly across the street (west side) from the northwest corner of Lumen Field (where the Seahawks play).
• It’s kitty-corner from that big parking lot to the north.
• The area is well-lit, secure, and has been seriously upgraded with fancy condos and offices—if you’ve been to a game lately, you know the drill. It’s not technically downtown or Pioneer Square. It’s its own cool spot.
• You can get here from basically anywhere (I-90, I-5, 99, Light Rail, bus, surface streets—the whole kit and caboodle).
• Parking: Lumen Field lots close early (6 pm!), so don’t count on them. Good news is there’s convenient parking right next door. Just be sure to give yourself some extra time to get settled!

The venue is run by the same folks who run a bunch of beer halls (which, let’s face it, is a perfect spot for a fly fishing club!). We’ll be upstairs in a private mezzanine that seats 40 people.

GET YOUR NAME ON THE LIST EARLY TO GRAB A SEAT!

Dinner:

Just like before – buy your own pub grub – the meeting itself is FREE! You can’t beat that anywhere in Seattle!!

(Heads up: they tack on a mandatory 20% gratuity and 10.35% tax, so factor that in.)

 We Need You There!

This new venue is a test for us, and it’s a test for The Hall! We need a solid turnout to show them we’re a good partner—translation: we need to show them we spend enough on grub and drinks to make it worth their while.

So please, sign up as early as you can and show up! We need to pack the room to make these dinner meetings a regular thing!