Calendar

Category All Art Classes Classical Music Concerts DANCE Etc Exhibits Families Farmers Markets Film Happenings Holiday Holiday Lectures Music (non-classical) Theater

Submit events

Salmon Derby contestants not deterred by rain

By Rick Walter

Tacoma Weekly
rwalter@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: August 14, 2008

The weather was not exactly ideal – with heavy rain the order of the day, especially early in the morning and later during the awards ceremony – but about 400 people entered the Gig Harbor Puget Sound Anglers’ 13th annual Salmon Derby sponsored by Titus-Will.com Ford Toyota Scion on Aug. 9, and there was no way they were going to be denied.

From the most experienced anglers to the young titans of the sport like 10-year-old Chase Quiocho, there would be no concession to the poor weather conditions. In fact, there was a good break and even a little brightness in the skies for a few hours late in the morning and early in the afternoon as contestants brought in their catches to the weigh-in stations at five locations in the South Sound.

At about 4 a.m. on Aug. 9, Doug Dixon, former president of the Gig Harbor Puget Sound Anglers and one of the directors of this event from its inception, was at the Point Defiance boat launch preparing to accommodate the early birds to the derby.

Some 80 boats – sized anywhere from between 14 and 28 feet – lined up to launch with sports fishermen aboard in hopes of hoisting in the largest fish of the day. Other launch sites included Narrows Marina, Des Moines, Redondo, Gig Harbor and the Tacoma Outboard Association docks.

“We’re a little wet,” said Rich Silva, president of the Gig Harbor Anglers.

The catches were, in fact, very impressive.

Charlie Detrick was the winner of the first-place prize of $2,500 with a 23.55 lb. salmon, which was posted early in the morning and held up throughout the contest. Second-place was taken by Travis Swindland, who caught a 22.8 lb. salmon and took home a prize of $1,500. Jeannie Smith brought in a 22.54-pounder for third place and a prize of $1,000. Britney Onen was fourth with a 21.54-pounder and Tristan Volk won the prize for the “mystery fish” with his 9.39 lb. catch.

The team prize went to Brian and Gary Lunkenbill, whose fish combined for 24.62 pounds, and Faith Cebola won in the female youth category with a 13.21-pounder.

In all, 120 fish were weighed, totaling 1,329 pounds.

The Gig Harbor event was to be the 11th stop in the 14-derby Northwest Salmon Derby Series sponsored by the Northwest Marine Trade Association.        

This derby is one of the richest. The second-place prize will be $1,500. The third-place prize will be $1,000. The fourth-place prize will be $500.

Sponsors for the prizes include: Boatworks, Columbia Bank, Narrows Marina Bait and Tackle, Quantum, Fred Meyer, West Marine, Canadian Princess Resort, Pierce County Community Newspaper Group: Tacoma Weekly, Fife Free Press, and Milton-Edgewood Signal.

Story Tools

This Week's
Front Page