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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, September 11, 2008 Outdoor Outlook: Prize winners beat big odds Both major prizes in salmon derby series go to anglers from the Edmonds Coho Derby By Wayne Kruse Herald Outdoor Columnist In an almost unbelievable roll of the dice, both of the major prizes -- two boat-motor-trailer packages -- awarded Saturday by the Northwest Marine Trade Association at the end of the Edmonds Coho Derby were won by participants in that specific derby. This by being drawn from a barrel containing some 8,000 tickets sold at all 14 derbies this year in the NMTA's Salmon Derby Series, February through early September. What are the odds of that happening, asked Derby Series spokesman Tony Floor in Olympia, considering that the Anacortes derby sold 800 tickets, the Port Angeles derby 800 tickets and all the smaller events from 200 to 400 tickets. The 750 tickets sold for the Edmonds derby constituted roughly a 10-percent chance of being drawn once, and I won't even attempt to compute the odds against both major prizes being Edmonds tickets. Even more inconceivable is the fact that the same thing happened in 2007, when the two anglers drawn for boats proved to be entrants in the last event of that year's series, the Everett Coho Derby. Makes one wonder how well they stir up the barrel. The big winner this time around was Jim Hardy of Tacoma, who caught the first salmon of his life in the Edmonds event and was also drawn for the 23-foot Pacific, worth an estimated $71,000. The major youth-division prize, a 14-foot Stabi-Craft package, probably won't be helmed for a few years by its new owner, Ethan Webb of Rainier, because he's five years old. All things considered, the derby was a huge success. The Sno-King chapter of Puget Sound Anglers sold out its self-imposed limit of tickets, and weighed in some 200 fish. That's not a bad take, considering restrictions on wild coho, and that a lot of smaller fish probably weren't weighed at all. First place on the derby ladder, worth $5,000, went to Bill Ward for a coho of 14 pounds, 7.5 ounces. Second, and a check for $2,000, went to Scott Rippel at 12 pounds, 7 ounces while third, worth $1,000, went to Randy Antonio at 10 pounds, 13.5 ounces. In the youth division, Trinity Antonio was at the top of the ladder, at 8 pounds, 12.5 ounces; Justin Ridley was second, at 8 pounds, 3.5 ounces; and Corbin Benson third at 7 pounds, 3.5 ounces. The vast majority of coho weighed in went 4 to 7 pounds, according to derby statistics. All Star Charters owner Gary Krein of Everett (425-422-4800) said that, according to his contacts, most of the derby coho came from south of the Edmonds-Kingston line in Marine Area 10, although the first-place fish was rumored to have come from Area 8-2. NEXT UP: The two-day Everett Coho Derby is on tap Sept. 20-21, offering a top cash prize of $2,500. It's sponsored by the Everett Steelhead & Salmon Club and the Snohomish Sportsmen's Club. All adult tickets will be eligible for the grand prize raffle of a 17-foot Alumaweld boat, 25-horsepower Mercury motor and Rogue trailer -- a package valued at $15,000. There will be a separate list of youth prizes. The entry fee is $25 for adults, while kids fish free but must have a ticket. Purchase tickets at Joe's stores; Greg's Custom Rods; Holiday Sports; Hook, Line & Sinker; Jerry's Surplus; John's Sporting Goods; McDaniels Do It Center; Outdoor Emporium; Possession Bait; Sportco; Ted's Sport Center; Three Rivers Marine; Triangle Beverage; and Woody's Market. To spice up the event, sponsors have arranged to tag 10 coho, line-caught (not pen-raised) at scattered locations throughout the saltwater area. Each of these silvers, sporting pink spaghetti tags through the dorsal fin, will be worth varying amounts of money if taken legally during the event, from derby waters (which can include the Snohomish River system). Derby coordinator Mark Spada said the fish will be caught, tagged, and released early next week, giving them several days to acclimate to the tags. One tag will be worth $25,000; one $2,500; one $1,000; and seven worth $500 each. Each tag will carry the three letters "SCA," and a number known only to the contracted promotion company. Spada said anyone catching a tagged fish should bring it to the weigh station, where a derby organizer will contact the company for the award amount. Go to the derby Web site, www.everettcohosalmonderby.com, for full rules and information. STILLY CLOSED: Remember that the Stillaguamish is closed to salmon fishing until Nov. 1, a later date than usual. The reason is to limit incidental take of depressed chinook, according to state fish manager Aaron Bosworth in the agency's Mill Creek office. The season was set during the North of Falcon process earlier this year. Chinook are the limiting species, Bosworth said, not coho. LOCAL COHO: Silver fishing in local saltwater has picked up. State Fish and Wildlife personnel checked 118 anglers at the Port of Everett ramp on Sunday with 27 coho. Fish also continue to come down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with a check Sunday at Van Riper's Resort in Sekiu showing 35 anglers with 22 coho. Guide and Arlington resident Sam Ingram (360-435-9311) said fresh, mint-bright coho already are available in fishable numbers in the Skykomish. His parties have been consistently hitting nice fish to 10-plus pounds in the lower river over the past week or so. John Thomas of Rotten Chum Guide Service (lamiglas@hotmail.com) said he has been hitting fresh coho on the upper Snohomish since last weekend, clear up to the Highway 522 bridge. He tosses No. 1 brass/nickel Dick Nite spoons with a 6-inch drop sinker and 6 feet of leader. The next good rain should bring excellent fishing, he added. Ingram has been conducting a little informal research recently on the Sky, comparing the new UV Dick Nite spoons to the old standby 50-50 and frog patterns, and has come up a believer in the efficacy of the new ultraviolet finishes after testing them in a variety of situations. He feels confident the UV gear will outfish the standard three or four to one, on that river, under those conditions. "I think the new lures would be an excellent bet for the upcoming Everett Coho Derby," Ingram said. His favorite is a No. 1 (low, clear water) or No. 2 (low light and/or colored water) chartreuse and white UV Dick Nite, or the UV nickel back/green frog pattern in the same sizes. Since the lures are relatively new, the ones with the blue and silver "UV" sticker may be a little difficult to find, Ingram said. Dick Figgins, a Dick Nite spokesman, said the lures should be available in most tackle shops now. Ingram uses a light rod and reel, 10-pound line, six feet of 6-pound fluorocarbon leader, a couple of split shot and the spoon. Anchor and cast to rolling fish, he said, allowing the lure to drift around and down with the current, without reeling. "The biggest mistake most beginners make is to fish the spoon too fast for coho," Ingram said. "Keep your hands off the reel, because to be effective, the spoon must be allowed to flutter naturally." SAMISH KINGS: Peak of the season right now for nice-sized chinook on the lower Samish River. Bob Ferber at Holiday Sports said the fish start coloring quickly once they hit the river, but that 60 to 65 percent are still bright. Most will weigh 10 to 16 pounds, he said, with a few to the high 20s or better. State checks Sunday at the Swinomish Channel ramp showed 8 anglers with 3 chinook, probably Samish fish. With new regulations prohibiting "stationary" gear -- an attempt to prevent snagging -- in place on the Samish, more anglers are going to eggs, or yarn/egg combinations, Ferber said. The No. 4 Vibrax spinners in "watermelon" colors also have become more popular. "And those still using jigs have gone to lighter ones," he said, noting that citations for violations of the new rules are now being written. HANFORD REACH: The annual fall fishery for "upriver bright" chinook has begun on the Hanford Reach, but probably won't reach a peak for another two or three weeks. The Wahluke and Vernita sections of the reach have been the most productive so far, where checks have shown averages of about one fish for every 17 angler hours. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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