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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 25, 2008 Rivers produce for Everett Coho Derby By Wayne Kruse Special to The Herald The rivers came through big time for anglers participating in the Everett Coho Derby over the weekend, putting out three of the top six fish in the adult division and two of the three winning kids'division fish. Of the 80 coho over 10 pounds weighed by derby officials, 24 came from the Snohomish, 11 from the Skykomish, and six from the Skagit, according to Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club member Jim Brauch. Additionally, 23 of the top 40 coho (12 pounds and over) were caught in the Snohomish/Skykomish system. And it's gotta be heartwarming to all of us who don't own a Grady-White, or even an electric downrigger, that the $2,500 first-prize-winning coho was caught by a boatless fisherman casting a $2 Dick Nite spoon from the bank of the Snohomish. It was a good thing that there were numbers of fresh coho in the rivers, because fishing Saturday and Sunday on the saltchuck was poor. Bad weather and slow fishing are a tough combination, and it resulted in only 220 adult and 26 kids' division fish being weighed for the 1,841 adult and 246 youth tickets issued for the event. Because fishing hadn't been all that hot going in, participation was down slightly from the past couple of years. Snohomish Sportsmen's Club derby coordinator Mark Spada said in spite of that, some really nice fish were taken. "The winner was actually the second-largest coho we've had entered in the 15 years the derby has run," Spada said. Top money went to Jonathan Kelley of Marysville and his beautiful 18.16-pound fish, caught on a 50-50 brass/nickel spoon. The Snohomish was actually his second choice, Kelley said, because his favorite hole on the Skykomish was already taken. The $1,500 second-place check went to Brady Peterson of Everett, for a 16.6-pound fish he nailed in the Edmonds area; third and $1,000 to Hut Phanhthavilay of Carnation at 16.4 pounds, caught on a Corky and yarn in the Snohomish; fourth and $750 to Wayne Brown of Marysville, at 16.08 pounds, caught on a spatterback green squid 30 inches behind a flasher, near the shipwreck; fifth and $600 to Bob Enselman of Stanwood, at 15.9 pounds, caught on a white squid behind a flasher; and sixth and $500 to Raymond Schmidt of Arlington, at 15.55 pounds, taken from the reformatory hole on the Skykomish. In the kids' division, first and second places -- and prizes of $100 and $75 -- went to brothers Sean and David Sliauter-Bottini of Bothell, at 12.76 and 12.43 pounds respectively, both from the Snohomish River. The third-place fish, 10.38 pounds and worth $50, was taken in saltwater by Nick Mardesich of Everett. Every child who was present and had a ticket (issued free), won a prize. It took four names from the barrel to find someone present at the end-of-the-derby drawing for the grand prize, an Alumaweld-Mercury boat/motor on a Rogue Trailer. Elizabeth Geltson of Auburn stuck around for the draw, and went home with the $15,000 rig. None of the 10 line-caught and specially tagged coho, worth between $500 and $25,000, were caught during the derby, and the awards are now void. Bad weather and other problems made it a little difficult for derby participants to find event T-shirts, so organizers have placed supplies of the shirts at Three Rivers Marine in Woodinville and Hook, Line & Sinker in Smokey Point for sale to anyone still interesed in buying one. For more information, go to the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club Web site, esscwa.com. Although the coho season on the Strait of Juan de Fuca is winding down, there are still good numbers of fish coming down the line. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife checks on Sunday at Coho Resort in Sekiu showed 201 fishermen with 91 coho, and at Olson's Resort, 254 with 104. MAJOR COLUMBIA TOURNAMENT: Big-time bassin' came again to the northwest corner of the country, as the Walmart FLW Series Columbia River tournament was held last week for the second year in a row at the Tri-Cities. Kennewick pro angler Dave Kromm made the most of an event on his home water, taking a four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 55 pounds, 12 ounces to win the $100,000 first prize. Kromm fishes around the country and has six top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition, including a 10th place recently at Lake Mead. His regular job is as a project superintendent for a sheet-metal firm, and he says he's grateful the company allows him leave time to fish. Kromm agreed that fishing familiar water was a definite advantage, but said there was a danger in knowing too many good spots and spending more time running from one to the other than actually fishing. Second place and $32,800 went to Ronald Hobbs Jr. of Graham, Washington; third to Neil Russell of Nampa, Idaho; Fourth to R.J. Bennett of Roseville, California; and fifth to Ken Wick of Star, Idaho. At least 95 percent of the derby fish were smallmouth, Kromm said, and he located most of his catch along ledges and around rockpiles. The first two days of the tournament he fished way downriver, between Umatilla, Ore., and Boardman, Ore., an area which receives less fishing pressure and which has a lot of good weed lines. The final two days, he moved back up to the Tri-Cities area, he said. His two most productive lures during the event were a gold/silver spinnerbait, and a green pumpkin tube. He said his pattern was typically to start early in the morning in three to eight feet of water, dropping to 15 to 25 feet with increasing light and a heavier dam release. The largest bass of the tournament weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, caught by Cody Meyer of Redding, Calif. WESTSIDE PHEASANT: Remember that while the Western Washington general pheasant season opens Saturday, the popular "headquarters unit" release site on the Skagit Wildlife Area is closed because of construction and won't open until Oct. 4. Birds are being released currently for the ongoing special senior hunt at two other sites -- Leque Island (across the bridge, west of Stanwood) and the Samish Unit, near Samish Island. Releases are scheduled to continue at those two units for the first week of the general season, while headquarters is closed. Throughout the general season, pheasants will be released Friday, Saturday and Tuesday evenings each week. EASTSIDE PHEASANT: One of the best, reasonably priced, pheasant hunting opportunities in Eastern Washington is the package put together by boosters of the Royal School District in Royal City, west of Potholes Reservoir on the Royal Slope. The package benefits facilities, athletic fields, band equipment, scholarship and other factors crucial to the school district, while offering access to private agricultural land by upland bird hunters. Mike Meseberg of MarDon Resort on the reservoir is one of the organizers and he said there are now over 25,000 acres in the program. Participants pay $300 for the season, $150 for youth under 18, or $120 for three consecutive days (excluding opening weekend and holiday weekends), and that includes access to quality wild pheasant cover as well as access at no further cost to pen-raised pheasant release sites throughout the season. The boosters purchase 500 birds annually, Meseberg said. Landowners donate hunting rights to the booster club, which sells tickets and provides each hunter with a car pass, a wallet ID, and a quality map of the booster hunting properties. For more information, call 509-346-2651 or go to www.royalhuntclub.com. NEW GROUP: The hot new kid on the block, the Coastal Conservation Association, is forming a chapter locally and invites all sport fishermen and others interested in saving our fisheries from extinction to an exploration meeting tonight, 7 p.m., at North River Boats, 12505 Smokey Point Boulevard in Marysville. Contact is Errol Collins, 360-659-5193. CLAMS: While no seasons have been set yet, the outlook for fall razor clam digging is positive. State clam manager Dan Ayres said young clam recruitment has been good on most beaches and even Kalaloch, where low populations prevented any digging this year and which probably will not be opened this fall, is coming back. Populations, Ayres said, are particularly good on beaches north of Grays Harbor, where Mocrocks, Copalis and Ocean Shores should offer top digging, in that order. Twin Harbors may be down a little, Ayres said, but the average size on Long Beach should be very good. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out Snaggers on the Snohomish.......WHAT?...... I have been watching the local fishing forums and have been hearing of the guys in the Jet Ski's and thier friends on the upper Snohomish River who are snagging fish with very long leaders using yarn or corky or both and a hook? Many fishermen on these forums have even said that one of the fish in the top four of the Everett Coho Derby of 08 was caught by this group and other fish caught by this group were handed to friends to enter in the Derby. If this is the case then shame on this group of poachers and cheats. If you can not fish with honor then don't fish at all! This type of fishing ruins it for the honest fisher people. The Everett Coho Derby is the largest Coho Derby in the USA and the Greatest Derby in the Pacific Northwest and thousands of Fishermen, women and kids Fished it the honest way and these thousands of fisher people will pay for the poachers and cheats! Robert Wallace | Sep 25, 2008 2:11 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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