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Derby anglers find plenty of fish
By Wayne Kruse,
Herald writer
After a dismal showing in 2006, when just 375 salmon were weighed in, anglers
in last weekend's big Everett Coho Derby came back strong and once again
found silvers in abundance, both in saltwater and in local rivers.
Some 2,524 adult tickets were sold for the event, according to Jim Brauch of
the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club, the co-sponsor of the event along with
the Snohomish Sportsmen's Club, and an excellent total of 1,166 fish were
entered. That compares well with the 1,018 coho weighed in for the 2004
derby, and 1,241 for the 2005 event.
This year's derby weighed eight coho over 15 pounds. First place and $2,500
went to Adam Dierck of Marysville for his 17.11-pound entry; second and
$1,500 went to Larry Munson of Everett, at 15.98 pounds; third and $1,000
went to Marcella Rockenbach of Snohomish, at 15.79 pounds; and fourth ($750)
went to Matt Stone of Everett, at 15.57 pounds.
The winning coho in 2004 weighed 18.14 pounds and came from the Snohomish
River; in 2005, 18.4 pounds from the area between Possession and Double
Bluff; and last year, 16.82 pounds from Marine Area 9.
Marcella Rockenbach, with husband Greg, owns Greg's Custom Rods and Tackle in
Lake Stevens, and the pair certainly knows which end of the stick to point at
the water. They were trolling the edge of Possession Bar on Saturday,
Marcella using a Hot Spot flasher/Silver Horde green spatterback squid combo,
down 91 feet. She dressed up the squid, she said, with a bit of twinkle skirt
and a small herring strip soaked in Dick Nite salmon scent.
The same setup had scored a week earlier, when the Rockenbachs' guest placed
ninth in the Lions' derby for the blind.
Rockenbach led the derby most of the day Saturday, but got bumped to third on
Sunday. "I can live with that," she said.
And, to add a little drama to the story, her nearly 16-pound coho almost
ended up on someone else's table -- it had a second, broken-off hook in the
other side of its mouth.
Brauch said entries included 225 coho of 10 pounds or better, and that the
top derby fish came about equally from saltwater and the Snohomish River.
There were 368 youth tickets given away (kids fished free), and they entered
121 coho for prizes -- a much better than usual number for the youth
division. Top prize of $100 went to Jason Nemnich, at 13.07 pounds; second
and $75 to Nick Mingen at 12.98 pounds; and third ($50) to Brewster Camden at
12.57 pounds.
The event's most coveted prize -- a 23-foot, center console Pacific, with
motor and trailer -- was up for grabs courtesy of the Northwest Marine Trade
Association's Salmon Derby Series promotion. Since the Everett derby was the
last in the year-long series, the winner of the boat was drawn there and
Steve Herrmann went home with the new craft. Appropriately enough, Herrmann
qualified for the drawing by entering the Everett derby, as opposed to others
around Western Washington.
A second boat from the NMTA, a 14-foot StabiCraft offered to anglers 14 and
under, went to Zach Loescher, also from the Everett Derby.
The identity of the new owner of the third and last boat drawn -- a 17-foot
Alumaweld with 40-hp Mercury outboard and Rogue trailer, donated by Three
Rivers Marine -- was a nail-biter. The first four names drawn were not
present and therefore could not win. Finally, Brianna Rogers walked to the
mike and claimed the $17,000 package.
Meanwhile, coho action in local saltwater has been spotty and scattered,
according to All Star Charters owner/skipper Gary Krein in Everett
(425-252-4188).
"We're hearing that a lot of people are catching a fish or two, but that
there aren't a lot of limits being boated," Krein said. "That indicates to me
there's no concentration of fish around, and that it pays to keep covering
water."
He recommended the stretch of shoreline between Mukilteo and the shipwreck,
between 40 and 80 feet depending on the time of day, using flasher and white
glow squid.
Checks from the Strait of Juan de Fuca peaked earlier and had started to drop
by the weekend, which may mean the peak of the run is currently in local
saltwater and/or rivers. Some 166 anglers checked at Van Riper's Resort in
Sekiu on Sunday had 121 coho, down from a check of 334 fish for 195 anglers
out of Olson's, a week earlier.
Remember that Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2 close to salmon fishing on Oct. 1,
leaving Area 9 as the only option close to home.
Muskies: Since this seems to be derby results day, we might as well include
the Sept. 15-16 tiger musky tournament on Mayfield Lake, the big Cowlitz
River impoundment and the first lake in the state to be planted with the
northern pike/muskellunge hybrid. The father-son team of Frank and Mike Haw
took first place with a fish of 42.75 inches (about 24 pounds), and if the
name Frank Haw sounds familiar, it's because he was a longtime Department of
Fisheries biologist (before its merger with the Game Department),
sportfishing advocate when it wasn't popular in that agency, and widely noted
expert saltwater angler.
The second-place fish -- about 22 pounds -- was caught by the
husband-and-wife team of Tom Schafenacker and Jill Blakeway, and third, about
16 pounds, by Roger and Ron Jutte.
More information on the tournament, tiger muskies and the Northwest chapter
of Muskies, Inc., can by had at www.nwtigermuskies.com.
State biologist Bruce Bolding said the tiger musky program has expanded to
the point where there are now at least four lakes in Washington holding a
fish heavier than the current state record of 32-plus pounds: Mayfield and
Merwin on the westside, and Curlew and Newman east of the Cascades. The fish
are now being planted in seven state lakes, both to enhance the sport fishery
and to help eliminate undesirable species without the use of rotenone.
Smallmouth tournament: And third, the $1 million bass tournament held last
week on the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities was won by pro basser Charlie
Weyer of West Hills, Calif. Weyer won $100,000 for his four-day catch (and
release of) 20 smallmouth weighing 53 pounds, 1 ounce.
Both Weyer and the second-place finisher fished about 50 miles downriver from
the Tri-Cities, with Weyer using a Carolina rig tipped with a 5-inch green
pumpkin Zoom lizard and a Yamamoto green pumpkin tube. He focused on fishing
the tube shallow early in the morning, and moving out further on the
rockpiles as the day progressed and the fish reacted to pressure.
Waterfowl tour: For anyone interested in learning the ins and outs of duck
hunting in this area, a can't-miss opportunity comes up once each year when
the Northwest Chapter of the Washington Waterfowl Association holds its
"Skagit Tour," which is open to the public. It's a priceless introduction to
hunting on the Skagit delta, historically the most important public-oriented
duck and goose hunting habitat on Puget Sound.
The tour covers the Skagit Wildlife Area "headquarters unit," west of Conway
and south of the Fir Island Road, then launches and heads out toward the
bayfront for a low-tide hunting discussion. After that, run back up and
inspect the "farmed island segment" from several different landing spots,
then explore Milltown Island and head back out to the bayfront for a high
tide view.
Northwest Chapter president Rone Brewer said club experts will also discuss
other areas to hunt around the Skagit.
Meet at noon on Oct. 7, at the Skagit headquarters boat ramp. Bring a duck
boat if you have one, lifejackets and knee or hip boots. Brewer asks that
interested participants RSVP at 360-652-1264 or nwducks@snohomish.net, so the
club has an idea how many people it will have to accommodate.
Take the Highway 534 exit (Conway, La Conner) off I-5 south of Mount Vernon
and drive west across the Skagit River bridge onto Fir Island and toward La
Conner. Mann Road and a sign to the Skagit Wildlife Area is on the left, a
little over a mile past the bridge. Drive south and look for the sign.
© 2007The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA |
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