Outdoors

POSTED: Saturday, Jul. 04, 2009

SALMON DERBY: Heftier prizes for big salmon

The 2009 Bellingham Puget Sound Anglers' Family Salmon Derby is entering the ranks of the Northwest's most prestigious annual fishing contests with an overall $10,000 cash purse highlighted by a $5,000 first place prize.

And thanks to local dentist Randle Carr, who sponsored the prizes, the derby's kids' contest also will have more on the line featuring a Nintendo Wii (first place), an iPod (second place) and a mountain bike (third place) as its top three awards.

Derby action will take place over three days, starting at first light Friday, July 10 in all currently open waters of Marine Area 7 winding up in the Sunday afternoon prize awards ceremony at the Harbor Center Building at Squalicum Harbor Marina.

Weigh-in stations will operate Friday and Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. at Deer Harbor on Orcas Island and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham.

Sunday weigh-ins are from 10 a.m. to noon at Squalicum Harbor only with the awards ceremony following immediately

Tickets for the event are $50 for participants age 15 and older while kids may register for the youth contest for free if they are accompanied by a paying adult.

Entries in this year's PSA derby are again capped, but at a 500-ticket sales limit. All tickets sales stop at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 9.

If you cannot locate a retail ticket outlet, call Roy Lentz at 360 734-2172.

Participants in the kids' derby are only eligible for prizes on the youth event's ladder, however youngsters may qualify any salmon they catch for the adult contest by purchasing ahead of time an adult derby ticket.

Derby spokesmen Mike Hougen and Bill Melton say that in addition to the bolstered cash awards this year, the chapter has amassed another significant cache of merchandise prizes including a log truck load of firewood for the adult prize list plus there are ample rewards in hand to give out to every young derby participant.

They add that the chapter is gratified by and appreciates the support Whatcom County and regional businesses have provided its signature summer family fishing contest this year given the state of the economy.

With an eye toward fishing opportunities in the coming years, to help build future salmon resources, the club again will donate proceeds from the derby to a local non-profit salmon enhancement effort, say the spokesmen.

In recent years, the club has made cash contributions from the derby's income to the Bellingham Technical College's Fisheries Technologies Program, the Lynden Christian High School's Salmon Hatchery and Ferndale High Schools salmon enhancement programs.

Coming off lucrative blackmouth (feeder chinook) fishing this past winter, chapter members are hoping the good luck and action will carry through to the 2009 summer season with homing adult chinook salmon the target now.

To that end, say Hougen and Melton, the club wants to get the word out to fishers new to the saltwater salmon angling game about how and where they can tangle with a potential derby winner.