The derby series saw a very productive 2019 season with the NW Chevy Dealer Silverado truck and Weldcraft boat traveling across the Pacific Northwest!
In all there was 14 derbies with a total of 6,176 anglers entered in the derby series up from 4,690 in 2018.
The final event was the Everett Coho Derby on Sept. 21-22 – which lured 1,735 adults and 210 youth (1,694 and 201 in 2018) was Delbert Roesler of Sultan with an 11.25-pound coho he caught on Saturday (Sept. 21) worth $10,000. Also, congratulations to the youth winner Tyler Cheyne with a 10.97-pound coho worth $300!
In all 1,735 anglers turned out for the largest derby on the West Coast with 930 coho weighed-in averaging 5.40 pounds and a combined weight of 5,017 pounds.
Winner of the $75,000 fully loaded, grand-prize Weldcraft boat powered with Yamaha motors on an EZ Loader Trailer was Trevor Everitt of Lynnwood/Edmonds area who entered the Edmonds Coho Derby on Sept. 7.
A huge “thank you” goes out to all our sponsors including Renaissance Marine Group in Clarkston for providing the Weldcraft Boat; Yamaha Marine; EZ Loader Trailers; Silver Horde and Gold Star Lures; Scotty Downriggers; Burnewiin Accessories; Raymarine Electronics; WhoDat Tower; Dual Electronic Stereo; Tom-n-Jerry’s Marine; Master Marine; NW Sportsman Magazine; The Reel News PSA; Outdoor Emporium and Sportco; Harbor Marine; Prism Graphics; and Salmon, Steelhead Journal.
We’re hitting the refresh button on 2020 series and it will be renamed the “Northwest Fishing Derby Series” that will likely include a spring-time lingcod derby in Oregon and a kokanee-trout derby on Lake Chelan plus a couple more additions.
The new 2020 derby boat – a sleek all-white KingFisher 2025 Hardtop – made its debut at the Everett Coho Derby and we’d like to welcome our newest sponsor SHOXS Seats (ww.shoxs.com) that are engineered for maximum comfort in the roughest of seas.
Anglers can also start looking at 2020 with dates finalized for Resurrection Salmon Derby on Feb. 1-2; Friday Harbor Salmon Classic on Feb. 6-8; and Roche Harbor Salmon Classic on Feb. 13-15. For details, go to www.NorthwestSalmonDerbySeries.com.
In the meantime, take a chance to get out on the water as there’s nothing more enjoyable than a feisty coho or chum salmon tugging on the end of your fishing line.
I’ll see you on the water!