Fishing the Anacortes Salmon Derby!!! 3

What's the difference between a "derby" and a "tournament'?

I won't bore you with the dictionary definition of these two words but the Anacortes Salmon Derby sure has a "Big time" feel to it! For those that have not had the opportunity to attend or compete in this event, let me tell you: this is a first-class operation all the way!

You had to act quickly if you wanted to hit the 2010 edition of this stop on the Northwest Salmon Derby Series. Anacortes hit it's cap of 1000 tickets in just ten days!  The "Sold out" status of salmon derbies is as surprising to me as it is consistent. If you are planning to attend any of these derbies, my advice would be to get your tickets as soon as they go on sale!

It's the venue that sets Anacortes apart from most other events as the gang at Cap Sante Boat Haven  rolls out the red carpet and a circus tent! The tent acts as a headquarters and is large enough to seat 800 anglers!

The weekend-long Anacortes Salmon Derby kicks off Friday night with a "Captains Meeting" complete with a few fishing seminars, safety info and a review of the rules. Saturday morning, we broadcast "The Outdoor Line" live from Cap Sante and it was slow torture watching all the boats leave the harbor. Once we were off the air at 9 o'clock we grabbed the cell phones to wrangle  some hotspot info and we were off!

When we finally arrived, Team Lowrance was already working hard aboard Capt. John Keizer's Salt Patrol SeaHawk.  

We made our first drag along Sucia Island and it was a beautiful San Juan Saturday morning!  

Not a derby winner by any stretch of the imagination, but it's nice to get on the board with a dandy ten pounder!  

Robbo Endsley came right back at me with a chunky 13 pounder, but you're going to have to read his blog to see those picas! Fish caught  during the derby must be called in via VHF radio and word quickly spread of a 27 pounder taken in Rosario Strait. Robbo and I chuckled to each other about the fact that our total fish box weight of 23 pounds didn't come close to that specimen!

Sunday at noon marked the close of the derby and the top four fish are displayed on ice outside the tent. The smallest of these jumbos is over 23 lbs!  

27.45 pounds would be the top fish in the 2010 Anacortes Salmon Derby and this king is a fine fish anywhere, anyplace, anytime! 

Derby Chairman Jay Field congratulates the winner of the youth division and all the kids under 14 who entered the event walked away with a brand-new rod and reel. 

His young daughter nearly hidden by the winner's check for $15,000, Ralph Thomas of Tacoma is all smiles. It's a long drive from Tacoma to Anacortes and I'll bet he was grinning all the way! 

The Northwest Salmon Derby Series is just heating up with the next event in Portland, Oregon.  "Salmon Quest" kicks off  April 17 and gives you a shot at some Columbia river spring chinook.

Salmon Quest is followed on the tourney trail with a return to Anacortes for the inaugural  $100,000 Dash One Invitational,  July 1-2.

The Outdoor Line will be following along and reporting on these events as well as participating. We hope to see you out on the water!