2011 Salmon Spectacular Recap
The weather was much more cooperative for this year’s Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular and as a result I was able to get out on the water far more than last year. Unfortunately, that didn’t result in catching any more fish. In fact, after hitting the water for three of the ten days of the derby, I got royally skunked!
A beautiful sunset on the water.
Darrell and I ended up running dipsy divers in an effort to get our baits down where the fish might bite. We don’t have downriggers on the new boat (it’s meant to be a car-topper after all) but after running long lines that were a little difficult to manage in the heavy boat traffic, maxing out at a depth of 70-feet and getting no bites, I think we may have to invest in riggers in the future. We tried a variety of lures and combinations, running the standby Lymans quite often but nothing seemed interested.
I never tire of seeing the rods all set up.
Even without catching a fish, participating in the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular is a lot of fun. The whole city is immersed in the event and it seems like there are anglers everywhere you go. There is entertainment daily in the big tent and it becomes one huge party. Many anglers line the pier, hoping to fish starting their run up the river. But for me, the real action is out on the water where so many boats troll by, attempting to land the big one.
My camera was having major issues capturing the number of boats out on the water. Picture about 20 boats in this view...it was incredible. I loved being out at night especially - with all the lights it makes the bay look like a village.
The derby ended at noon on Sunday. The awards ceremony was set for three o’clock that afternoon and Darrell had bought quite a few draw tickets for the 17ft G3 boat that was being given away, so we were in for the long haul. And what a long haul it was…we didn’t leave there until 6:30 or so. But it was truly a sight to see, the amount of prizes being given away was amazing. There were prizes awarded for the top ten salmon from each day and the top five trout from each day. It’s worth entering a fish in this derby because you stand a great chance at walking away with some fantastic prizes.
The winning trout was an 11.97 lb lake trout caught by Ken MacKay of Owen Sound. It was Ken’s first ever time downrigging and he wasn’t sure what depth he caught the fish at because he was too busy playing with the button on the rigger! For his catch Ken walked away with a 14ft G3 boat, 15hp Yamaha outboard and two manual Scotty downriggers.
The winning salmon weighed in at 21.16 lbs and was caught by Rudy Hachey of Owen Sound. Rudy caught his fish in the early hours of the morning, 80ft down in 90ft of water, on a white Lyman black ladderback. It would have been impossible to not be happy for Rudy – he was so thrilled with the win and always smiling.
When the awards ceremony ended, and Darrell’s draw tickets proved to be unlucky, we climbed into the truck for the long drive home. Both of us were exhausted but, despite being skunked, we had a great time and will look forward to the event again next year.
For complete Salmon Spectacular results click here.
For more on Rudy’s win click here.
argosgirl
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