The 26th Annual 98 The Beach Chantry Chinook Classic Fishing Derby has wrapped up.
Closing ceremonies took place yesterday afternoon in Tiverton.
Gary Byers of Bayshore Broadcasting’s Fish Finder Radio says (unofficial) results have Kitchener’s Gary MacMillan in first place in the Salmon category with a fish he reeled in on Thursday, that was 34 inches long and weighed just under 17 pounds.
First prize in the salmon category is 10 thousand dollars.
MacMillan is followed by Harry Van Moorsell of Mitchell in second on the salmon leaderboard.
Byers says Al Wilkins of Kincardine has (unofficial) first place in the trout category with a catch of over just 11 pounds, 28 inches caught on Thursday.
First prize in the trout category is 25 hundred dollars.
Jack Wood of Drayton is in second place, and Garfield Arnott of Kitchener is in third place in the trout category.
Byers says the wind was a factor for anglers this year, posing a challenge on 13 out of 15 days of competition.
He says there was never an offshore breeze to keep things on the water flat, but organizers at the Lake Huron Fishing Club are very pleased because 1238 people entered the derby this year, a good sign for plans going into next year.
All proceeds from the 98 The Beach Chantry Chinook Classic go to the Lake Huron Fishing Club’s conservation programs.
Byers says they run two hatcheries, one in Kincardine, the other in Port Elgin, and without the major fundraiser, keeping those facilities can be difficult, so they need the derby to happen.
The exact amount of how much the derby raised for the club isn’t known yet.
In the fall of 2008, there was concern that the derby might not happen in 2009 due to not enough volunteers.
However, Todd DeVries of Southampton stepped forward and helped drum up interest in revitalizing the event.
This was the first year the derby extended its territory into Georgian Bay, and Byers says that move paid off in spades.
He says if you fish the Georgian Bay side of the Bruce Peninsula between Lion’s Head and Dyers Bay, it is much more sheltered because of the landfall.
Byers says on windy days, anglers who might not have been able to fish elsewhere were still able to do some fishing in that area and weigh in their catch at the Pike Bay Weigh Station.
Other weigh stations were set up in Port Elgin, Kincardine, and Southampton.
The overall ladies day winner is Josee Trepanier of Kincardine, who caught a Chinook Salmon weighing over 14 pounds.
Ron Walser of Kincardine is the overall Seniors Day winner, with a 12.5 pound Chinook Salmon.