2009 Discovery Bay
Salmon Derby

News

• 13 June 2009: In Memoriam: Robert “Bob” Wilson, Chief, JCFD #2 and #5 We regret that it has taken so long to post information about the untimely death of Bob Wilson, Fire Chief of District 5.
  
  
    

  Photo by Dr. Elizabeth Van Dyke

  
  
  To quote from the Gardiner Community Newsletter (No. 6, May 2009):
  
  

  Bob Wilson, Chief of the Quilcene and Gardiner – Discovery Bay Fire Departments died April 17th, 2009 following a courageous battle with cancer. He was memorialized in a moving ceremony held April 24th at Quilcene High School.
  
  Bob Wilson took over as Chief of Fire District 5 at a time of great stress in our community. In addition to his job as Chief in Quicene he managed the Gardiner – Discovery Bay volunteer crew and held us together, maintaining quality fire and emergency service protection for Gardiner and Discovery Bay. He was remembered for being many things, but, foremost, he was remembered as a “good” man. He was strong and honest, and he always had a gentle smile for everyone. He was a positive influence on many lives in both districts
  
  Chief Wilson served as Quilcene Fire Chief since 1992 and as Gardiner – Discovery Bay Chief since 2007.
  
  The entire Gardiner – Discovery Bay community sends its deepest condolences to Bob’s wife, Veda, and to his three children, Joseph, Jake, and Dana. He will be sorely missed.

  
  
  This change in circumstances places Fire District #5 in a difficult situation. Area meetings are being held to discuss options. Residents should plan to attend. Schedules and details can be obtained at the Gardiner Community Center or from local Fire Commissioners.
  
  
• 12 June 2009: Discussion Forum now disabled. This site’s discussion forum seemed a good idea, but never saw much participation. Since the end of the Derby, the only activity have been from spammers and hackers, so we have disabled the forum. It may be reactivated in the future if doing so seems useful. Please feel free to contact us with any comments.
  
  
• 8 March 2009: New press release. Click here to see our new press release going out today about the great Derby Appreciation Dinner last night.
  
  
• 7 March: Record attendance at Derby Appreciation Dinner. We had a full house at the Gardiner Community Center on Saturday night. Derby volunteers and local residents came together to share donated salmon, and to thank our many volunteers and firefighters for making Fire District #5 successful. A tremendous array of delicious food was brought in a fine potluck, and we got to see the new power gurneys purchased using Derby funds – with a big help from 7 Cedars Casino, who contributed an additional $5,000 above the $15,760 provided by this year’s Derby. We’re all sore from patting ourselves on the back for a job well done.
  
  
          

  Photos by Richard Bennett

  Music was provided by local Diamond Point band “Final Approach” who are playing again at 7 Cedars Casino on Sunday 8 March – come join us as we go to hear them!
  
  
    

  Photo by Richard Bennett

  Richard Bennett brought his camera; click here to see his latest pictures.
  
  
• 6 March: Derby Appreciation Dinner on Saturday. Attention all Derby volunteers and all local residents served by Fire District #5! (If you’re from Diamond Point you’re welcome too!) Be sure to come to the annual Derby Appreciation Dinner on 7 March at the Gardiner Community Center. It’s a potluck dinner, so bring a dish – and come share the lovely salmon that was donated by Derby anglers. Music will be provided by local Diamond Point band “Final Approach.”
  
  
    

  Photo by Richard Bennett

  
  
  
• 5 March: Funds being put to use. This year”s Derby funds have already been used by Jefferson County Volunteer Fire District #5 to help purchase two power gurneys needed for emergency response. These expensive devices make care faster, easier, and safer when lifting and transferring patients. Traditional gurneys have to be manhandled into the ambulance by two or more respondenrs. The new power gurneys eliminate strain and bumping. This was seen as an urgent priority by the Chief and his department – who by the way were able to get an incredible price for buying these units. We’ll post some photos when we get them.
  
  
  
  7 Cedars Casino also made an additional generous direct contribution of $5,000 to the Department, to assist in this vital but expensive equipment purchase (which would otherwise have been beyond our budget, despite the funds generated by the 2009 Derby). We again thank our strong supporter for this critical help.
  
  
• 27-28 February 2009: We left out a sponsor! Oops, we only just realized that we left an important sponsor off our lists. Avant-Garde Florist, owned and/or operated by Gardiner’s Dani and/or Corinne Dennis, provided the great bouquet awarded to our “Valentine’s Day Sweetheart.” (Derby followers will all know that Corinne is our steadfast fish gutter, who personally cleans every fish on the prize ladder with surgical precision.) Corinne’s lovely daughter now operates the well-known Avant-Garde Florist at 261321 Highway 101 at Carlsborg Road. We are sorry for this oversight. We have updated the various sponsor lists. (Dani, sorry if we are spelling your name wrong...that’s another blush for us.)
  
  
• 19 February 2009: Raffle prize winners. We have finally listed the raffle prize winners on our results page. Almost all prizes were distributed at the Awards Ceremony, and we have spoken with the last few winners who weren’t present and their prizes are on the way. If you don’t already know you won a prize, then your number is not in this list (mine wasn’t, drat, I checked). Please note that this prize list is provided here as a courtesy and may contain errors.
  
  
• 19 February 2009: Downloadable catch record. We have placed an Excel spreadsheet on our download page listing all the fish submitted, including the fishing area, date, and time. Please note that this data is provided as a courtesy and may contain errors.
  
  
• 17 February 2009: Weights in decimal pounds. We may not have made it clear enough, but all Derby weights are shown in decimal pounds (18.85 pounds) rather than pounds and ounces (18 pounds 13.6 ounces). We changed to this system last year for more precision and to simplify recordkeeping – and because decimal values are more modern, more suitable for today’s digital scales, and just plain better. :) Sorry if this wasn’t clear to everybody.
  
  
• 16 February 2009: Derby pictures. Richard Bennett took a lot of pictures on Monday, both at the dock and at the Awards Ceremony. Click here to see the latest pictures.
  
  
  

  Tom Casey, 18.85 pounds (18 pounds 13.6 ounces)

  

  The winners: #2 Keith Deyo (left), #1 Tom Casey (center), #3 James Cook (right)
  Photos by Richard Bennett.

  
  
  
• 16 February 2009: Nice thank you note. We were pleased to find this in our inbox:

  My husband and I were first time participants and although our only catch was a small starfish, we thoroughly enjoyed the tournament. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this such a success. And thank you for the web site with all the information. We were delighted to find the ladder results each day when we arrived home. We are looking forward to the rest of the photos. They were great. See you all next year!
  
  Ken and Judy Davidson
  Sequim

  Did we have a starfish prize this year? Maybe not.... Maybe next year.
  
  We are delighted to have this nice feedback! We did get some mixed reactions about the regular ladder updates. We were scrambling to get results out as quickly as possible, and inevitably there were some errors, which upset some people. We apologize. We didn’t make it clear enough that official awards occurred at the Ceremony, and that all this preliminary website information was assembled by our volunteers purely for the convenience of participants. Oh well. It happens.
  
  To avoid hard feelings or confusion next year, we’ll make things more obvious – and we’ll put out fewer updates, do more careful checking before each update, and reduce the amount of detail.
  
  
• 16 February 2009: Update: Monday 2:00 PM. 102 total fish caught in Derby. Prize winners were announced at the 2:00 Awards Ceremony.
  
  
  • #1: 18.85 pounds, Tom Casey, Sequim
  • #2: 18.05 pounds, Keith Deyo, Bremerton
  • #3: 16.00 pounds, James Cook, Lakewood
  
  
  We sold 808 tickets! Wow! Many thanks to all our competitors, all our volunteers, all our sponsors, and all our neighbors (except for the burn pile during the Awards Ceremony).
  
  
  • Click here for the press release.
  • Click here to see final standings on a web page.
  • Click here for the download page where you can display or download the final ladder and press release as printable pdf files.
  
  
  
• 16 February 2009: Update: Monday 11:10 AM. Another donated fish. Generous Scott MacNair from Seattle and Steve Reed from Port Angeles have both donated fish to the Derby Appreciation Dinner. Many thanks to both of you!
  
  
• 16 February 2009: How many tickets? We probably won’t have a firm ticket count for a few more days, but this year’s sales appear to be close to those of last year, around 800 tickets. In a tight economy, and with reduced timber sales from state lands, this is really good news for Jefferson County Volunteer Fire District #5, which relies so much on annual Derby funds.
  
  We took a gamble increasing this year’s prizes, since most of our cash prizes come right off the bottom line of funds we provide to our Fire Department. We thank all 2009 Derby participants for helping us reach a happy ending!
  
  
• 16 February 2009: Update: Monday 8:30 AM. 89 total fish caught through Monday morning. A nice 14.15 pound fish was caught this morning by Jose Lopes from Browns Point. Click here to see current PRELIMINARY standings on a web page. Or if you prefer, click here for the download page where you can display or download the current PRELIMINARY ladder as a printable pdf file.
  
  Awards ceremony is at 2:00 PM today.
  

  Photo by Trevor Hanson.
  Lots of boats out on Monday morning
  Click for larger image

  
  
  
• 16 February 2009: Seven Cedars Casino. Sunday night, many Derby participants visited our strong supporter 7 Cedars Casino for a fun evening of music and fish bragging. We all had a great time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 16 February 2009: Derby pictures. Richard Bennett took a lot of pictures of fishing on Saturday and Sunday. Click here to see the latest pictures.
  
  
    

  Indefatigable Corinne, and a successful angler.
  Photos by Richard Bennett.

  
  
  
• 15 February 2009: Update: Sunday 4:00 PM. 88 fish caught on Saturday-Sunday. A nice 16.0 pound fish was caught today by James Cook, who is now in third place. Click here to see current standings on a web page. Or if you prefer, click here for the download page where you can display or download the current ladder as a printable pdf file.
  
  There are a lot of boats out there, so we expect the usual late-Sunday rush. Keep checking back for more updates.
  
  
• 15 February 2009: Update: Sunday 1:05 PM. Generous Bruce Rider has donated his 9.6 pound fish caught today to the Derby Appreciation Dinner – THANKS! All the Derby volunteers appreciate this annual event, which we expect to hold around March 7th this year. Update: Sunday 11:00 AM. We made an error in yesterday’s prize list. Our “Valentine’s Day Sweetheart” was actually Joleen Russ, from Auburn, who who caught a 12.20 pound salmon in Area 9. We apologize for not catching this – of course, here in the data center, we can’t tell whether an angler is male or female! Congratulations to Joleen, and condolences to Stacy.
  
  Sunday is even finer than Saturday, and the fish are starting to come in, starting with a 15.2 pound fish caught by Pat Allen in area 6. We have reports of good fishing out on the banks.
  

  Photo by Trevor Hanson.
  Click for larger image

  Be sure to come to the Awards Ceremony on Monday at 2:00 at the Gardiner Boat Ramp. Check out our new shirts, sweatshirts, and hats.
  
  
• 14 February 2009: Update: Saturday 4:00 PM. 52 fish so far. We’ve had a very strong first day in the Derby, with 52 fish on the ladder so far. We’re all delighted with a nice day of fishing and good weather.
  
  
  
  
• 13 February 2009: Setup pictures. Richard Bennett took a lot of pictures during today’s setup work at the Gardiner Boat Ramp. Click here to see today’s pictures.
  
  
    

  Photos by Richard Bennett.

  
  
  
• 13 February 2009: Weather looking good! One day before the start of the Derby, and the Weather Gods appear to be smiling on us. Check out the current forecast!.
  
  
• 11-12 February 2009: Final prize lists. There were a few more errors in the prize listed posted last night. Sorry. We have updated the prize lists (until the next mistakes are found). You can see the current prize lists here. You can download an empty prize ladder before the Derby, a filled ladder once fish start to arrive, raffle rules, and other documents here.
  
  
• 10 February 2009: Weather reports hopeful. Keep watching the weather. This weekend has been getting mixed forecasts, but basically things look promising for our rainshadowed Blue Hole in Discovery Bay.
  
  
• 10 February 2009: Coast Guard plans increased boat inspection in 2009. According to a story in Sunday’s Peninsula Daily News, the Coast Guard is planning a significant increase in boat inspections this year. All area boaters, including Derby participants, should pay special attention to current safety, equipment, and other requirements, and should be prepared for spot inspections whenever venturing out on the water.
  
  
• 10 February 2009: Free launch from Beckett Point Beckett Point has again generously offered use of its launch ramp without charge. This is a small private launch ramp on the east side of Discovery Bay. In addition to another launch option, it offers us a good access point in case of a water emergency. Please be aware that there are no facilities at Beckett Point, and only limited parking; and also please be courteous of our neighbors – who are essentially inviting us into their home.
  
  For the convenience of visitors, we have placed a map below. You can close the address window to reveal more of the map, drag the display, zoom in or out, switch to a satellite view, or jump to the full Google Maps display.
  
  View Larger Map
  
  
  
• 7 February 2009: Big news – good results at Roche Harbor.

  We just heard from NMTA’s Tony Floor about results at the Roche Harbor Salmon Classic, a big invitation-only event in the San Juans. The Derby ran from 5-7 February. Since it just completed today it gives us an idea of what to expect next weekend for our own event.

  Here’s what Tony said:

  The tournament was over at 5 p.m. today. The results are as follows:

  • 2004: 36 chinook (hatchery/wild retention)
  • 2005: 37 chinook (hatchery/wild retention)
  • 2006: 28 chinook (hatchery/wild retention)
  • 2007: 89 chinook (hatchery/wild retention)
  • 2008: 141 chinook (hatchery only)
  • 2009: 114 chinook (hatchery only)

  Weather was fabulous, water was fabulous, and there were steady amounts of fish caught during both days. Very good event. Homeward bound.

  In other words, this was the second-biggest Roche Harbor Derby catch in history; and like the Discovery Bay Salmon Derby, it was all Selective Fishery. This is definitely what we wanted to hear.
  
  
• 5 February 2009: New large donation.
    
  
  Regular supporter West Marine has made a BIG donation: 10 sets of “Lake Tahoe” binoculars, currently retailing in their stores and on their website at $79.99 each. That’s an $800 donation! Wow! Many thanks to West Marine.
  
  
• 5 February 2009: Calendar download. We have added calendar data to our downloads area. We’ll try to get all the local events added, plus the rest of the Derby series. Please let us know if you have problems. We are having mixed reports of success downloading to phones; you might need to register with Google Calendar and use their Sync tool.
  
  
• 30 January 2009: Musical event on Sunday 15 February at 7 Cedars.
  
  
  

  On Sunday night during the Derby, join other Derby participants as we head over to visit our strong supporter 7 Cedars Casino for an evening of great music. Local Diamond Point band Final Approach (see below) will be appearing with vocalist Amanda Lynn Bacon from 5:30-7:30, and will then provide backup for the well-known Ted Vigil, who will perform his John Denver Tribute. You can see a sample of Ted Vigil’s performance by clicking here.

    

  Photo by Richard Bennett

  For more details contact 7 Cedars Casino, 270756 Highway 101, Sequim (Blyn), WA 98382, 360-683-7777

  Dinner dance on Saturday 14 February at Port Angeles Naval Elks Lodge. Local Diamond Point band Final Approach (see above) will also be appearing with vocalist Amanda Lynn Bacon on Saturday night of the Derby at the Port Angeles Naval Elks Lodge, 131 East First St. at Lincoln Ave. The public is welcome. Dinner dance tickets are $25 per couple ($15 single), and there is a $5 cover for attending the dance without dinner. Cocktails begin at 6:00, dinner begins at 6:30, and dancing is from 7:30-10:30. Please R.S.V.P. at 457-3355 by Tuesday February 10th. Tickets will also be available at the door.

  We will post additional area events when we learn of them. Please email us if you have something happening that may be of interest to Derby participants!
  
  
• 27 January 2009: New press release. A new press release describes the upcoming Derby.
  
  
• 14 January 2009: Free boat launch at Port of Port Townsend ramps. Again this year, the Port of Port Townsend is making all its launch ramps available to Derby participants at no charge. This is a great example of community support! Click here for launch ramp info.
  
  
• 14 January 2009: Simplified discussion forum. We haven’t yet had much discussion in our new discussion forum. To make things a little simpler, we have reduced the number of discussion boards, and provided more information about how to ask questions and post comments. Go ahead, give it a try! Click on this link for a basic explanation of how to register and add comments. Please let us know if you have any problems.
  
  
• 14 January 2009: Many new prize donations. As in every year, we are now receiving a steady list of prize and other donations to support our Derby and our Fire District. We’ve received commitments so far from:
  [see updated list above]
  
  By the start of the Derby, our complete prize list should be pretty similar to last year’s list of sponsors.
  
  
• 14 January 2009: Discounted launch fees at John Wayne Marina. We have received this update from Ron Amundson and Jeff Robb on behalf of Clallam County:
  
  
  The Port Commission approved a modified launch ramp fee for the Discovery Bay Salmon Derby for February 14-16.
  
  A single day launch ramp fee will cover the three day use of the launch ramp... [and] we will provide support vehicle parking in the north parking lot.
  
  — Jeffery Robb, Director of Aviation and Marinas, Port of Port Angeles
  
  
  
• 12 January 2009: Tickets available. 2009 Derby tickets have been delivered to all our loyal ticket vendors, who are now busy selling them. Stop by any of these locations, and please be sure to patronize our supporters!
  
  Note that there has been a technical hitch with this year’s on-line ticket sales, but it should be resolved shortly. We’ll post a note here when on-line sales are available.
  
  
• 6 January 2009: “$500 Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Prize!” Good grief, we somehow failed to shine a spotlight on this year’s great new $500 bonus prize: the Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Prize. $500 will be claimed by the woman or girl who submits the biggest fish on Valentine’s Day, Saturday Feburary 14th.
  
  We don’t know what happened to the information on our prizes page, but we’ll try to correct that accident right now.
  
  As we said in an earlier news item, it takes a special kind of woman to head out into the briny deep to battle the salmon of the Strait and Admiralty Inlet, instead of...well, maybe taking a bubble bath, dolling up in lace and pink ribbons, and heading to town for brunch, roses, and chocolates.
  
  Stereotypes aside, we know that going fishing on Valentine’s Day can mean conflicting priorities, and perhaps some tension between partners.
  
  This year, Gardiner’s own André Mercier is helping to smooth this age-old conflict. André has contributed a special incentive for fisherwomen to join the Derby on Saturday – instead of (or perhaps in addition to) sipping mimosas by the fire. He has generously donated the $500 “Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Prize” for the largest salmon submitted by a woman or girl on Saturday February 14th.
  
  This is a great idea that will add some fun to the first day of the Derby. The award will be made at the Awards Ceremony on Monday, along with the other prizes.
  
  (Note that we’ve retired the “Smallest Legal Salmon” prize offered during the last couple of years. This prize was good, because it encouraged more people to come out an extra day. However, it unfortunately was a temptation to keep fish close to the legal limit, and perhaps even to skirt the limit. We need those small fish to stay in the water, and to grow into prize-winners. And we don’t want to contribute to, nor have to police against, any “piscatory delinquency”!)
  
  
• 6 January 2009: Discounted moorage at Port Hadlock. Port Hadlock Bay Marina has offered a 25% discount on moorage for Derby participants. Contact the Harbormaster for details at 360.385.6368.
  Port Hadlock Bay Marina
  310 Hadlock Bay Road
  Port Hadlock, WA 98339
  360.385.6368

  Port Hadlock (click for map) is located at the foot of Port Townsend Bay, to the west of Indian Island, a quick run south from Port Townsend Boat Haven.

  
  
  
• 5 January 2009: Special hotel rates. Three area hotels have made special reduced rates available for Derby fishers. Please contact these hotels directly for details. Note that many area hotels will sell out during the Derby so be sure to make your reservations early! (Note: Neither we nor the hotels are responsible for any errors below...but sorry if we goof.)
  
  Sequim Quality Inn & Suites
  134 River Road, Sequim WA 98382, 360.683.2800
  Ask for the Discovery Bay Salmon Derby rate of $89.99/night
  
  
  Aladdin Motor Inn
  2333 Washington St., Port Townsend, Sequim WA 98368, 360.385.3747
  Ask for the Internet Rate for the Discovery Bay Salmon Derby
  of $60/night, double occupancy
  
  
  Harborside Inn & Suites
  330 Benedict St, Port Townsend WA 98368, 360-385-7909, 800-942-5960
  Ask for the Internet Rate for the Discovery Bay Salmon Derby
  of $72/night (king) or $82/night (two queens)
  As always, we are very grateful to area businesses who support our Derby in this fine manner.
  
  
• 29 December 2008: Please join our discussion forum. Our new Discussion forum is still pretty quiet. Don’t wait for others to sign up first – register, pick your user name, and use one of the discussion boards to put out a friendly Happy New Year to your Derby pals. We’d like to turn this into the “go to place” for talking about North Olympic salmon fishing. Please call or email us if there are problems.
  
  
• 21 December 2008: Prize boat details. Northwest Marine Trade Association, sponsor of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series, has provided some details on this year’s prize boat. Here’s a picture:
  
  
    

  Photo courtesy of Tony Floor, NMTA

  
  
  The 2009 boat is a 19-1/2-foot Stabi-Craft SuperCab model 589, painted black. It will rest on an EZ-Loader galvanized trailer, and will be powered with a 140 BHp 4-stroke Suzuki outboard, along with a 9.9 BHp Suzuki 4-stroke trolling motor. The boat will also be rigged with Scotty Electric downriggers, Dual stereo, and Raymarine GPS/fish finder.
  
  
• 21 December 2008: Discussion forum. This site now includes an open discussion forum for use by Derby participants, area residents, and others who are involved or interested in our Derby. You’ll see a new Discussion forum link on the navigation bar above. Please bear with us if there are problems.
  
  
• 16-18 December 2008: Further website additions. This website has had various additional changes and new material. Downloadable versions of the 2009 brochure, boater info, and other material are now available. You also might notice some simplifications in the site’s appearance and structure.
  
  Note: If the site looks ‘weird’ try refreshing your browser to get the new layout.
  
  
• 6 December 2008: HUGE CONTRIBUTION. Our loyal and strong supporter 7 Cedars Casino has amazed us by contributing $1,000 this year, which is enough to cover our increased third-place fishing prize. This makes 7 Cedars our largest single contributor, and a valued partner in providing Discovery Bay emergency services. All local residents should thank 7 Cedars for this fine action.