Author Topic: Dah, dah, da, da Derby Time! (Read 7103 times)

cohoho · « **on:** March 05, 2009, 10:48:40 PM »

Off to pre-fish tomorrow for the Sturgeon Derby on Sat..... Hopefully we bring home the bacon$$$............... Myself, M-Ray and Pope will be hard at work at o'dark thrity Sat morning...

robodad · « **Reply #1 on:** March 05, 2009, 10:52:05 PM »

Good Luck Boys !!! Wish I was there too !!!

ICEMAN · « **Reply #2 on:** March 05, 2009, 10:54:06 PM »

Good luck, stay safe!

bowhunterforever · « **Reply #3 on:** March 06, 2009, 12:17:17 AM »

Sounds like a fun time, Good luck!

rasbo · « **Reply #4 on:** March 06, 2009, 03:35:34 AM »

GOOD LUCK HOPE YA SMOKE THEM

bankwalker · « **Reply #5 on:** March 06, 2009, 10:16:19 AM »

good luck guys. ill be on the chahelis saturday doing my best to catch sturgeon. to bad i aint in the derby or id be down on the columbia aswell.

huntnphool · « **Reply #6 on:** March 06, 2009, 10:25:18 AM »

Go gettum boys

huntnphool · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2009, 05:39:24 PM »

Just got off the phone with Pope, they caught several fish today in practice however only one keeper that would have qualified for the derby, around 48". The good news is the checker at the dock said the largest fish measured there today was 49" so they would have been in the money. Good luck tomorrow guys, tight lines!!!!

billythekidrock · « **Reply #8 on:** March 06, 2009, 05:41:16 PM »

Make us proud!.

big iron · « **Reply #9 on:** March 07, 2009, 10:01:08 PM »

cohoho did you guys get to go or were you blown off the water like here in P.A.?

cohoho · « **Reply #10 on:** March 07, 2009, 11:19:36 PM »

Just got back, no keepers today for the money.... Oh well, we had a great time, and got to fish with a couple great guys Pope and M_Ray. We caught several fish, a couple just shy of keepers status, one was 37 and 7/8ths, Almost made the 38 min for the retention. A few boats limited out of 287 boats and over 600 fishermen and women (which a girl won the whole event

), seemed like maybe five or six got three and several had two, but more than most didn't even have a keeper, probably 80%,

I would guess from the status board it wasn't as good as previous years, but we had good days leading up to today and weeks prior to getting ready.. As a team we did manage to win a couple prizes in the drawing, some fish bags, really nice, traded for a couple rods with someone else who won them... I also won a really nice Sturgeon combo rod and reel, probably worth about $180. Lots of prizes, funny though the same group of people won 1st and 2nd and I think largest fish too?

And to think we passed up the hole they were in, talked about it and thought about it again after a bit... Oh well... It was nice to see the alot of guides get shunned also... They were in the same holes as us... If you haven't done this before, wow the start is absolutely crazy, I mean really Oklahoma Land Rush crazy. We were in the first wave out of 87 boats two other waves followed us with 100 and another 100 respectively at 30 minutes intervals... The boats had to drive by a boat with flashing yellow lights on it they would record your number then most started filtering towards a imaginary line and the count down from ten to one went over the radio. Holly *censored*, no kidding- it was like bumpers boats on steroids, everyone going like crazed wild people hauling as fast as their boats would go towards their magical holes. If someone was in a little boat I felt really bad for them it was like serious bad surf conditions right in the middle of the river... I am surprised if someone didn't get swamped... The big boats certainly distanced themselves from the crowd quickly. We only had seven or eight in front of us by the time we hit the bend for the Willamette. And those in front of us were untouchable, a couple guide boats with big 225 props and the extreme boys running twins 150's or bigger. Got what seemed like major air several times in the beginning trying to get past the others... I think we all will have to see the dentist to replace some fillings that came loose...

That in itself was a highlight for my first of MANY more derbies.... I just can't really describe how wild the start actually is. Too cool. The funniest part was there was a smaller anchored boat with guys not in the derby fishing just past the mouth of the Willamette, when we went by they appeared to yelling at boats (maybe 8 to 9 went through at this point)... They must have been outright freaked

by the sight of 80 boats hauling butt straight at him, if he didn't know the derby was going on, he probably about crapped his pants at that sight... And that went on for one hour with the next 200 boats running towards their spots..... If he knew the derby was on and been there before he was just plain STUPID!.... It was again a great time and one heck of a experience that everyone ought to do at least once. We are planning our attack for next year.... Pope has some cool pics of the maddness I'm sure he'll be posting..

bowhunterforever · « **Reply #11 on:** March 07, 2009, 11:44:51 PM »

Sounds like you guys had a blast!

robodad · « **Reply #12 on:** March 08, 2009, 08:22:40 AM »

Did you guys use up all your luck before the derby or what !!!

Sounds like a total blast, I remember halibut derbys that were similar in that 250 boats running helter skelter trying to cork off anyone they could !!!

billythekidrock · « **Reply #13 on:** March 08, 2009, 08:30:57 AM »

Thanks for the update.

huntnphool · « **Reply #14 on:** March 08, 2009, 11:40:21 AM »

Last years derby was slow for keepers as well Mike, don't feel bad.

popeshawnpaul · « **Reply #15 on:** March 08, 2009, 02:07:04 PM »

What good is a post without photos?

Ok, here we are Friday pre-fishing the tourney. Bite was ok, but not great. Cohoho got a short fat one. Back in the drink it went.

Late in the day, with no beer on boat we managed to hook into a 4 footer. It fought Mike pretty good so I took a few pictures.

Mike boated the fish. 48". Not bad. These things are big and ugly. I'm not sure which is uglier, a sturgeon or a lingcod. I know they both taste good. Maybe there is a correllation there...?

Along comes derby day. Here we are, the three amigos ready to take off with 100 other boats around us waiting...

They call down the start on the radio and everyone guns it. Mike's boat is pretty fast at about 40 mph so we are near the front of the pack. About 5 boats pull away from us going 50 mph +. It was nuts as you don't slow down for waves...

The action was a little slow for us. We didn't make the mistake of not having beer on the boat today. Along floated a guide boat with an oversized fish on. I think the guide running the boat helped put this tourney on. This was a serious sturgeon on...

I'm not sure they knew they were being photographed as I had my big lens on. This fish put up a fight.

Looked like about a 7 footer to me? I think that fish is older and taller than me...

We didn't get a keeper the tourney day. We caught a few though. Here are a few fish at the weigh station.

Red Dawg · « **Reply #16 on:** March 08, 2009, 02:40:49 PM »

looks like you guys had a great time. That sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

cohoho · « **Reply #17 on:** March 09, 2009, 04:15:06 PM »

It was for sure, here are a couple more pics on my super duper high quailty red cheapo camera.... Even Shawn takes good pictures with that camera.... All the lack of high tech settings had him confused for a moment...

popeshawnpaul · « **Reply #18 on:** March 10, 2009, 10:47:09 AM »

Oh, you had to show me with a dinker...

Yeah, there was only one setting, it was auto. Had me confused for a minute...

cohoho · « **Reply #19 on:** March 10, 2009, 11:59:45 AM »

I know that on and off button gets confusing for sure sometimes, it was the only couple pics on my camera......

boneaddict · « **Reply #20 on:** March 10, 2009, 12:17:10 PM »

AWESOME GUYS. I'm sad I missed out! Rob, we should figure out a team next year (notice I am inviting myself)

huntnphool · « **Reply #21 on:** March 10, 2009, 12:18:29 PM »

hogsniper · « **Reply #22 on:** March 10, 2009, 12:23:54 PM »

THats awesome, my uncle's team weighed in 70 plus pounds with 2 fish...They just couldnt get that 3 one but still managed 4th in the tourny....Awesome photos guys...Justin

shoot-em-dead · « **Reply #23 on:** March 10, 2009, 12:27:52 PM »

Looks like you all had fun. Any more tournys comming up?

huntnphool · « **Reply #24 on:** March 10, 2009, 12:30:41 PM »

Boatersworld sponsors a good one every year

cohoho · « **Reply #25 on:** March 10, 2009, 12:53:25 PM »

Rob, You happen to know when, looked at their web site but couldn't find anything? I heard there is also another one in Astoria towards summer for the Policemen Associations?

huntnphool · « **Reply #26 on:** March 10, 2009, 01:03:51 PM »

Its generally fathers day weekend, although last year they had to change it because the high school gym was being used for graduation. They moved the derby back and the fishing sucked. I think this year they have moved it back to fathers day weekend or the weekend after but not sure. I get the info in the mail every year so I will let you know when. 3 person teams, everyone in the boat has to be on a team. Fish need to be weighed in alive and there is no shotgun start, weigh in as at 3;00 pm and trust me, they have guys there with a clock that cuts off the weigh in line right on the hour. Every year I see guys show up with nice fish but are a minute late,

there are no exceptions given. The part that kills me is there are local police and game cops there for the weigh in, you would be amazed how many people stand in line with illegal fish, get up to the weigh in, and are shocked when the game cops write them up right there at the scales in front of everyone,

huntnphool · « **Reply #27 on:** March 10, 2009, 01:06:20 PM »

Here you go Mike, I forgot its headed up by SouthWest Washington Anglers, here is the link from their site.

http://www.swwa.org/derby.htm

popeshawnpaul · « **Reply #28 on:** March 10, 2009, 03:48:02 PM »

I got my anchor welded up and ready...

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