The 2012 Bayside Marine Salmon Derby Leave a reply

The 2013 Northwest Salmon Derby Series was given a yet another solid start by a surprisingly successful Bayside Marine Salmon Derby. On Saturday, November 3rd, the 21st edition of the Bayside event was greeted by Small Craft Advisory winds but the 250 competitors were not about to be discouraged by a little choppy water!

The winter chinook or “blackmouth” season opened on November 1st, giving anglers a chance to do a bit of pre-derby scouting. It didn’t take the recreational fleet long to find solid fishing on Possession Bar. Unfortunately, Possession is located on the southern tip of  Whidbey Island and is one of the most exposed points in Puget Sound. So, when the 15 to 25 knot winds arrived with the first hours of the Bayside Marine Derby Saturday morning, anglers were faced with  a strategic decision: brave the wind & waves of Marine Area 9’s Possession Bar and be rewarded with good numbers of fish or, work the calmer inside waters of Marine Area 8 where the last three derby winning chinook were taken.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series is the information or “fishing intel” available at the end of each event and the 2012 Bayside Marine Derby would be no exception!

Despite the rough weather, anglers experienced very good blackmouth fishing and by Sunday afternoon a record 88 chinook were entered in the derby!

The award ceremony was highlighted by a salmon barbeque and by the looks of the crowd, everybody was having a great time!

No stranger to the award podium, Scott Bumstad’s 14.4 pounder entitled him to claim the first place check awarded by Bayside Marine owners Dan Hatch on the left and Jeff Lalone on the right.

Also no stranger to the podium, Derek Floyd, captain of Team AnglersChoice.com was awarded the angling team check for their two day tournament record 83.5 pounds total boat weight of blackmouth!

As a stop on the 2013 NW Salmon Derby Series, participants in the 2012 Bayside Marine Derby have a ticket in the raffle for the derby series grand prize 22 foot boat, motor, electronics and trailer package.

 

Next stop on the tournament trail is the Resurrection Derby in Friday Harbor. The event takes place December 7-8 2012 and is limited to 100 angling teams. See you in Friday Harbor!