SNC Salmon Derby 2014

The Final

The Adventures of Bob and Doug indeed! No, not the goofy, beer-swilling McKenzie brothers, ya' hoser. For second year in a row, the Seattle uncle and nephew team scores a come-from-behind victory in the 2014 Two Dave's Beat Down Derby. Doug's 54 pound behemoth rocked the field with a winning margin of some 14 pounds over the nearest competitor to claim the championship. For his efforts, Doug has earned a return trip for two to any WCFC resort this summer. Tuesday leader, Ian Graham (40 lbs.) was runner up and takes home a shiny new Islander MR2 reel. Third place (35 lbs.) and a $200 gift certificate goes to Jamie Poole.

Overall, we enjoyed a great week of fishing to kick off the 2014 season. Lots of Chinook around in the mid to high teens. Six tyee, up to 54 pounds were recorded and a nice bonus during the last two days - 5 to 6 pound Coho are starting to show up as well!

Congratulations to the winners and our thanks to all of the derby guests and our host Terry Cowan and his wonderful staff and crew at The Clubhouse. See you next June!

*From left to right, Dave Akins (2011 and 2012 winner), Bob Yoshioka (2013 and 2014 winner), and Doug Shigaki (2013 and 2014 winner).

See below for the full summary of this great event!Kick Off:The fourth annual Two Dave's Beat Down Derby (formerly SNC Shootout) is on this week at The Clubhouse with this afternoon being a warm up session of personal fishing for the contestants. The competition starts tomorrow. Last year, Bob Yoshioka was top dog with a 42 pounder from Gunia Point. There have been reports of several fish over 40 lbs and and one in the low 50's recently so it certainly appears that this year's winner will be similarly sized.Todd McIntyre and his crew open North Island Lodge on Monday morning and they are eager to kick off another busy season. Good luck to all!Randy LeeTDBD Derby MasterDay One:

*Guide Taylor, Peggy Zoro and Bob McDonald ready to head out for the afternoon session.Monday EveningThe strong northerly winds continue to buffet the northern reaches of Haida Gwaii for the second consecutive day, keeping anglers in the shelter of Egeria Bay. As has been the case for the last week, jack Chinook in the 12 to 20 pound range are abundant and have kept anglers busy. When the lights were turned off for the evening in The Clubhouse, two fish just north of 20 pounds by Loren Pitchford and Dave Shigaki were close to the top but it was two time winner Dave Akins who went to bed with a slight lead.

*Guy and Jacob Jammes fist pumpin, ready for the tournament winner on the end of their line.Tuesday Noon:For the first time in 48 hours, the winds eased, allowing guests to move around at will to test their favorite spots around Langara Island. Jamie Poole and Dave Akins caught and released a 35 pounder at Lacy Island and other boats reported good success there as well. There was a noticeable feeling of relief by all of the guests during lunch break. Finally a chance to move around and enjoy some new scenery. Kind of like when you were allowed to return to party with your teenage friends after being grounded for a month by your unreasonable parents for breaking curfew. Life is good again!

*Dale and Dave Shigaki into one.Tuesday Evening:Now that the bar had been raised considerably during the morning session, it was great to know that there were bigger fish out there. One the other hand, there was the stark realization that it would now take a Big Kid fish to win this derby. Besides trying to hook the biggest fish of the week for his guests, Senior guide Kory was also in charge to keeping his 18 fellow members of The Clubhouse guide crew informed on catches that would be candidates for the derby prize table. Mid afternoon, the VHF radio crackles and Kai, skipper of Boat 11, calls Kory to record a fish landed by his guests, Ian Graham and Limin Sun. Everyone listened intently as Kai relayed the vital statistics.....43.5" length by 27" girth. A quick glance and the chart and it rounds out to 40 lbs. Thanks for coming! Better yet, Ian and Limin opted to release the beauty and Kai carefully nurses the chrome bright Chinook back to full battle worthiness. A powerful kick of the tail and it slips into the deep to continue the amazing journey back to it's natal stream somewhere on the Pacific coast. God speed. This, my friends, is what Salmon fishing is all about!

*Ian Graham and Limin Sun warming up before they took the lead with a nice 40 pounder later in the day.Wednesday NoonOn the final day of last year's derby, Doug Shigaki and Bob Yoshioka were in the dining room at 2:30pm contemplating where they should spend the remainder of the fishing day. They decided that Gunia Point would be a good bet as it's only a couple of minutes away by boat and the area has the reputation of producing fewer fish, but bigger ones. This year, they made that decision at breakfast instead of lunch. Along with guide Tyler (aka Buckshot), they worked the waters along the northeast shoreline of Graham Island. Lunch break was not far off when the soothing sound of waves, gently lapping against the hull of the big Whaler was rudely interrupted by the scream of a gold Islander reel. Last year it was Bob Yoshioka on the rod, this time around it was Doug Shigaki. Deja vu. Hard to tell how big it was but the Chinook was on the surface and all you could see was it's tail lights. It continued to take line at an alarming rate. This sucker could be at Marchand Reef in a matter of seconds. No need to panic just yet. Having fished the waters around Langara Island for the better part of two decades, this was not his first rodeo. Patience and skill were rewarded as Buckshot slid the net under the big Chinook pulled it over the gunwale. Uncle Bob taped it's length and girth and the Tyler carefully revived and released the prodigious Salmon. When everybody on board resumed normal breathing patterns, Buckshot made the call on the radio....." 48" length by 30" girth ". A thing of beauty and a new derby leader at 54 pounds. Five more hours of fishing and the 2014 Two Dave's Beat Down Derby will be in the books.

The Final

The Adventures of Bob and Doug indeed! No, not the goofy, beer-swilling McKenzie brothers, ya' hoser. For second year in a row, the Seattle uncle and nephew team scores a come-from-behind victory in the 2014 Two Dave's Beat Down Derby. Doug's 54 pound behemoth rocked the field with a winning margin of some 14 pounds over the nearest competitor to claim the championship. For his efforts, Doug has earned a return trip for two to any WCFC resort this summer. Tuesday leader, Ian Graham (40 lbs.) was runner up and takes home a shiny new Islander MR2 reel. Third place (35 lbs.) and a $200 gift certificate goes to Jamie Poole.

Overall, we enjoyed a great week of fishing to kick off the 2014 season. Lots of Chinook around in the mid to high teens. Six tyee, up to 54 pounds were recorded and a nice bonus during the last two days - 5 to 6 pound Coho are starting to show up as well!

Congratulations to the winners and our thanks to all of the derby guests and our host Terry Cowan and his wonderful staff and crew at The Clubhouse. See you next June!