Charlotte Olerud draws for prizes for the Haines Sportsmen’s Association’s third annual coho derby at the Alaska Sport Shop Friday. President Dave Long announced the winners. Ryan Cook won round trip Haines to Juneau Alaska Seaplanes tickets.
Steve Anderson won the 2020 Haines Sportsmen’s Association Coho Derby. The third annual derby saw record participation despite the lack of Canadian anglers who couldn’t come because of the border closure.
More locals than ever before, 116, bought tickets, which raised $2,875 for the Sportsmen’s Associations scholarship funds. The group provides two $500 scholarships to graduating seniors each year.
Board president Dave Long attributed the increased participation to the opportunity to participate in a safe, outdoor event amid a pandemic that forced the cancellation of so many others this year.
“As a board we were really impressed with the great local participation this year in an event that was maybe not going to happen,” Long said. “So many things had been cancelled this year. People needed a local event. It just went real well.”
Vice president Charlie DeWitt attributed a strong coho run on the Chilkoot River and more room for locals to fish without “wall-to-wall Canadians” as additional factors driving increased participation.
Anderson said he fished the Chilkoot up to the end of the derby and cohos were still coming in. He won $1,250 and is giving much of the money away to people who fished with him and people who weighed fish.
“I’ve been giving the money away. It’s hard to take money for something I would have been doing anyway. I like the game,” Anderson said. “When the (Chilkoot Lake) road was closed I was up there fishing by myself. A lot of people stayed by the bridge because they were scared of the bears. I walked up there with my dog and was just fine.”
Anderson took first with a 13.3-pound coho he caught on Oct. 3. Olen Larson took second with a 13.2-pound salmon and Tomi Scovill’s 13.1-pound coho put her in third place. This is the second year Anderson took first place.
Chris Hill twook first on a fly rod after catching a 7.8-pound coho on Sept. 26.
In the youth division, Brooklyn DeWitt won first place with a 10-pound fish.
The Sportsmen’s Association doled out $4,800 in prizes including a drawing for those who purchased tickets. This year’s event allowed participants to catch and release cohos and submit photos of the catch.