Anglers can begin casting in Haines’ annual coho salmon derby next Wednesday. The contest, hosted by the Haines Sportsman’s Association, will run through Oct. 29. 

The prize for heaviest coho, or silver, salmon is $1,000 cash. The three top finishers each will receive cash and gift-card awards.

“Hopefully we’ll establish a new state record for coho,” said Russ Byerly, president of the Sportsman’s Association. That record, 26 pounds, was set at Icy Strait in 1976.

Tickets for the contest cost $25 and can be bought at Alaska Sport Shop or Outfitter Sporting Goods. 

Last year more tickets were sold than in any year past, Byerly said. “We’re hoping to do even better this year. And this is without Canada. They usually flock down here.”

In addition to the weight competitions, there will be a “catch-and-release photo contest,” Byerly said. Every derby participant who submits a photo of a catch will be entered into a drawing to win a variety of goodies, including a round-trip flight to Juneau, gift cards and a one-year CVN subscription.

There also will be two kids’ derbies: one for ages 5 to10 and one for 11to 15. There will be prizes for the three finalists in each. 

Weigh stations will be set up at both Outfitter Sporting Goods and Alaska Sport Shop. Fish must be cleaned before being weighed.

Everyone who buys a derby ticket, even people who don’t fish, will be entered into weekly lotteries for the derby’s duration.

The Sportsman’s Association, more than 60 years old, used to host a king salmon derby, but they switched to coho in 2017 after having to cancel its king contest for three years due to a declining king population and stricter regulations. 

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game limits the coho catch to three per day on the Chilkat River and two per day on Chilkoot Lake and Chilkoot River below the lake. 

Coho aren’t as muscular as kings, the biggest salmon species, but they are known for their mild taste and combative tendencies.

“A coho salmon fight is not like any other fish fight,” Byerly said. “They run; they jump. You’re in a battle if you get one of these things on the line.”

“And they’re excellent to eat.”