Salmon derby finale brings in last-minute flurry of activity
- Ellie Ruel
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Anglers say water conditions better, but fishing remains mediocre, no major leaderboard shakeups on final day
By Ellie Ruel
Juneau Independent
The 79th Golden North Salmon Derby closed out Sunday evening with a rapid volley of boats turning in their weekend catch in hopes of shaking up the leaderboard. Fishers who had stayed out all weekend were turning in hauls upwards of 30 fish, and boaters out of Auke Bay seemed to have renewed energy after a small craft advisory issued Saturday night was lifted and water conditions vastly improved.
Nobody managed to unseat the first-place fish, a 31.2-pound king turned in by Stephen Beedle at Amalga Harbor a mere two hours after the derby began Friday morning. The second-place spot is unofficially held by Michelle Duncan’s 19.4-pound king turned in at the Douglas Island weigh station on Friday, followed by Hayden Kuzakin’s Saturday catch of an 18.3-pound king turned in at Amalga Harbor in third place.
Auke Nu Weigh Station collected the largest number of fish, with a closing total of 113 coho and 30 king salmon. According to dock official Alysha Reeves, the station filled five and a half totes on Sunday alone.
Shannon and Brian Whistler pulled into the Auke Nu station late in the afternoon to drop off a 13.4-pound king and a few scholarship fish.
“We didn’t get the 32-pounder, we tried though,” said Shannon Whistler.
Maia Cole-Underraga weighed in a 12.8-pound coho shortly after, nearly double the first 6.8-pound fish she caught earlier that morning. The family was busy, with Maia’s brother Oliver also catching a 13.4-pound coho and estimating a scholarship fish count of over 35.
Things got especially hectic in the final hour at Amalga Harbor, which saw a total of 50 coho and 18 king salmon entered in the derby over the weekend. A steady stream of fish filled two totes on Sunday, with a large portion of scholarship fish collected.
Just as officials were getting ready to close up shop, a boat plowed into the harbor and barely made it to the pier before the 6 p.m. deadline. Ashtin Kenney jumped into the water and personally swam his friend Logan Roper’s 16.4-pound king to the dock that had been caught “literally four minutes ago.” The move paid off, since the salmon took ninth place after being weighed in at 6:04 p.m.
“I was asking everybody, ‘What time is it? What time is it?’” Roper said.
Amalga dock officials said they felt good about the results this weekend, especially since the station holds the top leaderboard spot.
“It’s amazing. Unofficially, we have the winning fish,” said Misty Chilton.
The Douglas Island weigh station trailed behind the other two in derby numbers, with 22 kings and 23 coho entered overall. Dock official Jonathon Gunstrom said he wasn’t really expecting an end-of-derby rush at his station.
"They're catching more and doing a lot better up north,” Gunstrom said.
They still put up a decent showing on the leaderboard, capturing the second, fifth, and seventh places overall. More than 100 scholarship fish were turned in at the Douglas station on Sunday alone.
The official derby awards ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug.14 at the Juneau Moose Lodge.
• Contact Ellie Ruel at ellie.ruel@juneauindependent.com
