August 7, 2016
2273
It was pitch black on the night of Aug. 2, when Jordan MacDougall reeled in the winning fish at the 33rd annual Chantry Chinook Classic Salmon Derby, which ended Sunday at noon, with awards presented that afternoon at the Whitney Crawford Community Centre in Tiverton.
MacDougall, 31, of Port Albert, said he was fishing on the south side of Point Clark in 70 feet of water when he landed the 23.78-pound Chinook.
"It took me half an hour to reel it in," he said. "When I had that fish on the line, I knew it was a monster. After I had it in the boat, I had to put it on ice and wait until the next day to weigh it in.
"I've always wondered about those guys who placed first with a fish that weighed over 20 pounds. The largest I had ever caught was 18 pounds. Well, now I know what it feels like. And with this win, I can prove to my wife that all those hours spent fishing were worth it!"
MacDougall has been fishing since he was nine years old. "I spent a lot of hours fishing with my dad. And since moving to Port Albert, I've been fishing the Chantry Chinook Classic derby. I placed second in 2010, and 11th in 2014. This year, I was totally amazed when I landed that Chinook. Now, I've caught the big fish, what's next?"
He paid tribute to his long-time fishing buddy, Ron Mason, who died this spring. "We loved fishing together and we'd take our kids fishing. We've fished this derby for years; I really missed him this year."
MacDougall won a prize of $15,000 for his top salmon.
Joining him in the top 25 for salmon were
Paul Geiger of Stouffville, had the largest trout, landing a 19.86-pound lake trout on Day 6 of the derby (July 28). He said he has been fishing the Chantry Chinook derby for 15 years, having been introduced to the event by Rick Dwinnell of Kincardine.
"I've had my boys out fishing since they were six years old," he said. "We've never been on the leader board before; the largest fish we've ever caught were 12-14 pounds. This year, we tried fishing in a different location and we landed the big one. We love this derby; we come here every year!"
Geiger won $7,500 for the top trout, while Larry Bauer of Wiarton had the largest Rainbow trout - 11.55 pounds caught on Day 1 of the derby, winning $500; and Mark Bromaroff of Port Elgin had the largest Brown trout - 18 pounds caught on Day 9 of the derby, winning $500.
Joining Geiger with the top five trout, were:
The number of anglers and fish caught at this year's derby is down from last year. There was a total of 1,550 entrants, down from 1,732 in 2015; and a total catch of 1,001 fish, down from 1,288 in 2015.
This year, there were 332 salmon (including 305 Chinook, 20 Coho, five Atlantic and two Pinks, with a huge increase in size - more than six pounds for the leader), compared to 466 in 2015; and 669 trout, compared to 767 in 2015.
Last year, Brian Claydon of Cambridge won the derby with a 17.07-pound Chinook, while Bob Hicks of Kincardine won the trout division, with a 24.61-pound Lake trout.
Phil Hahn of Tiverton said that in 1997, the largest salmon was 22.7 pounds. "We're getting as good a sized fish as we were getting before, it's just taking more hours to catch them."
MacDougall thanked the Lake Huron Fishing Club for organizing the annual derby, and for stocking the lake with plenty of salmon and trout for the sport of recreational fishing. He presented the club with a cheque for $2,000 to assist in its work.
For complete derby results, check the website at www.chantrychinook.com
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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