Other Pertinent Information for the Hood Canal Salmon Derby

Volunteers of the South Sound Chapter of PSA have worked diligently to ensure that you have an enjoyable experience at our derby.  We hope that if there ever becomes a misunderstanding, that we can work it out to everyone's satisfaction.    We also hope that you understand that there is not enough room on our brochures & fliers to cover all possible situations.    In efforts to further this concept, we would like to convey some things listed below that may add clarification on some matters.

Derby Staff :  All derby staff will be wearing a navy blue Tee Shirt with the PSA logo on the LH chest & large word STAFF on the back.   One staff member has been assigned to verify that all aboard the fishing boats have derby tickets.  Feel free to ask questions of any of them. 

Derby Officials reserve the right to clean fish and may do so on a random basis.  Derby Officials may disqualify any fish that has been tampered with or APPEARS to have been tampered with.  The decisions of the derby Officials on legality, time, and weight will be final & binding

Derby Tickets Availability :  Derby Tickets will be available at the advertised locations & at the Tacoma Power powerhouse boat launch at Potlatch at about daylight (5AM) on Saturday to 8 AM & again on Sunday until 8 AM.  After 8 AM on Sunday, ticket sales close.

Official Weight :  All fish are weighed in the round, (or un-cleaned).  When the fisherperson weighs their fish in at the weigh-in, they will be asked to verify the weight on the scale & what is written on the master list.  They will then be requested to initial this on the list.  A cleaned fish can be weighed in, but at the cleaned weight.

Fishing will be allowed only in the open area of WDFW Marine Area 12 as described in the current WDFW regulation pamphlet.  This is for saltwater only & does not include the rivers above their designated mouths.

Photo's :  The weigh in staff will also ask if photos taken at the event can be used for club promotional purposes later.  When the fisherperson initials the sheet as to weight verification, next to that box is the photo OK box, this needs to be initialed also to constitute photo consent.

Mystery Fish :  This weight is preset by all the board members placing a number on a small piece of paper, which is then folded & placed into a can.  One number is drawn (not looked at) & is placed into a sealed envelope, which is not opened until the awards ceremony.  This number in pounds of the fish's weight will be used to determine which fish is CLOSEST (above or below) to the number & thereby determine the winner of this category.  If there is a tie as to poundage, (either up or down) then the earliest time will be the winner.   This weight is designed to be below a any money fish.

WDFW fish checker :  There will be as in the past, a WDFW fish checker at the weigh-ins, who will measure & may take scale samples from your fish.

Twanoh State Park Launch :  We have made arrangements with he park ranger to leave the gates to this launch unlocked earlier than their normal hours opening for these derby 2 days.   The request from the ranger is to please close the gate behind you for this early usage after you get inside, before the official park opening hours.

Update with Larger Fish :  If you catch a larger fish after you have weighed in one, YOU HAVE TO request this update at the time you weigh the larger fish, so the earlier fish is removed, as you are only allowed one fish on the official roster.

All Weighed in Fish Identified :  Each weighed in fish will be identified as weighed in by the weigh in team by punching a hole in the gill plates, using a different location each day.

Cell Phone / Radio Coverage :  Cell phone coverage has been improved dramatically in the last 2 years, so possibly a cell tower has been erected close by.  Some VHF may be possible from the boat, if you have a tall antenna.

Fog :  You may encounter morning fog here this time of the year.  So a GPS/Plotter can be beneficial.

Barbeque :  There will be a Saturday night barbeque in Hoodsport at the parking lot of the Hood Canal Grocery.  Your Derby Ticket is what gets you in.  This is a great way to mingle with other fisherpersons & possibly find out what where the hot bite was that day. 

Awards Ceremony :  This year as last, the Hoodsport Merchants Assn. has made the location of the previous Saturday night barbeque available for the Awards Ceremony. 

Parking :  This can get congested & we do not want to push out parking for the Hood Canal Grocery, so try to park out of their way.  There is also parking up on the hill at the library parking lot off the highway just north of the grocery store.  Go up the hill & take the first road to the right into the library lot.

Last updated 05-21-2011