64-pound king leads Wrangell Derby

Gary Smart, left, took the lead in the Wrangell Salmon Derby this week with this 64.1 pound king salmon

With the generally sad news and slow start to king salmon fishing statewide, it’s nice to have a little/big good news.

Gary Smart, a Washington state angle, weighed in a 64.1 pound Chinook Wednesday morning to take the lead in the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce’s annual salmon derby.  That’s reportedly the largest king entered in the derby in 30 years.  Smart’s fishing companion weighed in another big king, a 41.9 fish, that took over second place on the derby leader board.

Much of the Southeast king fishery has been closed this spring because of poor forecasts for Southeast runs to iconic rivers like the Taku and Stikine.

Marine waters off the Stikine were closed to fishing for kings by ADF&G yesterday, for the period May 25-July 15.  The closed are is defined by all waters encompassed by a line from Babbler point to Hour point, Point Highfield to an ADF&G regulatory marker located at the eastern entrance of Blind Slough, an ADF&G regulatory marker on the eastern shore of Mitkof Island at lat. 56°40.769´N, long. 132°39.281´W to the mouth of Jap Creek on the mainland shore (see map).

Thanks to Shawna Buness for the heads up and photo of the big fish.   The Wrangell derby runs through June 11.

http://www.wrangellchamber.org/2017-derby-ladders.html