By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The 64th annual Sitka Salmon Derby came down to the wire Sunday evening, but in the end Emmit Johnson turned out to be the winner with the 31.2-pound king he entered May 26, the second day of the five-day derby.
“I was just hanging on by the skin of my teeth,” said the Sitka 12-year-old, this year’s winner of the Sitka Sportsman’s Association annual event. “People kept turning in a 30-pounder, and another 30-pounder.... I barely held on.”
That was an understatement.
In the final minutes before the 7 p.m. close of the derby Sunday evening, seasoned local angler Tom Scheidt pulled up to the Crescent Harbor weigh-in barge with a king exactly the same weight as Emmit’s 31.2 pounder.
Under derby rules ties are settled by giving the edge to the first fish entered, so the prize went to Emmit.
“I was kind of worried,” said Emmit, who was at home as the final fish were being turned in. “It was one in a million,” he added, that the top two fish would have exactly the same weight.
Emmit Johnson (Photo provided to the Sentinel)
Ladder and Derby Chairman John McCrehin said Scheidt’s boat, the F/V Kari Ann, was just outside the Crescent Harbor breakwater as the final minutes of the derby counted down, and two other boats were turning in fish at the weigh-in barge. Scheidt, who was fishing with two out-of-town friends, pulled up just in time to turn over his fish, the only derby entry on the boat.
From his years of experience on the derby weigh-in barge, McCrehin said he knew Scheidt had a contender the moment he handed it over.
“I thought we had a new leader – or maybe I’m getting old,” he said.
His granddaughter, volunteer Monique Lysons, called out 6:59 as the official time the fish was turned in.
Scheidt said it was only luck that he was able to get his fish in before the deadline. A miscommunication on his boat about the time had led him to make a leisurely trip back to the harbor from Cape Edgecumbe, where he had caught the fish hours earlier.
He said one of his friends on the boat “was talking about the closing time of the restaurant; I was talking about the closing time of the derby,” he said. He was surprised when the horn went off signaling the derby’s end.
But as far as winning the top prize was concerned, Scheidt, 69, said he was happy for Emmit.
“Especially after waiting for two weekends – it’ll mean more to him than it would ever mean to me, especially at his age,” Scheidt said.
Tom Scheidt (Sentinel Photo by Reber Stein)
After the horn went off, it was then a waiting game for the Johnsons while the winner was being figured out – although the results won’t be official until the awards ceremony June 13.
Emmit’s mom, Katherine Johnson, said she and husband Josh received the call at 8:30 p.m. from her dad, SSA member Randy Gluth, who had been called by John McCrehin about the final results.
“What a whirlwind,” Katherine said. “We really didn’t want to celebrate because we didn’t know what was going to happen. We did wait until late last night until we told Emmit congratulations.”
There was then a lot of celebrating.
“I jumped around and started screaming,” Emmit said.
Recalling the day just one week ago when he was fishing with his family at Kalinin Bay, Emmit said it took him 20 minutes to reel in his prize-winning catch.
“It was a fighter – I knew it was going to be bigger than any fish I had caught,” he said this morning. “I was really excited when I caught it.”
He said his mom thought he was just being dramatic as he struggled with his catch, and was pleased when he saw the actual size.
The first prize for winning the derby is Alaska Airlines round-trip tickets plus $4,000 cash. Katherine Johnson said Emmit is deciding on a possible trip to take, perhaps with a friend, and the family will discuss how to spend the $4,000 although Emmit said he has some ideas.
For second place Scheidt will get the choice of $1,000 or an outboard motor. He is also eligible for other prizes as a military veteran and Sportsman’s Association member catching the biggest fish of the day.
Scheidt has lived in Sitka since 1954, and has fished the derby most years. He said many of the people he has taken out derby fishing in his boat have done well, but this is his first time on the leader board. This year he fished only on the final weekend.
Unofficial standings for the top ten biggest fish:
1. Emmit Johnson - 31.2 lbs
2. Thomas Scheidt - 31.2 lbs
3. Sarah Lamb - 30.7 lbs
4. Foy Nevers - 30.5 lbs
5. Coulter Bird - 30.2 lbs
6. Rich Ross - 29.5 lbs
7. Ron Davis - 29.5 lbs
8. Riley Bernhardt - 27.4 lbs
9. Bert Edenso - 27.2 lbs
10. Pat Dodson - 26.2 lbs
Derby volunteer Marsha Lysons reported today that 231 fish were turned in by 137 people. The average weight was 17.04 lbs.
“All of these were up from last year’s numbers,” she said.
The results in the total pounds category are as follows:
1. Riley Bernhardt - 97 lbs
2. Sarah Lamb - 92 lbs
3. Jack Haley - 91.9 lbs
4. Erin Kitka - 91.9 lbs
5. Emmit Johnson - 84.2 lbs
6. Victor Weaver - 82.3 lbs
7. Gary Bernhardt - 79.4 lbs
8. Piper Vaughn - 78.7 lbs
9. Ron Davis - 73.9 lbs
10. Dylan Haley - 73.7 lbs
John McCrehin said he was pleased to see the higher participation levels in this year’s derby, especially in the younger ages. He noted that at one point during the derby most of the top spots were held by kids 15 and under.
The awards ceremony is 7 p.m. June 13 at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
