By Sentinel Staff
The weather was better in the second weekend of the 68th Sitka Salmon Derby, but the leader stayed the same – Caleb Gray, age 7, with a 32.5-pound king he caught last Monday.
“I let him blow the horn” after the derby ended, said John McCrehin, president of the annual event’s sponsor, Sitka Sportsman’s Association.
The horn blowing occurred at the weigh-in station at Crescent Harbor.
Caleb Gray, 7, blasts an air horn to officially end the 2023 Sitka Sportsman’s Association Salmon Derby Sunday evening. Caleb’s 32.5-pound king was the biggest fish this year. (Photo provided by Marsha Lysons)
Other changes included the next two top placers: Jack Haley, 11, with a 31.6-pound king and Riley Bernhardt, 15, with a 29.5-pound one.
As for the weather, in the first three days of the derby, temperatures ranged from 43 degrees on Monday, May 29, to 50 degrees on Sunday, May 28. the wind gusted to above 24 mph each day, and more than two inches of rain fell over the three days.
In contrast, temperatures this past weekend reached into the high 50s, rainfall totaled .01 inch and the highest wind gust was 22 mph Sunday afternoon.
“We had lots happier contestants,” McCrehin said.
With the better weather and turnout, total numbers for the derby were ”about average,” he said.
Derby fish are sold to Sitka Sound Seafoods, with proceeds going toward operating the next year’s derby and funding scholarships. More derby details will be published in Tuesday’s Sentinel.
Caleb Gray’s first-place prize will bring him a pair of Alaska Airlines vouchers and $10,000 in cash. Second-place Jack Haley is to receive $5,000, and Riley Bernhardt a power hauler.
Many, many other prizes will be handed out at awards night, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 15, at Centennial Hall.
Marsha Lysons, fish statistician, released names and numbers today, but they won’t be official until awards night.
“Things really picked up this second weekend,” she said. “Overall we had 490 fish turned in by a total of 155 people over the five days.”
At the end of the first weekend, 276 kings were turned in by 94 participants.
The names of this past weekend’s team members in the Chuck McGraw Jr. memorial team-fishing contest aren’t yet decided, but otherwise here are results:
Derby Leaders
1. Caleb Gray – 32.5 (age 7)
2. Jack Haley – 31.6 lbs (age 11)
3. Riley Bernhardt – 29.5 lbs (age 15)
4. Abby Saiz – 29.4 lbs
5. Thomas Anderson – 29 lbs
6. Kenny Gray – 28.5 lbs
7. Carter Olsen – 27.5 lbs (age 8)
8. Adam Olsen 0 26.5 lbs
9. Neil Akana – 25 lbs
10. Kenneth Rear – 25 lbs
Total pounds Leaders
1. Caleb Gray – 208.7 lbs (age 7)
2. Riley Bernhardt – 185.1 lbs (age 15)
3. Jack Haley – 161.9 lbs (age 11)
4. Kenny Gray – 160 lbs
5. Erin Kitka – 155.8 lbs
6. Gary Bernhardt – 130.4 lbs
7. Jared Nelson – 129.8 lbs
8. Charles Clement – 124.9 lbs
9. Lola Haley – 124 lbs (age 8)
10. Thomas Anderson – 118.8 lbs
Team Leaders
Day 1 – Top Gun 118 lbs
Team CR – 106.8 lbs
Salmon Producers – 103 lbs
Day 2 – Salmon Producers – 138.5 lbs
The Stinkheads – 101.4 lbs
Sitka Superiors – 100.6 lbs
Day 3 – Team CR -164.5 lbs
Katlian’s Hammer – 97.3 lbs
Reel Hookers – 97.3 lbs
Day 4 – TBD
Day 5 – TBD
