The $10,000 first-prize winner of the 2018 Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby had his catch weighed at the Port Townsend Boat Haven ramp March 10.

While the two heaviest fish caught each weighed 16.85 pounds, Mount Vernon’s Micah Haley caught his salmon first, on the morning of Saturday, March 10. Port Angeles’ Kyle Madison caught his fish the following morning, Sunday, March 11, thereby relegating him to second place, according to derby rules.

This early advantage awarded Haley the first prize of $10,000. Madison walked away with the second prize of $2,000, and Olympia’s Larry Phillips claimed the third prize of $1,000 for his 16.4-pound chinook.

Of the record-breaking 857 tickets sold for this year’s event, which took place March 9-11, Port Townsend Boat Haven way station attendee Dennis Martin estimated that roughly 170 of them were sold to folks using the local boat ramp.

“There were 53 fish caught and brought in here on Friday, which saw steady traffic all day,” Martin said on the morning of March 11. “Saturday brought 54 fish, but almost all of them came in after 2 p.m. that day.”

Kathy Watrous, Gardiner Salmon Derby Association president, noted that the event was shifted to March, rather than its usual Presidents Day weekend date slot, due to the late opening of salmon fishing in Marine Area 6.

“The spectacular weather probably helped our ticket sales for this second weekend in March, and it was snowing during Presidents Day weekend,” Watrous said. “The sunshine was a big change from our usual cold and windy weather. We had quite a few first-time participants, even some from out of state.”

In this year’s event, 233 fish weighed in at 6 pounds or more, with an average fish weight of 8.15 pounds, compared to the 2017 count of 208 fish averaging 8 pounds.

Kevin Deselms, a volunteer at the derby who’s also a member of the community emergency response team (CERT) for the Diamond Point community in Sequim, guessed that the fish brought into the Port Townsend Boat Haven averaged 10 pounds.

Deselms took the time to volunteer for the derby because its funds go to support community groups, emergency services and high school scholarships.

“Last year’s derby raised $1,500 for our CERT team, which went to emergency media supplies,” Deselms said.

For more information, visit

gardinersalmonderby.org or Facebook, “Gardiner Salmon Derby Association.”