Sportfishingbc.com is sponsoring a 2014 salmon derby. The guiding principles of the coast-wide contest (excluding Rivers Inlet and Queen Charlotte Islands) are to:
• Have a family friendly derby that will support local salmon enhancement projects
• Create a template for future groups to support their local enhancement projects
• Have a derby based on the trust of our local virtual SFBC community
• Remove the pressure on any single area by not hosting the derby in a set location and,
• Make the salmon the real winners of the derby.
All proceeds from the derby will go to the Little River Enhancement Society here in the Comox Valley. The process of entering is as follows:
1. Join the SFBC through the website – sportfishingbc.com. There is no fee to join.
2. Effective derby dates are May 1 through and including Sept. 1.
3. The entry fee is $25 per person. Children are eligible to enter.
4. The entry fee is payable to the Little River Enhancement Society. Mail to: SFBC Salmon Derby, Unit 6- 2401 Cliffe Ave., Box #113, Courtenay, B.C., V9N 2L5.
Enclose the names and ages of children entered. The sign-up dates are March 1 to June 1. E-mail confirmation will be sent out when the entry is received. If you do not have an e-mail or computer, register through a friend or the local library because this event is strictly on the Internet.
Fish your own waters and plan your own trips. To enter your catch, e-mail your entry to sfbcderby2014@gmail.com Please include name of fisherman, date, location, and necessary verification outlined in the rules. You must be a member of SFBC in good standing to register. No salmon caught prior to May 1 will be accepted as an entry. The following four species of Pacific salmon may be entered – chinook, coho, chum and pink. Salmon caught in freshwater do not qualify for entry.
Leaderboard results will be first posted on June 1 (after the closing of entries) and will be posted on a regular basis thereafter.
The awards and prizes will be presented at a special barbecue Sept. 27 at Bowen Park (lower picnic area) in Nanaimo starting at 12 noon. The winners of the top three salmon awards will receive awards. These award winners may make special arrangements with the organizers to receive their award if unable to attend the barbecue. Otherwise you must be in attendance to receive an award or prize – of which there are many with a total donated value approaching $15,000 at the time of this writing. Good luck!
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“Do It Yourself Bonefishing” by Rod Hamilton with Kirk Deeter, published by The Derrydale Press, 2014, price $29.95, available at local fishing, book stores and Amazon.ca.
The picture with this column is of Rod Hamilton holding a prime bonefish prior to release. In case you wonder why a book on this fish now? The answers are simple. Rod lives in the Valley and his book is destined to be a classic in fishing literature in my view. It would make a wonderful gift for any fly fisher who aspires to be excellent in the field of fly fishing.
Rod's accounts of walking hundreds of miles of beaches in the tropics of the Bahamas and broader waters of the Caribbean in search of these beautiful fish is what the journeyman apprenticeship of becoming a master angler is all about.
His writing style is close-up and personal. His contribution to the knowledge of fly fishing is on a level of Jack Shaw and Brian Chan in their writing on fly fishing for trout.
Do It Yourself Bonefishing gives intimate details of how to get involved with this winter fishing activity in the tropics from November to February. Much sensitive space is allocated to things for partners and children to do on a fishing vacation while you spend time on the beaches in search of bonefish.
Rod gives over 300 locations to fish for bonefish. If I were choosing a location it would be in the Bahamas. For me, it is one of the best books I have read on the fascination and dedication to fly fishing.
Ralph Shaw is a master fly fisherman who was awarded the Order of Canada in 1984 for his conservation efforts. In 20 years of writing a column in the Comox Valley Record it has won several awards.