Coho derby comes to a close

With Labor Day come and gone, Wrangell's coho salmon derby has come to a close. According to Alicia Holder, with the chamber of commerce, 106 coho were weighed in over the four weekends of the derby. The chamber of commerce also sold 240 derby tickets.

The overall winners of the derby were determined by the combined weight of the three biggest salmon fishers were able to reel in over the entire derby. The overall winners are as follows: First place: McKinley Ward, 37 lbs; Second place: Lynsie Powers, 36 lbs; Third place: Marilyn Mork, 35.1 lbs.

The prizes for winning the derby overall are $2,000, $1,500, and $1,000 respectively. There were numerous other prizes to be won during the derby, however. Each weekend, a winner was determined by the heaviest fish weighed in. These winners are: Aug. 11 and 12: Jim Debord for a $250 prize; Aug. 18 and 19: Chet Powell Sr. for a $250 prize; Aug. 25 and 26: McKinley Ward for a $250 prize; and Sept. 1, 2, and 3: Robert Blair for a $500 prize.

A silver bracelet was also available to win by the woman who reeled in the biggest salmon. This prize went to Marilyn Mork, who caught a fish weighing 15.8 lbs. Another category in the derby was for children ages 12-years-old and younger. The winner of this category was 11-year-old Patton Bania, his prize being a drone.

Holder said that while some of the early weekend prize winners had already received their prizes, many others would receive their checks later in the week. More results of the coho derby can be found on the chamber of commerce's website, at http://www.wrangellchamber.org, under "2018 Coho Derby Ladders."