Great Ontario Salmon Derby 👎

[horsehunter]

In 1980 a new four wheel drive truck could be had for $7,500 today closer to 60 thousand.

[SpoonPullers.com]

[drjoe]

It is still the cheapest derby on the face of this planet.  Don't like it, don't enter it, don't squawk about it.

100 % DITTO from me ! The negative rarely achieves anything ! I stared the GOSD in 1985 and fished it every year until 2005 with a guy who was a great fisherman but he did not eat the fish and is dead now ! Did not win much but we had some great times trying !
Now I am into kid fish and introducing newbies to the sport : the cost would be prohibitive : We re presently in the St.CG&F derby boat ticket $175 for summer derby which I paid [ I will not take money ; my choice and brunch on me ! ] For individual tickets it would be 35 x 7 = $ 245 so I am ahead !
The prizes do not compare to the GOSD so it is the " cheapest derby " and you can eat the fish !

[rcummings]

@drjoe I was stating facts as I have fished the derby since the late 80s as a kid. Sorry if those facts are negative but that’s on the derby not on me.

[drjoe]

N"uf said by me !

[tonyb]

Thanks for the kind words rcummings!  I'll never forget learning from your old man and grandpa when we were kiddos!

It is a shame to see the weekly prize vehicles go away. The addition of the super ticket sort of helps create some fresh excitement, but some people questioned the numbers not adding up (admin fees?)

If you recall back in the day, the prizes were bigger, but it was one big tournament for the whole summer.  Often, a massive fish would get caught early on and many simply quit or didn't enter, believing they wouldn't be able to beat it.  Now, you can be heart broken one week, and on top of the world the very next week if you find the right fish...a weekly reset button if you will.

Anyway, the theme here is that you can't please everyone.

Also, I actually think they've improved the charter boat participation by listing the charter names on the leaderboard as well as adding the charter captains pot for top 3 fish, as the captains are the ones winning on behalf of their clients, not the other way around.

Further, with respect to charters competing in the GOSD.... bring it on! These guys are on the water more than most, and have the ability to follow fish and stay on them (and run a rediculous quantity of rods). Winning without staving off the 'fleet' just isn't winning, you must beat the best for a truly rewarding win.

My goal is still to win the great grand prize solo, and of course keep the friendly bragging rights going between friends, it's certainly not an easy thing to accomplish...this is my 9th year competing in the Lund (competing since being a teenager) and I still haven't achieved my goal!

I hope this great summertime event continues to support the fishery and give us a theatre to compete in. I will take down that top spot!

For $4 per day entry fee, I can't think of any thrill that compares to the rush that King hunting is during the Great Ontario Salmon Derby.

Here's a pic of the 2nd place 28.48lbs King, now where's that 32+?

Tony

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[rcummings]

Good luck Tony B I’m sure you’re going to get that overall winner sooner than later!!!

[Sjhagarty]

I don't participate. For various reasons. But to moan about the charters is crazy.  Luckily most days they are targeting numbers not size. If they were full out gunning to catch big fish they'd hold 75 percent of the spots on the board. I'm just hoping a dude chucking spoons off shore wins. It's a lottery as someone mentioned. For every 30lber caught there is probably 2000 24lbers caught.  Most don't boat that many 20 plus a year.  You've gotta really be hard at it to have a decent chance.

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[drjoe]

" Its a lottery as some one mentioned " ! You can't eat a lottery ticket !

[Sjhagarty]

Nor can you eat a gosd ticket.

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[Puck5760]

I gotta say here that if the charter guys can enter however many entries they want in the derby, then ditch the side pot for the largest 3 fish for charter tickets.  if Joe average catches a fish on the board he can only enter it in one derby.

[SkeinMachine]

I'm just hoping a dude chucking spoons off shore wins.

Funny you mention that, back when the Star was running the derby, the duration went into the first week of Sept.

Back then many fish being entered were coming from the pier crowd, last thing the charter fleet wants to see is a shore bound angler with a top 50 fish(used to be top 50 weekly back then).

I vividly recall a Saturday where a nasty South East wind was gusting over 30 km, the entire north shore was a wash with 8-10 ft rollers crashing in. Not a single boat went out.

That Saturday alone over 250 fish were weighed in, at the Credit scales and Bronte scales.

All taken from the pier crowd, was mentioned in the derby daily update.

Then the following years the derby started ending earlier and earlier, to where it stops today.

Ending it earlier in August reduces the amount of pier caught entries.

The derby is for the charter boats to advertise their business, not some no name guy standing on a pier at 2 am .

[Sjhagarty]

I'm just hoping a dude chucking spoons off shore wins.

The derby is for the charter boats to advertise their business, not some no name guy standing on a pier at 2 am .

I think it's great to see people that don't have the means to boat fish get in on the action.  I mean the odds are stacked so heavily against them..  I wonder what the gosd mission statement actually is.. This could be the year a the no name actually has a chance.  In the meantime I'm enjoying the lack of caring if everyone on the boat has a ticket and fishing my brains out.

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[tonyb]

I'm just hoping a dude chucking spoons off shore wins.

Funny you mention that, back when the Star was running the derby, the duration went into the first week of Sept.

Back then many fish being entered were coming from the pier crowd, last thing the charter fleet wants to see is a shore bound angler with a top 50 fish(used to be top 50 weekly back then).

I vividly recall a Saturday where a nasty South East wind was gusting over 30 km, the entire north shore was a wash with 8-10 ft rollers crashing in. Not a single boat went out.

That Saturday alone over 250 fish were weighed in, at the Credit scales and Bronte scales.

All taken from the pier crowd, was mentioned in the derby daily update.

Then the following years the derby started ending earlier and earlier, to where it stops today.

Ending it earlier in August reduces the amount of pier caught entries.

The derby is for the charter boats to advertise their business, not some no name guy standing on a pier at 2 am .

Oh yeah! I remember that...they used to give you a draw ticket for every fish weighed...a lot of fish were killed just for a draw ticket.

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[rcummings]

They also had a problem with guys snagging fish in the rivers and weighing them in when the derby ran later.

Yes back in the 80s it was top 50 and they were all prizes. Also any fish over 10 pounds at that time received a draw prize ticket which was a big boat. They then changed the draw prize fish size to 20 pounds and then eventually cut it out which was a good move.

[riff_raff_fishing]

Does everyone who’s on the pier have to have a ticket because everyone on my boat does! I can't take my young daughter along with me for the ride at all during the 7 weeks of the derby unless I buy her a ticket.