Early bird tickets for the 2nd Annual Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby are now available! Get your one day, multi-day or annual derby ticket online. Head back to the main page and look under About the Salmon Derby and register for the derby using PayPal.
Last years Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby and gave away over $60, 000 in total cash and prizes. At the end of the summer there were 50 TYEE’s on the ladder, salmon weighing over 30lbs! They were able to raise awareness for salmon enhancement on the west coast and give some of the net proceeds to the Thornton Creek Hatchery.
Organizers of the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby are dreaming even bigger this year! They hope to raise some serious cash for the hatchery, and give some serious cash away as prizes.
This years ladder derby will run May 1st to September 7th. The top 15 fish caught each month will join with the top 50 of the season at the big Fish Off on September 9th-11th.The Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby is a 4 month-long fishing derby organized by the Ucluelet Salmon Enhancement Society to raise funds and awareness for salmon enhancement on the west coast, specifically the Thornton Creek Hatchery.
The top 15 fish caught each month, along with the top 50 of the entire summer, compete in the big FISH OFF September 9th-11th for grand prizes. Thousands of dollars are rewarded monthly, and last year’s total in cash and prizes for the entire event was over $60, 000.
The derby has literally increased Ucluelet’s economic development in the sport fishing guide industry and in tourism in general. Guides have commented that their regular guests were thrilled to participate in the derby and they saw increases in their bookings from the year before. Many of the derby qualifiers re-booked with their guide for the fish off which is held in the shoulder season when they wouldn’t normally have bookings. These guests brought their families, stay in hotels and motels, ate in the restaurants and extended the tourism season in that way.
The Thornton Creek Hatchery is a busy project just outside of town. Last year they were able to release over 500,000 Chinook and around 600,000 chum into west coast water systems. They raise about 50, 000 Coho in tanks for one year and those will be released this spring. Toquart River and Lake, Kennedy Lake, Maggie Lake, Thornton Creek and a few water systems in Clayoquot Sound have been included in their salmon enhancement program. The successful return rate of hatchery released fish is much higher than fish hatched in the wild. Over 1500 salmon returned to Thornton Creek each fall.
Thanks to the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby few visitors can leave Ucluelet without learning about the hatchery, even if they are not fishermen! The buzz of the derby and its efforts to have fun while being stewards of our resources is contagious throughout the community (plus they’re excited about the cash!)
Ucluelet is quickly becoming a renowned fishing destination on Vancouver Island. Sport fishing tourism increased last year, and many guides already have seen that increase in their bookings for this season, thanks to the derby. Anglers would rather take the drive and fish in Ucluelet if it means they can potentially win thousands of dollars! We’ve had positive feedback from local sports fishermen and visitors thanking the enhancement society for organizing such an event, and for making something they already love just a little more fun.
The whole thing wraps up with the Ucluelet Salmon Festival with entrance and raffle proceeds benefiting the Thornton Creek Hatchery as well. It’s an opportunity for participants of the derby to gather, celebrate, bring their families for children’s activities, enjoy a meal with live music, and the closing ceremonies. Vendors like the West Coast Forest Society, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, and West Coast Aquatic attend to further enhance the focus on environment preservation and protection.
Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby Rules & Regulations for 2011
1. All persons who wish to participate in the Derby must have a valid derby ticket. All tidal water sport fishing regulations must be followed and anglers must have valid salt water fishing licenses with stamp.
2. All fishing is to be conducted in Areas 23-4 to 23-11 inclusive and Areas 123 and 124, subject always to DFO Regulations and Closures. Patrol Boats will be on the Fishing Grounds.
3. All entrants must: a) stay a minimum of 50 feet off the Vancouver Island shore b) stay a minimum of 30ft away from all other vessels (except derby patrol or DFO vessels) c) Not venture outside of the derby fishing boundaries; EXCEPT while transiting to and from their nightly moorage (or trailer) or fuel dock.
4. Fishing shall be from sunrise to sunset each day – no night fishing is allowed. Please remember to allow yourself enough time to get to the official weigh-in station BEFORE closing times. Salmon must be weighed-in on day caught. Each entrant must accompany their salmon to the weigh-in station with derby ticket and license. Fish must be delivered to the weigh-in station by boat, water access only. Weigh-in station hours are 10am to closing times as follows: May – 9:30pm; June – 9:45pm; July – 9:30pm; August – 9:15pm; September – 8:30pm.
5. All persons on a vessel with a valid license must have a derby ticket in order for any fish on that boat to qualify. Derby tickets and licenses for all persons in the boat must be produced at time of weigh-in. The only exception to this rule is a charter operator who has received specific permission from Derby Officials prior to departure.
6. Each weighed fish can only qualify for one prize.
7. Official weigh-in personnel will determine weight to the nearest ounce. They will also document the time of registration. Their decision is final.
8. In the event of a tie, the first fish registered at one of the official weigh scales wins.
9. Prize contending fish in the derby are subject to testing and inspection by Federal Fisheries department officials.
10. No eviscerated (gutted) salmon will be eligible for entry. All registered fish must be cleaned or marked by derby officials immediately after receiving the official weight from the weigh master.
11. To qualify, salmon must be caught and brought to the boat by the entrant, although he or she may receive help in netting or gaffing the catch.
12. Entrants who bring a fish to the official weigh-in station must provide acceptable evidence of a legal catch acceptable to derby officials.
13. Any fish in major prize winning category will be disqualified if found to be foul hooked. Official weigh-in personnel will have final decision.
14. Each entrant agrees to abide by these rules, accept prizes awarded and to accept all decisions and interpretation of these rules by derby officials. FAILURE TO OBSERVE ANY RULE WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF ALL ENTRANTS IN THE BOAT.
15. In the event of any dispute, all official derby rulings will be considered final and binding.
*Please note that the rules have been revised from last year’s Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby. Specifically rules #4 and #5. Also note that fish caught no longer have to be over 15lbs to make it on the ladder and the fishing starts May 1st!
ADDITIONAL RULES FOR FISH-OFF 2011
1. Daily fish off boundaries will be announced at the mandatory meeting at the Boat Basin weigh scale, 6am on September 9th, 10th and 11th, 2011. The shotgun start will be at 7am on September 9th. Weigh-in station hours are 7am to 7pm on September 9th & 10th and 7am to 2pm on September 11th.
2. All boats, coolers and fish holds will be inspected daily prior to departure from the Government Dock/Boat Basin.
3. Winners will be announced at 5pm on September 11th at the wind up wild salmon barbeque.
4. Each entrant must use only one rod and reel for each fish-off entry issued.
5. Flags must be visible to Patrol Boats. The number of rods in the water must not exceed the number of flags displayed on the boat.
***Persons not registered in the derby may accompany entrant, BUT MUST NOT FISH.
6. The top 3 prize-winning fish will be held by derby officials for biological testing to verify that they were caught in compliance with derby rules.
7. Once a fish has been landed the team must call a patrol immediately if they wish to register that fish into the fish-off. Teams will be given an official time upon contacting a patrol vessel to register a fish. This time will be used to determine a winner in the event of a tie. Anglers may continue fishing while waiting for the patrol boat to arrive.
8. When a patrol vessel arrives to verify your fish, you will be asked to measure the fish for length. Do this by laying the fish on top of the measuring tape supplied in your fish-off kit. Measure from the fork in the tail to the tip of the head. You are not required to broadcast your fish length over the radio. Do this person to person with the official on the patrol vessel.
9. The patrol official will ask you to hold up your fish for him to inspect visually. He will want to see that the fish is not in a state of rigor. Fish that are in a state of rigor will not be accepted (unless the time between the call to a patrol vessel and excessive time for the patrol vessel to arrive was the cause).
10. After your fish has been accepted and registered by a patrol official you may continue fishing and weigh that fish later in the day or you can run it into the scales right away. You must contact derby base officials to inform them if your team is coming into the scales to weigh a fish. This can be done by VHF or by cell phone.
*Fish off rules subject to change.
1st Annual
