THE WOUNDED WARRIOR Project logo is a silhouette of a soldier carrying another, injured soldier.
“As far as we’re concerned, that says it all,” Bert Mullen of Sekiu said.
Mullen, along with Brad McLean, is leading a group of Clallam Bay Corrections Center employees who are putting on a two-day salmon derby for Wounded Warriors in Sekiu this weekend.
Mullen said the idea of the salmon derby partially came from the Lions Club in Forks hosting river fishing trips for Wounded Warriors.
“We figured there was no reason why us fishermen out here couldn’t put something on here in the saltwater,” Mullen said.
“We’re going to give them a good old Peninsula salmon derby.”
There are 17 Warriors coming from Washington and neighboring states to participate in the derby, 16 men and one woman. All of them are at least 60 percent disabled.
They arrive in Sekiu this afternoon and will soon thereafter be treated to a backyard barbecue.
The derby will take place on Saturday and Sunday. Prizes have been donated.
The top prize is a red, white and blue rod custom-made by Bob Wall of Compass Rose in Clallam Bay. Burned into the rod is the word “Warrior.”
After Saturday’s fishing, the Warriors will be treated to a salmon and fried cod meal.
That will be followed by a public auction, with donated items up for bid, including a blackberry pie and sonar GPS unit.
Mullen anticipates the auction will start at approximately 5 p.m. at the Sekiu community center.
Mullen, an Army veteran himself, got insight on how important events like the salmon derby are to the Warriors when he hosted Wounded Warrior Project liaison Jeff Sinchak in his boat during Sekiu’s halibut derby in June. (Sinchak ended up taking home the prize for the biggest bass caught.)
“While out on the water we discussed those sorts of things, and he said it means the world to them to go to this type of event,” Mullen said.
Mullen said his group is committed to hosting salmon derbies for Warriors each year. He hopes to host Warriors and their families every other year for a kids humpy salmon derby.
Kids salmon derby
Sekiu will be hosting another salmon derby Saturday, Aug. 18.
The annual Clallam Bay-Sekiu Lions Club Kids Salmon Derby is for kids ages 5-14.
Registration starts at 5:30 a.m. at Olson’s Resort and Van Ripers Resort. There is no entry fee.
Weigh-in must be done by noon near the Lions Club swings.
Prizes and refreshments for kids will also be by the Lions Club swings.
Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third largest legal salmon catches.
For more information, questions, or to donate, call Adam Campbell at 360-461-6701 or Roy Morris 360-963-2442.
Salmon report
Kings, of course, are still the main saltwater target, but a nice batch of early coho made its way through the waters off Sekiu and Port Angeles last weekend.
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s sport fishing results, 44 silvers were reported at the Olson’s Resort ramp last Saturday, followed by 42 on Sunday.
The ramp reported 37 and 45 kings on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
At the Ediz Hook ramp Sunday, 44 coho were caught, along with 52 chinook.
“They’re on the move, which is good,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said.
Port Angeles has continued to be a productive spot, with Menkal reporting nice numbers of coho being caught in Freshwater Bay and kings off the hook.
Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said that there are still plenty of chinook near Port Angeles.
Ward Norden, a fishing tackle wholesaler and former fishery biologist, said Port Townsend is ripe for salmon.
He said Mid Channel Bank is the place for kings and the Marrowstone Island lighthouse in Fort Flagler State Park is getting good numbers of coho.
“The best time to fish is on the incoming tide at Fort Flagler,” Norden said.
Successful shore coho anglers are employing Buzz Bomb jigs, weighted Coho Killer spoons and slowly retrieved herring.
Norden said spoons like ½-ounce Pixee’s and 3/8- to ½-ounce medium-size spinners will also work.
“Beach casting is easy,” Norden said. “It only requires an inexpensive spinning rod — best is 7 feet long or longer — and a reel loaded with 12-pound monofilament.”
Swain’s ladder
Here are the Swain’s monthly salmon derby leaders one-third of the way through August:
■ Jeff Reynolds: 24.3 pounds.
■ David Moody: 23:13 pounds.
■ Roy Scott: 21.8 pounds.
■ Tim Allison: 18.9 pounds.
Warm up your bow
The Wapiti Bowmen Archery Club will host its annual 3-D Hunter Warm-up shoot Saturday and Sunday.
All archers are invited to participate in the shoot that will feature 30 full-size 3-D targets.
The event will be held at the Wapiti Bowmen facility located at 374 East Arnette Road in Port Angeles.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. each day.
Breakfast and lunches will be available both days.
For more information, contact Mark Jackson at 360-683-7787 or visit wapitibowmen.us.
Anglers meeting
The next meeting of the Puget Sound Anglers-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter will take place Thursday.
The featured speaker will be Peter Becker, a specialist in shellfish aquaculture and oceanographer with the Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, who will speak about shellfish aquaculture in the greater Puget Sound area.
The meeting starts at 6:45 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church (100 S. Blake Ave. in Sequim).
Send photos, stories
Have a photograph, a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique?
Send it to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
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Outdoors columnist Lee Horton appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
