LEE HORTON’S OUTDOORS: Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby a few weeks away

THE BIG ONE is only a few weeks ago.

Not the Super Bowl. The Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby.

The annual derby, one of the biggest fishing events on the North Olympic Peninsula and one of the few things that makes February tolerable for anglers, will take place Presidents Day weekend, Feb. 15-17.

With a little more than three weeks remaining, the derby’s prize list has ballooned to 25 prizes (21 ladder and four bonus prizes) that total a value of $18,725.

Last year’s derby doled out 45 prizes worth $21,995. Prizes continued to be added through the week of the derby. If that is the case again this year, it seems likely that the 2014 derby will surpass the cash value of 2013.

Somebody is going home a (relatively) rich man or woman, as the grand prize is $10,000.

Second prize is $2,000 and third place takes home $1,000.

There also are four mystery fish prizes, for which any fish over six pounds is eligible to win.

See the complete, up-to-date prize list online at www.tinyurl.com/pdnOPDerbyPrizes.

To give you an idea of what you’re up against, last year’s winning fish, caught by Jerry Thomas of Mount Vernon, weighed 15.9 pounds.

The smallest prize-winner was 10.1 pounds, and the average prize-winning weight was 11.66 pounds.

There are two key rule changes this year.

The first is that a blackmouth must weigh more than 6 pounds to be eligible for the mystery fish prizes.

Because $500 dollars can do many things, including buying nearly 100 foot-long subs at Subway, many derby participants .... http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/articl...mon-derby-a-few