Derby winner hooks cash prize
By Scott Woodhouse Express Staff

The East Grey Hunters and Anglers capped off another successful 50/50 Salmon Derby with an awards ceremony at the Rotary harbour pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

There were 254 anglers entered in the derby this year and the fishing was good, according to organizer Dave Mather.

First prize was presented to Andrew Kinal. His 24.6 pound salmon won him $635 and a trophy. Second prize of $381 and a trophy went to Steve Stome with a fish weighing 23 pounds even. And third prize went to Meaford resident Al Hamelin. His fish weighed 22.7 pounds and he immediately donated $50 of his $254 prize back to the East Grey Hunters and Anglers to help with conservation work.

Marg Forbes was presented with the Most Sportsmanlike Angler Award. "Marg was good enough to stay home a few times during the derby allowing hubby Ted a chance to catch a fish," joked Master of Ceremonies Noah Rowsell.

"Both Ted and Marg are well-liked members of the community and along with their friendly nature, they are always willing to lend a hand and do more than their share," said Rowsell.

After the top cash prizes were handed out, Noah and Reta Rosswell conducted draws for the numerous prizes donated by generous sponsors.

The highlight of the derby was once again the fish fry held at the pavilion on Saturday night.

More than 500 people took advantage of the opportunity to have some fresh salmon. The fish is all donated by derby entries and filleted by club member Adam Glass.

"If you donate your fish we give you a free dinner ticket," explained Dave Mather. "We had 85 fish donated to the cause this year."

"A lot of people from the fall fair came down for the dinner," he added. "We had a great turn-out."

Mather said he was pleased the derby has stayed the same size over the years. "We had one more entry than last year," he said, "which is good, because we think it's just the right size."

"If you want bigger prizes and bigger head aches, you can enter the Owen Sound derby," he said. "Over here we keep it fun."

Mather noted than over 60 per cent of the entries are from out of town, so the derby helps the local economy by bringing in tourist dollars.