Tag: human powered fishing derby

Human Powered Fishing Derby Featured in Alaska Coast Magazine

| April 19, 2014 | 0 Comments

by Jenny Chissus
Coast MagazineTim and Ila Dillon have been organizing the Human Powered Fishing Derby for 5 years now, and it has become quite the annual event for Seldovians and visitors alike!

This Memorial Day weekend will be the 6th Annual Human Powered Fishing Derby in Seldovia, and if you think fishing is fun out in the big ocean in a big boat – you will be pleasantly surprised with the maneuvering and skill required when you fish from a kayak, or small boat – it is a whole new experience and almost a whole new sport!  Landing a big fish has a whole different meaning when it has the power to pull you out to sea, with only oars and strong arms to resist the fish’s fright and flight!

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Enjoy this great article on page 8 of the Alaska Coast magazine!  Click on the magazine image to open the interactive magazine to read the article!

Memorial Day weekend is the opening of summer in Seldovia, and there is a lot going on this year! The Seldovia Arts Council is sponsoring a great concert on Saturday night, May 24th with the Hot Club of Nunaka, playing acoustic blues and swing!  Also, that Saturday, there’s an afternoon art class of  Zentangle  from 1:00pm – 4:00pm.    It is going to be a fun weekend in Seldovia.

Seldovia’s 5th Annual Human Powered Fishing Derby Hosted 30 Boats & Great Weather

| June 2, 2013 | 0 Comments

by Tim Dillon

Photo of some of the salmon caught on Saturday
This past weekend saw the 5th annual Human Powered Fishing Derby in
Seldovia. The weather and the seas were the best we have seen in five years.
Beautiful clear skies, stunning sunrises and sunsets and seas as flat as plate
glass allowed long hours of paddling and rowing throughout both Seldovia
and Kachemak bays. Day breezes, though bothersome on Saturday
afternoon, were for the most part a non-factor.
Prior to the weekend there was much speculation on how the lowest tides of
the year, minus 5.7, would affect the fishing. In the end the big tides seemed
to bring in the largest number of king salmon in the history of the derby. A
number of kings were boated in the mouth of Seldovia Bay, and a couple of
nice fish were lost. The learning curve for five-year veterans of the derby is
evening out and a host of five-year participants fine-tuned the art of boating
lively fish; no small task for one person in a small craft.
Ellis Lorentz comes front and center to receive the prize for largest king salmon caught. I actually caught it but gave the $100 to Ellis and Holden, the two youngest derby participants
We added a third day, Friday, to the event so that fishers could get farther
down the coast. All winter long I was anticipating a large camp of anglers
down at 4th of July creek for a Friday night of fishing, but as the event and
the big tides came closer, I played down the idea. At the last-minute, four of
us set up camp on the 4th of July beach and were treated to some of the
calmest seas one can expect for mooring boats on that steep beach. A
fantastic sunrise Saturday morning made for memorable fishing just on the
edge of the large kelp bed in front of the beach. Next year I’m hoping to
continue this tradition and try to entice more to camp.
Everyone who officially weighed in a salmon, halibut, gray cod or black
bass got their name in the hat for the grand prize drawing; this year a 17’
EasyRider kayak. If they had participated in past years their name was also
entered for every year they participated.
Grand Prize Winner: Amelia Dillon
Largest king salmon: Tim Dillon 22 lbs
Largest halibut: Toby Seville
Largest gray cod: Chris Pollack
Largest black bass: Craig Barnard
Thank you to everyone and every business that helped make this possible.
Major donations were received from Joe & Heather Miller of the Linwood
Bar & Grill, David & Judy Longworth, Mary & Timothy Pedlow of Perry’s
Café and Dillon & Dillon LLC.
The first year of the derby did not see a boat given away as a grand prize,
however the subsequent four years each saw a boat taken away by a lucky
angler:
2013 Amelia Dillon
2012 Kirby Corwin
2011 Ryan Geagel
2010 Mia Heavener (Heather Miller’s sister)

4th Annual Human-Powered Fishing Derby – A Great Success!

| June 4, 2012 | 3 Comments

by Tim Dillon

The 4th annual Human- Powered Fishing Derby was held in Seldovia last weekend over the Memorial Day holiday. It was a great success with 32 boats registered carrying 39 anglers.  The weather was very cooperative with a few drizzles on Saturday, and then sunshine and fair weather prevailed on Sunday long enough to make it through the fish fry without getting wet.

When I first initiated this derby, my goal was to get local folks turning their engines off for a day or two, dragging their rowboats and kayaks out of the shed and launching them for a some quiet fishing and enjoying the bay right in our backyard. If this year is any indication, that goal was reached and surpassed. We saw both young and old Seldovian’s join in and cast their luck from a wide variety of vessels. Next time you see young three-year-old Duna or perhaps Nancy Opheim, ask them how they enjoyed their first derby. The whole mouth of Seldovia Bay and into Kachemak Bay was spotted with human-powered craft. It was a great sight.

This year’s grand prize was won by local Kirby Corwin. We have gotten away from the big fish big prize syndrome, and Kirby’s name was pulled from a hat Continue Reading

Human Powered Fishing Derby Starts Tomorrow!

| May 25, 2012 | 0 Comments

by Jenny Chissus

Don’t miss your perfect opportunity to get out in a boat, with a friend (or two) and a fishing pole for a day on the water!

Tomorrow starts the 4th annual Human Powered Fishing Derby!  Click here or on the poster to the left to see the flier full size!

This event is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce but put together entirely by Tim and Ila Dillon, who can’t wait for an excuse to go fishing!  There will be many great prizes along with an amazing opportunity to win the grand prize,  a brand new rowboat!  Call Tim or Ila for more information or just show up at the tent by the small boat harbor Saturday morning at 9am with $35, a life vest, a coat (darn – it is kind of cold this weekend) a rowboat, kayak,  canoe or driftboat and be ready to go fishing!

If you are sticking around the whole weekend, the fish fry is a community potluck to die for!  Fresh fish and the BEST potluck participants in the State of Alaska!  Seldovians know how to potluck in style – you will NOT go hungry!   You WILL leave HAPPY!  See you on the docks!

Memorial Weekend Hosting 4th Annual Human Powered Fishing Derby!

| May 1, 2012 | 0 Comments

by Tim and Ila Dillon