Craig Kahklen hands a silver salmon scholarship fish to Rosco Palmer at Auke Bay’s Don Statter Boat Harbor on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015 during the third and final day of the 69th annual Golden North Salmon Derby. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Craig Kahklen hands a silver salmon scholarship fish to Rosco Palmer at Auke Bay’s Don Statter Boat Harbor on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015 during the third and final day of the 69th annual Golden North Salmon Derby. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

For first time in over 70 years, derby postponed

Winds expected to gust over 50 knots in derby grounds

Golden North Salmon Derby Co-Chair Doug Larsen said Thursday morning the derby will be postponed or canceled until further notice.

The National Weather Service is forecasting gale force winds to whip across the derby grounds on Saturday, including the areas of Lynn Canal, Stephens Passage, Chatham Strait and Cross Sound.

“We just can’t in good conscience have people go out when the conditions are as bad as forecast,” Larsen said.

Larsen said derby officials made the decision on Thursday morning, and the hope is to reschedule the event for next weekend.

“Hopefully we can do it next weekend but we’ll have to check on logistics and things to make sure that’s possible,” he said.

An official weigh-in station sits prepared for the Golden North Salmon Derby in the Mike Pusich Douglas Harbor on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

An official weigh-in station sits prepared for the Golden North Salmon Derby in the Mike Pusich Douglas Harbor on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Larsen said the derby is prepared to refund anyone who may not be able to fish at a future date or if the derby is canceled. He said updates will be posted on goldennorthsalmonderby.com.

The derby is sponsored by the Territorial Sportsmen Inc., a conservation organization that promotes the interests of outdoors users, and raises money for the TSI Scholarship Foundation.

It’s only the second time the derby has had to be postponed, according to a history of the first-ever derby written by Karleen Alstead Grummett. During that 1947 derby, Grummett wrote “the derby was suspended by high winds and rough waters and the Coast Guard were kept busy until late into the night helping small boats back to port.”

Kimberly Vaughan, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Juneau, said the winds will top out at 55 knots on Saturday. Gale force winds are sustained winds of 32-47 knots.

“Saturday is going to be the strongest winds and for that we’re looking for sustained winds up to around 35-40 knots which would give us the potential for gusts as high as 50-55 knots,” she said.

Vaughan said gale force winds are more common occurrences later in the year.

“This is something we would see more in our fall time, in what we call our transition times,” Vaughan said.

The derby fishing grounds encompass most of the area between Point Bridget north of town to Point Styleman south of town.

Derby participant Andrew Dimond, 28, said he wasn’t shocked when the annoucement was made in the morning. Dimond, who fishes off his aluminum boat, kept close tabs on the weekend forecasts throughout the week.

“My small boat’s only 22 feet, so we have to be a little choosier about what weather we fish in than some of the bigger boats,” Dimond said. “But even this weather system is a lot stronger than we are typically used to planning around. It usually doesn’t blow this hard.”

Dimond, a marine biologist at the Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute, hopes the derby will be rescheduled for next weekend “because that’s literally the only weekend I can make and then I’m getting sent out to the Bering Sea for my job for the next three weeks,” Dimond said.

“It’s either next weekend or nothing.”

More in News

A male sea otter pup, estimated at 2 weeks old, was rescued near Homer and admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center rehabilitation program on June 23, 2025, in Seward, Alaska. Photo courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center
Seward’s SeaLife Center admits 2 seal pups, 1 orphaned otter

The three pups join the Alaska SeaLife Center’s ‘growing’ patient list

Alaska Seaplane pilot Vance Tilley stands in front of the Piatus PC-12 in Klawock on June 23 during the inaugural trip of the new service between Juneau, Ketchikan and Klawock. (Photos by Gemini Waltz Media/courtesy Alaska Seaplane)
New Juneau-Ketchikan nonstop flight service launches

The flight leaves Juneau at 3:45 p.m., and the trip lasts 1 hour 25 minutes

Danial Roberts, an employee at Viking Lumber Company, looks out at lumber from a forklift in Klawock, Alaska. (Courtesy of Viking Lumber Company)
Threads of the Tongass: The future of pianos and the timber industry

Timber operators say they are in crisis and unique knowledge, products will be lost

Suicide Basin as of 10:01 a.m. on Thursday, July 10, 2025, taken by a U.S. Geological Survey camera at the basin entrance facing northeast, into the basin. (Screenshot from National Weather Service Juneau page)
Glacial lake outburst swells Salmon River near Hyder

The isolation of Salmon River limits the impact of flooding

Kahyl Dybdahl, left, and Bronze Chevis eat an egg sandwich breakfast before school at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
School board allocates extra state funds

More state funds available, but funding issues and federal uncertainty abound

Max Webster stands with Lemon Creek Correctional Center staff in front of new control tower on Tuesday, July 9, 2025. (Natalie Buttner / Juneau Empire)
A towering accomplishment for new Eagle Scout

Max Webster honored at Firearms Training Center Control Tower ribbon-cutting ceremony

Andy Engstrom (left) uses bitcoin to buy lemonade and cookies from business owner Denali Schijvens (right) on Saturday, July 5, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Alaska’s 1st Bitcoin conference held in Juneau

State leaders discuss integrating Bitcoin in Alaska energy, investment and universities

Most Read