Lawson lands winner in abbreviated annual fishing derby, fundraiser
Published 5:34 pm Tuesday, February 17, 2015
For the second year in a row the ladies made a big splash, but at the end of the day it was veteran San Juan Island angler Jim Lawson who landed the biggest fish in the shortest Frank Wilson Memorial Fishing Derby on record, and who bagged the annual competition’s top prize.
On Sunday, the final day of the derby—that’s right, Feb. 15, the final day—Lawson reeled in a 19.6-pounder to bump Rustie Rush from the top of the leader board and then pocketed $1,000 in prize money later that day with a first-place finish in this year’s abbreviated fishing contest.
Rush took home $500 for a 17-pounder that landed her solidly in second place, a sizable three pounds ahead of third-place finisher Jennifer Payne, who earned $250 with a fish weighing just three clicks shy of 14 pounds.
A year ago, Brenda Schmidt shattered the derby’s glass ceiling by becoming its first-ever female champion. Her derby winner weighed in at 21.33 pounds
A total of 39 anglers took part in the 11th Annual Frank Wilson Memorial Fishing Derby, a cast that included seven fisher-women, Schmidt included, and four children. Friday Harbor’s Chase Wilson earned $100 for finishing first among the foursome of junior anglers and Vicki Telford, winner of the derby’s “mystery fish” drawing, netted $250.
An early closure to recreational fishing in Marine Area 7, which encompasses the San Juan Islands, took a big bite out of what has historically been a 10-week-long competitive fishing extravaganza, reducing this year’s derby to just two weeks, total, Feb. 1 to Feb. 15. The derby typically closes in early April.
The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife put a close on salmon fishing Feb. 15 in the San Juans, citing higher than average catch rates and protection of wild Chinook stocks in its decision. The department in January scaled back the daily catch-limit from two fish to one, and not long after reduced the allowable fishing day schedule to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Still, the 11th annual derby drew a hearty crowd in spite of its truncated format. Sharon Beach of Friday Harbor’s Kings Marine, the tournament’s chief sponsor, said the derby’s 
directors at first contemplated canceling the contest as an early end to the winter season grew more likely, but in the end decided that even a derby that closed earlier than usual would be better than none at all.
Not all derbies in the area followed suit.
“I feel sorry for the folks in Anacortes,” Beach said. “They put in a lot of work only to have their tournament canceled.”
A yearly fundraiser for San Juan EMS, named after former EMS chief Frank Wilson, the derby a year ago drew 44 competitors, only eight more than this year’s turnout. But together they reeled in about 60 fish that proved worthy of weigh-in over 10 weeks time, nearly three times as many fish that tipped the scales in this year’s competition.
