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58 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 19, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 2, 2004 Eriksen’s big catch lands him top prize By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune GOLD BEACH — When Al Eriksen’s fishing rod jerked straight down Aug. 21 in the lower Rogue River bay, the screaming reel and thunderous runs of the fall chinook salmon on the other end generated equal doses of joy and worry. Is the fish foul-hooked, meaning Eriksen would have to release it? Are the hooks set deeply, or are they precariously perched around the mouth? Is the line frayed? Will the sea lions get it? Will it entangle in some other angler’s line? "It was really exciting," says Eriksen, 61, of Seattle. "It was a good feeling, but then you think, ‘Aw, geez, I hope I get him in.’ " Eriksen did get his fish in, netting him the largest Rogue chinook caught so far this year as well as a $1,000 prize for doing so at just the right time. Eriksen’s 58.2-pound salmon took top prize among 223 anglers taking part in the Summer Salmon Round-Up fund-raiser run by the Curry Sportfishing Association. Advertisement The salmon measured 47 inches long and sported a hefty girth of 31.5 inches, says Stace Baker, Eriksen’s fishing guide during the derby. Second place in the derby went to Patrick Hues of Roseburg, whose salmon weighed 47.8 pounds. A 43.3-pounder caught by Klaus Schulzke of Medford earned him third place. In all, derby participants weighed in 60 salmon totaling 1,380 pounds of pure Rogue chinook. "It was pretty world-class fishing," association President Mark Lottis says. But none of the salmon tipped the Toledos better than that of Eriksen, a man who knows a thing or two about salmon. He’s 40-year veteran of commercial salmon trips in Alaska and has fished that state recreationally as well as other coastal streams throughout the West Coast. He and his wife, Beverly Goto, travel the coast annually, and for the past dozen years they‘ve made Gold Beach a regular fishing destination. "I’ve stopped in a lot of places, but that’s a nice community there," he says. It’s the second year the couple signed up for the salmon derby, in which pre-paid participants fish one day and enter the single heaviest fish they catch. Baker held his sled in the Rogue bay near the South Jetty while Eriksen fished with an anchovy and a green spinner-blade when the fish struck. "It was almost as if I had hooked into a seal," Eriksen says. Then Eriksen had to deal with the typical pitfalls of bay fishing. First, the fish are large and feisty. But hundreds of other anglers’ lines constantly come into play, as well as the sea lions that look to pilfer hooked salmon. "We kept our eyes out for the sea lions," Eriksen says. His eyes almost popped out when the fish first came into view. "When it came pretty close to the boat, you could see the back of it and I knew it was going to be big," Eriksen says. The 25-minute battle included the fish tangling in another angler’s line, a brush with the sea lions and Eriksen’s fears that he may have hooked the salmon in the mouth — increasing the chances of it breaking free. But the two hooks turned out to be imbedded deep inside its mouth. "I think that’s the only reason we caught him," he says. When Baker’s net finally enveloped the salmon, Eriksen could finally relax. "If you’re a fisherman," Eriksen says, "you always worry about getting your fish." But Eriksen’s far less concerned about keeping his fish. He gave it to Baker for mounting and displaying somewhere in town. "That’s a trophy fish," Eriksen says from his Seattle home. "I’m not going to get any enjoyment out of it here. It’s a fish everybody can enjoy down there." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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