Dave Graybill: The Fishin' Magician

Wednesday, Aug. 10

Once again the participants of the King Salmon Derby in Brewster have shown us what is possible when fishing for summer run salmon. These anglers had great success and turned in over 60 kings, just in the Adult Division. The top 20 fish turned in were all over 17 pounds, and the next ten places all had fish over 15 pounds. These are all nice summer runs. The winner of the top spot on leader board at the end of the derby was Mindy Webster, with a fish weighing 26.06 pounds. Now that’s a very nice summer run king. In the Youth Division, Tucker Pritchard took top honors with a 15-pound king. The best combined weight for the derby was registered by Leo Wilheim at 45.72 pounds for four fish. If you want all the details of the catches turned in during the derby, day by day and a complete list of the winners you can do so by going to the web site that is set up at www.fishingderbyonline.com/DerbyPage?derbyID=102, or just visit the web site for instructions. I want to thank the organizers of the Brewster King Salmon Derby for providing a great experience for all who attended. I am already looking forward to next years derby.

Friday, Aug. 12

There is a big walleye tournament on Potholes Reservoir this weekend so there are anglers out pre-fishing for the event. A buddy called me and said that they were out on Potholes doing just that and got some fish. It was kind of hit and miss, but they got some nice walleye. They were pulling crank baits, which is an excellent way to put fish in the boat this time of year. I had the opportunity to do just that last year at this time with Shelby Ross and we had two limits pretty quick. Fishing success for walleye on Potholes has been up and down this year from what I hear. I haven’t been able to get down there myself. I sure like the size and quality of the fish that come out of this reservoir and I am eager to fish it. I also think that it offers the best opportunity for really good sized perch and crappie in the region. I should remind people that fishing from the docks at MarDon Resort can be excellent for panfish, and there are even some walleye and bass caught off these docks. I might just try this myself when until I can get back out on the boat.