Cheboygan man claims top prize at salmon derby
Two fishermen, Richard Huber and Todd Schryer of Cheboygan, came down for the Rogers City Salmon Tournament this year, paired together for the first time. Schryer had entered the tournament last year, but this was a first for Huber while being paired as crewmates on Huber?s boat, ?Black Balled.? But black balled they weren?t, as Huber went up time after time at Sunday?s awards presentation to claim checks made out for 17th and 25th places and finally for bringing in the biggest salmon, a 26.85 specimen. Huber?s boat also was third on Friday and second on Saturday for the three heaviest fish. Huber and Schryer took in a total of $5,225 for the five awards, $4,000 of it for first place overall.
It wasn?t the smallest winning fish in the history of the tournament; there were three others that claimed that honor back in 1986, 87, and 98. But it doesn?t matter, because it?s the largest Chinook salmon caught during the tournament?s three-day-span that counts. Huber and Schryer entered the Presque Isle Tourism Council-sponsored tournament out of Hammond Bay and fished ?north? as Huber put it, in typical tight-lipped fisherman fashion.
BECA– USE THEY only had two men in the boat, they were only allowed to net three fish per man or a six-fish limit each day. But that didn?t prevent them from claiming third place Friday and second place Saturday in the boat weight division. What did they catch this winning salmon on? ?Ah…, well…. ?Monkey Puke,? ? Huber said, after thinking over whether he should answer the question. After a little prying, Huber said he caught the fish in 50 feet of water while out in 100-foot-deep waters, somewhere north of Hammond Bay.
?We caught it about 11 a.m. the second day,? Huber offered. ?We didn?t catch our limit every day, though.? His crewmate, Schryer, said Huber will split the money right down the middle, half and half. What will Schryer do with his share? ?I don?t know…buy some more lures, I guess!? Both Huber and Schryer thought the shorter hours for the tournament were just fine with them, as they fished from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. each day.
HOW DID other fishermen feel about the shorter hours? Chris Schuch of Posen, off Don Malocha?a boat, ?Wipe Out,? said, ?We fished north out of Hammond Bay, and the fishing was all right…not real productive but the ones we caught were good. ?Boatwise, today we ended up with 27 (pounds) and just under 45 (pounds) yesterday and about 22 (pounds) on the first day,? Schuch said. Crew member Cory Malocha of Rogers City said, ?We actually liked the longer hours because we normally did better in the evenings.?
Crew member Gary Lietzow of Rogers City added, ?They could have one day longer, like 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. or something. There were mixed reviews from the other guys but most said they?d like a longer fish time…at least on the first day.? Don Malocha had nothing to complain about as he landed a 10.7-pound brown trout to everyone?s surprise. A five-man crew fished with Mark Andre of Rogers City out of Presque Isle Harbor .
?We caught fish every day, but no big ones ? we can?t complain. We got about three or four every day. ?I PERSONALLY would have liked to have the longer hours, but it worked out OK,? Andre added. Dave Carrow of St. Clair Shores has fished the tourney before and said, ?I like the (new) hours!? How?d you do?
?Terrible!? But he?s sure he?ll come again. Albert Miles of West Branch was fishing with Carrow and said, ?I taught him (Carrow) all he knows…I really liked the (shorter) hours ? I have grandkids and my wife is aboard and the hours are great!? This year there were 274 boats entered in the tourney, with 916 registered participants representing a variety of states.
The three-day total weight of fish taken was 8,652.12 pounds with an average 9.51-pound weight per fish. The smallest weighed salmon was 1.2 pounds and the largest 26.85 pounds, with ?Woods and Water? outdoor writer and sportsman Tom Lounsberry presenting the checks with the help of Miss Rogers City Christine Belusar and her court.
THE TOP THREE individual winners were: Huber of Cheboygan (26.85); Brent Gahn of Cheboygan (26.70); and Dave Shreeve of Mt. Pleasant (24.75). ?Top boat division for Friday: Jack Cyr
The tournament was co-directed by Dave Smrchek and Bruce Grant, along with help from tourism director Kammie Dennis, other tourism council participants, and community volunteers.