Kim Fundingsland/MDN Trent Eiseman, left, and son Turner, 10, both Bismarck, with Lake Sakakawea salmon. Turner’s salmon tipped the scale at 11 pounds, 9 ounces.

PICK CITY – There were plenty of smiles, and lots of friendly chatter and hefty salmon brought to the scale underneath the main shelter at Lake Sakakawea State Park last Saturday. The occasion was the 35th Annual Trout and Salmon Derby hosted by the Great Planers Trout and Salmon Club.

“We’re seeing 13- and 14-pounders, quality fish this year. Very quality,” said Les Beastrom, Bismarck.

Beastrom, a 34-year veteran of salmon fishing, was on one of 48 teams fishing in the derby. While the catch for his team on derby day wasn’t quite what he had hoped for, Beastrom said the salmon season has produced “some pretty good days out here already” and that he’s put several on the grill this year.

“The smaller ones, they smoke up excellent,” remarked Beastrom.

Blair Ihmels, Bismarck, Great Planers, watched closely as teams brought salmon to the scale. He’s witnessed years when the average weight of the silvery fish was much less than this year.

“Evidently the food source is good. There’s lots of fish over 12 pounds, which is a whopper in North Dakota,” said Ihmels. “It’s awesome to see. I know there was a 15 pound, 11 ouncer caught earlier in the week. For me, the chance to catch a big fish is better than a chance at catching a lot of little ones.”

The quality of the salmon was a hot topic of conversation as teams gathered under the shelter for the weigh-in. Nearly everyone had a story to tell.

“It’s a family event and what I call a gentlemen’s tournament,” remarked Ihmels. “It’s all about fun. It’s awesome!”

Trent and Turner Eiseman, Bismarck, were among those who had a good day on the water. The father/son combination brought two salmon to the scale with a combined weight of 23.82 pounds.

“It was very fun,” said Turner Eiseman, 10, with a big smile. “It was very tough getting them in, both of them.”

Young Turner Eiseman’s catch weighed 11 pounds, 9 ounces.

“He had fun,” said Trent Eiseman while nodding at son Turner holding up his salmon.

It was exactly when Jason Renner, Bismarck, president of the Great Planers, wanted to see and hear.

“The biggest thing with us is, we’re trying to promote the next generation,” explained Renner. “We’re trying to make sure the kids enjoy this because, without them, the future of this sport is not going to happen. We’re all competitive. We want to win, but the biggest thing is about the kids.”

Kids 12 and under competed for the Gaylord Johnson Memorial Cup, an award honoring the long-time club member who passed away in 2003. Those 13-17 years old competed in a separate category.

“This year we started a new award for them,” said Ihmels. “It’s for a trophy in honor of long-time member Steve Sundburg.”

“That’s the great thing about the Great Planers Club,” said Renner when asked about the youth awards. “I’ve known some of these people for 20 years and they’ve become my family. It’s a great bunch of people.”

Even though they might be a little tight lipped just prior to the annual derby, salmon fishermen are known for freely sharing information. That fact, says Renner, helps create “a community, a bond between us.”

Catching salmon is a thrill that, once experienced, can make a fisherman a lifetime salmon chaser. It’s easy to understand after visiting with just a few experienced salmon anglers.

“You are out there trolling and all of a sudden the rod goes off and it’s the excitement of getting that salmon in,” remarked Ihmels. “And by chance you get a double, that’s what you work for. Generally, salmon will pass the boat at some point and that’s the fun part. You have to catch up with them. They’ll go wherever they want to go.”

Salmon are not native to North Dakota waters. They are stocked annually by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Their life ends when they are old enough to spawn. They do not reproduce naturally in Lake Sakakawea.

“These fish are only in our lake for 3 ¢ years,” explained Renner. “The biggest thing is you have to keep stocking to be able to go out and catch them. The harder it is to catch one the more discouraged people get, but as long as Game and Fish keeps stocking about 400,000-plus it encourages better catch rates and better angler return.”

Late each summer the salmon, which have been roaming throughout Lake Sakakawea, instinctively return to the deep water area in front of Garrison Dam.

“It concentrates them and gives us a chance to chase them,” said Renner. “The deep water bite will probably go until after Labor Day.”

Fishing salmon in deep water, anywhere from 60 to 120 feet, requires the use of downriggers equipped with heavy “cannonball-type” weights to get lures into the same depth as the salmon. Later in the salmon run the fish will begin to move shallower. It is then those anglers casting or trolling crankbaits can catch them. Shore fishermen get in on the action too.

“That’s a beautiful thing about these salmon,” said Renner. “Anybody who fishes has a chance at these fish.”

With the nice size of the salmon it’s a great year to give salmon fishing a try.

“From what I’ve seen, they are looking pretty healthy,” remarked Lucas Rott, seasonal fisheries technician, NDGF.

Rott was at the weigh-in for the derby, checking closely for tagged fish.

“The tag is just a tiny wire inside the snout. It gives us information on how old the fish is and, generally, what age the fish are that the anglers are catching,” explained Rott.

Under the main shelter the conversation among salmon anglers continued, talking depth, lure color and such. It was a sharing of good information with several weeks of the salmon run yet to come.