Kewaunee/Door County Salmon Tournament
Day 8 Results — Saturday, July 27, 2013
A strong cold front didn’t hurt the fishing Saturday, Day 8 of the 31st annual Kewaunee/Door County Salmon Tournament. In fact, 59 20-pound-plus chinooks were weighed, eight of them big enough to move into the top 30.
Baileys Harbor stayed hot, with sixteen 20-pound-plus fish, including a pair of 27s — one of them big enough to move into the sixth spot. Kewaunee did just as well, 16 “20s,” with one at 27.02.
Algoma had ten 20s, three of them larger than 26 pounds; Washington Island eight, including a 25-plus; and Sturgeon Bay nine between 20.72 and 22.77 pounds.
Through Saturday’s 9 p.m. daily closings, a total of 362 chinooks 20 pounds and larger had already been weighed — 25 times more than hit the scales in the 2012 tournament!
A big year class of alewives in 2010 likely helped this year’s pre-spawn chinooks. Many of the mature “kings” being hooked now were stocked in 2010 and were able to grow quickly on that large hatch of baitfish. These “fourth summer” chinooks are what many anglers call four-year-olds; the fish are actually called “3+” by fisheries biologists because the salmon were hatched from eggs in fall, 2009.
The heaviest 50 chinooks are all 25 pounds and larger, and the top 30 all 26 pounds and up. A year ago, just one K/D tournament salmon was heavier than 25 pounds.
On Saturday, cold water on the lake side of the Peninsula had many salmon taking baits in the top 50 feet of 80 to 180 feet of water. It was a bumpy start, but got flatter as the day went on. The lake is expected to start out fairly calm Sunday before northwest winds pick up later on.
West-based winds are predicted all week, which would keep the water cool and perhaps attract more fish within range of pier casters.
The tournament ends at 5 p.m. today. The winner’s list will be announced sometime Tuesday after Monday night’s committee meeting.
Saturday’s port prize winners
Baileys Harbor: Keith Herman, 27.72
Sturgeon Bay: Bryan Sheets, 22.77
Algoma: Steve Navarre, 26.43
Kewaunee: Brodey Pecha, 27.02
Washington Island: Victor Novak, 25.4
K/D Top 30 (as of 7/27/13)
| Terry Gfeller | 7/21/13 | WI | 32.41 |
| Steve Seilo | 7/22/13 | K | 29.66 |
| Troy VanderHeiden | 7/25/13 | WI | 29.17 |
| Jesse Madoche | 7/21/13 | SB | 28.43 |
| Mike Hoene | 7/21/13 | BH | 27.83 |
| Keith Herman | 7/27/13 | BH | 27.72 |
| Tim Wyman | 7/22/13 | WI | 27.71 |
| Eugene Bertrang | 7/25/13 | K | 27.62 |
| Stefan Mahling | 7/22/13 | BH | 27.59 |
| Ben Withers | 7/21/13 | SB | 27.34 |
| Victor Novak | 7/22/13 | WI | 27.24 |
| Mark Wagner | 7/27/13 | BH | 27.21 |
| Donna Swan | 7/25/13 | BH | 27.17 |
| Hans Hansen | 7/22/13 | WI | 27.02 |
| Brodey Pecha | 7/27/13 | K | 27.02 |
| Steven Danek | 7/24/13 | SB | 27 |
| Andrew Jurczykowski | 7/20/13 | K | 26.91 |
| Roger Beilke | 7/25/13 | SB | 26.8 |
| Richard Rapp | 7/24/13 | WI | 26.73 |
| Michael Eaton | 7/27/13 | BH | 26.72 |
| Terry Dewane | 7/26/13 | SB | 26.64 |
| Chad Hamin | 7/21/13 | A | 26.55 |
| Steve Navarre | 7/27/13 | A | 26.43 |
| Fred Grossman | 7/24/13 | WI | 26.28 |
| Todd Urness | 7/20/13 | K | 26.27 |
| Steve VanHemelryk | 7/24/13 | A | 26.26 |
| Dave Fandel | 7/27/13 | A | 26.26 |
| Chuck Kitner | 7/21/13 | WI | 26.05 |
| Chris Naze | 7/27/13 | A | 26.05 |
| David Lewis | 7/23/13 | SB | 26 |