25TH ANNIVERSARY WASHINGTON STATE’S EVERETT’S COHO SALMON DERBY (SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2018).
During a rainy and windy almost typical State of Washington weekend of September, over 1100 fishermen and their families again welcomed coho salmon season by competing around Everett, Washington for the largest coho. This year locals and guests from far away celebrated the 25th anniversary of the event with old, young, men, and women trying their luck for the largest coho brought out of the Pacific Ocean coastal areas or fished along inlet home streams.

For coho salmon fans it meant not only catching the large fish for a wonderful family meal but also winning great prices including a fully equipped motor boat displayed behind Jeff LaLone’s Everett Bayside Marine and Dry Stack showroom across Everett’s waterfront behind the building of Everett’s Port Marina.

The boat was equipped with all most modern fishing whistles and bells including a Raymarine’s Axiom’s Multifunction Navigation System with a radar which could not only help navigate safely but detect the positions and size of fish with a special sonar equipment.

Entered in the competition were wild and hatchery coho salmons. The largest wild coho salmon caught weighed more than 13 pounds while the smaller specimen averaged 5-6 pounds.

FROM SEATTLE DOWNTOWN TO EVERETT, WASHINGTON, on Public Transportation: Take Bus 512 boarding on 4th Street – 4 blocks east from Pike Place Market 

COHO SALMONS RETURNED TO SPAWN IN EVERETT’S PIGEON CREEK
For many years, the two miles long Pigeon Creek had flowed through a pipe and under rail road tracks from the south western side of Everett to a piece of not far away sandy beach.

Around 1992 students of Jackson Elementary School with their teachers decided that it had too much trash for the coho salmons to want to return for their final “spawning.” Supported by the City Council, with a grant from Snohomish County, with moneys from the local school district, an ADOPT A STREAM FOUNDATION was set in place. Participants included elementary students, teachers and staff of the Jackson Elementary School, of Evergreen Middle School and the Everett Parks & Recreation Department.
The stream was cleaned and tested for oxygen for eyed coho salmon eggs to stay alive there. In a wet sack placed in a water bucket by the Skykomish State Salmon Hatchery the eggs were first placed in suitable tanks which were monitored by students and teachers.

In time, the salmon eggs in the tanks broke open allowing the “alevin” to emerge. Leaving behind a casing the fishlets grew bigger and bigger and the school tanks filled up with little coho “fry”.

From the tanks the shiny silvery 4-5 inches long coho salmons were moved to the cleaned Pigeon Creek where they grew to a size ready for the ocean.
From Everett’s Pigeon Creek the coho salmons swam as far as Puget Sound and beyond; through the Straits of Juan de Fuca they reached the Pacific Ocean in direction Alaska and the Bering Strait.

CHINOOK (KING) AND COHO (SILVER) SALMONS
Washington State has 7 species of salmon, steelhead, and trout that migrate from a home stream to the Pacific Ocean. When the fish are ready they leave a fresh water home stream to feed and grow in the salty water of the Pacific Ocean. Later the fish swim back counter clock to the home stream; north to the islands in direction Bering Strait or in direction California. Each specie stays in the ocean for different lengths of time.
The Chinook, also called King, is the salmon who lives the longest in the ocean, up to four years, reaching a weight of up to 100 pounds. The Coho, also called Silver, is the smaller powerfully built salmon which lives about one to two years in the ocean, reaching a weight up to 13 pounds, which is able to jump the highest when it returns to “spawn” in a fresh water home stream.

Interestingly enough salmons’ scales indicate their age and the location where they grew and fed before returning to spawn. A band of rings (circuli) on the scales indicate the location where the fish fed and grew; if the rings are close together the salmon lived in cold water, if the “circulis” are far apart the salmon lived in warm southern waters.

HOW TO PREPARE A GREAT PIECE OF SALMON
Preheat the oil in the pan
With paper towels pat dry your piece of salmon to prevent the oil to cool as you place the fish piece in the pan
Reduce the heat while you cook the fish to allow the fat of the fish to render, the water to evaporate and the protein to set
With a thin flexible spatula hold the fillets in place as the bottom cooks
Don’t flip the piece until it is ready
Don’t overcook the piece of salmon
Use a thermometer and aim for 120 degrees F

PAN ROASTED SALMON FILLETS WITH TINY CAPERS AND ITALIAN TAGGIASCHE OLIVES
Serves 4
4 skin on coho salmon fillets (or any other fresh salmon fillets)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsps tiny capers
2 Tbsps pitted and chopped taggiasche olives (you my substitute with other black olives)
Press the fillets between paper towels. Heat the oil in the pan. Place the fillets skin down on the hot oil and reduce the heat. Press the fillets down and pan fry for about 6-7 minutes or until the skin lifts easily. Turn the fish over, add the drained and pitted chopped olives and allow to saute for 2 more minutes.

PAN SEARED WILD SALMON SLIDERS (PATTIES)
Makes about 10 sliders
12 oz of wild salmon filet (steamed, skinless and finely chopped)
1 egg
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup fresh finely chopped seedless red bell peppers
1/4 cup peeled finely chopped red onion
1 Tbsp fresh stemless finely chopped parsley
(optional – 1 Tbsp fresh stemless finely chopped tarragon leaves)
(optional – 1 tsp of chili pepper flakes or chili powder)
3 Tbsp plain breadcrumbs + 3 Tbsp plain breadcrumbs for breading the patties before pan frying them
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
the juice of half a lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2-3 Tbsp 100% olive oil (or any vegetable oil) for the pan frying
In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, the flour, the bell pepper, the red onion, the parsley, the 3 Tbsps of breadcrumbs, the mayonnaise, the lemon juice, the chopped salmon, the salt and pepper and mix all ingredients well. From the mixture form 10 patties and dust each slider with the remaining breadcrumbs. In a skillet heat the oil and pan fry the sliders 3-4 minutes on each side. For later serving: Keep them warm in the oven on a heat resistant plate lined with paper towels.

YEAR ROUND FISHING IN WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State has wonderful locations for fishing. Nothing tastes better than fresh wild fish! With a Vehicle Access Pass Pass, or a Discover Pass, one gets access to over 600 water sites and nearly 1 million acres of land in Washington State. The state is home to 7,000 lakes, Puget Sound inland marine waters, and coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean which contain a great variety of fish species. A Washington Combination Fishing Licence can be purchased for $ 35 and allows one to fish everything from salmon to bass to shellfish and more. Licence and Washington Sport Fishing Rules Booklet with information on fish seasons, rules, species, lakes and marine areas can be purchased online at fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov or at a WDFW License Dealer. For information on how to clean the fish visit youtube.com/thewdfw

ACCORDING TO THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE – A FEW PUBLIC FISHING PIERS OF LAKE WASHINGTON:

City of Kirkland: JUANITA BEACH PARK – MARINA PARK – WAVERLY BEACH PARK – KIRKLAND CITY DOCK – DAVID BRINK PARK – 2nd AVENUE PIER – SETTLERS LANDING – HOUGHTON BEACH PARK – MARSH PARK nd)
City of Bellevue: CLYDE BEACH PARK- BURROW LANDING – CHISM BEACH PARK – CHESTERFIELD BEACH PARK – 40th STREET BOAT RAMP – ENATAI BEACH PARK – NEWCASTLE BEACH PARK
Town of Yarrow Point: YARROW POINT BEACH
City of Renton: GENE COULON PARK
City of Mercer Island: LUTHER BURBANK PARK
City of Seattle: THE REVEREND U.G.MURPHY FISHING PIER AT SEWARD PARK – LAKE WASHINGTON BOULEVARD PARK – STAN SAYRES MEMORIAL PARK – MT.BAKER BEACH PARK – MADISON PARK – LAKE WASHINGTON AT THE T DOCK – MAGNUSON PARK BOAT LAUNCH
City of Kenmore: LOG BOOM PARK (City of Kenmore)

For bottom fishing, salmon-ling cod-halibut fishing, shrimping, crabbing or whale watching in the Bellingham or Anacortes area of Washington State visitors can also contact: BLACKFISH TOURS by OUTER ISLAND EXCURSIONS at http://www.outerislandx.com or call Tel. 360 376 3711

WHERE TO BUY FISHING GEAR AND SPORTSMAN’S OUTFITS IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON STATE:
SPORTSMAN’S WAREHOUSE AMERICA’S PREMIER OUTFITTERS
505 SE Everett Mall Suite 1, EVERETT, WA 98208
Phone: 425 – 610 2100 or Fax 425 265 9722
email: mwagner@sportsmanswarehouse.com or access the internet at http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com

WHERE TO INQUIRE OR PURCHASE RAYMARINE’S AXIOM NAVIGATION SYSTEMS:
FLIR MARITIME US Inc.
9 Townsend West, Nashua, NH 03063 – Tel +1 603 324 7900 at http://www.flir.com or at EVERETT BAYSIDE MARINE INC. & DRY STACK ON THE WATERFRONT
1111 Craftsman Way – Everett, WA 98201; Main Tel. +1 425 252 3088 or Launch + 1 425 339 8330 at http://www.baysidemarine.com

FOR GOURMET KITCHENWARE INCLUDING SUPERIOR QUALITY FILLET KNIVES IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON STATE:
JUDY MATHESON’S GIFTS KITCHEN & GOURMET
2615 Colby, Everett, WA 98201; Tel. 425 – 258 2287 or Fax 425 – 339 6094 or access the internet at http://www.jmatheson.com

WHERE TO EAT SALMON AND SALMON SUSHI IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON:
BUCK’S AMERICAN CAFE – HISTORIC LOCATION NORTHWEST FINE DINING
2901 Hewitt Avenue, Everett, Washington 98201 Tel. +1 425 259 1351 at info@bucksamericancafe.com or at
KAI SUSHI FUSION ROLL & SAKE
2811 Colby Avenue – Suite A, Everett, Washington 98201 – Tel +1 425 374 7949 at http://www.kaisushiroll.com

FOR COOKING SALMON AND TO PREPARE MANY OTHER GREAT DISHES:
THE FOOD LAB Cookbook by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
Better Home Cooking Through Sciences
A James Beard Foundation Book Award Winner
2015 WW. Norton & Company, Inc. 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
http://www.wwnorton.com
958 pages with color photographs; with information on essential kitchen gear, the basic pantry, conversions for common ingredients by volume and mass, weight and temperature conversions. This definite American book’s content includes what home cooks and culinary gourmets will love to know about cooking, preparing great food and handling ingredients the right way. Divided in sections the volume deals with eggs, dairy and the science of breakfast; with soups, stews and the science of stock; steaks, chops, chicken, fish and the science of fast cooking food; blanching, searing, braising, glazing, roasting and the science of vegetables; balls, loaves, links, burgers and the science of ground meat; chicken, turkeys, prime rib and the science of roasts; tomato sauce, macaroni and the science of pasta; greens, emulsions and the science of salads; batter, breading and the science of frying.