The Samoa Peninsula Fire District’s 6th Annual Perch’n on the Peninsula, Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry Fundraiser was a huge success.  The event was held on Saturday April 18 this year and had more people attend than ever before.  Over 130 meals were served and over $4,000 in tournament and raffle prizes were handed out. The Petrale sole and Humboldt Bay oysters were a big hit yet again.

 

            Despite the less than perfect ocean conditions 59 people entered the tournament and went fishing this year, including 10 junior category participants.  This year’s participants were greeted with the typical foggy overcast weather conditions the Humboldt County coast is famous for.   The winds were light out of the northwest and the waves were on the large side with 8-10 footers rolling in every 12-13 seconds.  The fishermen/fisherwomen were spread out all over Humboldt County with folks reporting in from as far away as Centerville beach to the south, Gold Bluff beach to the north and almost everywhere in between.  Most folks reported relatively good fishing early in the day when the tide was low and slower fishing later in the day as the tide came in. The large swell seemed to have dirtied up the water and produced heaver currents which made holding bottom a challenge for many. Those that headed for more sheltered locations like Trinidad and Humboldt Bay reported good action with somewhat calmer conditions.  Like in years past, many of the biggest perch were caught at Gold Bluff beach and Centerville beach; however, Stone Lagoon beach appeared to also be a hot spot this year.  Jessica Bishop and Lars Cox fished the more sheltered waters at Luffenholtz beach and found many Striped surfperch on the bite.   Jessica brought back a 14.8 inch Striped Surfperch this year which is the largest of species we have had entered in the tournament.  Jessica’s catch landed her the 5th place standing in the adult category in this year’s tournament.  Way to go Jessica!  

 

Congratulations to everyone that participated and thank you for supporting the Samoa Peninsula Fire District Volunteer Organization.  With the proceeds from this annual fundraiser event the volunteers were able to purchase a used fire engine in 2014 which is now fully equipped and responding to emergency incidents on the Samoa Peninsula and surrounding areas.