Bellingham Salmon Derby – Win Prizes and Enjoy Camping Holiday!

Daybreak of this Friday, 12^th July, will be the starting point of the Bellingham Salmon Derby – the three day derby, which will end on Sunday noon of 14^th July, with the awards ceremony at 1.00 pm at the harbor. The Bellingham Chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers will sponsor the event which will be a part of Northwest Salmon Derby Series. Therefore every contestant will get a ticket to the boat raffle put on by NWSD. Visit the official website for more info. And you will get tickets to the derby here.

There are lucrative prizes – first prize is of $5,000, second prize is of $2,500 and 3^rd prize is of $1,000. Plus there are two secret weight prizes too of $500 each.

For the last two years, there was some great fish found in the 30 and 20 pound range. This time of the year is supposed to be great for fishing on the San Juan Islands (Area 7).

Cory Warnock-2011 winner

Kevin Geoghegan-2012 winner

As it is, San Juan Islands are perfect for family picnics and camping. So, you can take this golden opportunity to take your family on a holiday too. There are two major attractions here, sea kayaking and watching orca whale either by boat or by an air tour. The sandy and rocky beaches graced by knotty ochre-colored madrona trees of the islands are awesome. Inland areas are full of evergreen fir and pine jungles.

Sea kayaking at San Juan

Orca Whale watching

There are no bridges to the islands, so you will have to come either by a boat or by air. Ferries ply from areas like Washington, Sidney (British Columbia), Port Townsend, and Olympic Peninsula.

Kenmore Air, San Juan Airlines and Northwest Sky Ferry are some carriers that serve the San Juan Islands.

There are several Sate Parks available on the islands, perfect for camping. And other alternative is the numerous lovely resorts wherein you can stay. Each of them has mind-blowing features. E.g. Kiln Point State Park has 1919 lighthouses. It has important whale-watching points too. Get more information of San Juan Islands here.

A lighthouse in Kiln Point State Park

Southwest part of San Juan

An eagle at San Juan