Flory brings home big fish, cash prize from Koocanusa

A Bonners Ferry man, using a fly tied by his son, landed an 11- pound rainbow trout in the opening minutes of the ninth annual Trout and Salmon Derby on Saturday at Lake Koocanusa.

Doug Flory, 71, captured the title for the largest fish and the $2,088 top prize.

 He used a “Lake Koocanusa Special” designed and tied by his 47-year-old son, Kevin, landed the lunker at 7:05 a.m. Saturday and was among the first to register his catch.

Flory’s feat was barely tested throughout the weekend as no other contestant came within a pound of matching his fish, as he remained atop the leader board throughout the weekend.

“He really wasn’t that hard to land,” said Flory, who admitted to fishing about 13 hours during the two-day tournament that began Saturday and lasted much of Sunday.

The “Koocanusa Special,” described by the younger Flory, featured red, black and white colors on a No. 2-size hook.

“Don’t tell ’em any more. That’s your fly. Keep it secret,”offered a fellow angler from the Flory boat.

In all, 373 anglers competed from 138 boats for cash prizes that paid out 100 percent of receipts in the tourney, which is sponsored by Randy and Randie Burch, owners of the Koocanusa Resort and  Marina located about 24 miles north of Libby on Route 37. The top six anglers in the rainbow category and top three in the kokanee salmon category received prize money totaling $7,062.

Anglers, who caught the diminutive Kokanee, were able to weigh their top 20 catches, and that collective weight was computed to determine the winner.

“We’re seeing smaller salmon, too,” Burch said. “The water’s  still cold, but I also think as they flush all the water out, they’re also flushing out a lot of the food, too. So, there’s not as much for them to eat.”

The number of anglers who competed this year represented a decline from last year when 520 hopefuls cast their lines plying for top prize. And, the reason for the decline, said Randy Burch, can be attributed to at least a couple of factors.

“The lake is way down,” Burch began. “I think that kept people away and the fact that gas prices are so high. Still, we’ve got a good turnout, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.”

Burch and his wife, who run and manage the marina, say neither has seen the lake as low during their nine years as owners.

“We’re about 121 feet below where we were last year,” Burch said, estimating the lake level. “They’re (the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) expecting a huge snow-melt this spring, so they’re letting a lot of water out right now. It’s made things interesting.”

Standing on the boat access ramp with her husband, Randie Burch expressed her sentiment about the water level.

“This is where it was last year,” Randie said, poised on a large rock as she pointed to a spray-painted green marker. “You can see how much lower the lake is. I think the (lower) levels also kept some people away,” she said.

As of 6 a.m. Monday, May 16, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were releasing 20,000 cubic feet of water per second through the  Libby Dam. The Corps said the drop in water represents 118 feet lower than the normal pool at this time of year.

Still, there was a vast variety of competitors. Anglers represented seven states and Canada. Randy Carlson of Spanish Fort, Ala., was recognized as traveling the farthest. Also, recognized were Charles Marshall and his grandson Ethan Van Gelder, of Spokane, Wash. The duo was cited during the attendance-prize session with the Mentoring Award.

“This is always the most difficult award to give because so many people are worthy of this,” Randie Burch said. “This decision was made by Randy and me, and we chose them because of the teaching relationship we see.”