22nd annual fishing tourney begins Friday at 5 a.m.

by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor

The 22nd annual Rogers City Salmon Tournament is set to get underway Friday and run through Sunday. The Presque Isle County Tourism Council-sponsored event is looking at a possible payout of $1,000 for the overall three-day winner of the tournament, but that figure is based on 70 boats.

Suggested payouts are 70 percent of the registration fees, although boat registrations were running behind last year?s numbers at this time. According to Tourism Council executive director Kammie Dennis, there were 35 boats registered as of Friday with more to be processed Tuesday afternoon.

Dennis was still transitioning from her role as administrator of the Nautical Festival to organizer of the salmon tournament early Tuesday afternoon. The number of entries the same day of the week last year was about 100. ?I?m just hoping to have a quality tournament,? said Dennis, from the Tourism Council?s new headquarters on Airport Road. They are located in the front office section of the Great Lakes Conveyor building, and a stone?s throw from County Road 451. The new home is only a few blocks from their former location at the airport.

?Even with our new office, I?ve had fishermen come in,? said Dennis. ?They are being really good about it.?

FISHERMEN WILL launch their boats Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from one of three sites ? Rogers City Marina, Presque Isle Harbor or Hammond Bay. Tournament fishing times are Friday and Saturday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Officials will begin checking coolers at 5 a.m. As soon as they are checked, anglers may start fishing. The weigh-in station will open immediately after the launch each morning and remain open until all fishermen are in line by 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday have been processed.

Because there are three fishing areas for the tournament, those boats from Presque Isle Harbor and Hammond Bay must have their cooler sealed by 10 p.m. and be in line at th

e Rogers City bandshell by 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, they need to have their coolers sealed at 2 p.m. and be in line by 3 p.m. As was the case last year, anglers can enter salmon, steelhead, brown trout, and lake trout. There are no boundaries.

Winners in the individual division will be determined by the largest fish entered over the entire three days of the 2007 RC Salmon Tournament. There also will be prize money paid out for separate entries in the boat division. A familiar name captured the top prize in the individual category in 2006. Dennis Cook of Carsonville brought in a 23.25-pound salmon.

The captain?s meeting for the Ladies Classic was Wednesday with the one-day tournament getting underway today. Another new rule is officials will allow mixed crews this year, ?where last year the crew had to be all women,? said Dennis.