Steelhead Expo and Derby looks to create fishing buzz

Next month’s Steelhead Expo and Derby to be held at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel has roots that span from the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Organizer Toby Wyatt of Reel Time Fishing said he often hears anglers complain about the demise of the once-annual steelhead derby held in the valley. The fishing contest that began as the Great Snake Lake Steelhead Roundup and was later renamed the Clearwater-Snake Steelhead Derby died for good in 2019, when steelhead returns bottomed out in the midst of a five-year nosedive.

Wyatt guides out of Cabo during the winter and took note of the buzz created by tuna fishing derbies there. He said the hype around steelhead fishing was tempered some by the stretch of poor returns between 2017 and 2021 and the loss of the derby.

“Everybody misses it and there is not a lot going on in the first part of January,” he said. “We are just trying to put the focus back on the fish and get the community out fishing.”

The expo will be held Jan. 10-12, with the schedule organized to promote derby fishing in the mornings. The derby will run across the three days of the expo and feature prizes of $500, $250 and $100 for first, second and third places in categories for men, women and children.

“The cool part is the one and only weigh station will be at the expo,” Wyatt said. “People will bring fish into the Hells Canyon Grand to be weighed and there will be a leaderboard there and there will be an audience.”

The expo will feature a menu of seminars each afternoon and include speakers with expertise in boat fishing, bank anglers and fly fishing. The expo and derby will conclude with an awards ceremony on Jan. 12, a Sunday.

The cost to enter the derby is $60 and includes a pass to all three days of the expo. An expo pass alone is $30 for adults if purchased in advance and $35 at the door. Daily passes are available as well. There is no cost for kids 15 and younger.

More details are available at steelheadexpo.com.

Wyatt hopes to put on a fall chinook derby on Aug. 18, the opening day of the season, and hold a steelhead derby in the fall as well.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com.