Stan Kownacki Takes 1st Place With 19.34 Salmon
Nye, Dunn Join Him as Top 3 Finishers in Les Cheneaux Competition
By Amy Polk

Stan Kownacki of St. Martins Point, Hessel hoists the 19.34-pound salmon that won the 2005 Les Cheneaux Chamber of Commerce Annual Salmon Fishing Tournament. (Photograph courtesy of Stan Kownacki)

Stan Kownacki of St. Martin’s Point in Hessel took first place in the Les Cheneaux Chamber of Commerce Annual Salmon Fishing Tournament, with a 19.34-pound salmon. The contest ended Sunday, July 31, with an awards ceremony at the Islander Bar in Hessel. Mr. Kownacki won $1,000 for his catch.

The contest attracted 48 contestants who competed in three fish contests this year, including salmon, trout, and steelhead divisions. Mr. Kownacki topped the salmon anglers, and was followed by Jeff Whitehead of suburban Detroit in second place, with a 15-pound fish that grabbed $500, Robert Smith of St. Martins Point with a 14.84-pound fish that earned $250, and Wilfred Thompson of Cedarville with his 14.44-pound fish that won $100. The men edged out Liz Merchberger of Cedarville, who held the lead with an 11.44-pound salmon for several days before the bigger fish came in, organizer Bill Mudloff said.

In the trout division, Mark Nye of Hessel won first place and $500 for his 19-inch, 22-pound lake trout. Tom Bailey of Clarkston won second place and $250 with his 18.5-inch, 2.06-pound trout. Nathan Marshall of Lapeer won third place and $100 for his catch, an 18 and three-eighths-inch, 1.98-pound trout. Bill Mudloff of Cedarville caught an 18-inch, 1.78-pound trout to capture fourth place and $50.

The largest steelhead was landed by Dale Dunn of Cedarville, who won $500 for his 7.54-pound fish. Scott DeWitt of Hill Island in Cedarville won $250 for catching the second largest, a 6.72-pound steelhead.

Mr. Mudloff reported that anglers were catching fewer steelhead, but plenty of lake trout and other fish. Anglers are seeing a lot of minnows and sport fish inside the Les Cheneaux Islands. Norm Perkins of Island Charters of Cedarville said his clients are catching big fish like salmon and lake trout in the Straits of Mackinac and around Mackinac Island.

“We’re catching more lake trout than we are Kings (chinook salmon),” Mr. Perkins said. “Because of the slot limits, though, of the 30 lake trout we’ve caught, we’ve only been able to keep three.”

The Department of Natural Resources allows anglers to keep up to three lake trout per day, only one of which can be more than 34 inches in length. The other two must be 15- to 19-inches in length. Anglers can keep three 15- to 19-inch lake trout, or a combination of one 34 inches or larger, and two 15- to 19-inch fish.

The Salmon Fishing Tournament started Friday, July 22, and continued for 10 days, through Sunday, July 31, at noon.