by JD on November 14, 2010
Trinity River king salmon don’t come much bigger (or darker) thank this 40-pound beast caught this fall by Dean McGrath…which just happens to be our most recent Smoker of the Year Contest entry.
While McGrath may not be the odd-on favorite for taking the Smoker crown this year, I’m thinking he should receive his fair share of first place votes. Not only is the size of the fish impressive, but he also mixed in some key elements that should impress the judges: Big kype, skinny flanks, rich brown color and, of course, lots of blood. Additionally, he gets bonus points for the camouflage hip boots…and what just may be a big ol’ dip in his lower lip. The only thing that could have made this shot better is maybe a Styrofoam nightcrawler cup and a couple empty Mickey’s Big Mouths bobbing around in the water behind him. Overall, very nice work indeed!
by JD on October 29, 2010
Who's who in this pic??
Okay, so I have to admit that some of my favorite
Smoker of the Year Contest submissions come from folks who send pix of their fishing buddies in…without letting their pals know first! A little “under the bus smokering” if you will! Always funny and all in good fun!
That’s clearly the case with this big, 40-pound dark Rogue River buck caught by Darrell Castle on the Rogue River earlier this month. Castle’s brother Daren snapped the pic and did the dastardly deed of sending it in to be considered in out 2010 version of the Smoker Contest. The only problem is Daren forgot to label which one’s the Smoker and which one’s his brother….aaaawwwwww….sorry…low blow! Just kidding!
by JD on October 22, 2010
Really, I was looking for chrome...
When Drew Hoverson headed below the Barrier Dam on Washington State’s Cowlitz River with light gear he had smaller, chromer fish on the brain. Well, then Darkzilla the King came calling and his plans changed. It was an epic struggle but Drew eventually prevailed and was rewarded not only with some of the “other white meat” but also a berth in this year’s
Smoker of the Year Contest.
To give you he play by play on this big darkie, we’ll turn it over to Drew and let him tell the tale of Smoker glory…
[click to continue…]by JD on October 19, 2010
You think these are sushi grade?
Our pal T-Rex has spent the past season and a half studying the teachings of The Sultan of Sore Tails…
Harrison Ibach, the world’s greatest smoker fisherman and the sole member of the Smoker Hall of Fame. Apparently, he’s a quick study because on a trip with pals to the Upper Klamath River last week, T-Rex did his mentor proud with this nice brace of
black cod, which happens to be our latest
Smoker of the Year Contest entry.
T.R. said that the fish had lovely tender white meat on the inside and that he was able to fillet them beautifully using only his index finger. He plans to marinate the fish for about a week and then, after two cords of alderwood through the smoker, they should be just right!
Look out...Great Lakes in da haus!
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Alex headed down to New York’s Salmon River to try to obtain a little dark meat for the annual feast. Mission accomplished! This beautiful black beauty not only should put a smile on the faces of his holiday guests, it also makes us here at Sore Tail Central happy as this is a quality entry for our
Smoker of the Year Contest! And all you West Coast smoker hunters…I’d consider this a shot across your collective bow. The Great Lakes boys are starting to check in and those tribs serve up more top-notch black beauties than any other streams on the planet. It’s time to be afraid…very afraid!
by JD on September 27, 2010
The Master shows you how!!
With fall salmon runs in full swing in the West and out in the Great Lakes, you guys have no excuse for not sending in some fresh new Smoker of the Year pictures! If you’re unfamiliar with the contest, the basic gist is this: When you catch a fish that’s…well, let’s just say…a little past its prime, be sure to snap a quick photo or two (if you don’t mind touching it!) and email them to us.
At the end of the year, we’ll let the general public vote for their favorite and the winner gets a prize. For more details, click
HERE and for inspiration, take a look at
previous entries.
Now, to help ya take a prize-winning shot this year, we’ve enlisted the help of Harrison Ibach (pictured above), the world’s greatest Smoker Hunter and the sole member of the Smoker Hall of Fame. Ibach’s work in this field was light years ahead of the competition and it looked for a time that he’d never be beaten, but he inexplicably retired right at the apex of his career and has not been seen in person since. It took some doing, but we finally coaxed the hermit to speak with us through an interpreter (he hasn’t spoken English in over 3 years!) via ham radio from a remote island in the Azores archipelago where he is currently plotting a comeback. He wouldn’t give any verbal clues to his success but instead sent us this diagram via passenger pigeon. It’s pretty self explanatory and you’d do well to heed his advice. Also, pray he doesn’t get back into the game because it’s over if he does!
by JD on September 12, 2010
Slap some alderwood in the Little Chief and we're in business tonight...yea baby!
This may just be the best
Smoker of the Year Contest entry of all time! While fishing in France, angler Raphael Biagini landed this 30-pound mutant goldfish (what the heck are they putting in the water over there??) and in so doing has set the bar oh so very high in this year’s Smoker contest.
If you’ve ever uttered the phrase “Yea, it will smoke” after putting a nasty fish on the stringer and have photographic evidence of the beast, you should definitely enter the Smoker of the Year Contest! To enter click
HERE 
No, we're not acting suspicious, why?
Though the Hennmeister and Ray-Ray appear to be up to no good here, they’re actually not doing anything illegal…though it could be argued that throwing this black beauty into the box is worthy of some sort of fine.
We’re sure glad they made the ill-advised move to step in front of a waiting camera with their prize, however, because it makes a dandy
Smoker of the Year Contest entry. Do you have any dark beasts that you’d like to share? You’ve got a chance to win a cool prize…and be the envy of your friends!
Send us your pix!
