by JD on January 10, 2012
Like the drawn-out college bowl season, we’ve got one more championship to be decided before we close the book on 2011. I am, of course, referring to the Smoker of the Year Contest, in which we crown the angler who caught the ugliest, darkest…I’d never touch that thing with my bare hands…fish of the season. It’s gonna be tough to top the 2010 Smoker Champ, which was about as disgusting as you could imagine, but we’ll see how they do. So, without further adieu, here are your finalists: Who gets the coveted Harrison Ibach Smoker of the Year Trophy for 2011??
Smokie Soretail says: "Bring it!"
Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water…along comes the latest incarnation of our beloved Smoker of the Year Contest!!
You know the deal…send us those pix of you and the darkest, nastiest fish you catch and at the end of the year, the public will get to vote to see who wins the coveted Harrison Ibach perpetual trophy. But here’s a new little twist on the 2011 version of the game: Normally, you’d call ‘em “smokers” because you kept such a fish and justified it with the classic line: “It’ll smoke up nice,” but this season, only live smokers are eligible. You’ve got to release the fish…this is a little effort to help those of you addicted to white meat to get back up on the wagon. Plus, by definition, most smokers were likely engaged (or about to be) in procreation at the time of capture and thus are valuable resources that should be left to go about their business.
If you have a smoker, send us an
email and we’ll tell ya how to submit it. For inspiration, look back at
past year’s winners. Learn how to take better Smoker of the Year photos, take this lesson for Hall of Famer,
Harry Ibach. 
Yep, this one should smoke up nice!
The polls are now closed and, it’s time to crown our new Smoker of the Year Champion! Shawn Schmidtke earned this year’s
Harrison Ibach Smokie Trophy with this black beast that took a glob of Oregon guide David Johnson’s special “wake the dead” cured eggs.
At the crowning celebration, held in banquet room of the Rufus, OR McDonalds, Schmidtke was speechless as his boyhood idol and, up to this point, the only member of the Smoker Hall of Fame, Harrison Ibach, made a rare public appearance.
“The kid’s got a lot of potential,” was all Ibach said before he was quickly whisked away by his handlers, out the back door and then into a waiting limo.
[click to continue…]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…] 
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!
