For
immediate release
West Marine Northwest
Salmon Derby Series grand prize boat awarded to Lake Coeur d’Alene angler
SEATTLE – Nov. 10, 2017 – Gary March of Worley, Idaho,
had hit a low point in his life while on a recent mule deer hunting trip at
Fort Peck Reservoir in northeastern Montana.
“I was in an area that didn’t have cell phone
coverage, and nine miles from the boat launch when I lost control of my truck
and boat, and went off a 30-foot embankment,” March said. “There was a little
damage to the boat, but the truck is totaled. It took me a few days to get the
trailer fixed before I could get it home.”
While waiting for repairs in Jordan, Montana, he sat
in his hotel room, and noticed three voicemails on his cell phone that lifted his
emotions.
Those calls were coming from Karsten McIntosh with the
Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA). McIntosh had great news: March’s name
had been randomly drawn on Nov. 5 at the Everett No-Coho Blackmouth Derby from more
than 4,000 anglers following the conclusion of the 2017 West Marine Northwest
Salmon Derby Series.
McIntosh had notified March that he had won the grand
prize, a fully-equipped 22-foot Hewescraft OceanPro aluminum boat with Honda
motors and trailer valued at around $85,000.
And this is where the story gets interesting since the
boat that slipped off the side of a remote road along the fifth largest
artificial lake in the U.S. was also a 22-foot Hewescraft OceanPro!
“(McIntosh) called me, told me I won a boat and I said
you’ve got to be kidding me,” March said. “My emotions were pretty low at the
time, and then I was right back on top. I had a pretty big swing of emotions at
that moment.”
Call it divine intervention or fate, but according to
March, everyone has always called him “Lucky” his whole life and winning this
beautiful boat definitely sealed the deal!
March’s name was entered into the derby series drawing
after fishing in The Big One Salmon Derby on Lake Coeur d’Alene in northern
Idaho on July 26-30.
“I had a really slow tournament this summer, and have
fished it for over 20 years with my wife Claire,” said March. “This was the
first time I fished the tournament after a few years off.”
March, who lived most of his life in Spokane, had just
retired back in March after a 45-year career with White’s Boot Company in
Spokane.
The boat is the 14th grand prize boat, motor, and
trailer package that has been given away since the Series was created in 2004.
This year’s Hewescraft 220 OceanPro boat is powered by a 250-horsepower Honda
and a 9.9-horsepower Honda trolling motor, on an EZ Loader tandem axle trailer.
The boat came fully-equipped with top-of-the-line extras including Raymarine
electronics, Scotty Downriggers, and a Dual Electronics stereo.
“How exciting for Gary to win this fully-loaded boat,
and I can’t wait to see him out on the water at Coeur d’Alene next summer,”
said Mark Yuasa, who coordinates the Northwest Salmon Derby Series and chatted
with the “Lucky” derby winner. “There was nothing more thrilling than to hear
how happy he was after winning this impressive fully-geared fishing boat.”
The West Marine Northwest Salmon Derby Series is a
fishing promotion program directed by the NMTA that encourages boating and fishing
in the Northwest. In 2017, the Series included 14 derbies in Washington, Idaho
and British Columbia, Canada. For each derby an angler competes in, they get
one entry into the drawing for the grand prize boat held at the final derby in
the Series.
Now that March is retired and has a new home on Lake
Coeur d’Alene he plans to make good use of the boat and hopefully eclipse his
best chinook catch of 24.9 pounds on the expansive 25-mile lake.
“I’m retired and with this waterfront home on the lake
and now the owner of a new boat, I will definitely be fishing this derby every summer,”
he said with excitement.
blog
For more information on the West Marine Northwest
Salmon Derby Series, visit www.NorthwestSalmonDerbySeries.com.
###
About
the Northwest Marine Trade Association
The NMTA is the nation’s largest regional marine trade
association. It represents more than 725 companies in the recreational boating
industry, including boat dealers, boat brokers, marinas, boatyards,
manufacturers, retailers and suppliers of boating accessories and services. The
NMTA’s mission is to promote the growth of recreational boating and member
businesses. The NMTA produces the Seattle Boat Show, the West Coast’s largest
boat show. Additional information is available at www.nmta.net
Contact
Mark
Yuasa
NMTA
Director of Grow Boating Programs
and
NW Salmon Derby Series
(206)
619-8868
