History was made on two fronts at this year's Fisherman of the Year contest held at Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle.
Eike Ten Kley, operations manager of Iliamna Fishing Co. in Portland, Ore., claimed the coveted Fisherman of the Year title, becoming the event's first female winner. Her husband, Reid Ten Kley, won last year's contest. That makes the Ten Kleys the first husband and wife combination to hold the title.
Last year when Reid Ten Kley and his wife, Eike, competed in the knot-tying contest, he went on to win the Fisherman of the Year contest. This year, Elke claimed the title. Laura Lee Dobson photoContestants in the annual event display their skills in three areas — net mending, knot tying and rope splicing — with winners in each contest earning a crisp $100 bill plus a slot in the survival suit competition for a shot at the title.
Fisherman Joao Domar of B Fisheries in Seattle won the net-mending contest, repairing the patch of torn net before him in 34.57 seconds. Then it was on to the knot-tying competition.
Competitors must correctly tie three knots while blindfolded — a bowline, a crab hitch (aka a sheet bend) and a figure eight. The quickest to do so wins.
The Ten Kleys were pitted against each other, with Eike emerging victorious when Reid momentarily lost hold of the rope when tying the last knot.
Fisherman Chris Guggenbickler, of Wrangell Ports and Harbors, in Wrangell, Alaska, makde a three-tuck splice in 40.05 seconds in the rope-slicing contest to grab the last spot in the finals.
The three winners then squared off to see which one of them could don a survival suit the fastest. Ten Kley clambered into her suit in 29 seconds and securing her face flap just in time to take the title, earning another $100 as well as a personalized Fisherman of the Year jacket donated by National Fisherman.
It's always impressive to watch fishermen display their skills, but it's especially rewarding to see how quickly contestants are able to don the immersion suits. Yes, it's great that it can help them secure a Fisherman of the Year victory. But if it helps a fisherman survive a real emergency at sea, that's far and away the most important victory to claim.
