The McDonald’s Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular has come to a close with more people on the water than ever.
“The crowd numbers were a bit down in the tent through the week,” says Salmon Spectacular co-chair Chris Geberdt. “But the derby entries were up and the fish numbers were up.”
This year’s winner for biggest salmon was Garrett Baker of Bognor at 26.02 pounds, while the largest trout and lake trout went to Thomas Moore of Owen Sound at 24.06 pounds.
The leading rainbow trout was caught by William Hanna of Collingwood at 11.56 pounds, and the biggest brown trout was reeled in by Barb Schank of Tara at 8.15 pounds.
This year, 5,200 anglers registered to take part, and the number of fish entered was 400 more than 2025’s Derby, with just over 2,000 getting weighed in.
More that 3,600 pounds of fish were cooked up for the two Saturday fish fries, with 700 pounds being served up on Seniors Day alone.
Nearly 60,000 people entered the tent over the event’s 10-day period.
This year the derby handed out $175,000 in prizes, but Geberdt says the festival is more than just that – it is about bringing families together and having fun.
Participants who won prizes can pick them up on 1960 20th St. East from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All prize winners can be found at sydenhamsportsmen.com.