This humorous Holmes Harbor cartoon by Irwin Caplan is from the February 21, 1940 issue of the Seattle Star about the Ben Paris Saltwater Fishing Derby.
Ben Paris was a sportsman, entrepreneur, conservationist, and owner of a landmark restaurant in Seattle. He helped to outlaw fish traps in the mid-1930s in Puget Sound and began Seattle’s first salmon derby.
Here is text from the article:
FAIR FISHING IN PROSPECT AS 1940 DERBY GETS GOING
Tomorrow’s the day — February 22nd, George Washington’s birthday to most of you — the day the salmon are supposed to show in Holmes Harbor and the day that the tenth annual Seattle Star Ben Paris salt water derby opens.
That should be good enough news for salt water fisherman for one day. But here’s even better news:
“We’ve caught half a dozen blackmouth, 13 to 15 pounds in size since Sunday,” says Jim Pratt, veteran resort owner from Holmes Harbor. “There are plenty of smaller ones, 18 to 22 inches to be had. No herring as yet, but those fish must be hunting for herring and perhaps that run will hit any time now.”
Jim, who has a reputation for NOT being careless with the truth, isn’t putting that out as bait for you either.
“I’d say prospects were just fair,” he puts it. And that’s the way we’re putting it to you–fair fishing in prospect over the weekend.
There’ll be many a fisherman ‘take a gamble’ on those prospects, however. The chance for an outing what with the holiday Thursday and the weekend following is too much for a lot of them. And it’s to Holmes Harbor they’re going…
Remember the special prize– $25, $15 and $10 for the three largest displayed at Ben Paris in the derby these next four days!