King salmon turn 'winter blues' to green

While many anglers are counting down the weeks until they can try their hand for king salmon, one Palmer resident is already cashing in on his chinook success.

Ralph Holcomb decided to try his hand in Kachemak Bay in the 11th annual Homer Winter King Salmon Derby, a one-day event held last Sunday. It turns out it was a good idea -- and a profitable one as well.

Holcomb hooked and landed a 30.72-pound king salmon, good for third place in the tournament -- and $8,151.

"It was the only bite the whole boat had all day," Holcomb said. "My first thought was that it was a small one, actually."

Holcomb hooked the fish at 1:40 p.m., giving him just enough time to get back to the derby headquarters and have his fish weighed.

The one-day Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament begins with lines in at 8 a.m. and lines out at 6 p.m.

Holcomb said he isn't sure what he and his family are going to do with the unexpected cash — but he has a decent idea.

"We're fixing to add on to the house, so we'll probably use the money for that," he said.

Holcomb wasn't using any super secret tackle, he said -- just a green flasher and a plug-cut herring, using a downrigger.

It was the first time he entered the tournament, and the first time he has even fished for winter kings off the shores of Homer.

When asked if he plans to return to the tournament next year, his answer was simple -- "Oh, definitely," Holcomb said.

While his 30.72-pounder was good for third, it paled in comparison to the leader.

Anchorage's Garrett Maupin led the way with a 38.42-pound chinook, which netted him $15,561. Homer's Dale Franklin took second with a 31.56-pound king, which was good for $10,374.

Cash prizes were given to the top 10 anglers, based on a percentage of tournament entry fees, and merchandise prizes were given to anglers finishing in 11th through 20th places.

Two other Valley residents ended up in that range, with Henry F. Fischer Jr. of Palmer taking 15th place with his 21.36-pound fish and Big Lake's Robert Greig tying for 16th place with a salmon of 20.76 pounds.

The event had the largest turnout of anglers in its 11-year history. Organizers said there were a lot of Valley anglers in the tournament, vying for the winter chinooks.

"This year we had 741 people, which is by far our biggest," said Linda Winters of the Homer Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event.

Each year, the tournament has grown a little bit bigger.

"Last year we had 588, and before that, we averaged about 400 to 500 people. This year, we had quite a few from the Mat-Su Valley, Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula, and we had quite a few people from the Lower 48 come up for it."

A ticket for the tournament cost $100.

The Homer Winter King Tournament is a precursor to the larger Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby, which has become world famous.

Each year, halibut anglers from around the world vie for the coveted crown, and with it a check for more than $46,000.

Last year, Palmer's Steve Button, of Crystal Sea Charters, guided the the winning angler, Joseph Volz of Reedsville, W.V. Volz caught a 345.6-pound halibut, which topped the field.

Button won $4,210 as part of the derby's captain prize, which represents a 25 cents from every $10 derby ticket.