As the 2017 Slam’n Salm’n Derby wraps at noon Sunday, Michael Tinker’s 36.2-pound king salmon was holding onto first place.
It’s been a Derby with both lots of fish–more than 300 weighed in through Saturday–and big fish, with the top ten salmon all more than 31 pounds.
This year’s Derby also included a first-ever Kids Fishing Day, for anglers 15 and under, all day Saturday. Hundreds of youngsters and their families made a day of it, taking advantage of free gear, advice and food to celebrate a gorgeous day on the Creek….and they caught some great kings too!
The Dickson family made the most of Sunday morning’s tide and Barry caught this 21-pound king, with assists from Melanie, Jacob and Kyla. What a great Father’s Day celebration.
Before and after Saturday, there were many families fishing the Creek for kings, one of the other very unique place about this, America’s best urban fishery.
And there have some wonderful stories, like Wyoming serviceman
Lance Pruitt, who landed in Alaska at 11 p.m. Thursday night ready to fish
Friday at 10 a.m. he was weighing in a 33.75 bright king salmon to take the lead in Ship Creek’s Slam’n Salm’n Salmon Derby.
Although out of first place, as of Sunday, Pruitt remains in the lead for the active duty military award with that fish.
Pruitt, no relation to the state representative of the same name, is from Wyoming and was ready to go fishing Friday morning. Soaking salmon eggs, he hooked and landed one of a bumper crop of kings hitting Ship Creek on the incoming tide.
Timing for the Derby seemed to coincide perfectly with
A second tagged fish, worth $100 in prize money, was also weighed in mid-morning Friday.
Through Thursday, more than 270 kings have been weighed in for the downtown Anchorage fishing derby, which runs through Sunday. First prize is 200 ounces of silver provided by Microcon plus a gold coin provided by the Alaska Mint.
Saturday there will be a special kids-only fishery between the Bridge Restaurant and the C Street Bridge, 6 a.m.-6 p.m., open only to fishermen age 15 and under.
