The Homer Halibut Derby officially concluded over the weekend, and a surprise, last-minute catch cashed in to win the grand prize. Washington resident Mark Reynolds swooped in with, quite literally, the last catch of the derby on Thursday to win this year’s contest.
“He actually was the last one that was weighed in,” said Homer Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Brad Anderson. “He came in right at the end, his fish weighed in on [August] 29th, and we ended then on [September] 2nd.
Reynolds, who hails from Kelso, WA, brought in the prize-winning fish that weighed in at a whopping 163.6 pounds, nearly 20 pounds heavier than the catch that held the Derby lead for a good portion of the summer.
Along with bragging rights, Reynolds took home a cash prize of $2,392.50.
The summer-long derby returned to Homer this year after a five-year hiatus. The last full summer derby was in 2019. In 2020, the derby was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Chamber wasn’t able to fully get the competition going again until this year.
“It was kind of a slow start,” Anderson said of the Derby’s return this summer. “We weren’t sure what to expect after being, you know, dark for so long on this summer-long concept. So, I think a lot of people still were finding out, but we’re happy to see the response and the excitement that we had in pulling this off and working with our Charter association folks.”
The total payout is based on the amount of money the tournament brings in over the summer, but prize winners receive 60% of whatever that total income amount is. Once the Derby concludes, the Chamber will be able to determine the exact dollar amounts going out to winners.