The 31st Annual Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament, Alaska’s largest fishing tournament, awarded $198,526 in cash prizes on Mar. 22nd.
Brad Anderson, Executive Director of the Homer Chamber of Commerce, said it was one of the year’s best days.
“So we were fortunate to have probably one of the best days we’ve had in years. The winds were calm, so all of our anglers got to go and fish wherever they really wanted to go. We had just a wonderful turnout. The weather just was absolutely perfect for us.”Anderson said.
This year’s tournament had 1,235 anglers and 373 boats that participated in the tournament.
Anderson says they weighed in 233 fish.
The top-place angler was Zach Weimann on team Profishunt, with a fish weighing 30.66 pounds, the largest fish since 2013. The unofficial results show that he will earn $84,207 in cash prizes, including the team’s Side Tournament winnings. The team’s captain, Doug Weimann, was awarded the John Hillstrand Award, including another prize bucket.
The Scott Ulmer Award was presented to long-time WKT angler Larry Cabana.
This year’s Youth Prize winner was 12-year-old Madelyn Challans with a 15.36 pound King.
Top 10 winning anglers:
- Zach Weimann 30.66 $35,197.50. Side Tournaments: $49,010.00
- Dustin Klepacki 24.74 $18,525.00
- Kim Weimann 23.88 $14,820.00
- Jace Power 23.52 $12,967.50. Side Tournaments:$12,220.00
- Jeff Laughlin 23.48 $11,115.00. Side Tournaments: $4,875.00
- Jeffery Anderson 22.74 $9,262.50
- Jack Heinbold 22.44 $7,410.00
- Brandon Kosht 22.42 $5,557.50. Side Tournaments: $4,095.00
- Kendall Soares 22.24 $3,705.00
- John Raymond 22.22 $1,852.50
The Homer Chamber of Commerce and the Winter King Salmon Tournament Committee also announced that the tournament awarded over $15,000 worth of merchandise prizes.
In celebration of the tournament’s 30th anniversary last year, Bay Weld Boats introduced, designed, and built a new championship trophy. All 31 of the tournament’s champions have their names on the trophy, which will live in infamy at the Homer Chamber’s Visitor Center.
The tournament headquarters by the Homer Deep Water Dock is the perfect setting to showcase Homer Harbor and the beautiful ocean waters of Kachemak Bay.
Sea Tow Southcentral Alaska provided the official tournament boat, which monitored the anglers to ensure they were operating safely and adhering to tournament rules.
Many local businesses and over 50 volunteers helped make the monumental event happen.
For a complete summary of the tournament results, visit Homerwinterking.com or the Homer Chamber of Commerce website at HomerAlaska.org.
