With less than a week left until the 69th Wrangell king salmon derby closes on Sunday, June 30, more than 135 people had bought entry tickets and 18 kings had been weighed in as of Monday.
The leader as of Monday was Charlie Webb. The Anchorage resident caught his 43.5-pound king near Point Warde while fishing with Alan Cummings of All In Charters on June 15, the first day of the derby.
Webb’s king is the largest caught in the derby since Gary Smart, of Seqium, Washington, won the contest in 2017 with a 64.1 pounder. Smart’s fish was the largest derby catch in 43 years.
As of Monday, second place was held by Wrangell’s Diana Nore, with a 38.1-pound king, also caught at Point Warde, according to the chamber of commerce, which organizes the annual fishing contest.
Six of the top nine fish as of Monday came from Point Warde, just off the mainland at the southern end of Wrangell Island.
Of the top 16 entries as of Monday, five were out-of-town fishers, showing the popularity of the event for visitors. The out-of-towners were from Anchorage, Juneau, Wyoming and Oklahoma.
Stuart Woodbury was atop the leader board for fishers 12 and younger as of Monday. He caught his 20.9-pound king at Anita Bay, on the east side of Etolin Island.
There will be cash prizes for the largest kings caught in the 12-and-under category: $100 for first, $75 for second and $50 for third, sponsored by the Totem Bar.
The chamber as of Monday had not yet determined the prizes for the largest fish in the derby and other awards, said Tommy Wells, the organization’s executive director.
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