‘Fish on’ ice bring winter kings

• Climate finally serves up decent winter king weather for fishing

By Sean Pearson
Homer Tribune

Photo provided - Kathy Ulmer holds up a salmon she caught in last year’s Winter King Tournament. This winter the tournament is celebrating its 17th year.

Every March, anglers in Homer battle the icy elements to wage war against the winter king salmon. Often, the fight involves more than just rod and reel, as ice floes clog the harbor and the biting wind challenges the hardiest of fishermen.
Through much of winter 2010, springlike conditions threatened to sabotage the Alaska spirit and ruggedness of the fight for the white kings. Thankfully, however, the blizzards rolled in. And winter actually started living up to its name.
“There’s still some ice in the harbor, but I’m thinking we’re going to be in good shape by the time Saturday rolls around,” said Paula Frisinger, Winter King Tournament coordinator. “It’s the first day of Spring. Ithink  it’s a great way to get people excited about the upcoming fishing season.”

This year’s Winter King fun kicks off with a pre-tournament party at Duggan’s on Friday night, beginning at 6 p.m. Lines will then drop at 9 a.m. Saturday morning, and come out of the water by 4 p.m. The cost to enter is $100.
“After they fish, anglers come weigh in at Coal Point until around 6 p.m.,” Frisinger explained. “We’re giving away prizes all day. We really couldn’t have done it without the help of the community. Everyone has been incredibly generous.”
The chamber promises to give away more than $100,000 in cash and prizes, including two round-trip tickets courtesy of ERA Aviation, and plenty of side bets.

Last year, 804 anglers caught 70 fish from some 227 boats. Robert Say of Anchorage took top honors with his 28.5-pound feeder king that earned him nearly $17,000 in prize money.
As the final fish are being weighed in, Saturday’s awards party will provide plenty of fun and fish stories beginning at 5 p.m at Coal Point. Duggan’s will finish out the day of fishing with a side-bet party around 8 p.m., featuring live music by Vinyl Groove.
Registrations available at the chamber, online at www.homeralaska.org, Gear Shed, NOMAR and Ulmer’s. For more information, please call Paula at 907-235-7740 or e-mail halibutderby@homeralaska.org and reference Winter King.

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