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Come Join us for the 23rd Annual Winter King Salmon Tournament

We invite you to join in the fun at Homer’s 23rd Annual Winter King Salmon Tournament to be held on Saturday, March 19, 2016! Anglers from all over Alaska and other states come to fight for that winning salmon in this one day fishing extravaganza. The average year sees over 900 serious fishermen participating in this event, with our peak so far reaching 1,321 anglers! Last year there were 1,321 anglers and 386 boats participating in this GREAT day of FUN, with the overwhelming participation of so many businesses and anglers.

A special part of the tournament is the merchandise prize give-away that takes place every fifteen minutes over the VHF radio. Every angler in the tournament is automatically entered into this random drawing. Anglers look forward to the sound of the ship’s bell on the radio which alerts them to the next drawing, giving many anglers their five minutes of fame. It means you don’t even have to catch a fish in this tournament to win a prize!

1. Alaska State Rules – All anglers must have a 2016 Alaska Department of Fish and Game fishing license and a valid King Salmon Stamp. All anglers must comply with all Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game regulations. Accusations of ADF&G rule violations must be reported directly to the Alaska State Troopers at (907) 235-8239. Safety equipment must be in compliance with Coast Guard regulations.

2. Registration – A representative from each boat must check in with Tournament Headquarters via VHF radio or cell phone on the day of the tournament prior to leaving the harbor to have your vessel # assigned. ALL VESSELS MUST HAVE A NUMBER ASSIGNED FROM TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS. Headquarters on Saturday is located at Coal Point Trading on the Homer Spit and will open at 7:00 am (907-235-7740). All anglers must have completed a tournament entry form prior to fishing. The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center reserves the right to photograph all entrants, reproduce any photographs for publicity and retain all photo rights.

3. Communication – All participating boats must have a VHF radio or cell phone aboard. A representative from each boat must check in by boat number by 6:00 pm at Tournament Headquarters (907-235-7740) or on VHF #69 upon safe return into the harbor.

4. Boundary – The North boundary is the Coast Guard marker light at Anchor Point extending offshore on a line at 59°46’142″ North to the west boundary at 152°00’00” West which runs south to a line at 59°25’00” North which runs east to point south of Point Pogibshi (see map included with the official entry form).

5. Fishing – One (1) rod per angler. Fishing lines in at 9:00 am for all boats. Lines out at 4:00 pm for all boats. All salmon landed must be reported to Tournament Headquarters on VHF #69 or cell phone at time of landing. (boat name, angler, time, etc.). All individuals on a boat that is participating in the Tournament must be registered in the Tournament. The Boat Captain and a deck hand do not need to be registered in the Tournament UNLESS they are planning on fishing in the Tournament.

6. Weigh In – All fish must be weighed in by the registered angler at Tournament Headquarters by 6:00 pm. Anglers must call tournament headquarters in advance to arrange for fish to be weighed in before 2:00 PM. No live fish will be accepted as an entry. Top ten qualifying fish must be gutted and plugged at Coal Point Trading.

7. Prizes – All entries and prize awards are subject to review and final determination by the Tournament Committee. All prizes may be subject to IRS withholding. Prize money will be awarded upon final results being approved by the Committee. In order to receive prize money, entrant must first execute a standard declaration and release form confirming compliance with the Tournament Rules. All contestants by entering into the tournament are subject to testing by lie detection apparatus at the discretion of Tournament Committee and refusal to take such test will result in automatic disqualification. Decisions by Tournament Committee will be final and binding.

8. Violations – All complaints of rule violations must be submitted in writing within 24 hours of the end of fishing. Prize money will be awarded upon final results being approved by the Committee. Vessels and anglers repeatedly violating tournament and state rules in the intent to win the tournament may be banned from entering in future tournaments sponsored by the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

9. Weather – In case of bad weather, the Tournament will be postponed until Sunday, March 20. In case of bad weather on Sunday, March 20, the Tournament will be postponed until Saturday, March 26, then Sunday,March 27.. In case of questionable weather prior to start of fishing, the Tournament Officials will assess the conditions every thirty minutes, with the final decision for the day being made prior to 10 am.

10. Cancellation Policy – No refunds will be given for tournament entry after the start of fishing unless the tournament is canceled or postponed. If the tournament is postponed before 10 am the day of the tournament, full entry fee will be refunded or applied to rescheduled date. All anglers registered in the tournament at time of cancellation must notify tournament officials before the start of the rescheduled day’s tournament if they plan to withdraw. All entry fees will be applied to the rescheduled day’s tournament unless the angler withdraws prior to the start of the rescheduled tournament. All entry fees will be applied to the rescheduled day’s tournament unless the angler withdraws his/her entry from tournament officials. No refunds will be issued to anglers who have entered fish. Refunds will be given to those not wanting to participate on the rescheduled day only if the request is received prior to start of fishing. All refunds will be mailed to entrants within 10 days of cancellation date.Detailed explanation of “Regulation and Safety Guidelines” is available online or at the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

2016 Winners
1st place – Eric Holland 26.45 pound
2nd place – Kelly Grose 25.25 pound
3rd place – Colt Belmonte 24.80 pound
4th place – Iosif Martishev Jr 23.05 pound
5th place – Jeff Loop 20.45 pound

 

2017 HOMER WINTER KING SALMON TOURNAMENT

   

Congratulations to our 2017 Winter King Tournament Champion Ron Johnson of Homer, with combined winnings of $48,241.50 with a 25.65 lb. White King on the Olyjohn.

The 24th Annual Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 25th was a huge success. Congratulations to our 2017 Winter King Tournament Champion Ron Johnson of Homer, winning $48,241.50 with a 25.65 lb. White King. In 2016, Eric Holland of Homer, won $31,668.00 with a 26.45 lb. King. In 2015, Mike Olsen of Kodiak, AK, won $27,762.00 with a 30.40 lb. king.

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Photo by Jim Lavrakas/Far North Photo

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Photo by Jim Lavrakas/Far North Photo 

Second place went to Gino Del Frate with 25.10lb king on the Big Dawg with combined winnings totaling $18,636.00. Gary Deiman took 3rd place with a 24.30lb king on the Noah James, winning $8,307.75

The tournament was postponed from Saturday, March 18th to Saturday, March 25th due to an abundance of ice in the harbor and concerns for angler safety. The following week proved to be sunny with warmer temperatures that melted much of the ice and made for a more pleasant day of fishing. The 2017 tournament had 1007 anglers, 299 boats, and 12 kayaks landing 216 fish.   

The payout this year for the top-ten winners was $56,643.75. The Boat Side Bet payout totaled $47,006.25 and with a total payout in all categories of $103,650.00!

The eleventh through twentieth place winners shared in fishing related merchandise valued at over $9,000.00. Another exciting part of the tournament was the merchandise prize give-away that took place every ten minutes over the VHF radio. Anglers registered in the tournament were automatically entered into this random drawing. Merchandise prizes were generously donated by local and national businesses valued at over $17,000.00

New to the tournament this year was online registration making it a cinch to register in addition to registration the week of the tournament at the Chamber headquarters. Also new for 2017 were live streaming results posted on www.homerwinterking.com and the general public joined in the festivities at Coal Point Trading Company on the Homer Spit. This included the fish-weigh in, beer garden, multiple food vendors, and non-profit and craft vendors.

Thanks to all our participants, volunteers and supporters that made this tournament a success. Need more info? Go to www.homerwinterking.com for more in-depth analytics of the tournament.

 

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Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
201 Sterling Highway
Homer, Alaska 99603
907-235-7740
marketing@homeralaska.org
www.homeralaska.org