After five days of fishing, no one was able to top Emitt Johnson’s 31.2 pound king salmon in the 64th Sitka Salmon Derby.
The 12-year old will take home $4,000 for his chinook, which he landed in Kalinin Bay about 25 miles north of Sitka, over Memorial Day weekend.
The second weekend of the derby did produce some good-sized kings however. Thomas Scheidt turned in a 31.2 pound fish, putting him in second place, and moving Sarah Lamb’s 30.7-pounder down to third.
Lamb nevertheless will take second place in overall poundage, havingturned in 5 kings weighing 92 pounds total. Eleven-year old Riley Bernhardt will be the top-poundage winner, with 97 pounds total over five days. Seven-year old Jack Haley was just one-tenth of a pound behind Lamb, with 91.9 total pounds of king salmon, putting him in third.
All told, that’s over $5,000 in prize money going to kids age 12 and under in this year’s derby.
All results of the derby are unofficial until awards night on June 13.