The Seward Halibut Tournament ended with June and a winner topping in at more than 250 pounds.
Guy Minske of Anchorage reeled in the largest fish of the tournament, which ran from June 1 to June 30. He caught the 257.8 pound fish on June 15 on the F/V Predator with Captain Will Gentry of J-Dock Sport Fishing.
Gentry has been fishing in Seward for 21 years, with 17 years as a captain, but this was his first halibut tournament win, according to the tournament organizers, the Seward Chamber of Commerce.
The fish was caught in early June, which is unusual for the tournament.
“Overall, halibut fishing was very strong this June. I was consistently impressed with the fish that were coming into the harbor,” said Jen Leahy, communications director of the Seward Chamber of Commerce. “Our biggest fish were caught the first two weeks of the tournament, which is unusual and kept everyone guessing how the final week would play out.”
The tournament also recognized the largest catch of each week, as well as the largest fish caught by active military or on a private boat.
“Private boaters really showed up this year. They put some great fish on the leaderboard, including third place overall,” Leahy said.
Michael Clarke, a private boater, took home the third heaviest fish, as well as largest active military winner and the prize for private boat owner.
Minske brought home $2,500 for his fish, a $1,500 overall prize for biggest and $1,000 for the largest fish of the week.
“Our new prize structure — instituting weekly winners in addition to overall prizes — received positive feedback from anglers who appreciated having more chances to win,” Leahy said.
For full details on weekly winners and more, visit halibut.seward.com.
