Beefy 38.5-pound king captures Ship Creek Slam'n Salm'n Derby

Terrance Shanigan earned a gold medallion and 18 silver bars Sunday, when he hung on to win the Downtown Soup Kitchen's Slam'n Salm'n Derby with a 38.5-pound king salmon.

That easily secured the top spot in Anchorage's biggest fishing derby for the angler, who did not attend Sunday's award ceremony.

Brian Eddy's big king was nearly 4 pounds lighter. Ron Turner captured third place with a 33.6-pound king.

The top 19 fish all weighed at least 25 pounds, as derby organizers celebrated a strong king return to Ship Creek.

"That's phenomenal," said Dustin Slinker, owner of The Bait Shack on the banks of Ship Creek. "The first day, we had 86 fish checked in. Other years, I don't know if they had 86 fish for the whole derby.

"That new hatchery is paying off."

Organizers didn't have a final count Monday of how many fish were entered, but Slinker estimated 800.

"And it doesn't look like it's slowed down at all today," he said Monday, looking out at the creek. "Everyone is still crowding onto the banks. "

Christian Diaz won $300 and the Andy Sorensen Sportsmanship Award, which goes to "an angler who promotes the practice of ethical fishing or displays helpful, selfless conduct towards fellow anglers" – a valuable quality on the often-crowded banks of Ship Creek.

Angelique Miller, development and outreach director of the sponsoring Downtown Soup Kitchen, estimated 2,750 anglers participated in the derby. Tickets were free, but donations to the Downtown Soup Kitchen were encouraged.

Her organization was still calculating how much money the derby brought in.