It took Maria Robinson 13 years to win the Downtown Soup Kitchen's Slam'n Salm'n Derby, but her longest wait came in the last week.
Robinson caught her 37.55-pound king salmon on Monday, June 15, just four days into the 10-day event. So when she found out the salmon had held off all comers through the derby's final day, she was more than a bit surprised.
"It's kinda miraculous," Robinson said Sunday afternoon after winning a gold medallion and 18 silver bars weighing 10 ounces each by beating second-place Kevin Vania by 0.4 pounds.
Dustin Kline was third with a 32.1-pound king, which also won the military award. For a complete list of prize winners, visit the derby's web page at shipcreekderby.com.
When asked if she thought her fish would hang onto the top spot, Robinson was frank.
"Honestly? No," she said.
Typically a larger fish wins the annual fundraiser. Last year's winner, Kirby Shurtz, claimed the top spot with a 41.3-pound king. But this year Robinson's biggest-ever king -- which she caught on salmon roe beneath a bobber -- was just big enough to do the trick.
"I was hopeful, but it's usually over 40 pounds that wins the derby," she said.
Robinson would know. The stay-at-home mom from South Anchorage has been fishing Ship Creek for more than a decade, often going down to the downtown fishery after saying goodnight to her four kids.
"I used to put my babies to bed, say goodbye to the hubby and go fish," she said.
The Robinson family are avid anglers and were heading down to the Kenai Peninsula on Sunday evening in search of sockeye salmon. It's been a good summer so far. Not only did Maria win the derby, but her daughter, 17-year-old Rachel, had a heck of a season as well.
"She actually got herself three kings this year," Robinson said of her daughter, who has Down syndrome.
Maria said she and Rachel squeezed their way in among the "combat fishing" environment – which turned out to be less combat and more cooperative.
"Sometimes it gets really tight, but everyone was so gracious," she said of her fellow anglers.
As for the precious metals she claimed for winning the top spot, Robinson said she'll likely put the gold and silver in a safe place in hopes it appreciates in value. She'd eventually like to use it for a down payment on a mobile fish camp.
"My dream is to have a little Airstream and use it to go fishing," she said.
The family is now turning its attention away from Ship Creek and toward other fisheries, but Robinson said the catch won't soon be forgotten.
"That's the highlight of the summer for sure," she said.
Contact reporter Matt Tunseth at 257-4335 or mtunseth@alaskadispatch.com