Halibut Fishing in the
Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby

The Captain's Prize

For 2008 the Captain's Prize of $4,547 goes to Capt. Keith Kalke

The Captains Prize goes to the Charter Captain of the boat that catches the largest fish. Capt. Keith Kalke of Ocean Hunters Charters was the captain of the Ocean Hunter as Jeff Pardi caught his prize winning 348.2 lb halibut.

Here from Captain Keith - It all started on July 9th, just another day of fishing a combo trip, it was an absolutely perfect day all the way around. We arrived at our destination and started right in on jigging for Ling Cod and the bite was on. Then WaBam, Jeff hooked on to something, never dreaming it was the Halibut of a lifetime on the other end. I thought at first he got hooked up on the bottom and I'd have to go around the pinnacle again. Then I realized he wasn't snagged, it was a huge fish. I kept telling Jeff just keep reeling and he looked at me like how? My arms are killing me! Everyone on board put their rods away and the boat became quiet, all anxiously waiting to see that color surface, finally after an hour and a half we had color. Jeff's eyes were in disbelief, it was a dream come true! The Monster Barn Door Halibut of a lifetime was right before everyone's eyes. I have waited for a long time to finally have someone aboard the Ocean Hunter with a derby ticket hook into one of these behemoth fish. They year prior I released one at the boat well over 300lbs. As hard as it was to release that fish after the battle both the angler and I felt good with our decision. Without the derby ticket in his hand, it was out of respect for the fish. She will go on for years to come providing future generations of Halibut for all. We both figures to bring her over the rail without the chance to win the derby wouldn't do her justice and besides the photos were much better in the water than had they been taken on land. All the while Jeff was battling this fish it occurred to me maybe it was the same fish. After all, we were in the same exact spot as the year before and only a few calendar days separated each fish, but what an outstanding feeling that it took three of us guys to pull Jeff's fish over the rail. I looked at Jeff and said, "YOU JUST WON THE DERBY"!!! What a phenomenal halibut she was. I said "fishing is done we are going in". This was the best day of my life, as well as for Jeff. Thanks to Jeff's fiend Casey, he bought Jeff's derby ticket that morning. We couldn't believe it was true, but there she was taking up the whole back of the boat. WOW! what an adventure we are having not only for me, but for everyone aboard the Ocean Hunter. The Thrill of victory was ours for the moment and what a moment it was. Then as days turned into weeks the agony set in. Would the fish hold up or would the ocean give up another even bigger  fish to some lucky angler. It would be worth the wait if another huge monster halibut adventure beat out our fishing tale. This would have been an incredible experience for anyone and I would have been extremely excited for them as well. There are so many outstanding captains and anglers that have been waiting for their chance of a lifetime and deserve that opportunity to experience that fantastic feeling of the best thrill of a lifetime. I guess it was meant to be for this outstanding first class fishing adventure! So in my last words to this fishing tale - Don't fish without a Derby Ticket!

Feel the excitement of a lifetime, you never know what might be on the other end of the line. That is why Homer is the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World!

To win this prize you must be the licensed captain of the boat that lands the Homer Halibut Derby jackpot prize. The captain must be a licensed skipper and be a member of the Chamber of Commerce or an employee of a Chamber member. The captain's prize is based on the number of derby tickets sold. $.25 cents of every ticket sold will become the Captain's Prize. This is estimated at $4,000 based on previous year's ticket sales.