Landing the heaviest king salmon less than 17 hours before the end of the event, Joshua Jones cashed in Sunday when the Downtown Soup Kitchen's Slam'n Salm'n Derby closed at Ship Creek.

Jones' 34.85-pounder, which he reeled in Saturday night, earned him a 14-foot Jon boat, a 25-horsepower motor and a trailer in the fundraiser that featured a prize pool of $25,000 in goods, services and cash.

And as an active military member in the Army, Jones also bagged a $500 cash prize for the top catch by a military member. On top of that, Jones earned $100 cash for having Saturday's heaviest fish.

That's a decent weekend for the 25-year-old who moved to Anchorage from Kansas last month.

Nicolas Cavolas, who held the lead until Jones' catch -- Cavolas' 33.30-pounder was the first fish entered in the derby on the opening day, June 8 -- took second place, which earned him a four-day fishing package and 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

Third place went to Fred Nolan (31.60), who won a 55-inch flat screen television. Roger Peterson turned in the 49th fish of the derby, good for $490 cash.

The annual Andy Sorenson Sportsmanship Award, presented every year by Jim Lavrakas to honor his friend's memory, went to Aaron Volden, who didn't catch a fish but helped several anglers, including Jones, by putting down his rod and helping net kings. The Alaska Fly Fishers give the Sportsmanship winner $500.

Lavrakas said Volden was nominated by several of his fellow anglers.