A Canadian man was left speechless aboard the "Jackpot" on Kachemak Bay on Thursday morning, after learning the halibut he hooked was worth $10,000 -- if he had purchased a $10 Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby ticket.
The angler, unaware of the contest, was instructed to toss back the tagged fish -- but not before Captain Art Morris scribbled down the tag number.
A call to derby headquarters yielded the unfortunate news.
"Yeah, he didn't really say much," Morris said of his client.
Other anglers aboard the boat -- some of whom had derby tickets -- were more vocal.
"One guy said 'Hey! There's 20 of us on the boat. That's $500 each!' " Morris said.
The Canadian's catch was the first tagged fish caught by a non-ticket holder this season, according to derby officials.
Neither derby officials nor Morris were able to supply the angler's name.
So far, derby tickets have paid off for five anglers. Four anglers hooked fish worth $500 and one landed one worth $1,000.
But there's more money swimming around. Still uncaught are 52 tagged fish worth $500, 37 worth $1,000 and six worth $10,000.
Morris, a 15-year captain who said he intends to begin asking clients if they've purchased derby tickets before they board his boat, thinks he may see the $10,000 escapee again.
"We know where he's at," he said. "We'll go snag that sucker again."
Last year Mike Schlimgen of Oregon was the only ticketed contestant to reel in a $10,000 catch -- the first $10,000 tagged fish to be claimed in 17 years. Two others hooked $10,000 tagged fish, but like Thursday's luckless Canadian, they were fishing without a derby ticket.
In addition to the tagged fish, the derby, which continues through Sept. 30, offers monthly weight winners, random drawings and a jackpot prize for the summer's biggest fish.
Last year's jackpot winner, Jeff Pardi of California, took home $45,475 after hooking a 348.2-pounder.
By HEATHER MARCH
hmarch@adn.com