Alaska Fishing

Anglers often say it's better to be lucky than good. Count Renee Wellington among them.

Wellington hung on to her lead in the 53rd Seward Silver Salmon Derby on Sunday, claiming the $10,000 top prize and bragging rights that go with it.

Wellington, of Palmer, caught her big 18.57-pound silver Monday afternoon during her first salmon fishing trip in Resurrection Bay and then watched angler after angler make a run at her.

Anchorage's Ryan Sheehan came closest on Saturday, with a silver caught at the head of the bay that fell just 7-hundredths of a pound short. Jolene Clark of Wasilla was third with an 18.26-pound fish.

An even bigger scare also came Saturday when a teenage girl walked into the derby booth with an 18.64-pound salmon. Derby officials, who declined to name the girl, said the girl's mother had given her money to buy a derby ticket, but the teenager had decided to spend it on something else -- and now was begging to be let in.

Sorry, said derby officials; no ticket, no prize.

All of which left Wellington on top with a fish that proved a memorable birthday present.

"I was just shocked to see a salmon that big. It felt like it had some real size to it. I'm still shocked," Wellington said.

Wellington was fishing with her husband Kevin, daughter Shelby and her parents on a boat captained by Ron Gillham of Golden Eagle Charters, based out of Soldotna.

"She's a good fisherperson," Gillham said. "She catches a lot of fish. Normally, we fish for halibut and she puts a 75-pounder in the boat."

Despite the size of Wellington's silver and the prospect it could lose precious ounces to dehydration, the group kept fishing Monday afternoon. Gillham measured the fish's length and girth and estimated it at just under 17 pounds.

"We really didn't know how big it was until we got back," Gillham said. "When she told me, I thought she was going to cry."

It took a while to return to dock, too. Gillham said the party was fishing near Johnstone Bay, about 40 miles from Seward.

Until a rule change last year, fish caught outside of Resurrection Bay weren't eligible for the derby. Now they are, and as a result Wellington is $10,000 richer.

"That opens up a lot of new areas," said Gillham, who was happy Wellington didn't make the mistake of a previous client.

"We cleaned one bigger than that the day before." he said. "We had some people on the boat for two days. The first day, they got derby tickets. But the second day they didn't.

"So we filleted it."

This is the first time the Wellingtons had fished out of Seward with Gillham. "It's not going to be the last," he said.

For all her good fishing fortune, Wellington said her real luck is having her husband, a large-animal veterinarian who runs Glacier Veterinarian Service in Palmer, safely back with the family.

Army Maj. Kevin Wellington, a veterinarian for the 492nd Civil Affairs Battalion, recently wrapped up a 15-month deployment in Iraq. And no fish, not even one worth $10,000, was more valuable than having the family fishing together again.

Seward Silver Salmon Derby

Final Standings -- Top 20 with Prizes

1) Renee Wellington, Palmer, 18.57 pounds, $10,000;

2) Ryan Sheehan, Anchorage, 18.5 pounds, $5,000;

3) Jolene Clark, Wasilla, 18.26 pounds, fishing trip to Costa Rica;

4) Daniel Williams, Nikiski, 18.04 pounds, $1,500;

5) William Lallish, Anchorage, 17.75 pounds, $1,000;

6) Sam Amato, Wasilla, 17.74 pounds, $1,000;

7) Randy Meyer, Phoenix, 17.73 pounds, $1,000;

8) Michelle Vuylsteke, Sterling, 17.47 pounds, $1,000;

9) William Melton, Palmer, 17.43 pounds, $1,000;

10) Denise McGowen, Wasilla, 17.23 pounds, ASLC Family Adventure;

11) Bill Holzeimer, Anchorage, 17.18 pounds, $250;

12) Abraham Zambrano, Anchorage, 17.15 pounds, $250;

13) Stephen Irvin, Vancouver, Wash., 17.12 pounds, $250;

14) Christine Stone, Seward, 17.10 pounds, $250;

15) Troy Daniel, Anchorage, 17.02 pounds, $250;

16) Craig Keppet, Anchorage, 16.98 pounds, $250;

17) Nicole Nelson, Seward, 16.97 pounds, $250;

18) Myroslava Ponomarchuk, Seattle, 16.97 pounds, $250;

19) Juston Burleson, Saginaw, Texas, 16.95 pounds, $250;

20) Kim Gugisberg, Fort Dodge, Iowa, 16.93 pounds, $250.

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