Anchorage Daily News

Last week, Jeff Pardi of California captured the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby with his 348-pound flatfish.

The $45,475 Pardi earned partially obscured a late-season feat that may have been even more unusual, according to derby officials.

On Sept. 24, during the final week of the summerlong derby when fishing is often difficult, captain Josh Brooks of Bob's Trophy Charters returned to port with two halibut weighing more than 200 pounds aboard his boat, the Huntress.

"Wow," said Paula Frisinger of the Homer Chamber of Commerce. "That hasn't been done this year at all. An amazing catch."

First, Doyal Acton, 56, of Forest City, Mo., hooked a 210-pounder on a jig baited with salmon.

Then his friend Corey Kudrna, 30, who lives about seven miles away, brought in a 223-pounder at the same spot about 90 minutes later.

Kudrna won $1,000 for the largest halibut caught in September, while Acton earned $750 for his fish.

"It was like pulling a piece of plywood out of the water," said Kudrna, who works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Missouri. "We don't have have fish like that around here.

"I've had fish pull on the drag before, but on this one the reel really started singing -- z-z-z-z-z-z," he said.

Kudrna plans a return visit next summer. "That was a blast," he said. "I gotta go back."

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