Here's how to do it, dad.
Watch young Ryu Tsukada land a beautiful 14.2-pound king at Saturday's Winter King Salmon Tournament in Homer. Can you tell that his father, avid kayak fisherman Rudy Tsukada, is proud?
"I would have to say it was my best day EVER, and I didn't even land a fish," dad wrote on his Face book page. "Happy as always to be outfished by Ryu!"
The Tsukadas are from Anchorage, but Homer anglers proved this weekend that nobody knows Kachemak Bay quite like them, securing the top four spots in the 23rd Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament, Alaska's biggest and richest one-day fishing festival.
Eric Holland claimed the top prize of $31,668 for his 26.5-pound chinook, more than a pound heftier than Kelly Grose's king. Colt Belmonte secured third place with a 24.9-pounder, and Joe Martishev Jr.'s 23-pounder was fourth.
In addition to the $16,588 Belmonte claimed for his big fish, the angler picked up another $30,674 in side bets.
Not that the home boys didn't have competition. A record 1,508 anglers — the equivalent of about 28 percent of Homer's population — registered, 14 percent more than last year's record turnout. But all those anglers caught 24 percent fewer kings, a total of 448 fish.