Nothing like local luck when it comes to making a strong showing in a salmon derby.
Retired Seward angler Earl Cagle, 69, brought in a 16.14-pound silver salmon Friday morning to grab the lead in the Seward Salmon Derby, worth $10,000 to the winner.
Cagle's big fish catapulted him past Anchorage angler Tristan Borneman, who slipped to second place with her 15.71-pounder. Roger Groth of Nikiski is now third with a 15.37-pound silver.
The derby, now in its 56th year, is not seeing the huge silvers of some other years. In 2002, Shirley Baysinger landed a 22.24-pound silver, the biggest in the history of the Seward Derby.
Cagle is a avid Seward derby angler, who's been fishing his hometown tournament since 1981 without winning -- though he's landed some fish that finished in the top 10. The derby ends on Sunday.
Alaska Dispatch Publishing