PORT ANGELES — Ken Kirkman of Port Angeles smoked the field by 20 pounds at the 10th annual Port Angeles Salmon Club’s halibut derby last weekend.
Kirkman caught an 88-pound monster at 8:20 a.m. out in front of Port Angeles Harbor.
He easily beat out Saturday leader, Gary Coffey of Port Angeles, for first place but Coffey held on for second with a 68-pounder.
Kirkman, fishing with his father on a 21-foot boat, went out both Saturday and Sunday.
“We caught a small one on Saturday,” Kirkman said.
Saturday was a forgettable day on many ways for the pair.
“Saturday’s waves were as big as the boat, it wasn’t much fun,” Kirkman said.
Sunday was a different story, though.
“The water was flat,” he said.
Using herring as bait, Kirkman quickly hooked the derby-winner not long after going out.
“We were fishing right out in front with the rest of the zoo,” Kirkman said. “A little bit off the harbor.”
The angler didn’t get much of a fight from the bottom fish.
“He was playing dumb with me,” Kirkman said. “He was acting like a rock. He got a shock when we got him to the boat.”
Kirkman, a 2008 graduate of Port Angeles High School, will put his $5,000 winnings to good use.
“I’m going to use it for college,” he said.
Kirkman has placed in the derby a couple of other times, including a 10th-place finish.
Area anglers dominated the 2010 derby with seven North Olympic Peninsula sportsmen taking the top 11 places, and 16 of the 30 places.
Kirkman and Coffey went 1-2 with Troy Tenneson of Sequim claiming fourth, Bob Aunspach of Port Angeles sixth, Joe Hutchins of Port Angeles seventh, Hunter Burrow of Port Townsend ninth and Seth Cook of Port Angeles 11th.
(See complete list of derby winners on Page B2 in today’s editions).
There were a total of 688 tickets sold, which was a little lower than expected due to poor weather forecasts earlier in the week.
There were 691 tickets sold for last year’s derby when there was great weather but the Hood Canal Bridge was closed.