Tomi McMurray and Lily Craig took the top awards at the Ninth Annual Kenai Silver Salmon Derby, catching the fish closest to the grand prize “magic weight” of 6.77 pounds.
McMurray took home $5,000 for landing a 6.76 pound coho, and Craig got $1,000 for her catch of a 6.56 pound salmon. The magic weight is intended to dissuade selective fishing and minimize catch and release mortality of silvers. A magic weight is determined for daily awards across the nearly weeklong derby as well as for the grand prize at the end of the competition.
The derby is run by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce, and Executive Director Samantha Springer awarded large novelty checks to the two winners during Wednesday’s meeting of the Kenai City Council. This year’s derby, she said, saw 176 adult and 12 youth fishers, of whom 153 were Alaska residents. A total of 302 fish were weighed for the derby, a sharp improvement from last year’s 72 during a weak year for silvers, and the total weight of all fish was nearly 2,500 pounds.
Proceeds raised are designated for management and protection of riverbanks and other riparian zones in Kenai. In 2023, derby funds were allocated toward the replacement of a culvert in Cemetery Creek to promote passage of salmon smolt.
Craig won the derby for the second time, joining her younger sister and older brother as two-time winners of the youth derby. Her father, Nathaniel Craig, wrote in an email to the Clarion that his family has been proud to see six wins, but more excited to spend the time out on the river each year.
“Over the years, we have realized the true reward isn’t the prize itself but the time this event gives our family to be together, sharing snacks, laughing and making memories,” he wrote. “These are experiences our kids will carry forward and pass down to their own families one day.”
For more information, visit kenaisilversalmonderby.com.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
Lily Craig, youth winner of the Ninth Annual Kenai Silver Salmon Derby, stands with a coho on the Kenai River. (Photo provided by Nathaniel Craig)
The Craigs, including youth winner of the Ninth Annual Kenai Silver Salmon Derby Lily Craig on the left, are seen out fishing on the Kenai River during this year’s derby. (Photo provided by Nathaniel Craig)
Nathaniel and Abigail Craig, stand with a coho during the Ninth Annual Kenai Silver Salmon Derby on the Kenai River near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo provided by Nathaniel Craig)
