SEWARD - Halibut is a treasured sport fish in Alaska and recently more than 200 members of the military had a chance to go after the big fish in Seward.
The Combat Fishing Tournament is an annual event that takes an army of volunteers to put on.
The tournament started six years ago when two men, Keith Manternach of the Armed Services YMCA and Bob Candopoulos owner of Saltwater Safari Company, got the idea for a uniquely Alaskan way to say thanks to young service members - a day on the water fishing for halibut free of charge.
“The idea is that they are guys who have been overseas or are scheduled to be deployed overseas,” said Manternach. “They are the most junior enlisted, the guys who could never afford to do it on their own. Those are the people we are trying to entertain.”
The fishing tournament is an all day event that this year hosted nearly 300 active duty service members from around the state.
Nearly every charter boat in the Seward fleet donated their services for the single day. Local businesses also came up with cash and prizes for the winning fishermen.
The biggest halibut hauled in that day totaled over 120 pounds.
