A monster halibut caught on May 3 by Chris Giegerich would have been a contender last year — if not an outright winner — in the former Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center Jackpot Halibut Derby. But with the derby ended, and sport charter fishing restricted with COVID-19 pandemic guidelines, the halibut itself is the reward.

Fishing with his family on the F/V Huntress with Capt. Josh Brooks, Giergerich caught the halibut in lower Cook Inlet. In an email, Joleen Brooks, one of the charter company’s owners, said the group practiced social distancing under health mandates allowing charter fishing with smaller parties.

Giegerich couldn’t get an exact weight because a scale for a fish that size wasn’t available, Brooks said. The fish measured 85-inches long, and using Alaska Department of Fish and Game length-to-weight conversions, the weight was calculated at 323 pounds.