Winter king tournament postponed again
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 24, 2026
The 32nd annual Homer Winter King Tournament has been postponed a second time, to Saturday, April 4.
The Homer Chamber of Commerce made the announcement Friday after another evaluation of sea ice conditions around the Homer Harbor and the extended forecast leading up to March 28, the date the tournament was originally rescheduled for.
“Like much of Alaska, Homer continues to experience unusually cold temperatures for this time of year. These conditions over the past several days have increased the thickness of ice in the side areas of the harbor, and very little of that ice has moved out,” chamber executive director Brad Anderson wrote in a statement released Friday morning.
While the extended forecast was beginning to improve by last week’s evaluation, current harbor conditions and the forecast still made it “highly unlikely” that the sea ice would clear sufficiently to hold the tournament safely on Saturday.
Anderson wrote that moving the tournament to April means that anglers participating this year will be required to follow fishing regulations that take effect April 1.
“Holding the tournament in March is always our goal, but this year’s weather and harbor conditions present too many safety concerns to do so responsibly,” he wrote. “We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these challenges. The safety of our anglers, participants, and harbor users remains our highest priority.”
The Winter King Tournament has been delayed eight times in its more-than-30-year history. It has been delayed by one day four times and by one week three times. This year marks only the second time that the tournament has been delayed two weeks past the original scheduled date since the very first tournament in 1994.
Anglers who are currently registered for this year’s tournament and are unable to attend on April 4 are asked to email wkt@homeralaska.org with their name, team name, and best contact information.
Any additional updates will be sent directly to registered and past tournament anglers, as well as posted on the Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament Facebook and Instagram pages.
For more information, contact the Homer Chamber of Commerce at 907-235-7740.
