154.6-pound fish wins halibut derby

KETCHIKAN - Benny Geary needed only two words to describe how he emerged victorious in the 2009 Ketchikan Halibut Derby: "Got lucky."

Geary's 154.6-pound halibut proved closest to the derby's first-prize hidden weight of 141.6-pounds. The fish was also the heaviest of the 120 fish weighed during the event that ended Sunday after two weekends of fishing.

Geary, a lifelong Alaskan, had never placed in a derby before. He credited skipper Gary Garrison for knowing where to place the boat. Two other anglers fishing with Garrison finished second and third.