With the end of Alaska's biggest fish derby earlier this week, salmon and halibut anglers are hanging up their poles -- waiting for the return of spring -- and with it, another flood of fish into local streams, creeks and rivers. And while many local freezers may brim with fish, chances are, the filets are a little smaller than in years past.

How small? Well, the 224-pound flatfish that won the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby this week was the lightest winner in the derby's 30-year history -- and a whopping 134 pounds shy of Chugiak angler Jerry Saunders' derby record, caught in 2007.

Small fish were also gumming up the top of many of the state's silver salmon derby leader boards. And fisheries biologists say that red salmon in Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay and Prince William Sound were noticeably smaller this year, too.

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