I caught the world's largest silver salmon with a pole spear | INDIE ALASKA

Alaska Public Media | By Valerie Lake

Published September 6, 2023 at 8:59 PM AKDT

A woman holds up a large salmon — Katya Karankevich shows off her world record silver salmon (left). (Valerie Lake/Alaska Public Media)

Katya Karankevich is breaking records in the spearfishing scene but she's doing it in Alaska while battling tides, tourists, and glacial silt. Hear her story in this Indie Alaska feature from PBS and PBS Digital Studios.

INDIE ALASKA is an original video series produced by Alaska Public Media in partnership with PBS Digital Studios. The videos capture the diverse and colorful lifestyles of everyday Alaskans at work and at play. Together, these stories present a fresh and authentic look at living in Alaska.

Video and story by Valerie Lake
Additional video by Katya Karankevich, Dane Ketner and Sam BoJenkins Werner
Music by Universal Production Music

Indie Alaska

Valerie Lake

Originally from the Central Coast of California, Valerie joined Alaska Public Media in July 2017. She creates original video content for the station's TV and digital platforms while also overseeing the Production Department. Before moving to Alaska, Valerie worked as an ENG Editor at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also served in the U.S. Air Force as a TV and Radio Broadcast Journalist where she traveled around Europe, Africa, The Baltics, Australia, and the Southern United States reporting on military events, exercises, and missions. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, backcountry skiing, backpacking, yoga, and traveling.

See stories by Valerie Lake