Final Week Of Valdez Halibut, Silver Derbies Includes A $10,000 Tagged Coho Still Swimming

The following is courtesy of Valdez Fish Derbies:

TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR FISH SWIMMING IN THE SOUND

VALDEZ, Alaska – Silver Salmon fishing in Valdez and around the State has been a little slow this year, but the prizes are still plentiful in the Valdez Fish Derbies. The angler who buys a derby ticket and catches the largest silver salmon before September 1 at noon will take home a $10,000 first place prize. With more than a week left in the derbies and smaller fish on the leader board, the possibility of an angler snagging the first place prize in the final days of the derby is a very real possibility.

Anglers will be out in force on the final Big Prize Friday August 30. On Friday, the angler catching the largest fish for the day will win $500 cash in addition to the daily prizes. In 2023, LaVonne Baysinger of Fairbanks won the first place prize in the Silver Salmon Derby with a 14.54-pound silver salmon. In 2022, Marco Harvan of Tok won the Silver Derby with a 14.80-pound silver salmon and in 2020, Alisa MacInnes of Tampa, Florida won the top prize with a 14.88-pound fish.

There is also a fish swimming around in the Sound with a Valdez Fish Derbies tag that could win a $10,000 prize. If an angler catches a fish with a tag on it, they bring it to weigh-in to see if it is the $10,000 fish or if it wins another prize package. To win tagged fish prizes, anglers need to have a daily or season Silver Salmon Derby ticket. Tickets are available at charters and stores around Valdez. CLICK HERE for ticket locations.

Anglers are catching silvers at Allison Point in increasing numbers, while boaters are having success trolling near Glacier Island. Some Coho salmon are being picked up near Crafton and Naked Islands, and near Pigot Point. Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports King salmon catch rates have been very good with many good-sized fish returning to Port. They suggest trolling a herring behind a medium-sized flasher. Blueberry and Thompson Lakes have been great for lake fishing. Fishing for rainbow trout in both lakes has been good to excellent. Anglers may also find lake trout in Blueberry and Arctic grayling in Thompson. There are daily first and second place prizes in the Valdez Silver Salmon derby and the daily winners have been in the 10-to 12-pound range the last few weeks.

In the Valdez Halibut Derby, Natalie Cevasco of Fairbanks nearly got knocked out of first place when Gregory Potting of Osceola, Wisconsin brought in a 204.6-pound halibut. Potting’s halibut weighed just four tenths of a pound less than Cevasco’s derby leading 205.0-pound halibut. The first place prize in Halibut Derby is $10,000 cash. The second place place prize in both derbies is $3,000 and third place is $1,500. The final day of both derbies is Sunday, September 1 at noon and winners will be announced that evening.

Valdez Silver Salmon Derby Overall Leaders

1^st        Joel Stephens              Ardmore, OK                          13.02 lbs.         Aug 2              No Name

2^nd       Pam Rameau               Houston, TX                           12.94 lbs.         July 27            Faithful

3^rd        Lindy Vititow             Valdez, AK                             12.00 lbs.         Aug 10            Try Again

Halibut Derby – Overall Leaders

1^st        Natalie Cevasco                      Fairbanks, AK                        205.0 lbs.         Aug 8              Getting Some
2^nd       Gregory Potting                      Osceola, WI                            204.6 lbs.         Aug 16            Alaskan Adventurer
3^rd        Gary Nygren                           Westminster, MD                   198.2 lbs.         Aug 3              Sentinel

For more information on the Valdez Derbies, visit: www.valdezfishderbies.com