Derby News - Week 8, 7/10-7/16

Silver Salmon Derby to Start this Saturday

Amid the sea of youngsters weighing in pink salmon for the Kids Pink Salmon Derby wandered a lone angler looking to weigh in a silver salmon on Saturday. The folks at the weigh-in station put the silver on the scale and it was a nice size fish. Bad news is the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby is still a week out. Good news for anglers is the silvers are out there.

The Silver Salmon Derby begins this Saturday, featuring a $15,000 first place cash prize, as well as daily first and second place prizes.

In week number 8 of the Valdez Halibut Derby, the overall standings remain the same. Annette Gutierrez, continues to lead the derby with a 335.7 pound halibut she reeled in early July aboard the Reelentless. Holding onto 2nd place in the Halibut Derby is Brad Yates with a 193.4 pounder, and in 3rd place is Charles LaCrosse with a 174 pound flat fish. The first place prize in the halibut derby is $15,000 cash.

In the Kids Pink Salmon Derby, it was Westley Eastham of Anchorage, Alaska who reeled in the big one. Eastham caught a 6.04 pound pink salmon to win the 8 to 10 year-old division and the Cub Scout Division. In the 5 to 7-year-old division, Jonathan Frias of Fairbanks, Alaska won the first place prize with a 4.36 pound pink. The 11 to 13 year-old division was won by Morgan Seaman of Valdez who caught a 4.84 pound pink salmon. Avery Soloaga of Fairbanks won the 14 to 16-year old division with a 4.58 pound pink salmon.