Derby News - Week 9, 7/17-7/23

New Halibut On Leaderboard & Silver Derby Starts

VALDEZ, Alaska – A new fish has landed on the Valdez Halibut Derby leaderboard. James Pohlman of Fairbanks, Alaska hooked a 214.8 pound halibut July 20 aboard the Dan Orion. Pohlman commented that the fish put up a good fight, “it took a harpoon and two gaffs to get it into the boat…after it knocked the captain’s hat off into the ocean… it was exciting!” Pohlman added “I’ve lived in Alaska for 30 years and I’ve caught 140 pounders several times before, but this is a big leap forward. It was always my dream to catch one over 200 pounds.”

Pinks are being caught from shore at Allison Point by both bears and anglers. Diane Witherspoon of Los Angeles, California said she reeled in a bright pink and a bear followed her to her car. “I didn’t have time to do anything with the fish and the bear was right there, so I just tossed the fish in the back of the car and got in” Witherspoon said. “I jumped in the car and didn’t have the hatch shut on my Navigator. The bear was coming and I was nervous that he would make his way in my car”.

When salmon return to Valdez, the hatchery is a popular place for bears to feed. Local officials have signs up and are warning anglers to keep their distance from the bears. There are miles of shoreline to fish at Allison Point, so there should be room for good fishing for both 2-legged and 4-legged species for several more weeks. Local officials have been encouraging people to dispose of trash properly, keep a safe distance from bears and not leave food unattended.

In Week 9 of the Valdez Halibut Derby Annette Gutierrez continues to lead the way with a 335.7 pound halibut she reeled in early July aboard the Reelentless. James Pohlman is now in 2nd place with a 214.8 pounder he reeled in aboard the Dan Orion, knocking Brad Yates down to 3rd place with a 193.4 pound halibut.

The Valdez Silver Salmon Derby began this past Saturday and nice sized silvers were brought to Port Valdez. Connie Ballow of Valdez is currently in 1st and 2nd place in the overall standings. Ballow reeled in a 12.22 pounder placing her in 1st and an 11.40 pound silver placing her in 2nd. Wolfgang Schultz of Windsor, Colorado is currently in 3rd place with a 10.78 pound silver salmon.

Anglers are continuing to catch larger halibut near ocean entrances according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). Anglers have reported good lingcod fishing near Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands. The ADF&G is also reporting that few silver salmon have been caught near Goose Island in addition to a few catches in the Valdez Arm.

More information on the Silver Salmon Derby, as well as picture of the weekly halibut winner and past winners of the silver salmon and halibut derby, can be found on the www.valdezfishderbies.com website. The Women’s Silver Salmon Derby is slated for Saturday, August 13th.