Derby News Archives

Valdez Woman Takes the Lead in the Valdez Halibut Derby

Bonnie Woods, Valdez resident of 18 years, has caught her sixth fish weighing in at over 200 pounds and now leads the derby with her 274.5 lb. halibut she reeled in on June 25th aboard the No Excuses. “I knew it was a big one when I was reeling it in. I was guessing under 250 lbs,” said Woods. “Captain Dave Bruss said it was definitely a big fish, possibly over 250 lbs.”

When Woods got her fish into the boat, it measured 81 inches, 5 inches shorter than the previous derby leader, Tiffany Williams’ 266 lb. flatfish. “I think I said the word awesome about 500 times,” laughed Woods. “It was a great birthday present. While I was reeling in the fish, the adrenaline was definitely flowing.”

Woods takes the lead in the halibut derby with her catch and, while the derby has been won the last two years by fish tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds, fish in the two hundred pound range have won the derby in years prior to that. Currently, Bonnie Woods and Tiffany Williams hold the top two positions in the Valdez Halibut Derby. A woman has yet to win the derby by catching the largest fish. Woods stands to win $15,000 if her halibut remains the largest caught in the derby this season.

Woods not only takes the lead in the Valdez Halibut Derby overall standings, she’s also in the running to win the 1st place weekly prize for week 5 in the derby. “I don’t think it’s going to win the derby,” says Woods, “so I’m just going to enjoy the moment.”

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