Derby News - Week 3 Update (June 8 - June 14)
First Time Halibut Angler Reels in 207.2 Pound Fish
David Gatch of Fairbanks took a break from his duties at Fort Wainwright to go fishing before returning to Iraq to serve his country. It was his first time fishing for halibut and, after catching a 207.2 pound halibut aboard the Faithful, Gatch said he liked halibut fishing so much he planned to bring his new wife back to Valdez to take her fishing. Gatch is planning to get married and said he would use the money for his wedding if he happened to win any cash in the Valdez Halibut Derby.
“I hear its two hundred and fifty to three hundred plus pounds to lead to derby”, Gatch said. “Just to be able to catch a fish that size is wonderful. The derby is an added bonus”. While Gatch’s fish is not as big as the three hundred plus flatfish that have won the $15,000 first place prize in the Valdez Halibut Derby the last two years, the previous two winners are from the same area as Gatch.
In 2006, Kevin Lincoln of North Pole won the derby with a 343.6 pound halibut. In 2007, it was Jim Adams of North Pole, Alaska taking it all with a 340 pound halibut. When you look at the last couple years of the derby, the odds of remaining in the lead in the Valdez Halibut Derby don’t look so good. But if you look back to 1992, a 210 pound halibut caught by Tom Mooney of Valdez took top honors. The Valdez Halibut Derby ends August 31st and prizes will be awarded at the Spawn ‘til Dawn derby awards party at the Valdez Civic Center.
Winning the derby is not a sure thing, but neither is getting a flatfish to the surface. Gatch said his lure initially got caught underneath a rock and he had to coax the halibut out from under the rocks before reeling it up to the surface. “When I was pulling up on the fishing pole and the slack in the reel kept coming out so I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere …that’s when I realized it was going to be a big one. We all got really excited”. Gatch was surrounded by friends and family on the docks and when asked whether he got a lot of advice on bringing in his fish, the group burst out laughing. Gatch said everyone on the boat, including his father-in-law, gave him advice on how to reel up the fish. Gatch said after working so hard to reel in the fish, he worried it might be only a 20 pounder. “I was sure glad it was a 200 pounder”, he said.
Halibut Derby Overall Leaders
Dave Gatch
Fairbanks, AK
207.2 lbs on June 9
Faithful
Ben Ponting
Tonsina, AK
147.5 lbs on June 8
Faithful
Danny Allen
Sutton, AK
128.0 lbs on May 25
Harvester
Halibut Derby Week #2 (June 1 - June 7)
Brett Nelson
Palmer, AK
82.8 lbs on June 7
Dan Orion
Ann Rippy
Fairbanks, AK
75.3 lbs on June 7
Dan Orion