News

VALDEZ, Alaska – Saturday kicked off the start of the Valdez Silver Salmon derby and the harbor was not only busy with anglers coming to port with halibut and silver salmon, but young anglers competing in the Valdez Kids Pink Salmon Derby. Several anglers at the fillet tables had carts with pink salmon, silver salmon Read More

VALDEZ, Alaska – Anglers are already catching pink salmon at Allison Point in Valdez and young anglers will have a chance to catch fish and win prizes this Saturday in the Valdez Kids Pink Salmon Derby. This year the derby will be Virtual with Kids submitting pictures on the Valdez Fish Derbies website for a Read More

VALDEZ, Alaska – Terrence McCabe reeled in a 202.0 pound halibut on an overnight trip aboard his vessel the Only Fins. When he first hooked into this monster halibut, he did not know how sizable a fish he had until it surfaced: “We knew in the first minute it was probably going to be over Read More

VALDEZ, Alaska – Calm seas and good weather have allowed anglers to access prime fishing grounds out of Valdez. Weekly 1st and 2nd place halibut winners have had fish weighing in at more than 100 pounds but the leader in the derby is still just a 144.6 pound halibut caught by James Ekstrom of Mesa, Read More

VALDEZ, Alaska – Arizona angler James Ekstrom pulled in a 144.6-pound halibut on June 26th aboard the Bold Eagle to top the boards, taking first in the overall derby as well as the weekly. James Ekstrom enjoyed his first taste of halibut fishing: “For me it was my first time halibut fishing, everybody was pretty Read More

VALDEZ, Alaska – Jeff Steenhoven of Salcha had a derby ticket when he went out fishing last Tuesday, so when he measured his fish and it was 73 inches, he was excited. According to the halibut length to weight chart he referenced, his fish should have weighed 205 pounds when he got to the dock. Read More

VALDEZ, Alaska – The overall leaders in the Valdez Halibut Derby have all tipped the scales at more than 100 pounds, and the top three spots are all held by Alaskans. Gary Gardner of Valdez is leading the Halibut Derby with a 133.2 pound halibut he caught June 7th. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when Read More

VALDEZ, Alaska – Jared Van Putten of Valdez reeled in a 123.2 pound halibut Saturday to take the lead in the Valdez Halibut Hullabaloo tournament. If his halibut remains the largest caught between June 5th and 14th, he will take home $1,000 cash in addition to the regular derby prizes. Even if Van Putten’s fish Read More

  VALDEZ, Alaska – Rick Fleming of Palmer went halibut fishing for the first time in Valdez and the 128.9 pound halibut he brought in netted him the 1st place weekly prize in the Valdez Halibut Derby. Fleming was jigging for halibut aboard the Reflection last Monday. “As soon as that fish hit, I knew Read More

VALDEZ, Alaska – The Valdez Halibut Derby kicked off Saturday, May 22nd with anglers excited to get their lines in the water. Dixie Jennings of Fairbanks holds 1st place weekly and overall with the very first fish weighed for the 2021 season, a 97.8 pound halibut caught May 22nd aboard the LIAHO. Holding 2nd place Read More