2020 Derby Dates
Halibut Derby: May 23rd through September 6th
Halibut Hullabaloo: June 5th through 14th
The Valdez Halibut Derby features a $5,000 cash Grand Prize for the largest halibut, $1,500 cash for 2nd place and $750 for 3rd place. In addition, the Valdez Halibut Derby features 1st and 2nd place weekly prizes. It all starts with a derby ticket and you can find out where to get one by visiting our Tickets page.
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Prizes
Download a list of weekly prizes here!
2020 Overall Leaders
1st Place
Jim Rothenbuhler
Salcha, AK
201.2 lbs. on June 23
The Bucketlist
2nd Place
Kenny Tussey
North Pole, AK
193.4 lbs. on July 5
Dan Orion
3rd Place
Debbie Coates
Fairbanks, AK
164.4 lbs. on July 5
Billie Sue
Weekly Leaders
Week Seven – July 5 through July 11
1st Place
Kenny Tussey
North Pole, AK
193.4 lbs. on July 5
Dan Orion
2nd Place
Debbie Coates
Fairbanks, AK
164.4 lbs. on July 5
Billie Sue
Week Six – June 28 through July 4
1st Place
Elias Sturm
Fairbanks, AK
152.0 lbs. on June 29
Halibut Grove
2nd Place
Jason Howell
Delta, AK
132.0 lbs. on July 2
Treemendous
Week Five – June 21 through June 27
1st Place
Jim Rothenbuhler
Salcha, AK
201.2 lbs. on June 23
The Bucketlist
2nd Place
Debbie Peters
Valdez, AK
108.6 lbs on June 27
Final One
Week Four – June 14 through June 20
1st Place
Diane Jewkes
North Pole, AK
117.2 lbs. on June 17
Moscato Myst
2nd Place
Bonnie Saxum
Valdez, AK
111.0 lbs. on June 16
Nunatak
Week Three – June 7 through June 13
1st Place
Cody Buchanan
Hamlin, TX
127.0 lbs. on June 7
Jaime Lynn
2nd Place
Travis Frisk
Anchorage, AK
125.0 lbs. on June 13
Red Head
Week Two – May 31 through June 6
1st Place
Robert Miller
Fairbanks, AK
125.8 lbs. on June 5
Dan Orion
2nd Place
Ryan Woods
Valdez, AK
125.4 lbs. on June 6
See Ya
Week One – May 23 through May 30
1st Place
Jeff Saxe
Valdez, AK
157.0 lbs. on May 30
Go Get Her
2nd Place
Charles Young
Fairbanks, AK
128.8 lbs. on May 24
Reel Dream
General Information
The Valdez Halibut Derby features a $5,000 cash Grand Prize for the largest halibut, $1,500 cash for 2nd place and $750 for 3rd place. In addition, the Valdez Halibut Derby features 1st and 2nd place weekly prizes. It all starts with a derby ticket and you can find out where to get one by visiting our Tickets page.
The halibut charter season starts in May and runs into September. During May and June, halibut charters head to the icy waters of Prince William Sound in search of halibut and rockfish, but once it hits July charters also target lingcod. Halibut are found throughout Prince William Sound waters, on or near the bottom over mud, sand or gravel banks and below steep drop offs.
Anglers will catch halibut near Valdez in the Narrows and along the coastlines of the islands in Prince William Sound. Some of the closer popular fishing spots include Knowles Head and Red Head, Galena Bay, and Sawmill Bay. Further out, halibut can be found on the outside of Hinchinbrook entrance and the edge of the Gulf of Alaska. The preferred method for fishing halibut is anchoring and using bait. There are 32 species of rockfish that live in the Gulf of Alaska and lingcod up to 30 pounds are caught regularly. Fishing for salmon sharks out of Prince William Sound has also become quite popular, although there is not a shark derby.
The average halibut is 30 to 35 pound range, but several over 300 pounds have been brought back to Port Valdez. There is a two fish daily bag limit for halibut. Charter vessel anglers may keep one fish of any size per day and one fish that is no more than 29 inches in length The Valdez Small Boat Harbor has numerous fish cleaning stations available that feature high pressure hoses and disposal chutes.
While fishing in Valdez and Prince William Sound, anglers can expect to see majestic mountains, eagles, many species of birds, seals, sea lions and sea otters. Dall porpoise and humpback whales are also residents of Prince William Sound likely to make an appearance.