Silver Derby

 2018 Derby Dates

Silver Derby: July 21 through September 2nd
Big Prize Fridays: July 27 & August 31st
The Valdez Silver Derby features a $10,000 cash Grand Prize for the largest Silver, $3,000 cash for 2nd place and $1,500 for 3rd place. In addition, the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby features 1st and 2nd place  daily prizes. It all starts with a derby ticket and you can find out where to get one by visiting our Tickets page.

Prizes

Click here for a list of weekly prizes!

2018 Overall Leaders

General Information

Fishing for silvers in Valdez is a great sport. With the Solomon Gulch Hatchery releasing millions of coho fry each year, the silvers swim right past Valdez and are fairly easy to catch either from shore or by trolling by boat. Silvers put up a good fight and are popular with the locals as they taste great and freeze well. These fish can weigh from 6 to 20 pounds and are between 24 and 30 inches long.

When fishing for silvers use a medium weight 7-8.5′ rod with a high quality bait or spin-casting reel. Utilize at least 200 yards of 10 to 25-pound test, and keep a variety of swivels and weights available. Boat anglers in saltwater can troll with a flasher, herring dodger, pink lady or hootchie in addition to herring. Coho will also strike at roe, flies, spoons, spinners and plugs. At Allison Point, Pixies and Vibrax lures work well.

Silver salmon or Coho have dark metallic blue or greenish backs with silver sides and a light belly. There are small black spots on their baks and upper lobe of the tail when you find them in the ocean. Spawning river coho have reddish-maroon on their sides. To tell them apart from a pink, the gumline in their lower jaw has lighter pigment.