Week 12: Silvers Were Big, but Finnicky During Women’s Derby Weekend

Derby News – Week 12, 8/03-8/9

18-Year-Old Wins Women’s Silver Salmon Derby with 17.54 Pound Silver

VALDEZ, Alaska – “The bite was on early in the morning, and then it just died,” said Valdez angler Barb Lyons. But that’s just what Lyons expected. Lyons took her boat, “Lyons Den” out on Friday to scout for silvers for the Women’s Derby and they caught a whopper of a fish early in the morning. Since the Women’s Derby was Saturday, Lyons said she figured it was the men’s day to fish. The 17.38 pound silver Dan Eide brought in Friday on her boat headed to the top of the derby leader board and got everyone excited about the possibility of catching big fish Saturday.

Lyons got out early in the morning Saturday and it seems that she was right about the early bite. Many of the big fish that came in were caught early in the morning, including a 17.54 pound silver salmon caught by 18-year-old Amanda Towne. Towne’s fish not only won the Women’s Silver Salmon Derby, it bumped Eide’s fish into 2nd place overall and put her in the lead for the overall derby.

Towne had her back to the pole and when her Dad hollered, grab the Pole. “We hadn’t caught anything all day so I was surprised,” Towne said. “Dad said “That’s a big one, so I grabbed the pole and yanked really hard”. When asked how she felt about being crowned the Queen, she replied, “Crazy, Excited, Happy”. Towne plans to put the $1,000 she won toward college. Towne won $1,000 in clothing and merchandise from the Prospector and if her fish holds onto the lead through the end of the derby, she would win $15,000 cash. Christy Glaza of North Pole took 2nd place in the Women’s Derby with a 16.84 pound silver and Ruby Mitvitnikoff of Valdez took 3rd with a 15.74 pounder. Women making the Top 50 all received a prize package that includes a winner’s fleece jacket.

In addition to the early bite, it seems that silvers were not schooled up in any particular area. Silvers were caught from Rocky Point to the Valdez Harbor on Saturday. Jacks Bay, the Narrows, Allison Point and even the Valdez Small Boat Harbor were productive for fish. It was tough to catch a limit on Saturday, but the fish were large. To get in the Top 50, a fish had to weigh more than 12 pounds.

In the Valdez Halibut Derby, Scott Hebig of Wasilla, Alaska is still leading with a 203.6 pound halibut he caught June 20th aboard the Amanda Rose. James McQuain is currently in 2nd place overall with a 171.6 pound halibut caught July 25th and Jeff Maurer of Elysburg, PA is in 3rd right now with a 171.4 pound halibut caught July 17th.