VALDEZ, Alaska – With less than a week left in the Valdez Halibut and Silver Salmon Derbies, only time will tell if the leaders will hold on to win the $15,000 first place prize. Fred Hyder reeled in his 253.8 pound halibut on July 10th and it has been on top of the leader board ever since. If you look at the record books, a 253.8 pound halibut is a plausible winner. The largest halibut on record in Valdez is a 343.6 pound halibut caught by Kevin Lincoln of North Pole but several winners over the last 20 plus years are in the mid-200 pound range. Last year’s winner, a 203.6 pound halibut caught by Scott Hebig, was the smallest winner on record in the Valdez Halibut Derby.
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