VALDEZ, Alaska – The Valdez Halibut Derby kicked off Memorial Day weekend and three Fairbanks anglers filled the top three spots on the leaderboard. Charles Young of Fairbanks keeps his boat in Valdez and has fished in Prince William Sound for years. Young spent the day out on the water with his family celebrating his granddaughter’s 5th birthday. Fishing in Valdez, catching big halibut and participating in the Valdez Fish Derbies is something Young said he does every year, but this year he said it was especially nice to get away from everything and be out on the water. “There’s just a lot of things going on, it was nice to just get away for a couple of days and forget about it,” Young said. “We didn’t have to see the headlines; we didn’t have to hear the news… It’s real, it’s not going to go away, but it was very therapeutic to relax for a bit.” Young reeled in a 128.8 pound halibut and holds the distinction of being the first angler on the leaderboard for the 2020 season.
Jeff Saxe of Valdez is currently in first place overall with a 157.0 pound halibut he reeled in on May 30th aboard the Go Get Her. Charles Young of Fairbanks holds second place with a 128.8 pound halibut he reeled in on May 24th aboard the Reel Dream, and Derek Stivers of Fairbanks is in third place overall with a 123.4 pound halibut he reeled in on May 24th aboard the Dan Orion.
The weigh-in station has undergone some changes for the 2020 season, but Young said it was easy to weigh in a fish, and socially distancing was pretty easy. For 2020, the weigh-in is call-in only, but derby volunteers are close by and Young said volunteers were there quickly to weigh-in his fish. “She had a mask on, she took my fish, we helped wrench it up, slapped the weight on it, took a picture and got it cut up,” said Derek Stivers. Halibut Derby tickets are $10 for the day and $50 for the season and available at ticket vendors around town. Ticket locations can be found at www.valdezfishderbies.com
The grand prize for catching the largest fish in the Valdez Halibut Derby is $5,000 cash. The 2nd place prize is $1,500 and 3rd place is $750. Halibut derby anglers can also win weekly 1st and 2nd place prizes in the derby. The Halibut Hullabaloo is slated for June 5th through 14th. The angler catching the largest halibut during this period will win $500 in addition to the daily prizes. Weekly prizes include tours, accommodations and retail gift certificates, fishing charters, and Valdez Fish Derbies apparel.
Valdez Fish Derbies will also hold a “Tagged Fish Contest” August 7th through September 6th. If an angler catches a tagged silver salmon during that time period and turns it into the Valdez Fish Derbies weigh-in shack, they win cash or prizes. All silver salmon derby rules apply for the “Tagged Fish Contest” and rules and more information can be found at www.valdezfishderbies.com
There will be a $500 prize for the vendor and operator selling the winning derby ticket in both derbies. For more information on the Valdez Derbies, visit: www.valdezfishderbies.com
Halibut Derby – Overall Leaders
1st Jeff Saxe Valdez, AK 157.0 lbs. May 30 Go Get Her
2nd Charles Young Fairbanks, AK 128.8 lbs. May 24 Reel Dream
3rd Derek Stivers Valdez, AK 123.4 lbs. May 24 Dan Orion
Halibut Derby – Weekly Winners – Week #1
1st Jeff Saxe Valdez, AK 157.0 lbs. May 30 Go Get Her
2nd Charles Young Fairbanks, AK 128.8 lbs. May 24 Reel Dream