Lorna Illingworth with her 158 lb. catch
VALDEZ, Alaska – Most people who don’t buy a derby ticket and then catch a halibut large enough to win a prize are not willing to talk to the media. Lorna Illingworth of North Pole caught a 158-pound halibut, asked the Valdez Fish Derbies Clerk to weigh in the halibut and then slapped a note on the fish that said I should have bought a derby ticket. Get Yours Today. Illingworth said she didn’t buy a Valdez Halibut Derby ticket because she and her husband have always caught small halibut, “You just never know,” Illingworth said. “We’re planning on getting season tickets now,”.
Illingworth said she caught her big halibut out past Goose Island using herring and a chunk of octopus for bait. She said she knew it was a big fish as soon as she hooked it, “It was a lot of line over and over and over again, Illingworth said. “As soon as we got it over the edge of the boat, and it was taking up most of the back of the deck we were for sure”.
If Illingworth had a derby ticket, her fish would have put her in the lead for the $10,000 overall prize in the Valdez Halibut Derby. To add insult to injury, her fish would have also won a $1,000 Halibut Hullabaloo Prize for the largest fish caught between June 6th through 15th and the weekly 1st place prize package.
The Halibut Hullabaloo winner is Grant Klemp of Iola, Wisconsin with a 98.4-pound fish caught June 9th aboard the Nunatak. Klemp won the weekly 1st place prize and the bonus $1,000 for catching the largest halibut during the Halibut Hullabaloo tournament. Lorenzo Harris of North Pole took the 2nd place weekly prize in the Valdez Halibut Derby with a 89.6-pound halibut caught June 14th aboard the Moon Jelly.
The leader in the Valdez Halibut Derby is Robert Hubert II with a 140-pound halibut. Robert Moloney of Fairbanks is currently in 2nd place with a 130.4-pound halibut and Dolly Haddow of Valdez is still hanging onto 3rd place with the 117-pound halibut she caught May 25th .
Anglers are producing consistent catches of mostly smaller halibut near the entrances into Prince William Sound including Montague Strait, Hinchinbrook Entrance, Strawberry Channel/Orca Inlet (near Cordova), and other passages. Fishing will improve as more and larger fish begin to move into Prince William Sound from the Gulf of Alaska.
Fishing for Pacific (gray) cod has been good throughout Prince William Sound and outside waters while targeting other saltwater species.
The Valdez Silver Salmon Derby is slated to begin July 19th and run through August 31st. In addition to daily prizes in the Silver Salmon Derby, salmon anglers can win big money in the Silver Salmon Slam contest August 22nd through 31st . There will also be a Women’s Silver Salmon Derby on August 9th with an opening event on August 8th . The Valdez Fish Derbies will also be hosting the Kids Pink Salmon Derby Saturday, July 19th. For more information, visit www.valdezfishderbies.com.
Halibut Derby – Overall Leaders
1st Robert Hubert II | Wasilla, AK | 140.0 lbs. | May 25 | Hofshore
2nd Robert Moloney | Fairbanks, AK | 130.4 lbs. | May 24 | Sentinel
3rd Dolly Haddow | Valdez, AK | 117.0 lbs. | May 25 | Sea Master
Halibut Derby – Weekly Winners – Week #3
1st Grant Klemp | Iola, WI | 98.4 lbs. | June 9th | Nunatak
2nd Lorenzo Harris | North Pole, AK | 89.6 lbs. | June 14th | Moon Jelly