Tanner Williams of Idaho Falls
VALDEZ, Alaska – On the first day of the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby, Joseph Rippey of Anchorage brought in an 11.40-pound catch to win the 1st place daily prize and take a solid lead in the overall derby. On Sunday, Tanner Williams of Idaho Falls, Idaho reeled in a 12.42-pound silver salmon to take over the leader board and knocked Rippey down to 2nd place. Roger Metz of Elko, Nevada caught an 11.10-pound silver salmon Sunday and is currently in 3rd place overall.
Alaska Department of Fish & Game reports coho are starting to show up to outer portions of Prince William Sound, like Montague Strait and Hinchinbrook Island. On the west side, anglers are finding a few fish near Goose Island and the north side of Hinchinbrook Island. On the East side, a few coho have been caught near Crafton Island. Anglers are reporting good catch rates for king salmon in the Northeast portion of Prince William Sound, particularly near Glacier Island. There are a few kings being caught by anglers that have been putting effort into trolling in Northwestern Prince William Sound such as near Pigot Bay. Overall fishing has been fair to good in the Northwest area.
It takes a big fish to win $10,000 in the Halibut Derby, but it doesn’t always take a big fish to win the weekly 1st and 2nd place prizes. Last week there were numerous halibut weighing close to, or more than, 200 pounds and the competition for the weekly prize was fierce. This week a 113.8-pound halibut took the first-place weekly prize, and a 100.0-pound fish took the 2nd place weekly prize. Rodney Myers of Franktown, Colorado is still leading the overall standings with a 256-pound halibut he caught July 16th aboard the Hooked Up.
Lingcod season opened July 1st in Prince William Sound and Alaska Department of Fish and Game says catch rates should be good through August. ADF&G suggests targeting rocky pinnacles and outcroppings with large twister tail jig tipped with Herring in the Gulf of Alaska. Anglers are finding schools of pelagic rockfish throughout the inside waters of Prince William Sound. These schools are likely at their peak distribution for the summer. Fishing can be better and more consistent outside of Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska, such as Elrington, Montague, and Hinchinbrook Islands. Fishing for Pacific (gray) cod has been excellent this year.
The Valdez Silver Salmon Derby runs now through September 7th and features daily 1st and 2nd place prizes, as well as a $10,000 Grand prize for the largest silver salmon caught during the season. The cost of a daily derby ticket is $10, and a season ticket is $50. In addition to overall cash prizes and daily 1st and 2nd place prize winners, the Fish Derbies is hosting a Silver Salmon Slam tournament where the person catching the largest silver salmon between August 28th, and September 6th takes home a bonus of $1,000 cash. There will also be a bonus of $500 cash prize for the angler catching the largest Silver Salmon on Big Prize Fridays, July 31st and September 6th.
Valdez Fish Derbies is also gearing up for the Valdez Women’s Silver Salmon Derby. The event will feature a Friday night kickoff event August 7th centered around the theme “TaTa’s, TuTu’s & XtraTuffs”. Cash and prizes will be awarded for the top 3 largest fish caught Saturday, August 8th. Registration is at the Valdez Prospector August 5th through 8th. The Women’s Silver Salmon Derby Page has all the information.
Halibut Derby – Overall Leaders
1st Rodney Myers Franktown, CO 256.0 lbs. July 16 Hooked Up
2nd Shane Miller Fairbanks, AK 184.6 lbs. June 19 Devil Dog
3rd Daniel Lambaren Valdez, AK 169.2 lbs. July 16 Hofstorm
Halibut Derby – Weekly Winners
1st Kyle Sieben | Burtrum, MN | 113.8 lbs. | July 25 | Bold Eagle
2nd Allen Cooper | Port Orchard, WA | 100.0 lbs. | July 24 | Dan Orion
Silver Salmon Derby – Overall Leaders
1st Tanner Williams | Idaho Falls, ID | 12.42 lbs. | July 26 | Josie Whales
2nd Roger Metz | Elko, NV | 11.10 lbs. | July 26 | Kade Thomas
3rd
For more information on the Valdez Derbies, visit: www.valdezfishderbies.com