Silver Salmon Sirens
VALDEZ, Alaska – Chase Edstrom of North Pole is still in the lead to win $10,000 in the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby with an 18.80-pound fish, but a lot of anglers are buying a derby ticket in hopes of catching a bigger fish. Silver Salmon Derby tickets have taken a sharp turn upward according to Valdez Fish Derbies Clerk Dana Morales with the abundance of big salmon this year. Local Prospector Sporting Goods Store Manager Justin Prax said, “The fish for a long time, at the beginning of the season, were way out. People were going out to Goose and Glacier Island consistently, and now people are getting their limits a lot closer in. People are starting to catch big silvers in good numbers, closer to Sawmill Bay, the Narrows, and even starting to catch limits at Gold Creek. That takes a little bit more persistent fishing right now, but it’s still totally doable to get your limit in close, and it’s only going to be getting better.”
Edstrom’s 18.80-pound fish is the largest caught in the Valdez Derbies since Kelvin Cann caught a 19.10-pound fish during the 2010 season. Only thirteen other anglers have caught a fish larger than 18.80-pounds according to the Silver Derby records dating back to 1971. Many think that Edstrom is a shoo in to win the 1st place prize with his 18.80-pound fish, but with anglers coming back with limits of big fish, others believe there is a good chance to catch a 20-pounder. Warren Blood of Valdez caught a 16.80-pound silver salmon on August 15th to jump into 2nd place and have a chance at the $3,000 cash prize. Cheryl Wagner of Copper Center is holding onto 3rd place in the derby with the 16.02-pound silver she caught back on August 7th.
The Valdez Silver Salmon Derby runs through August 6th this year so there are lot more opportunities to win a 1st or 2nd place daily prize. There is also a Silver Salmon Slam Tournament August 28th through September 6th, which will give anglers another chance to take home cash and prizes in the final 10 days of the derby. To be eligible to win the Silver Slam Contest, anglers only need to have a daily or season Silver Salmon Derby ticket. Tickets are available at charters and stores around Valdez. CLICK HERE for ticket locations. Valdez will also have a bonus of $500 cash prize for the largest fish caught on Friday, September 4th.
The angler catching the largest fish in both the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby and Valdez Halibut Derby will win $10,000 cash when the derby ends September 6th.
Rodney Myers of Franktown, Colorado is still leading the Valdez Halibut Derby. Myers caught a 256-poun halibut on July 16th. Jason Sackmann of Newman Lake, Washington is currently in 2nd place with a 191.4-pound halibut he caught August 8th, and Shane Miller of Fairbanks is currently in 3rd place with a 184.6-pound halibut he caught June 19th. The 1st place prize in both the Silver Salmon and Halibut Derbies is $10,000 cash. The 2nd place prize in both derbies is $3,000 and 3rd place is $1,500. The final day of both derbies is Sunday, September 6th at noon and winners will be announced that evening.
Valdez Silver Salmon Derby Overall Winners
1st Chase Edstrom | North Pole, AK | 18.80 lbs. | Aug 12 | Liquid Asset
2nd Warren Blood | Valdez, AK | 16.80 lbs. | Aug 15 | Arctic Blonde
3rd Cheryl Wagner | Copper Center, AK | 16.02 lbs. | Aug 7 | Chasin’ Memories
Halibut Derby – Overall Winners
1st Rodney Myers | Franktown, CO | 256.0 lbs. | July 16 | Hooked Up
2nd Jason Sackmann | Newman Lake, WA | 191.4 lbs. | Aug 8 | Hofstorm
3rd Shane Miller | Fairbanks, AK | 184.6 lbs. | June 19 | Devil Dog
For more information on the Valdez Derbies, visit: www.valdezfishderbies.com