VALDEZ, Alaska – You never know when a big halibut will bite the hook of a derby angler. Last year, Tim Stadtmiller of Fairbanks reeled in a 266.6 pound halibut June 18th and held on to win 2nd place overall in the Valdez Halibut Derby.
A quick review of halibut winners through the past few years illustrates that predicting when the derby winner will be caught is a tough proposition. Last year, Frieda Wiley caught the biggest derby fish on record August 6th. Wiley’s fish weighed in at 376.0 pounds. In 2016 David Jamison of Fairbanks caught his 253.0 pound derby winning