VALDEZ, Alaska – Freida Wiley’s 374.0 pound halibut is the largest fish ever caught in the Valdez halibut derby and Cole Baxter’s 15.62 pound silver salmon is one of the smallest silver salmon winners ever caught in the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby. In fact, there has only been one other silver salmon weighing less than 16 pounds that ended up a winner. The smallest silver to ever win the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby was Jim Burzinski’s 15.11 pound silver caught back in 1971.
The Valdez Silver Salmon derby is the oldest derby in the state but records for winners only