ALASKA HALIBUT DERBY UPDATE

Having had the opportunity to fish in various Alaska Halibut derbies, I constantly check the leader boards each month to see if any "monsters" have been landed. Some of the biggest halibut in Alaska come from the towns of Seward, Valdez, and Homer. Each of these towns have numerous charter boats available to take you out to the best halibut grounds. Each city also has a great run of silver salmon. The largest halibut caught in these derbies gives the winning angler a great payday exceeding $1000. Derby tickets are normally $10 per day and about $50 for the season. The Seward Derby ran from June 1 to the end of June. The winning halibut weighed in at a whopping 312.2 pounds. The Valdez Derby runs from May 17 to Aug 31. Currently a halibut weighing in at 203.6 pounds leads the derby. The Homer Jackpot Derby runs from May 15 to Sept 15. Currently a 196.8 pounds halibut is in the lead. Years ago while fishing out of Valdez our group of 5 landed a 300, 297.250.225 and 4 more monster halibut exceeding 100 pounds. We did not even place in the tournament!! The average halibut weighs about 30 to 40 pounds so monsters are not the norm! Halibut are in my opinion the best eating fish I have tasted. So, if heading to Alaska this summer, make sure to buy a halibut derby ticket and you might catch a monster worth thousands of dollars!