Rocky Mountain High! Colorado Angler Races Into Valdez Halibut Derby Lead With 256-Pound Beast

The following is courtesy of Valdez Fish Derbies:

Colorado Man Takes Lead in Halibut Derby with 256-Pound Fish

VALDEZ, Alaska – Rodney Myers of Franktown, Colorado has been fishing in Valdez for years, but Thursday he reeled in the halibut of a lifetime. The halibut he caught aboard the Hooked Up tipped the scales at 256-pounds and took the lead in the Valdez Halibut Derby. If his fish stays in the lead through the end of the derby September 6^th, he will win $10,000 cash. “I buy a season ticket first thing every year when I get here,” Myers said. When asked whether he thought his fish would win the Halibut Derby, Myers said he thought it had about a 30-percent chance of hanging on until the end. “I’ve been coming here for years, just love it,” Myers said. “My favorite place in the world. I’ll keep coming back as long as I can.”

Daniel Lambaren of Valdez came to Port about the same time as Myers Thursday night and his 169.2-pound halibut is currently 3^rd place in the overall standings. Shane Miller of Fairbanks is holding onto 2^nd place overall with the 184.6-pound halibut he caught June 19^th aboard the Devil Dog. 

The Valdez harbor was not only busy with anglers coming to port with halibut, lingcod and rockfish, anglers fishing at Allison Point are finally bringing in catches of bright pink salmon. The pink salmon fishing from Allison Point should be productive for the next several weeks and available for the Kids Pink Salmon Derby, Saturday, July 25^th. Fish Cutter Josh Duong said he filleted 50 pink salmon in a few hours on Thursday, and he said he has heard the hot spots for silver salmon are Goose Island and Bligh Reef. 

The Valdez Silver Salmon Derby starts this Saturday and runs through September 6^th and features daily 1^st and 2^nd 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 1^st and 2^nd place prize winners, Valdez Fish Derbies will be hosting a Women’s Silver Salmon Derby August 8^th. Valdez Fish Derbies is also hosting a Silver Salmon Slam tournament where the person who catches the largest silver salmon between August 28^thand September 6^th will take 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 Friday, July 31^st, and September 4^th. 

Valdez Fish Derbies is now gearing up for the Valdez Women’s Silver Salmon Derby. The event will feature a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk followed by an Art Scramble Friday night August 7^th and a day of fishing Saturday, August 8^th. The Women’s Derby theme is “Tata’s, Tutu’s & XtraTuffs”. Cash and prizes will be awarded for the top 3 largest fish caught Saturday, August 8^th. Registration is at the Valdez Prospector August 5^th through 8^th. The Women’s Silver Salmon Derby Page on the Valdez Fish Derbies website has all the information. 

Halibut Derby – Overall Leaders

1^st          Rodney Myers                                Franktown, CO                             256.0 lbs.         July 16                Hooked Up
2^nd          Shane Miller                    Fairbanks, AK                 184.6 lbs.         June 19              Devil Dog
3^rd          Daniel Lambaren        Valdez, AK                        169.2 lbs.         July 16                Hofshore

Halibut Derby – Weekly Winners

1^st          Rodney Myers                                Franktown, CO                             256.0 lbs.         July 16                Hooked Up
2^nd          Daniel Lambaren        Valdez, AK                        169.2 lbs.         July 16                Hofshore

For more information on the Valdez Derbies, visit: www.valdezfishderbies.com