Valdez Crowns Halibut, Silver Salmon Derby Champions

The following is courtesy of Valdez Fish Derbies:

AND THE WINNERS ARE IN FOR VALDEZ HALIBUT & SILVER SALMON DERBIES

VALDEZ, Alaska – Chase Edstrom of North Pole caught a big fish August 12^th, and it held on through the end of the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby September 6^th. Edstrom’s salmon tipped the scales at 18.8 pounds and won him $10,000. Edstrom was fishing aboard the Liquid Asset and said he will donate the prize to a youth shelter in Fairbanks called “The Door”. Warren Blood of Valdez took 2^nd place in the Silver Salmon Derby with a 16.80-pound fish he caught aboard the Arctic Blonde and Cheryl Wagner of Copper Center managed to stay in 3^rd place with a 16.02-pound fish she caught the day before the Women’s Silver Salmon Derby aboard Chasin Memories. Blood will take home a $3,000 cash prize 2^nd place and Wagner $1,500 for 3^rd place overall.

A similar scenario played out in the Valdez Halibut Derby with Rodney Myers of Franktown, Colorado catching a big fish early in the derby aboard the boat Hooked Up. Myer’s fish weighed 256 pounds and netted him the grand prize of $10,000. Matthew Cox of Salcha slipped into the standings during the final days and won 2^nd place and $3,000. Cox caught a 198-pound halibut September 4^th aboard the Patriot. Jason Sackmann of Newman Lake, Washington won $1,500 for 3^rd place with a 191.4-pound halibut he caught August 8^th aboard the Hofstrom.

The winner of the 10-day Silver Salmon Slam contest was Kaleb Jones of Chugiak, Alaska who caught a 15.60-pound silver salmon from Shore on September 1^st. Jones won $1,000 for the tournament in addition to his daily prizes. The winner of the $500 Silver Salmon Derby Charter Boat Prize was Chase Edstrom and Elaina Weeks sold the winning silver salmon ticket and will take home $500.

In the Valdez Halibut Derby, Chuck Carlson won the Charter Boat Captain prize of $500, and Autumn Clark won $500 for selling the winning ticket to Rodney Myers.

Over the course of the summer, close to 30 weekly winners took home prizes in the Valdez Halibut Derby and more than 40 anglers took home daily Silver Salmon Derby prizes. Valdez Fish Derbies also awarded two anglers $500 for “Big Prize Friday”, awarded Halibut Hullabaloo tournament winner Shane Miller of Fairbanks $1,000, gave away cash and prizes to 12 winners in the Valdez Kids Pink Salmon Derby and crowned Tiffany Wells the Queen of the Silver Salmon Sisterhood during the Valdez Women’s Silver Salmon Derby. A list of all the 2026 winners the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby, Halibut Derby, Women’s Derby, Big Prize Friday, and Silver Salmon Slam Contests can be found at www.valdezfishderbies.com. 

The Valdez Fish Derbies are run by a non-profit committee of seven individuals that live and work in Valdez. This year’s Derby Coordinator Dana Morales was instrumental in soliciting sponsors, managing weigh-in, handling office derbies and putting on events. Ricky Colapietro was MVP of website updates, and the weigh-in staff and volunteers were amazing. Sponsors came through with support and tremendous prizes for 2026. Valdez Fish Derbies generates funds through ticket sales, sponsorships and events and merchandise sales. Revenues go toward cash prizes, operations, and marketing Valdez as a fishing destination.

Valdez Silver Salmon Derby Overall Winners

1^st           Chase Edstrom            North Pole, AK                               18.80 lbs.         Aug 12                Liquid Asset

2^nd          Warren Blood                 Valdez, AK                                        16.80 lbs.         Aug 15                Arctic Blonde

3^rd          Cheryl Wagner              Copper Center, AK                      16.02 lbs.         Aug 7                   Chasin’ Memories

Halibut Derby – Overall Winners

1^st           Rodney Myers                                Franktown, CO                             256.0 lbs.         July 16                Hooked Up

2^nd          Matthew Cox                  Salcha, AK                                        198.0 lbs.         Sept 4                 Patriot

3^rd          Jason Sackmann         Newman Lake, WA                     191.4 lbs.         Aug 8                   Hofstorm

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