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Fairbanks Angler Catches 275.6 Pound Halibut Sunday |
VALDEZ – Marvin Ray Williams was all business as he answered questions from the media and waited on the dock for weigh-in clerk Bonnie Woods to count down the seconds it takes to deem the weight of a halibut in the Valdez Halibut Derby official. When Woods announced a weight of 275.6 pounds, Williams began to smile. And the smile remained as the docks filled with people. In fact, one tourist coming down to the docks to see what the commotion was all about said she immediately knew who caught the big fish by the smile on his face. |
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First Weekly Halibut Winner Weighs In at 147.2 Pounds |
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VALDEZ – Anglers are finding out the hard way that it doesn’t always take a record-breaking fish to win a weekly prize in the Valdez Halibut Derby. And others are finding it doesn’t matter what size fish you caught if you don’t have a derby ticket. The fish caught with a derby ticket stand little chance of holding on until the end of the derby to win the $15,000 first place cash prize, but were big enough to win weekly 1st and 2nd place prizes. The Valdez Fish Derbies weigh-in station reported there were a few fish caught that would have placed in the top two this week, but the anglers did not have derby tickets. Anglers without derby tickets might not have picked up any prizes, but most are bringing back their limit of fish.
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Anchorage Angler Leads Valdez Halibut Derby |
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VALDEZ – Memorial weekend, the start of the derby and plenty of sunshine got anglers out on the water early this year in Valdez. “I think the sunshine has brought more people out,” commented Valdez Fish Derbies board member Laura Saxe. “The charters are really hurrying to get their boats up and running”. Some big fish were brought in last week, but it’s Jessica Yeamans of Anchorage at the top of the leader board after she caught a 97.4 pound halibut the opening weekend of the derby aboard the Orion. Bigger fish might have been caught, but it’s the one caught with a derby ticket that has a chance of winning the $15,000 first place prize. The 2nd place overall prize is $5,000 this year and 3rd place is $2,000. Currently in 2nd place in the standings is Shanley Young of Fairbanks who caught an 82.2 pound halibut aboard Reel Dreams. While Young and Yeaman’s fish will likely not hold on until the end of the derby, there is a chance they could hold on until next Saturday and take home the weekly 1st and 2nd place prize. The Halibut Derby week ends Saturday night, but the first Saturday of the derby is included in the week that ends Saturday, May 30th. |
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Valdez Halibut Limit Two, Halibut and Kings Being Caught |
Sunshine and blue skies have locals and visitors thinking about dropping a line in the water and charter captain and business owners in Valdez are working around the clock so they can. “The weather has been just unbelievable”, remarked Valdez Fish Derbies Chairman Joe Prax. “We’re getting everything ready for the start of the halibut derby and hoping that we can get the word out that Valdez still has a two halibut limit”.
Prax is referring to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service’s move early in the season to reduce the daily catch from two halibut to one in Southeast. Fishing out of Valdez and other Southcentral communities remains at a two fish limit.
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