VALDEZ, Alaska – The winners are in! The 1st place prize and $10,000 in the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby goes to Tony Cunningham of Valdez, AK with a 13.76-pound silver he caught August 25th. The 2nd place prize, and $3,000, goes to Joel Stephens of Ardmore, OK with a 13.02-pound silver salmon he caught August 2nd and 3rd place went to Pam Rameau of Houston, TX with a 12.94-pound silver she caught July 27th.
LaVonne Baysinger of Fairbanks, AK – First Place Valdez Halibut Derby Winner
The largest fish in this year’s Silver Salmon Derby won a $10,000 cash prize, but it was a relatively small fish for the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby. In 2023, LaVonne Baysinger of Fairbanks, Alaska won the 1st place prize with a 14.54-pound silver. CLICK HERE to see a list of previous winners.
In the Valdez Halibut Derby, Natalie Cevasco of Fairbanks, Alaska took home $10,000 and 1st place with a 205-pound halibut she caught August 8th. Second place and $3,000 went to Gregory Potting of Osceola, Wisconsin who reeled in a 204.6-pound catch and 3rd place, and $1,500 cash, went to Gary Nygren with a 198.2-pound halibut he caught August 3rd.
The Valdez Halibut Derby records go back to 1991 and there have been nine winning halibut that weighed in at more than 300-pounds. All eight of those three hundred plus fish were caught between 2004 and 2023. CLICK HERE to see a list of previous halibut derby winners.
The grand prize winner in both the halibut and silver salmon derbies wins $10,000 cash. The 2nd place cash prize in both the halibut and silver salmon derbies is $3,000 cash and the 3rd place prize is $1,500 cash. 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 Michael Olson of North Pole $1,000, gave away cash and prizes to 12 winners in the Valdez Kids Pink Salmon Derby and crowned Lindy Vititow the Queen of the Silver Salmon Sisterhood during the Valdez Women’s Silver Salmon Derby. A list of all the 2024 winners the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby, Halibut Derby, Women’s Derby, Big Prize Friday, and Tagged Fish Contest 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 2024. Valdez Fish Derbies generates funds through ticket sales, sponsorships and event and merchandise sales. Revenues go toward cash prizes, operations, and marketing Valdez as a fishing destination.
Valdez Silver Salmon Derby Overall Winners
1st Tony Cunningham | Valdez, AK | 13.76 lbs.| Aug 25 | Shore
2nd Joel Stephens | Ardmore, OK | 13.02 lbs. | Aug 2 | No Name
3rd Pam Rameau | Houston, TX | 12.94 lbs. | July 27 | Faithful
Halibut Derby – Overall Winners
1st Natalie Cevasco | Fairbanks, AK | 205.0 lbs. | Aug 8 | Getting Some
2nd Gregory Potting | Osceola, WI | 204.6 lbs. | Aug 16 | Alaskan Adventurer
3rd Gary Nygren | Westminster, MD | 198.2 lbs. | Aug 3 | Sentinel
For more information on the Valdez Derbies, visit: www.valdezfishderbies.com