Read All Rules Carefully – Avoid Disqualification!!!
There will be no official derby check-in. Fishing may begin at sunrise and continue until the scales close. Winners of Cash prizes and swag and certificates must be present to win at the Sunday event at 5:30 pm May 19th 2024.
1. The 2024 Anacortes Halibut Derby, with a single weigh-in location at the boat launch at Washington Park in Anacortes will be held May 18th and 19th, 2024. Fishing will begin at sunrise on Saturday and Sunday and contestants may be underway before that time.
2. Weigh in times will be 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. You must be in line to weigh your fish when the scales close and weigh your fish the same day they were caught to be eligible for prizes. Fish shall be transported to the weigh-in site by boat or vehicle, whole and un-gutted. You may bleed your fish if you choose to.
3. Prizes shall be awarded for the largest halibut by weight. Derby officials shall conduct weigh-ins at the boat launch at Washington Park in Anacortes. Anglers presenting their fish for weighing also must present their Derby ticket and shall at the request of derby officials sign an affidavit attesting that the fish was caught in compliance with Derby rules and regulations. Derby officials may ask to examine the Derby tickets and catch record cards of all occupants of the angler’s boat. In the event Derby officials are unable to weigh a fish with a scale, a tape measure may be used to determine the weight.
First Place: $10,000 Second Place: $3,000 Third Place: $: 1,000 Secret Weight $1,000 (the secret weight will be more than 10 pounds so smaller fish may be released at the participants discretion) Note: Payout will be 50% of derby proceeds to a maximum of $15,000.
4. Derby tickets shall cost $100.00 per individual. There is NO limit to the number of derby participants in each boat. Every individual on-board a vessel fishing in the derby must be entered in the derby. There shall be no refunds. This is an all-weather Derby. Participants are expected to use reasonable judgment and common sense with respect to weather and/or sea conditions and the number of participants on their boat.
5 .Each angler must have a valid WDFW license and catch record card and their Derby ticket in his or her possession while participating in the Derby. Each contestant must catch and weigh-in his or her own fish.
6. Derby participants may fish only in Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Area 6 and 7. All fishing must be done in compliance with Washington fishing rules and regulations.
7. It is requested that each vessel prominently display the American flag in honor of our veterans, past and present. This recognition is a long-standing tradition with our Derbies. Thank you!
8. An individual may only win one of the top cash prizes for largest halibut. Prizes will be offered in descending order for the heaviest halibut. In the event of identical official weights, the first fish weighed will have priority for the higher prize.
9. The Derby judges shall consist of three persons and up to four alternates. Any dispute concerning enforcement of the Derby rules or procedures shall be settled by majority vote of the judges. There will be no appeal of their decision. Judges are not eligible to win cash derby prizes. Alternate Judges may compete for Derby prizes, however, if an alternate acts as a judge in any respect, that person shall abstain from competing for derby cash prizes.
10. Derby officials may direct that a fish be gutted after weighing and/or that it be examined by a fishery biologist or other expert, at the judges’ discretion. All fish entered in the derby shall remain the property of the Fidalgo-San Juan Islands Chapter of PSA until the conclusion of the awards ceremony, or longer if necessary, in the opinion of a majority of the derby judges.
11. Derby tickets are only available online. Ticket sales will close Wednesday May 15th , 2024 at midnight. One person may purchase tickets for other contestants; in that event the person buying the ticket shall be deemed to agree to these rules on behalf of the other contestant(s) for whom the tickets were bought. Anyone purchasing a ticket for someone else shall complete the registration form in the other person’s name.
12. Any violation of Derby rules and/or WDFW fishing regulations and/or anyone receiving a citation, shall subject a violator and entire boat to disqualification. Persons observing possible rules violations are required to submit a written protest to the judges no later than 5:00 PM on Sunday May 19th 2024.
13. Prize recipients are responsible for payment of any taxes that might be owed on a particular prize. All prizes shall be final at the time of award.
14. These rules may be changed by Derby officials at any time prior to the beginning of the first day of the Derby.
Any changes to these rules and any questions concerning these rules will be posted prior to the start of the derby. Derby participants agree to hold harmless the Fidalgo-San Juan Islands Chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers, derby officials, judges, sponsors, and/or their respective officers, agents, servants and employees from any demands, claims, and/or liabilities of any kind or nature from and for any injuries or damages of any kind that participants might sustain as a result of participation in the derby, including the awards ceremony. PLEASE DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE. Derby officials would be happy to arrange for a cab at the contestant’s expense upon request.
