Keith Lusher 03.20.26
Halibut event season is about to get underway within the Pacific Northwest, with a number of aggressive fishing occasions scheduled throughout Washington because the state’s leisure halibut season opens this spring.
From early April via Memorial Day weekend, anglers can have a number of probabilities to compete for prize cash whereas focusing on one of many area’s most sought-after offshore species. These occasions coincide with Washington’s 2026 leisure halibut season, which is managed by the Washington Division of Fish and Wildlife and carries a statewide quota of 286,356 kilos.
Under are a number of of the key halibut derby occasions scheduled throughout the state this season.
Fish Northwest Halibut Derby
The Fish Northwest Halibut Derby will likely be held April 11–12 in Marine Areas 6 and seven. The occasion carries a $100 entry charge and includes a $7,000 first-place prize for the biggest halibut.
Second place pays $2,000, whereas third place earns $1,000. A separate $1,000 mystery-weight prize may also be awarded.
Weigh-ins will happen at Skyline Marina in Anacortes, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, and Metropolis Pier in Port Angeles. Scales will likely be open from 8:30 a.m. to six:30 p.m. each days, with the awards ceremony scheduled for the night of April 12 at Skyline Marina. Contributors should possess a legitimate fishing license and halibut endorsement, and all anglers aboard the boat should have a derby ticket to weigh a fish.
Anacortes Halibut Derby
The Anacortes Halibut Derby, organized by PSA Fidalgo, is scheduled for Could 2–3. The event begins at dawn every day, with weigh-ins held at Washington Park in Anacortes. An awards ceremony will comply with Sunday night and can embody door prizes and a chili canine dinner for individuals.
Port Angeles Salmon Membership Halibut Derby
The Port Angeles Salmon Club Halibut Derby returns Could 23–24 throughout Memorial Day weekend. The occasion gives a $5,000 grand prize for the biggest halibut and has turn out to be a well-liked annual competitors for anglers fishing the Strait of Juan de Fuca and surrounding waters. Entry tickets value $60 per individual.
2026 Washington Leisure Halibut Seaso
The upcoming tournaments coincide with the beginning of Washington’s 2026 leisure halibut season, which is managed by the Washington Division of Fish and Wildlife.
The season opens April 2 in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, protecting Marine Areas 5 via 10, and is scheduled to run seven days per week via June 30 except the quota is reached earlier.
“The leisure halibut season in 2026 will typically mirror the season construction we’ve seen adopted lately and that’ll equate to an analogous variety of open days that occurred in 2025,” stated Heather Fitch, WDFW’s intergovernmental ocean coverage coordinator.
The leisure season relies on a statewide quota of 286,356 kilos of halibut, a part of a 1.65-million-pound allocation authorised by the International Pacific Halibut Commission for fisheries in Washington, Oregon, and California.
Below present laws, anglers are allowed to maintain one halibut per day with an annual restrict of six fish per angler, and catches have to be recorded on a WDFW catch file card.
Starting April 1, anglers may also have the choice to file their catch electronically utilizing the MyWDFW or Fish Washington mobile apps, which permit fish to be logged immediately from a smartphone.
With halibut season opening in early April and several other derbies scheduled all through the spring, anglers throughout the Pacific Northwest can have loads of alternatives to get on the water and chase one of many area’s most prized offshore fish.
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