Catch the Jackpot in Homer’s Halibut Derby

Every year, Homer hosts a jackpot halibut derby in which hundreds of fishermen participate. The derby runs throughout the halibut fishing season, through August and into September. Our Alaska car rentals clients often take a chance at winning this jackpot derby, if not just for the fun of the fishing. It’s always a blast to see the other fishers out, and make a weekend trip of it.

This year marks the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby’s 31st year running – here’s hoping to another 31 more! If you’ve never participated, we recommend setting out if not only to see the spectacle of fishermen across the lake, in a crowd of charters. It is a very “Alaskan” experience.

Homer, Alaska is located on Kachemak Bay and is the final destination on Sterling Highway. It is known as “The Halibut Fishing Capital of the World” and brings in hundreds every year just to experience the top quality fishing. But when you’re fishing here, you won’t just get the opportunity at delicious, abundant halibut. You’ll be surrounded by awe-inspiring mountain vistas and elegant ocean views that you can’t get simply by staying in your Alaska car rentals for your entire visit.

Prizes available

The prizes are dependent on how the fish is tagged. Every year, officials in Homer tag more than 100 fish. Each one is tagged with a different prize tag. The largest fish tag is the GCI $50,000 in cash. The second largest prize is $35,000 towards your chosen vehicle from either Stanley Chrysler or Stanley Ford.

The jackpot prize is given to the fisherman who caught the largest fish that season. It is worth a base $10,000 award, as well as $0.50 per ticket sold that year. Don’t expect to be able to fit this halibut whole in your Alaska car rentals!

In fact, if you catch the winning fish, you’ll even be granting a prize to your charter captain. The Captain’s prize offers 10% of the prize to the charter captain who navigated the boat on which the winning halibut was caught. Furthermore, the ticket seller who sold the ticket to the winning fisherman will be awarded $1000. At the Homer Halibut Derby, we believe in sharing the wealth won.

If you catch a left-handed halibut, you’ll win $100. Kids are eligible to win ticket draws at the end of the season. There are prizes ranging from $125, $150, $200, $250, and $300. That’s a lot of cash for a kid 12 and under! Will your child be one of the lucky draw winners this year?

The released fish prize is another end of season draw worth $1000. You will be entered into this draw if you catch and release a halibut that measures 48 inches (4 feet) or longer – that’s a BIG halibut!

And of course, the tagged prizes offer every one a chance to win. There are 30 fish swimming these waters that are worth $50. Another 100 (plus some!) range in prizes from $250, $500, and $1000. If you catch a fish that was tagged the previous year, you will win $100 – so it’s definitely not a waste! You could walk out of this derby with your Alaska car rentals fees worth of prizes, plus plenty left over for a few luxury activities this trip.

Don’t forget to buy your ticket!

If you don’t buy a ticket, you can’t win! And the number of people who have caught prize-winning fishes but didn’t have a ticket to be able to claim the prize is just astonishing. You don’t want to catch a $1000 fish only to find out you can’t claim it. Tickets are only $10 to purchase.

Reserve your Alaska car rentals today and set out for your chance to win in the Homer Halibut Derby!