Keith Lusher 03.20.26
Halibut tournament season is about to get underway in the Pacific Northwest, with several competitive fishing events scheduled across Washington as the state’s recreational halibut season opens this spring.
From early April through Memorial Day weekend, anglers will have multiple chances to compete for prize money while targeting one of the region’s most sought-after offshore species. These events coincide with Washington’s 2026 recreational halibut season, which is managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and carries a statewide quota of 286,356 pounds.
Below are several of the major halibut derby events scheduled across the state this season.
Fish Northwest Halibut Derby
The Fish Northwest Halibut Derby will be held April 11–12 in Marine Areas 6 and 7. The event carries a $100 entry fee and features a $7,000 first-place prize for the largest halibut.
Second place pays $2,000, while third place earns $1,000. A separate $1,000 mystery-weight prize will also be awarded.
Weigh-ins will take place at Skyline Marina in Anacortes, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, and City Pier in Port Angeles. Scales will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. both days, with the awards ceremony scheduled for the evening of April 12 at Skyline Marina. Participants must possess a valid fishing license and halibut endorsement, and all anglers aboard the boat must have a derby ticket to weigh a fish.
Anacortes Halibut Derby
The Anacortes Halibut Derby, organized by PSA Fidalgo, is scheduled for May 2–3. The tournament begins at sunrise each day, with weigh-ins held at Washington Park in Anacortes. An awards ceremony will follow Sunday evening and will include door prizes and a chili dog dinner for participants.
Port Angeles Salmon Club Halibut Derby
The Port Angeles Salmon Club Halibut Derby returns May 23–24 during Memorial Day weekend. The event offers a $5,000 grand prize for the largest halibut and has become a popular annual competition for anglers fishing the Strait of Juan de Fuca and surrounding waters. Entry tickets cost $60 per person.
2026 Washington Recreational Halibut Seaso
The upcoming tournaments coincide with the start of Washington’s 2026 recreational halibut season, which is managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The season opens April 2 in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, covering Marine Areas 5 through 10, and is scheduled to run seven days a week through June 30 unless the quota is reached earlier.
“The recreational halibut season in 2026 will generally mirror the season structure we’ve seen adopted in recent years and that’ll equate to a similar number of open days that occurred in 2025,” said Heather Fitch, WDFW’s intergovernmental ocean policy coordinator.
The recreational season is based on a statewide quota of 286,356 pounds of halibut, part of a 1.65-million-pound allocation approved by the International Pacific Halibut Commission for fisheries in Washington, Oregon, and California.
Under current regulations, anglers are allowed to keep one halibut per day with an annual limit of six fish per angler, and catches must be recorded on a WDFW catch record card.
Beginning April 1, anglers will also have the option to record their catch electronically using the MyWDFW or Fish Washington mobile apps, which allow fish to be logged directly from a smartphone.
With halibut season opening in early April and several derbies scheduled throughout the spring, anglers across the Pacific Northwest will have plenty of opportunities to get on the water and chase one of the region’s most prized offshore fish.
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