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Halibut 2004
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We were fishing for crab bait just before pulling into a remote anchorage called Funter Bay (on Admiralty Island, near Juneau). The wind had picked up, so we were anxious to pull in for the evening. From Shawn's log:
"We cruise out and by the time I approach Point Retreat, I want to head south to Funter Bay, where crabbing is supposed to be good. Of course, the wind whips up from the south, puttling the flow on our bow, and we pound 7-8 knots to Funter. As we approach the bay, a green buoy marks the entrance. So I slow down to fish the rocks marked by the buoy, with the intent of catching crab bait. The wind and the current are still strong and fast, so my line streams out, trying to reach down 120 feet. As soon as I hit the bottom, I come up, and it feels like I'm stuck on the bottom. But a big head shakes, and a monster pull tells me that I've got a big halibut."
Meanwhile, I drove the boat, trying to keep it off the rocks, while Shawn reeled. It was clear that he was going to need some help. Once I got the boat to a safer spot, I held the reel while Shawn manned the harpoon (twice), and took care of dispatching the halibut. The process took well over an hour. This halibut was took big to bring onto the boat. Shawn tied it off to the starboard quarter of the Tonie O, as I motored in toward the state dock. Thank goodness we didn't have too far to go, as I could feel the fish thumping violently against the side of the boat, even after being thoroughly killed.
Fortunately there is a dock in this remote anchorage. Even more fortunate was the fact that there were two larger cruising vessels, the Sandpiper and Renegade (37' Victory Tug), tied to the dock. The crews of those boats happened to really like halibut. So while we filleted, cleaned, and bagged the fish, the Bob and Sandy set about preparing dinner for us aboard Renegade, Bob and Pat from the Sandpiper served as beer as we cleaned the monster fish.
Not only did we catch a great fish that day, but we met some wonderful people that evening.
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A girl and her fish
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From his measurements of 65 inches, Shawn originally estimated the halibut to weigh 113 pounds. However, he looked at the size charts later, and thinks that it may have weighed closer to 140 pounds. He wasn't even close to being able to lift it.
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Renegade, Funter's Bay 2004
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Other Halibut Highlights included a 73 pounder caught near Elfin Cove. Notice that this fish had another one swimming up next to it, much like ling cod often do.
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Sandpiper, Funter Bay 2004
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This is the much more reasonable "chef-approved" size of halibut (20-30 pounds)
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Too big for the boat! This is making me nervous!
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70 pounder near Elfin Cove
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