for the
Big Ones!
Fishing from the Big Draw seems to get better every year. Dad is figuring out how to get into the big fish more frequently. Below are the biggest halibut caught on our boat. For those interested in exactly where and how we caught these fish, click here.
Big halibut take time, muscle, team work and good gear to land. Once you crank them up, you have to subdue them enough so they don't break legs and other things in the boat. This usually requires a harpoon (and sometimes a gun) inorder to dispatch them.
Here one of the monsters comes back to the surface, all tuckered out and finally giving up (which isn't in their vocabulary until just about dead). The harpoon, gaf and fishing line are all visible in this shot.
Once the fun is over, it is time to haul the carcass into the boat so sharks and other carnivores of the sea don't steal your prize. 1, 2, 3, heave!!
Below is the boat record. Captain Ray poses with the triumphant fisherman Les. This is a 72 inch (6 footer), 178 pounder. It took around 40 minutes to land and must have been a blast on the end of a pole!
Mom poses with her "baby" halibut--63 inches (5 foot, 3 inches), 127 pounds. She claims it made her back and shoulders hurt hauling it up from the bottom...can't imagine why.
Not to be out done, Dad pulled up a beauty, though not as big as the others. His was 57 inches and 92 pounds.
General information about halibut is available from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can also find an estimate of Halibut live and net weights based on length, from the Alaska Outdoor Journal.
The current World Record is a barn door, weighing in at 101 inches (8 feet, 5 inches), 459 pounds.
More Alaska Pictures