What a Blessed Day.

Got a nice 62 pound Halibut at Neah Bay this morning about 9:30. Here's the story.

In the past 3 months I've probably read every piece of web available literature about Halibut here in the NW and maybe it helped.

About 2 months ago I told my Mom I was going to try and get a Halibut at Neah Bay in my 14-foot Livingston. She gave me some precautionary advice about being out in the ocean in that little boat. I so thanked her and said if she hadn't told me to be careful, I was going to go 10 miles out, jump over the front of the boat and let the prop give me a back massage.

Anyway, went over Wed night, got a launch ticket, and camped out in the back of my truck. Got up at 3:30 and by the time I finally got going, it was about 4:30. The launch line was really about 2 miles long. It was low clouds, fog, little rain, and about 48 degrees. Perfect day for Halibut.

Finally launched at 6am. The water out of harbor (Wada Island) was pretty rough. Went to my GPS spot about 400 feet of water out from the garbage dump hole, but still in the straights. With 3 pounds of weight, and a really nasty smelling Mackerel with Halibut scent, went out to about 550 feet for bottom due to the tide. Then let line out so it keeps bouncing bottom. Most runs would be 1000 feet of line and a 3 pound weight. Dropped in this area about 7 times.

I had a BS circle hook to start. I had one good bite, but feel the circle hook thing is BS. I changed to a rig with 150# mono and two large regular hooks. I also tied the Mackeral to the hooks with dental floss, which is the way to go.

The waves, wind and current kept getting worse, but noticed toward Tatoosh Island was ebb tide and like a lake out way past Tatoosh. I made a dash out past Tatoosh about 5 miles. One spot about an acre came up to 150 feet from 230 feet all around. It was absolutely calm and no tide. I dropped at the 150 edge and dropped to 230. After a few bounces got this guy. Got this flat gps'd.

To get it into the boat took about an hour by myself. The secret to boating a Halibut is to not be in a hurry, at all. Wait till they are dead from the struggle before you even try bringing them in. They are strong and can be very dangerous if not.

When I got it up, I saw it was hooked thru the jaw bone and thru the eye. I knew it was not going to get off. The hook line was unbreakable 150# test mono with 15/0 hooks and 80# braided mainline. Had a spreader bar. Used really smelly, oily Mackerel soaked in Halibut nector. I have a good fishfinder with gps and contours. Another must.

On the first go around, I tried to harpoon it with my homemade harpoon. BIG mistake. It was so thick the point didn't go thru the animal. It went nuts and ripped 80# braided line off my huge new reel until I thought I was going to run out of line (440 yards on this reel) and headed to the bottom.

I had 30 feet of steel cable on my homemade harpoon. I thought it would work. Picture my 14 foot Livingston full of fish gear, bouncing around in the ocean, and a harpoon in my hand. I felt like CPT Ahad.

If that harpoon would have stuck, picture the loose 30 feet of cable zipping around the boat floor where it might have grabbed an ankle. I would have ended up at the bottom wrapped up in the cable. It would have jerked me right out of the boat. God was looking after me, again, not to be at the bottom off Tatoosh.

After living through that very bad mistake I then took the harpoon cable and made a lasso and was able to slip it over the tail. Lesson, always lasso them around the tail and just drag them backwards till they drown. That worked very well, and it's safe. He was a pretty good water skier.

Well, when I was finally able to get him back up from the bottom, it took me a long time by myself, I was able to lasso it around the tail. Then I just dragged it behind the boat for about 15 minutes on the way back in to Neah Bay. It was kinda water skiing but water was going against the gills so I thought it drowned.

Then when I thought it was dead nearly back at Neah Bay, I brought it into the boat. Mistake number two! It woke up and nearly beat the boat apart! I couldnt even get close to the mouth to get the hook out and it was really beating its tail going nuts again.

I won, but I'm sore and stiff today.

If you can believe it, I don't even want to go fishing for a few days...

Have a good stout pole, reel with 80# braid, speader bar, regular double hook rig like for mooching, tie bait to hooks-lot of wraps, halibut nector, fish slack tide if possible, continually let it bounce lightly but not long pulls, just tap, tap, tap, then let it sit for a half minute, have a good gps with chartplotter. Fish the edge of down slopping contours.

Maybe see you there next Thursday at Neah Bay. Look for Livingston with blue top. Good fishing.

What a Blessed Day!

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