halibut in the boat

ratherbefishin

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Messages
240
every now and again somebody brings a halibut in the boat-and general mayhem breaks out.A big one can easily break a leg, smash up a boat, and there are old stories of fishermen lost at sea and the boat turns up with the bottom knocked out.Most guys hogtie them, or shoot them in the head[ not a good idea to do in the boat-but it;s been tried before!]My friend a while back had a big one on when he was jigging, anyway, they brought it up after an hour and a half, looked over and saw the head one side of the boat, the tail the other- and decided to cut the line[good choice!]the best ones are under 40 lb. anyway
 

snapperbait

Vice Admiral
Joined
Aug 20, 2002
Messages
5,754
Re: halibut in the boat

Yepper! Same problem with dolphin (mahi-mahi, not flipper ;) )... If ya bring a "green one" aboard and they get loose before they hit the cooler, watch out... Little schoolies ain't so bad but a biggun, well, they don't call em' "slammers" for nuttin...<br /><br />Head on one side of the boat, tail on the other.. I should be so luckey! :D
 

kenjudy1

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 17, 2003
Messages
43
Re: halibut in the boat

actually very true a large halibut or soaker as they are sometimes called is probably pound for pound the most dangerous fish in the ocean and the stories you told all have a basis in fact, one case they found the skipper still on the boat both legs broken ribs crushed and he had bled out before he could get help this was in the 70s up north.
 

ratherbefishin

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Messages
240
Re: halibut in the boat

there's some question about mercury levels in the bigger[older] fish.Mercury occurs naturally as well as by industrial escapement, and eating fish with murcury is a proven health hazard.Plus- the bigger fish are spawning age females so from a conservation point of view , releasing the big ones keeps the breeding stocks up.<br /> But a commercial fisherman told me that pound for pound a halibut is way stronger than a salmon and should be treated with caution- they may appear to be docile-but come ''alive'' very quickly and a 100 lb plus halibut thrashing around on the deck will cause considerable damage both to the boat and occupants.
 

neumanns

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2003
Messages
1,926
Re: halibut in the boat

Head on one side and tail on the other...Musta been a small boat. I know halibut get large but what was the size boat he was fishing on? I hope to fish them someday but when I was in Alaska the charters wern't running due to high seas. I tried to talk them out but no go.
 

ratherbefishin

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Messages
240
Re: halibut in the boat

it was a 21' inboard/outboard- so that would mean the beam was probably 6'6.All I know is he told be he could see the head one side and the tail the other- so that means looking down in the water the halibut could be anywhere from 6' long or better- but big enough that they decided to cut the line
 
Joined
Apr 30, 2003
Messages
57
Re: halibut in the boat

I have a promotional vcr tape for a jig called "Zinger". On the tape there a guy that catches a halibut that looks to be maybe 40 - 60 lbs. He gets the fish in the boat and it starts flopping. He stands over the fish with his gaff and tries to knock the fish unconscious. Every time he whacks the fish with his gaff it flops and the tail smacks him in the b@lls.
 

Link

Rear Admiral
Joined
Apr 13, 2003
Messages
4,221
Re: halibut in the boat

snapperbait <br />
Head on one side of the boat, tail on the other.. I should be so luckey!
Me too!
 

airman

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 9, 2003
Messages
332
Re: halibut in the boat

A shot of alcohol (any kind) over the gills calms them down fast. Apparently fish can't hold their liquor well. Beats getting whacked in the sweet spot, anyways.
 

ratherbefishin

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Messages
240
Re: halibut in the boat

I don't know if this was a joke or not , but on a fishing show- the guy was rubbing the halibut's belly- claimed it'calmed'' them down.I still favour harpooning then hogtying them.A big 'but can certainly do serious damage to both boat and fishermen if not respected
 

Clams Canino

Commander
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Messages
2,179
Re: halibut in the boat

Originally posted by airman:<br />A shot of alcohol (any kind) over the gills calms them down fast. Apparently fish can't hold their liquor well.
So much for "He drinks like a fish" :D <br /><br />-W
 

ezbtr

Commander
Joined
May 1, 2002
Messages
2,954
Re: halibut in the boat

That's why when I was fishing in Alaska, any halibut over 60 lb got a .45 in the head BEFORE gettin in the boat. Those damn things thrash about so much, they could break your ankle. :)
 

ratherbefishin

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Messages
240
Re: halibut in the boat

Shooting them is illegal....and most guys carry a gun for that very purpose, it settles them down better than anything else.The guide I fish with told me he once pulled a good sized halibut along side, shot it in the head- and be darned if he didn't shoot his line, as the halibut had swallowed the bait!Unfortionately he hadn't harpooned it either- so he lost it
 

roastelk

Cadet
Joined
Mar 13, 2004
Messages
13
Re: halibut in the boat

100lb fish on deck, damn. I have enough trouble with big walleye and pike. and thier small in compairison<br /><br />I wear pants shoes when i go fishing now. had a large walleye in my 12 foot aluminum last year. flopped around like a mad fish, fins cut my legs and feet pretty good. didnt think they where that sharp.
 

Sailor_Vic

Cadet
Joined
Feb 20, 2004
Messages
8
Re: halibut in the boat

I'd have to agree w/ AIRMAN. A shot in the gills is the charm. I've tried a club but usually end up missing the soon to be dearly departed and either bang another leak in the hull or almost lose a toe.
 

SoulWinner

Commander
Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
2,423
Re: halibut in the boat

Down here the big problem fish are baracuda and shark. They can destroy the interior of a boat if they get lose in there. Not to metion they have lots of teeth and sometimes bite through fuel lines, controle lines, hydraulic lines, etc. while thrashing around destroying everything in the boat. I've heard more than story about everyone bailing out of a boat with an angry barricuda or shark lose in there.
 

cjflanagan

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Oct 1, 2003
Messages
168
Re: halibut in the boat

halibut.jpg
<br /><br />Here's a little minnow :p
 

65Fabuglass

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Messages
31
Re: halibut in the boat

Have to agree with the shark and Baracuda I was fishing on my buddy's 21 foot center console he hooked a 7 and half foot bull shark in the gulf and it got loose right after getting him into the boat it was rather ugly.
 

Dave Abrahamson

Lieutenant
Joined
May 8, 2003
Messages
1,497
Re: halibut in the boat

2478028.jpg
<br /><br />ANCHORAGE -- What might be the largest Pacific halibut ever documented was pulled from the Bering Sea off St. Paul Island by the crew of the fishing boat Miss Mary. The 8-foot, 2-inch behemoth was estimated at 533 pounds -- based on its length, according to crewman Barry Davis of Anchorage. (09/12/03 AP photo)
 
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