50lb Club

[beamie]

Nice Phil tell us the story.....good fight?

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by beamie

Nice Phil tell us the story.....good fight?

The bite of good sized cod/haddock/pollack had slowed way down about 1:30-2pm and Capt Mike searched the hump until saying OK lets do a "blind squirrel" drop, bottom looks interesting but no fish marks....approx 320-300ft deep I fish with a Penn 114H loaded with 65lb PP and have about 75' of 100lb mono leader. Slow drift directly off the stern with the line relaxed dragging, light bouncing the bottom (famous Buzz Bump/Thrust as I wear a fighting belt and most jigging action is via pelvic thrust ) 16oz Norwegian jig and 3 sand eel-like teasers. DAMN snagged the bottom, maybe another BIG cod as we had caught about 10 8-10+lb'ers throughout the day and similar feel. Reel drag pretty much already at max, turn the handle and nothing. Keep trying and shortly thereafter start the slow movement off the bottom, about 1/2 way up ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ all the way back down (Capt Mike and everyone getting really anxious hearing those ZZZZZZ's, this happened 3X. Steve K next to me hooked up just before me and boats a wolf fish, sorry Steve just get that thing back into the water there's a real fish still on the lines. Crew is getting curious and clearing lines and deck. Oooops one line entangled, oh now there goes the fish BUT luckily tangled line on the mono and not the PP, Capt Mike easily removes the line. I think it was just after that Capt Mike gets first look at color and calmly yells HALIBUT!!!! Few more turns of the crank and Mike sinks the gaff. I not so calmly scream YES, YES, YES!!! High 5's all around at that point. Capt says that's a wrap we are head back in, 6hr ride on perfectly calm waters. What a day!

I had targeted halibut all day switching rigs out 6 times. Didn't pull my weight on the other groundfish as impressive in size as they were but I think the halibut makes up for lack of total numbers of fish. Only thing I forgot: turn on the GoPro

Check out the treble, single hook in the lip fought this fish.