A boat in SE Alaska--Freedom at last! (Ketchikan)

[Alaskagrl]

Rotorhead...yeah, to me it seems overkill to actually pull in and kill a truly huge halibut. Never done it myself, of course, but I've heard experienced fishermen say that usually the meat ain't that great...wormy and tough...and it's a ton of work.
From my "puny" 80-pounder experience, I personally probably wouldn't want to kill anything heavier again. I like 40-60 pounders the best. I don't have a real problem with people who really want the big fish, I guess, but neither does it make much sense to those of us who approach things from a more traditional subsistence view.

Just like with deer. I try not to kill spikes but if they are fork'n horns or better...they are fair game to go in my freezer. Of course, I start every season with the attitude of waiting for a nice 3x3 or better, but as it gets down to the wire and if my freezer ain't stocked; then I will shoot the little guys. Some folks don't think this is good biology but from what I've seen here, I don't buy that argument.

Anyway......maybe I'll have to invest in a winch now that folks are creating me in their image! It'd look pretty funny on my little truck but it would certainly look original! Especially if I painted teeth on it or something...heheh

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by Alaskagrl

Awww, you guys makin' fun of little ol' me?? I KNOW it's not a huge fish, I've seen pics of 130 pounders and up, but for me...all of 5'5...it was pretty fun and it SEEMED pretty big when I was hauling it in. Hey, let me have my fun, ok?

Actually I was truly curious. The last time I went fishing I caught a perch, maybe 6" long. I can't imagine catching a fish as big as a Halibut, then trying to wrestle it over the side of the boat. I'm just thinking that you must possess talents greater than us mere mortals.

[Alaskagrl]

OK...well, I'll be real honest here...I had help on the halibut. I probably could have dealt with it myself but was glad I didn't have to. We hauled him up (3 times before he was truly tired) from about 230 feet. Finally, the captain shot him with a .22 pistol and then it was just about dragging him over the side of the boat.

In my new small skiff, the haul wouldn't be a big deal, but I definitely need to purchase a little pistol. I shudder to think what could happen if I was just trying to kill him using only a club!

Thing is, like Rotor said, even a smaller halibut like that could knock the chit out of me--overboard, even, if it was having it's death throes on the boat. It can be scary to haul in a big halibut or salmon on a smaller boat with no help!

[akck]

Originally Posted by Alaskagrl

OK...well, I'll be real honest here...I had help on the halibut. I probably could have dealt with it myself but was glad I didn't have to. We hauled him up (3 times before he was truly tired) from about 230 feet. Finally, the captain shot him with a .22 pistol and then it was just about dragging him over the side of the boat.

In my new small skiff, the haul wouldn't be a big deal, but I definitely need to purchase a little pistol. I shudder to think what could happen if I was just trying to kill him using only a club!

Thing is, like Rotor said, even a smaller halibut like that could knock the chit out of me--overboard, even, if it was having it's death throes on the boat. It can be scary to haul in a big halibut or salmon on a smaller boat with no help!

To me, any halibut over 50lbs is big and any over 100lbs needs to be shot before handling (sometimes even 80 pounders). I prefer ones in the 20-40lbs range as the best eating ones.

For safety, I usually leave my halibut on the side of the boat while fishing, stringing them up and cutting their gills to bleed them. Depending on how they're hooked and their size, I'll harpoon them if there's a chance I might lose it in landing. It's better to be safe than injured by a fish on your boat.

[Alaskagrl]

Originally Posted by akck

To me, any halibut over 50lbs is big and any over 100lbs needs to be shot before handling (sometimes even 80 pounders). I prefer ones in the 20-40lbs range as the best eating ones.

For safety, I usually leave my halibut on the side of the boat while fishing, stringing them up and cutting their gills to bleed them. Depending on how they're hooked and their size, I'll harpoon them if there's a chance I might lose it in landing. It's better to be safe than injured by a fish on your boat.

Actually that's a great idea ...if I get a bigger halibut when I'm on my own I'll just let it hang out on side of boat for a while until I have to go in. Much safer.

[Sarkar]

Hey rotor.... down at POW we use those little halibut you have around Haines for bait

I did however see a 305 on the dock there one day, I have a pictures here somewhere, I think his compass was outta wack being up there in Lynn Canal rather than on the west side of Prince of Wales

Akgrl was bait fishing, she didn't tell ya about our real fish cuz we don't want you guys invading our territory....

BTW.....the record Alaska halibut is 958 pounds in 1958, I have his picture here somewhere also, and its in several places around Juneau

When you're ready rotor and you have that new boat set up I might turn you onto my little honey-hole about an hour outta Haines for some of those under 100# guys....

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Barkingowl

Actually I was truly curious. The last time I went fishing I caught a perch, maybe 6" long. I can't imagine catching a fish as big as a Halibut, then trying to wrestle it over the side of the boat. I'm just thinking that you must possess talents greater than us mere mortals.

Now Barkley, if you didn't know you should have, granted we do not have Halibut or Salmon, but.... the Outer Banks are great fishing, if your Blue Marlin doesn't weigh in at 750 lbs, you won't normally win anything at any of the areas' Marlin tourneys. 60 to 150 lb blue fin tuna, yellow fin, and black fin are normal, day in, day out, fare during Spring, Summer and Fall. The really big Tuna - 400lbs and up- are caught in winter, but, are too big to keep, Inland fisheries will let you dance with them, but doesn't want them harmed. Also,...the baby (size wise) of the Tuna family, the Albacore is closer in, just outside shoals, it is only 10 to maybe 30 lbs and delicious, a lighter meat, Tuna is a warm blooded fish, ergo, red meat, not all red meated fish are warm blooded, but the Tuna is and they put up one helluva fight. Any Tuna 50 lbs and up is a group effort to land, ya keep passing the rod around until it is gaffed and brought aboard. Tuna in the 80 lb range will give 4 people a chance to dance before it is put on the deck. Add in the smaller King Mackeral, also really good to eat, Wahoo, Dolphin et al, and there is quite a variety of tasty fish off the coast here. I am not saying, "don't go to Alaska and fish" by all means, Alaska is in a class by itself and well worth the effort and expense of the visit, the scenery is so beautiful, vast, and overwhelming that it will bring a tear to your eye, being awestricken is normal. But, I am surprized that you didn't know about the local aquatic adventures.

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

But, I am surprized that you didn't know about the local aquatic adventures.

Honestly, & this will sound dumb, I haven't been fishing since I was a kid. Having to pull the hook out of the fish's mouth while it vainly struggled to get back in the water just never was any fun to me. Now having said that, I do enjoy eating all kinds of fishes both raw & cooked.

I'm not one of these fruitcakes that think that fishing should be banned.
And I have a lot of respect for a lady that can land what I consider to be a huge fish.

[rotorhead]

Speaking of baitfish, the herring are in here. They were flowing like a river of through the small boat harbor last night, an unbelievable number of them. The whales are out in the cove, the sea lions have moved up into Lutak inlet, the orca are chasing the seals onto the beaches, and the hooligan are due in any day now. Things are picking up here in a big way.

I'm game for ANY advice on where to hook into the flatties. I have so little knowledge of the area that I'm thinking of painting the name "Ida No" on the stern...as in...I dunno what I'm doing, as you can probably see".

My son want to name it the "chum bucket". He's a big spongebob fan, and of course there's the added bonus that my wife gets seasick just LOOKING at boats.

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by rotorhead

and the hooligan are due in any day now.

What are hooligan? Fish, seals, tourons?