Alaska Halibut Fishing

How to Handle a Halibut

Landing an Alaska halibut can be an exciting endevour.
The Alaskan, Pacific halibut can reach sizes of 400lbs or more!
The majority of a halibut's mass is pure muscle and an improperly landed
halibut can cause injury and possibly even death. I once saw a deckhand pull up a 50 pound halibut onto the deck without shooting or clubbing the fish. He tried to subdue the angry, twitching fish, the halibut's tail came back smacked him in the knee and broke his leg. There are many horror stories out there of black eyes, cracked ribs, and broken bones.

Bringing a halibut aboard safely and properly is the foremost priority of a good captain. Many skippers will argue that the use of a gun on halibut 50 pounds or more is a must, while others opt for a flying gaff. A few halibut fishermen even use a net, but only on the small "little butts". When shooting a halibut one must aim properly behind the head to sever the spine and most importantly trying not to destory the halibut cheecks, the tastiest part of the halibut.
As with any fish you want to keep the halibut's head under the water until it's either been shot or clubbed properly. Never bring a fish aboard that isn't dead first. When gaffing a halibut, aim for a solid spot right below the eyes on the skull and make sure you have a good hold on the fish. It's a good idea to wait for the fish to become tired and then beeding them along side the boat. Cutting the gill rakers and bleeding in the fish helps the overall quality of the meat.

posted by John Soulier @ 4:49 PM