GS12 - Reports and pictures starting on page 24

I have a video of certain someone that love the Karaoke. Should I post it? 

On here, sure. But not on facebook please haha!

Awww, BOB that's heartbreaking, buddy! You'll get them next time.

Awesome stories from everyone, thanks.

I brought a rookie up with me and he turned into a straight up fish killer!  Looks like GS12 hooked another one of us for life!

Pac Hali:
As Matt mentioned, it wasnt his first rodeo. props and congrats on securing the fish. Ive got a lot of homework to do. And by rodeo, he meant that literally.

Friday was a great day i wanted to do as much fishing as i could to take advantage of the nice weather because it could change on tourney day. A pair lings, a black limit, and mixed cabby and rf haul. sometime during the day i decided to troll a 8oz ultra minnow with a hoochie that i made. i was tired of jigging, so i decided to troll instead. dropped it to the bottom and gave the reel a couple cranks and was on my way. hooked on to something that felt quite familiar, but surprising at the same time. after a few pulls, it decided to give up and show itself. saw some silver and was thinking striper, but when it got to the boat, it showed it's chrome. Salmon! broke loose next to the boat. was happy anyway since it was just bycatch.

Saturday, tourney day, woke up super refreshed and excited to fish. launched into a lake. the weatherman was wrong! i knew i was going to fish hard today! took the same route as i did the previous day, hooked a few rockfish and released a few lings because i wanted lingzilla instead. had a mixed bag of 5 species of rf including black, blue, china, gopher, vermillion. they all sat on the deck. drift started to pick up and i decided im going to take a break from jigging and set up the hali rig that consisted of 50lb braid, carolina rig, 8oz sliding sinker, 48" of 40lb floro leader, with twin 6/0 hooks neatly stabbed onto a small herring. i figured if i drift it, i'd catch lingzilla if not the hali. Drift was going south east, landed on a big reef and fondled with a few bycatch rf/ling and as i drifted out of the reef, cranked up the rig to about 6ft from the bottom, set it in my rod holder so i can clip all the rockfish that were on my deck. thats the moment my rod loaded up, looked like a snag, but wasnt, i grabbed it and it took off like ive never felt! loosened the drag a bit and that's when i realized it was something big. but i wasnt sure what. the headshakes were huge throbs instead of quick vibrations like ive felt on cali halis, i was like WTF. so i radioed my fishing partner Murakami because i might need help, but he was too far away after delivering a bilge pump that someone has lost. i slowly reeled it in and after about 4 dives it showed color. The water was so clear, it was very easy to make out what it was. i could see the diamond shape body and the ugly face that only a mother could love. at that time, i knew shit was about to get real! thats when i switched from "possibly" needing help, to "for sure" needing help, but no one was nearby. everyone heard my voice on the radio and knew it wasn't bullshit. i realized how excited everyone on the radio was, maybe more than me, cus at the time i was actually more scared, not going to lie. based on what i see/hear, this is a crazy species, and i spent most of my life playing around with fish including giant arapaima, but this thing is just a beast! so a guy with a red tarpon kayak was the first to the scene to help, i am so sorry i forgot your name whoever you are, and first thought was to double gaff but wasn't sure, started to get a lot of chatter on the radio and mixed advice, so i tried to do what i thought was ok. i had the fellow kayaker hold on to my kayak so i wouldn't tip over, i opened my gameclip, gaffed the beast in the cheek, meat was ripping, so i quickly clipped it. after that, it got the wooden shampoo treatment about 30 times. it did not move. i cut its gills, it did not move. i took a couple breaths, and pulled it onto my lap. it did not move.... that's when i "thought" i had the cat in the bag, head hanging off the left side and much of the tail still in the water on the right side. mustve been over 48" long and 40+lbs. Radioed the crew! "I got him I got him!" about a minute later, as i was brainstorming my mission to secure him and bring him back to shore, thats when the thing gave me a lap dance got back in the water, stretched the gameclip out, pop! and he was gone. silence followed and the dozen kayaks next to me slowly drifted away. i sat there face down for about 5 minutes. Collected myself, and faced reality. paddled back in and tried to fish a bit more, pulled the crab pots and called it a day. when i got to shore, i felt like i was famous, hella people gave me hugs. didnt let it bother me, and went ahead with the rest of the day. the lost halibut didn't really hit me until today, when i was driving around, just thinking about what i did wrong. but there will always be a next time, and next time i will be more prepared! felt bad i killed the fish though. but it happens i guess.

overall great trip as always, with great conditions this time. its always fun at the cove, seeing new faces, as well as familiar ones. thank you so much Eric and and those who help to make this event possible.

you can see me smile in that kayak pic taken by eric, but that was before the Pachali ordeal.

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Man halibut are escape magicians BOB. That is no joke. My biggest halibut came to life after an hour in the back of my kayak and (50 plus hits over the head) and bleed out. I have no idea how in the world they can still manage to try to escape. It jump off my yak, but luckily the game clip stayed on. I've found that  stabbing them straight in the brain with a knife works well. I also heard cutting them at the base of their tails and snapping the bone will immobilize them for good. (No Zombie halibut). Sorry you had to learn the hard way, but that is definitely the "fish that got away", and one that will haunt you for a long time. Welcome to OG kayak fisherman status. 

After 2 days of wind Yakhopper and I hit the sea. My Cali Butt was only a mere eighteen inches shorter than champion Matt’s pac hali. 😜

The karaoke king was seen at GS

holy shit that was him?

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The karaoke king was seen at GS

2:00.....
Excellent work Pat.  It was even better live.

GS12 WAS AWESOME!  The weatherman lied.

Thanks to Eric for putting on a hell of a show, Shuland for keeping us fed and happy, all my camp mates, and the whole crew for making us "The best group that visits Shelter Cove Campground".  Hell yes.  Im proud of us and what we do.

On that topic, this guy was so gentle releasing his King Salmon by-catch on Friday.  Very cool to see that shiny chrome.  PM an email address if you want better quality pics, IslandYak. 


Aaron

The karaoke king was seen at GS

Ha ha ha he did some songs when the sun was still up also!! He killed it!!

Thanks to everyone posting photos!  Looks like a great time was had by all with some fantastic fishing.  Congrats to Matt for putting in the work and landing that Pac halibut on tourney day!  You took a big gamble by pursuing them all day, and it paid off.  I can’t think of anyone more deserving of that fish than you.  Best fish to ever take GS!

Since I'm more likely to stumble upon a Bigfoot than a thresher up here in Oregon, I guess I'd better go chase me down my first Pac halibut this summer.  Can't let you have all the fun Matt  .

Thanks to everyone posting photos!  Looks like a great time was had by all with some fantastic fishing.  Congrats to Matt for putting in the work and landing that Pac halibut on tourney day!  You took a big gamble by pursuing them all day, and it paid off.  I can’t think of anyone more deserving of that fish than you.  Best fish to ever take GS!

Since I'm more likely to stumble upon a Bigfoot than a thresher up here in Oregon, I guess I'd better go chase me down my first Pac halibut this summer.  Can't let you have all the fun Matt  .

I saw a woman catch a thresher in Oregon once while salmon fishing. Go chase that unicorn Chris, they do exist!

Thanks to everyone posting photos!  Looks like a great time was had by all with some fantastic fishing.  Congrats to Matt for putting in the work and landing that Pac halibut on tourney day!  You took a big gamble by pursuing them all day, and it paid off.  I can’t think of anyone more deserving of that fish than you.  Best fish to ever take GS!

Since I'm more likely to stumble upon a Bigfoot than a thresher up here in Oregon, I guess I'd better go chase me down my first Pac halibut this summer.  Can't let you have all the fun Matt  .

I saw a woman catch a thresher in Oregon once while salmon fishing. Go chase that unicorn Chris, they do exist!

Dang, I'd better carry the single-strand wire leader with me just in case I see the signs!

  Thank you, Darius!