It was live on F&S Facebook, can’t link the drawing but the winners were: Julie Perry,  Pheng Vang, and John Meteyer

This is from late July last year at Shelter Cove.

We had gone out the day before with Eric Stockwell, and loaded up on rockfish. So today we would slow troll swim baits for halibut on the way to the reef. No bites by the time we arrived.

Once at the reef we started drifting large swim baits on the hopes of catching some lings. After about 15min we were drifting more toward shore so we went back out a couple hundred yards.

I dropped down and got hammered hard by something big. Felt like a monster ling, and I couldn’t get it up more than 10’ and it would dive back down. I worried  that it might snag in the rocks so I added a little more drag. Now I could got it up to 30’ before it would dive down over and over.

I had the rod braced under my arm, and resting on my knee. I was getting beat pretty bad, and decided it was time to have confidence in my leader, and knot tying. I tightened the drag to max which I think is about 22lbs on the Takota 500A.

Now I was starting to make some headway but it would still pull line like there was no drag. Finally it starts to tire out just before I do. I see my leader come into view. I peek over the side and Holy Shit it’s a Pacific Halibut.

Now what? Gaff, or net? Eric always warns people to have a big net when fishing at Shelter Cove, and my son had given me one for birthday. It is embarrassingly big at 36”x36” semi square, and 36” deep with a flat bottom.

I decided to go for it with the net, and from experience with CA halibut I knew it had to go in head first or it would escape for sure. I placed the net in the water, and it took off on another run. Trying to hold the net under my arm while I reeled it in. As it came up I put the net in position and glided it in head first.

Total mayhem as it takes a run while in the net, and I try to hold on, and lift as much as I can. After a while it calmed down. I had it securely wedged in the net so it couldn’t escape. Out of safety concerns I had my son hold the other side of the net while I bleed it, stabbed it in the brain about twenty times, and put it on the clip.

Quite an experience I will remember forever. 44” 38lbs

I don’t know how to get the 20 fathom line into the app. But would like to add it to my phone, and pad.

Anyone who surf launches needs to take caution when carrying 5lb balls.

Quote from: NowhereMan on March 26, 2024, 07:27:54 PM

Thanks for the info!

SFD looks super-simple. But, are we really supposed to use a descending device, even if fish are caught in relatively shallow water? I usually fish for for bigger game, and generally barbless. I've released vast numbers of RF bycatch, and it's always no-touch--just grab the hook and shake. It seems to me that a descending device will have a lot more chance of harming the fish than what I do, with no possible benefit, at least in shallow(ish) water.

 
No I'm sure if it goes down easy like you said a few shakes and it goes , that's the best way anyway. As far as harming effect if its bad enough its lingcod/shark bait.
Can you imagine the look on that lingcod when it sees a large fish being shaken as you yank on the descending device. LOL heck it might be worth putting a lure on above the descending device and leave it there after you yank the other fish off eh? never know.

This will work with smaller fish.

Regulations were passed by the Commission this morning. After the presentation by Marci Yaremko she said she wanted to thank all of the persons involved with providing input to staff. The first person she recognized was Paul Chang.

Thank you Paul for giving kayak fishermen a voice in the process. And thanks for speaking today to the commission about keeping our petition in their thoughts.   

I use magnets to pull stuff around in the hull.

Welcome, just this last Saturday I mixed a can of tuna with a can of corn, and caught a limit of kokanee.