First kayak catch...beginners luck?

I went to ARW this morning around 8... i caught some jack smelt with a sabiki rig, thanks to some tips on here, I used a kastmaster on the end and tipped the sabiki with bits of a nightcrawler. Put the first smelt on my halibut rig, and i swear within a minute my rod started bouncing... i opened up the reel for a few looong moments, and sure enough line was going out, so i closed it, set the hook and BAM it was on! It felt pretty big, and i wasn't sure what it was as it came up, and sure enough its a hali! i couldn't believe my eyes! (keep in mind i'm a newbie...) i snapped a couple of photos and then thought to myself, now what do i do?? so after a few attempts at netting, splashing, runs by my hali, its in the net! When i got off the water there happened to be a guy taking surveys about fishing and he measured and weighed it for me... 30" weighing in at 11lbs...

couldn't have been a better day, calm water, and barely any wind... and i got to catch some fish! here are some pics...

rog

AWESOME!!!!!!!

Congratulations on a beautiful fish and a great day on the water!!!

Sincerely,

Jim

Nothing wrong w/ newbie luck. Congrats and welcome to the cure that is the madness.

Z

Great job!  Snapping pics of the fish in the water before netting it - you've got mojo, Dude.   

Welcome aboard.

Couple of us wish we could turn back the hands of time and get us some of that.

Congrats!

WTG Rog - doesn't get any better than making bait and landing a nice halibut - Congrats!

You lie you lie you lie.  You can't be a newb!   
Seriously, good job, rog!  That's pretty awesome.  And thx for posting that report w/ pics. 

wow rog, congrats, beginners luck be damned, nice fish anyway you slice it

That is awesome!  I am so jealous. Thanks for the report and pics. Where is ARW? Sorry new guy here.

Nicely done!
props for the pics of the fish on the end of the line.
When I see the color of halibut I'm always thinking only "net or gaff?" 

That is awesome!  I am so jealous. Thanks for the report and pics. Where is ARW? Sorry new guy here.

ARW = Alameda Rock Wall

Nice hali, Rog! Did you catch it with that big ass smelt?

Yeeahawwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!! Heres were the MaDnessReAllYkiCksIn!!!!!!

Jealous, jealous, jealous! Took me five trips to get my first. Nice job.

(Now do it again and we'll all believe you really know how to do it!)   

textbook perfect, and action pics to prove it. I salute you, sir! 

textbook perfect, and action pics to prove it. I salute you, sir! 

AMEN!! Be ready the addiction is about to kick-in, in 5 4 3 2 1 booosssshhhh!