Santa Cruz 10/2 BIG Butt on FIRST Drop!

Nice one, Alain!   

Beautiful morning, but didn't start out that way.    Got all my gear setup and ready to launch but found one thing was missing... My tackle box!    So, packed most of my stuff back up and then headed over to wait until Bayside opened up so I could buy some halibut rigs.  Left with a couple trap rigs, and a halibut hoochie setup and couple weights, and headed back to the other see if my kayak was still there.  Everyone talking BFT at BSM as I got my stuff and paid up.  Immediately noticed how friggin many boats were out there as you exit the harbor.  Don't think I've ever seen so many in SC before.   Bit of a swell made the exit of the mouth feel a bit dicey with the boats gunning it as soon as they get past the red buoy.  Bait was EVERYWHERE from inside the harbor to out to 65 fow where I got that bad boy on the first drop of a live mackerel on a 3way rig.    I had stopped at around the sailing buoy and was easily able to find some of the smaller mackerel, filled them up with water and headed to deeper water trolling a dodger hoochie 3-way setup.  When I got out far enough that I was parallel to the Red Buoy I heaved too and dropped down my first bait.  I then cast out my sabiki for more bait and was slammed by a school of big smelt.  While unhooking rather vibratious smelt, I hear my other rod go off with drag screaming! I can barley get it out of the rod holder and it's ripping line quickly.  Haven't even been there 5 minutes yet! I reel and reel and it makes a couple runs, but it then just seems to be come up like a barn door does.  I messed up my first gaff shot, not low enough and it impaled the head, but didn't make it through and it thrashed and made another run.  My second attempt went perfect, and I hauled him into my lap and clipped em on the stringer.  Since it was one of my only two rigs, I wanted that back, but it kept trying to bite me as I lowered my forceps in    Gave it the old EWB wood shampoo treatment until it stopped moving for a minute, and got my leader back, then bleed that guy out and dropped another one down.  Then, nothing....   but well BAIT!  Like like _every_ kind of bait     I'm catching smelt, anchovies, Jack and Pac Mac's, king fish, all just floating out there casting out my sabiki.  At some point, I think it was when I had 5 mackerel on my line I must have bumped my Lamiglas salmon rod over boar with the end of my bait rod.  It was resting on my trampoline, but that's usually where I rest them when they are rigged.  Well, oh well, paid my dues today and was rewarded with a 38" 21lb halibut for it!    I tried trolling to the red buoy, but every time I checked my line it was tangled up like crazy.  It's nutz how many times I had to sit there and untangle the _same_ bait fish over and over, and it never one got bit, or got free.  In the end, after 3 hours of trying to troll that thing, I released it  Trolling back in with squid I was catching _BIG_ MAC's  Took home a few to try smoking, and the rest for bait for RF or crabbing. 

Wow, what a day! That's a serious halibut, and tons of "bait" that's more than bait.

I had to laugh at the tangled mess of line--been there, done that...

Super dee duper stoked for you!  Fat flatty for sure!

Chicken Dinner!!!!!

Congratulations on that huge halibut! I think I am going mackerel hunting tomorrow.

Congrats Al!

That’s a massive halibut congrats !

good job Al!!!!  that sounds like LA's spot.  65-70 fow out from sailing buoy. Halibut will be deper in the coming weeks.

so hapy for you to feel the weight, and the triumph!  And the Panic/Adreno when the first gaff goes awry LOL.  Best therapy in the world my friend.

Bushy
'

Nice catch and great report.

Nice job Al.

Welcome back to the sport, my friend.  You have shown up and made it obvious lately that your enthusiasm and energy are there.

Well done.  You made this happen.  Boom! 

 

Dang what a beautiful fish and W2G

Great recovery from a bad start to the day!  Loved the write-up, blow by blow - good plotting!

Wtg Al!!  Thats a fatty butt!!