Pandemonium Strikes

It's a beautiful am in Homer Alaska! I was just out walking the dogs, and the sun is shining off the fog and moisture in the air up the hill. The bay is all socked in this am, but I'm sure it will burn off later.

So I've got a crazy story for you. Yesterday, Maria and I went to our halibut fishing spot again. High tide was 5:50, and we arrived at 4:45.  By 6:00 pm, we were leaving with our limit of nice halibut, but some crazy stuff happened in-between.  First, I caught a nice 20 pound halibut in 156 feet of water. Then Maria got a bite - the school of fish below was homing in on the scent of our bait!  Soon, she pulled up a nice 15 pounder.  Then, I got another bite, and this one felt bigger yet.  On my musky rig, the halibut put up a good fight, and this one was pulling drag big time.  I need to get a gaff (around here - you gaff fish, you don't net them), but I don't have one yet - so I was trying to hold my pole in one hand (attached to a struggling 30 pound halibut) while trying to net the fish with my other.  Unfortunately, the hook got stuck on the OUTSIDE of the net - so it became impossible to net the fish. The fish was going nuts, and I was afraid I was going to loose this one (lots of meat on this fish), so I leaned over the side of the boat and grabbed the fish by the lower jaw - like we would a bass at home.  Problem is, halibut have a good set of teeth, and this one bit down on me and started shaking. I was hollering "ouch" and Maria set her pole down to come help me.  I hoisted the halibut into the boat by hand, and just got the net removed from the hook when I heard this dreadful noise that I immediately recognized as Maria's pole being catapulted over the side of the boat (another fish on)! Mind you, this is a $700 dollar musky outfit - my most expensive rod and reel I own.  But I'm also a fishing guide, and this has happened before.  I quickly took the net and jammed it down into the depths just in time to hook the power handle of the reel onto the netting - just before it disappeared out of sight.  The reel was saved!  And the halibut too!  Maria pulled up another 20 pounder, and we were limited out.  Then it was get the fish beat down, bled out, and put in storage for the trip home. And get Tim's bleeding under control :-(((

Below, I display the two biggest halibut.

Maria puts the finishing touches on about 30 pounds of fresh halibut fillets. When we got home, Maria made fish taco's, which really hit the spot!  At this point, I must have 75-100 pounds of fillets frozen, and the salmon haven't even moved in yet. I'm sure there will be much more fish to be had in July. My plan is to sell the camper, and buy a medium sized freezer that I will fill with halibut and salmon.  I'll keep things frozen with my generator - which I brought up with me. Get ready for some good eating when I get home, because at this rate, there should be lots to share.