Am I gonna die? Deadliest catch waters for massive halibut...off an Hobie i9s

  Hey Rudy,
 I can carve you a halibut tail out of western red cedar if you'd like. Just let me know how big you want it.......

  Hey Rudy,
 I can carve you a halibut tail out of western red cedar if you'd like. Just let me know how big you want it.......

If I can get a good measurement, then that really is an option.  I really don't want to deal with dead fish.  A photo with a reference object and then a carving like a fiberglass mount would be sufficient for me.  I just may ask!!!!

Gotta catch one first.  Should be something in the area.  In the past, just shore fishing off the jetty, I caught some of the biggest greenling and black rockfish I have ever caught. 

Rudy, I caught a big halibut on my i12 up in Alaska last year. With it next to the twelve foot kayak, it was almost half the length. Unfortunatley, we had no harpoon, gaff, flying gaff, sledge hammer, gun (it was back at the lodge ), etc...  All we had was Wobbler's 5 inch bait knife, and he too was on an i12. We were in an area where we did not expect a big one and it was just a "quick trip" for5 rockfish.  I got it up to the boat and it was tired. I tried to lift its head so Wobbler could cut its gills.  That just pissed it off. We also thought that maybe slashing with a knife at a pissed off halibut while on inflatables was a poorly thought out concept. Somehow my braid got cut on my pedals near the reel and I saw the line slipping through the guides so I grabbed the leader with my hand.  It was way to big to lift out of the water and put on the boat alive and I am mostly not stoopid. I probably held it for a few minutes when we decided to try to tow it too shore. A most likely futile task since the closest beach was hundreds of yards away.  As we started towing it, it decided to start shaking its head and cut the leader and disappeared never to be seen by us again. My chance at glory was gone, but it will be a memory I will never forget. Conclusion: The i12 is more than capable, but the wind blows it around.

Oh, and for what it is worth, the next day we made a crude halibut killing device out of  one of the big floats on the dock (last picture in previous post) a broken claw hammer, and a spear gun spear we found. We didn't lose another big halibut again. Of course we didn't hook up with any either.

I'm jealous right now,  if you plan on cutting the fish loose for release,  i recommend the Spyderco salt series knives. I use them as a safety knife all the time,  rounded point to avoid puncturing wetsuits, dry suits, or in this case inflatables. They are a little pricey,  but in my opinion worth every penny.

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Rudy, I caught a big halibut on my i12 up in Alaska last year. With it next to the twelve foot kayak, it was almost half the length. Unfortunatley, we had no harpoon, gaff, flying gaff, sledge hammer, gun (it was back at the lodge ), etc...  All we had was Wobbler's 5 inch bait knife, and he too was on an i12. We were in an area where we did not expect a big one and it was just a "quick trip" for5 rockfish.  I got it up to the boat and it was tired. I tried to lift its head so Wobbler could cut its gills.  That just pissed it off. We also thought that maybe slashing with a knife at a pissed off halibut while on inflatables was a poorly thought out concept. Somehow my braid got cut on my pedals near the reel and I saw the line slipping through the guides so I grabbed the leader with my hand.  It was way to big to lift out of the water and put on the boat alive and I am mostly not stoopid. I probably held it for a few minutes when we decided to try to tow it too shore. A most likely futile task since the closest beach was hundreds of yards away.  As we started towing it, it decided to start shaking its head and cut the leader and disappeared never to be seen by us again. My chance at glory was gone, but it will be a memory I will never forget. Conclusion: The i12 is more than capable, but the wind blows it around.

Awesome Craig!  The wind will be a factor.  But at least with wind, I can decide whether to go or not.  I often lose my conservative judgement with a big fish on the line. 

Have fun and be safe, Rudy!  You knew you were doing this before you even started this thread.

lol.  yes and no.  I am ultra lazy. I didn't pack a lot of stuff.  I've been out in inflatables in wind. no fun.  sharp pointy things also scare me as do big mean halibut with embedded hooks.  I have to admit, I'm a tad concerned. I'd feel a LOT better on my outback or with a partner for sure. This is,my 4th or 5th trip our. I've only shore fished it so far. Lol. . 

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Good luck and have fun.

You'll be fiiiine your kardinal_84 after all the legendary Rudy. 

lol...aren't legends typically dead people?  haha.

very little Internet.   but tried casting from shore late last night and managed a few fat black rockfish. Definitely fishy. virtually every cast if I didn't break off gear on the bottom.





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ok. got out but the wind picked up. regular rudder on an inflatable equals minimal control. also a lot of spray. some really nice rockfish bur I'm told the halibut are still deep.  commercial fisherman said his best sets were at 240 fathoms or 1,440 feet.  Lol.

still it was interesting. weather getting worse though.

 



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I should add that I'm fishing in 100ft of water in these pics. Lol.

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Those rockfish  looked a good size! Loved the days in WA catching 10 19"+ rockfish in an hour or two! Have yet to find that in AK.

    Those are diffenetly some fat rocks. What are they eating ?
    And that water doesn't look too bad near the rocks..... how far and deep are you getting before you get blown off/ uncomfortable ?  I / we are guessing you are gonna push it just a little ?
    Want you to be safe . But I/we just have that feeling .... the unstoppable Rudy
    Take care buddy. Hope you can make it happen.....

  edit ( a couple of reads later) you have a tournament to win.