Halibut harpoon technique

That photo is just insane if not dangerous though obviously he has support and friends near by.  Halibut could easily kick you off that kayak.  The hook could easily get caught.  You could easily be dead. 

Not criticizing the photo.  But he's got way more kahunas that I ever will.  I am genuinely scared pulling a ten pound halibut into the kayak with protruding 5/0 hooks as it thrashes between my legs.  I'm not bringing anything remotely live on board  like that.  For folks who never caught a halibut before, I recommend being a wimp like me first before you try to snap a pic like that.

It could be a dead halibut - one of the minority which he whacks and takes home and eats.  But Rudy makes a good point about the dangers of pulling live fish onto your lap.  When lake trout fishing, I bonk them when they're in my net.  I don't want a large irritated lake trout thrashing around on my lap with a big lure with a couple of treble hooks swinging from its lip.  A large irritated halibut would be several orders of magnitude more dangerous.  Thus, my interest in harpoons and other methods of subduing big fish.

Fish is all the way out of the water.  It can't move that much.

Fish is all the way out of the water.  It can't move that much.

Yah it can, lol.  I've seen a 50 pounder toss  10 or more pound tackle box about 50 ft over the railing.  lack of water only means it transfers the energy directly to you instead of propelling its mass forward. More so when the energy transfer point is a quarter inch steel spike with a retaining barb buried into ya.  lol.

Yah yah...I'm a wimp.  But a living one...so far!!! haha. 

What was the point of those videos?  First one, fish is still half way in the water, second, fish never gets gaffed, what's it got to do with what I said?

Yah it can, lol.  I've seen a 50 pounder toss  10 or more pound tackle box about 50 ft over the railing.  lack of water only means it transfers the energy directly to you instead of propelling its mass forward. More so when the energy transfer point is a quarter inch steel spike with a retaining barb buried into ya.  lol.

Yah yah...I'm a wimp.  But a living one...so far!!! haha. 

I throw around 90 pounds with one arm on a regular basis, like it ain't no thang  ;-)    Hell, Bill likes get all up close and personal with fish that size in his crotch, and he's still around to talk about it.

What was the point of those videos?  First one, fish is still half way in the water, second, fish never gets gaffed, what's it got to do with what I said?

Its half way in the water because the fish freaked when the hook went in and he could not / did not want it coming on board yet, where exactly do you think the fish in the Norwegians photo started out? Probably in the water. The second video is just an example of harpooning, stuck fish will run back down, handle gaffed fish or shark hooked fish can make quite a ruckus at the top of the water.

Yah it can, lol.  I've seen a 50 pounder toss  10 or more pound tackle box about 50 ft over the railing.  lack of water only means it transfers the energy directly to you instead of propelling its mass forward. More so when the energy transfer point is a quarter inch steel spike with a retaining barb buried into ya.  lol.

Yah yah...I'm a wimp.  But a living one...so far!!! haha. 

I throw around 90 pounds with one arm on a regular basis, like it ain't no thang  ;-)    Hell, Bill likes get all up close and personal with fish that size in his crotch, and he's still around to talk about it.

90 lbs of live weight, add in a couple hooks and 24 ounces of lead flying around really change the scenario.

I have only been around this forum less than a year but this is the best thread ever. About 30 years ago in PWS I know a guy that had his ankle  broke by a halibut. He was a small time commercial fisherman and got whacked and knocked back and caught his ankle just right and crack. Capt'n Jack, I believe he has passed now he was a fixture in the Sound for years. 

What was the point of those videos?  First one, fish is still half way in the water, second, fish never gets gaffed, what's it got to do with what I said?

Yah it can, lol.  I've seen a 50 pounder toss  10 or more pound tackle box about 50 ft over the railing.  lack of water only means it transfers the energy directly to you instead of propelling its mass forward. More so when the energy transfer point is a quarter inch steel spike with a retaining barb buried into ya.  lol.

Yah yah...I'm a wimp.  But a living one...so far!!! haha. 

I throw around 90 pounds with one arm on a regular basis, like it ain't no thang  ;-)    Hell, Bill likes get all up close and personal with fish that size in his crotch, and he's still around to talk about it.

Hey some people use a gun.  Lee uses the patented "Fist of Fury."  Bill is just a frickin maniac.  And he even got married recently so apparently the halibut between the legs routine he avoided serious injury. 

I've just been thumped by smaller halibut while holding a gaff or trying to club it.  Those things are just freaky strong!!!!

I throw around 90 pounds with one arm on a regular basis, like it ain't no thang  ;-)   

Bro, do you even lift?

Hey Hey, that was Nate with the Fist of Fury!

Rdrash, since you have obviously caught a lot of halibut, and use both a shark hook (flying gaff) and a harpoon, which do you prefer, and in which situations do you prefer it?  At what size of fish do you quit using a stick gaff or a net and start using a shark hook or a harpoon?

Rdrash, since you have obviously caught a lot of halibut, and use both a shark hook (flying gaff) and a harpoon, which do you prefer, and in which situations do you prefer it?  At what size of fish do you quit using a stick gaff or a net and start using a shark hook or a harpoon?

Many many charters use the hook method for fish in the 50-100 pound range. It does work, its just not my thing.

Growing up we fished out of a boston whaler, I have seen fish in that range spider crack gel coat or flop enough to send a sinker into fiberglass and make a soft spot that weakens the boat and looks pretty ugly.  We now fish out of an aluminum boat and while its not as big of an issue with flopping fish damaging the boat, sinkers still cause dents and pose a risk to those bending at the waist to unhook the fish. I have seen first hand my coworker trying to gaff an 80# butt with a T handle gaff because we left the harpoon in Seward when that fish rolled so did Aaron it happened so fast he didn't even really think about dropping the gaff.  With a poon we stick most fish 50 and over and let the buoy do the work, as stated there is usually a couple kids under ten on the boat and sometimes my Chessie and he spends all day trying to get in the water as it is. That's my power boat perspective.

In a kayak thinking about how I rig for butts if I wanted to use the hook method I would need to reel down and lift the fish to the shark hook while moving the rod away from the fish in order to bring the head of the fish close to hand.    This would put the weight right at head level, it also brings the fish close to the surface where they usually freak, with the harpoon you can leave the fish two feet under water and let them go horizontal before sticking them.  After you have the fish on the buoy you can open your drag and put the rod in the holder.   

In a kayak I would probably want to stick fish over 40-50 pounds rather than net or gaff

BTW my grammar and punctuation can be atrocious due to a small Iphone screen while land locked in east Africa I apologize.

BTW my grammar and punctuation can be atrocious due to a small Iphone screen while land locked in east Africa I apologize.

NWKA....double digit pages worth of harpooning a butt with discussions from Alaska down the coast to....east Africa!  Gotta love it!  We will leave a few fish in the water for Ya!!!!!!!

This thread is EPIC!
It might be that I haven't messed with many halibut in a power boat or I just figure everything is ok ... till its not.
I don't see halibut under 100 pounds to be all that scary of a catch.
My biggest advice is not to bring a green fish into the boat, but I've done that too and had some good laughs about it.
Have fun guys and be safe.

Yeah, awesome thread!  I've never even hooked one, but really enjoyed this whole thread.  Got my shark hook ready...