Halibut harpoon technique

All this talk about harpooning large beasts from small boats makes me think of this concept teaser for a sci-fi movie called "The Leviathan".

All this talk about harpooning large beasts from small boats makes me think of this concept teaser for a sci-fi movie called "The Leviathan".

Wouldn't have happened had he harpooned it and it was towing a buoy.  Yah tuf guys, let's see ya shark hook that beast...I'm using a harpoon...a LONG harpoon...

But whatever you use, don't miss!!!  At $20 per pound or more for fillets, for math challenged folks like me, I round it $10 per pound live weight...you better not miss!!!

Halibut Chimichangas!!!  YUMMY!!!!!!!!!

Just as a reference these are all halibut over 50 pounds that were rereased. No harpoons only used a small t - grip on the fish with Teresa. The rest were simply picked up by the jig head.

Thoes are some nice halibut and wide smiles

But we could only hope to be as much of a badass as you Bill.

SPROINGGGG!!!

Halibut Chimichangas!!!  YUMMY!!!!!!!!!

Dude!  Recipe!!!!

Just as a reference these are all halibut over 50 pounds that were rereased. No harpoons only used a small t - grip on the fish with Teresa. The rest were simply picked up by the jig head.

It's one thing to handle them for a quick picture.  It's a totally different thing to get them secured on the kayak.  Case in point is your lap dance fish.  If I recall, it slid up nicely for about a second, then started hip hopping before springing back into the water never to be seen again except on video.

-Allen

Just as a reference these are all halibut over 50 pounds that were rereased. No harpoons only used a small t - grip on the fish with Teresa. The rest were simply picked up by the jig head.

It's one thing to handle them for a quick picture.  It's a totally different thing to get them secured on the kayak.  Case in point is your lap dance fish.  If I recall, it slid up nicely for about a second, then started hip hopping before springing back into the water never to be seen again except on video.

-Allen

Yes .... but it illustrates the point that halibut won't go beserk just because you lift thier heads out of the water.
It isn't until you stick them with a gaff or harpoon that they go nuts. And of you can keep them from turning their head down there isn't much they can do other than flop at the side of the boat.

Just as a reference these are all halibut over 50 pounds that were rereased. No harpoons only used a small t - grip on the fish with Teresa. The rest were simply picked up by the jig head.

It's one thing to handle them for a quick picture.  It's a totally different thing to get them secured on the kayak.  Case in point is your lap dance fish.  If I recall, it slid up nicely for about a second, then started hip hopping before springing back into the water never to be seen again except on video.

-Allen

Yes .... but it illustrates the point that halibut won't go beserk just because you lift thier heads out of the water.
It isn't until you stick them with a gaff or harpoon that they go nuts. And of you can keep them from turning their head down there isn't much they can do other than flop at the side of the boat.

Bill, that doesn't illustrate that they always won't go berserk either.  From personal experience, maybe not always, but they can, and do, go berserk when you lift their head out.  Heck, even that fish you posted a picture of me posing for a picture, if I remember correctly, I got quite the rodeo from.

-Allen

A question for you harpoonists:  After you harpoon a halibut or other fish, and it is dead and on a stringer, or in your kayak, how do you get the slip-tip out of the fish?  Can you stuff it back through the hole by hand?  Do you stick the harpoon shaft back in the hole, put the slip-tip on the shaft, hold it there with the cable, and pull it back through the fish?  Or do you disconnect the slip-tip's cable from the rope to your buoy, pull the cable through the fish, and then clip the cable back onto the rope?

I would just disconnect the cable from the buoy and pull the line through - probably gonna stick with shark hook though.

Yup. I attach the steel cable to the rope using a Clevis and bolt.   

Unless you are in AK and can keep more than one fish I'd just leave the poon head in the fish.

Ha!  I was thinking you meant back on the beach.  Yeah, like Bill said, just leave the tip in.  (insert jokes here)