I’m at work one afternoon when the cell rings and Todd, one of my fishing buddies says “you wanna get outta here and go Halibut fishing”? “Of course”… knowing a day of fishing is always better than a day at work! I raced home, packed my bags so Todd and I could rush to Eugene where his Uncle and family were preparing the boat for another “salty” day on ol’ blue!
We arrived in Newport late in the afternoon for a quick visit to the waterfront for discovery of how the ocean conditions had been treating everybody. Todd’s Uncle had been taking his 26 ft. Bayliner out all season so I was looking forward to the smooth ride to Halibut grounds the next morning.
We launched early and headed over the bar around 6:45 am come to find the ocean was calm with the fish finder marking lots of fish around 225 ft. We dropped our gear while starting a drift over an area where the guys pick up Halibut regularly. A few minutes go by and sure enough….. my rod is starting to dance with a strong bite. I set the hook…. “fish on” when I realized the weight of the fish felt like hauling up a barn door. After a twenty minute fight combined with some severe arm pump I had a nice 60 plus lb. Pacific Halibut.
First Halibut In The Box
Soon after the heavy Butt was in the boat we got into another “hot bite” where others began to set the hook and shout the famous words… “fish on”! Lots of action and more arm pump as it appeared we found a great area to conduct our drift using “hoochies & bait”.
Better than Working....
After catching lots of fresh Halibut and enjoying a beautiful day on big blue, we decided to pack it up and head for the cleaning station. Just as we started to reel up I noticed the “OSP” (Oregon State Police)approaching looking as if we were about to be boarded. The officers pulled along side and asked to see our tags and fish. We spent about a half hour checking tags and looking the fish over. We asked the troopers how they knew we were there come to find they have radar that allows them to see all the boats out there. The officers explained that they were looking for people “high grading”. This is where people catch Halibut, then keep them in the hold till they catch another one without tagging the fish so they can throw the smaller fish back. Once they observed our fish, they stated it looked like we had done well compared to other boats out.
We arrived back at the dock after about a thirty minute boat ride clipping along at 25 knots. Part of the gang pulled the boat out for fresh water cleaning while the rest of us went to work filleting fish. Great day with great folks enjoying the outdoors reminded us of why we love to get out on ol’ blue for some salt water action!
Thanks again Todd for the invite and great fellowship with a wonderful family!covery of how the ocean conditions had been treating everybody. Todd’s Uncle had been taking his 26 ft. Bayliner out all season so I was looking forward to the smooth ride to Halibut grounds the next morning.
Thanks again Todd for the invite and great fellowship with a wonderful family!