My First Halibut Fishing Trip

(This is fourth in a series of posts recapping my recent trip to Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska.)

To say my hubby is an avid fisherman would be an understatement.  This man loves nothing more than to be on a boat casting for the big one.  At home one can find him trolling the local rivers for salmon.  But one of his favorite things to do is fish for halibut in Alaska.

On the boat dock in Gustavus

When planning our trip to Glacier Bay and Gustavus Alaska, I purposely looked for places that offered halibut fishing charters.  Originally I was going to let the hubby fish for a couple of days by himself, but he talked me into coming along for one day.  His reasoning?  "We'll get double the amount of halibut if you're fishing too!"  (That's considering I actually catch one...)

Blue sky beginning to peek through the clouds

So the morning of our first full day in Gustavus had me nervously standing on the public boat dock eyeing the smaller than I expected boat that was going to take me and five other people out somewhere in the Icy Strait.  Not knowing how I'd react to the wave motion, I swallowed down a Dramamine tablet before boarding.  The forecast was for rain, but my boatmates and I were prepared - dressed head-to-toe with rubberized waterproof pants and coat, plus everyone sported the ubiquitous rubber rain boots that it seemed all Alaskans wore.

First fish!

Luck was on my side - the sea was calm as our captain motored down Icy Strait.  We saw lots of birds and sea otters floating in the water.  And it wasn't raining - yet!

Keeping an eye on the poles

After about an hour, the captain slowed the boat and announced we'd arrived at our first fishing spot.  He got right to work baiting six fishing poles, each with a chunk of fish and a herring.  Then he instructed each of us to drop our line to the very bottom and watch our pole tips like a hawk.  The boat we were on had built-in rod holder divots on each side so we didn't have to even hold our poles while we waited for a bite.

My first halibut was just over the size limit, so we had to throw it back

Besides hubby and myself, our other boatmates were a nice couple from Colorado that we instantly bonded with, and two young ladies who were cousins.  The girls had been gifted this Alaskan trip as a high school graduation present.  They were very friendly - the girls didn't mind chatting with us old folks at all!  Far from your stereotypical high schoolers, these young ladies were not only very mature for their ages but were also interested in everything to do with fishing.   I think one of them actually caught the boat's first halibut.

Waiting for a bite....

Not long after the first fish was landed, my pole tip suddenly arced downward.  The captain and my hubby excitedly told me to grab the pole and reel in the line.  The pole bent sharply and the captain remarked that it looked like a big one.  Suddenly filled with adrenaline, I took the fishing pole into my hands and cranked the reel for all I was worth.  It felt like I was hauling in an anvil.  It didn't take long for my arms to get tired (yes, I'm a wimp!)  But I didn't stop turning the handle.  I wanted that fish!

Finally, the halibut surfaced.  It looked big!  Our captain lifted it into the boat and I stood in amazement watching the fish flop all over the floor.  Halibut are funny looking fish.  They're flat, white on one side, and gray on the other.  And both eyes are on one side of their body. They may look weird but boy, are halibut delicious!

Hubby caught a nice halibut

The fishing regulations in this part of Alaska stated you could keep one halibut per person per day.  The fish had to be 40 inches or shorter, or longer than 80 inches.  Apparently whoever made the rules decided that the "medium sized" halibut needed to be protected in order to repopulate the species.  Well, when the captain measured my fish it was 41 1/2 inches long.  It was too big by an inch and half!  So....my very first halibut I've ever caught had to be thrown back......(whomp, whomp!)

Misty mountain scenery

Oh well, it was still early in the day.  Plenty of time to catch another.  So I sat patiently watching my pole for more signs of activity.  Hubby, who likes more action when he's fishing, elected to sit at the back of the boat and jig, hoping to attract the fish that way.

My hubby doing what he does best

Jigging must've worked because it wasn't long before my dear hubby was hauling his own halibut.  And measuring 38 inches in length, this one was just barely a keeper.  It also had the distinction of being the biggest fish (keeper, that is) caught on the boat that day.

Me doing what I don't do best!

As the morning wore on, I was happy to notice not only did the skies clear a bit, no rain had fallen yet today.  The weather was actually nice - a tiny bit chilly, but very pleasant.  We began to see humpback whales spouting off in the distance.  The clouds of their white exhaling mists looked like little smoke columns.  You could hear their discharges - loud wooshes - throughout the strait.  It was really a cool thing to see and hear.  (Little did I know that the following day on my whale watching tour I'd see some of these great beasts even more up close and personal!)

These two young ladies on our charter were a lot of fun

Close to noon, one of the young ladies on our boat hooked into a cod.  After reeling it in, she wasn't shy about holding her catch.  Her cousin snapped several shots on both girl's cell phones.

One of the young ladies wanted to try and club the fish

When a fish was pulled into the boat and the decision made to keep it, our captain always hit it over the head with a club.  This killed the fish so it wouldn't flop all over and potentially hurt someone (a bigger fish might do this.)  One of the young ladies (the one that had caught the cod) asked the captain if she could club her fish.  Although surprised that a girl would be interested in doing this, our captain handed her the bat and told the young lady where to smack it.  She did great!

Whale sighting close to the boat

Lunchtime came, and the fishing slowed down.  By now we'd caught four of the six halibut needed to fulfill the boat's limit.  The captain decided to pull anchor and try another area.  As he motored to the second fishing spot, we passed by a couple of humpback whales, and the captain was nice enough to pull the boat closer so I could get a photo.

Finally a keeper!

By this time our weather luck ran out.  Raindrops started to splatter onto the deck.  The young ladies sought shelter inside the boat, but the men stayed outside.  The other woman and I huddled in the lee of the boat's cabin which provided a good shelter from the wind and some of the rain.  Dressed in waterproof clothing, I never got wet, so it wasn't too bad standing outside.

Towards afternoon the sky clouded over and it started to rain

After anchoring at our second fishing hole, the captain rebaited everyone's hooks and we dropped our lines back into the water.  It wasn't long before my pole started moving.  Grabbing it and reeling with all my might, my second halibut was to the surface before I knew it.  It was a small one, about 20 inches in length.  The captain asked if I wanted to throw it back.  Consulting with my hubby, he noticed that this halibut's mouth was badly gashed from the hook.  Assuming it would probably die if we returned the fish to the sea, hubby decided to keep it.  It might be small, but at least now I'd caught a keeper!

Our boat caught it's limit of halibut

One more halibut to go and the boat would have it's limit!  Who would catch the last fish?  Surprisingly it was one of the young ladies.  Since it was still mid-afternoon and the boat wasn't due back until 5, the captain asked if we wanted to try and fish for herring to use as bait for the next day's charter trip.  Everyone agreed, so the captain took us to a very picturesque cove where the herring were supposed to be.  While my boat-mates jigged for herring, I was busy taking photos.  We spotted two bald eagles in a nearby tree on the shore, and I was able to zoom in just enough to capture one of them through the rain. 

One of the young ladies even wanted to try and fillet a fish

While everyone else was fishing, our captain lined up our catch on the boat's deck.  Turning the boat so the back faced towards the forested shoreline, he then had us pose for group photos.  That man knew exactly where to get the best backdrop!  I'm sure he'd done this many, many times before.

Bald eagle sighting

Photos done, the captain then began the task of filleting all our fish, so the meat would be ready for processing when we returned to the dock.  One of the young ladies asked if she could try and fillet a fish.  Again, the captain was surprised, but he was willing to show the girl how.  And, props to that young lady she did a pretty good job.  Neither one of these women were squeamish about anything we did that day.  They were both genuinely interested in participating in every aspect of halibut fishing, even baiting their own hooks.  I know I shouldn't stereotype, but it wasn't what I expected from these two young girls!  But they were mature beyond their years, friendly, and full of positive energy.  So refreshing to be around young people with such good attitudes.  Everyone on the boat enjoyed their company.

Our boat with their catch

So I survived my very first halibut fishing trip in Alaska.  It really wasn't as bad as I feared.  I even had fun reeling in the fish - really gets your adrenaline going!  And technically I caught the largest fish on the boat, even though it wasn't a keeper.  Would I do it again?  Probably.  

One thing for sure, I'm going to really enjoy eating those halibut fillets we brought home!