Halibut Fishing -- Bob Shares His Day On a Charter Boat Out of Homer, AK

Halibut fishing ... Thump, thump, thump. You feel their tail pushing them. You feel the sheer power of the big flat fish, running. Bob's describing his day on a charter boat trip.



When a fish is on line, you fight it in, in a give and take system. You reel and the fish runs … and so it goes until you tire it out and get it to the boat. When beside the boat, the captain shoots it at pointblank, through the brain. Dead, it won't tear up the boat or injure people with its thrashing.

You can then land the fish with a gaff. The gaff is a tool with a six foot long handle. It has a hook on the end. It's used to grab the fish to hoist it aboard. These fish can be huge, 100 to 200 pounds, or larger.

Bob and five other fishermen left shore at 7:00 a.m. for a day of charter fishing with Captain John Earls in Cook Inlet, out of Homer, Alaska. Captain John supplied the boat and tackle -- and the expertise. Bob needed to take rain gear, his lunch and snacks, an Alaska fishing license, and a derby ticket. (Though it turns out this last item wasn’t really necessary as his catch was great for eating, but not trophy size.)

They fished from about 60 feet to 300 feet deep. Tackle consisted of a large hook, baited with herring or octopus, and a two-pound weight on a two-foot leader.

Halibut fishing is usually a full-day affair, but you can find half-day charters. Most commercial charters leave early in the morning. On this trip, they were back in shore about 5:00 p.m. Then, there's cleaning and packaging the fish.

Everyone on the halibut charter limited out, each catching two fish. One halibut was over 200 pounds, one about 100 pounds. Several were in the 30 – 60 pound range. Dressed fish is about half of the fish's live weight. Bob came home with nearly 50 pounds of boneless, skinless, sweet white halibut fillets for our freezer.

Many people travel to Alaska, just for the world-class fishing. We're fortunate to live here, where halibut fishing does not need to be a once in a lifetime trip.

Halibut fishing isn't the cheapest sport. Cost for full day charters run $200 - $250, plus tip and tax. An out of state fishing license is $20.00 for a one day license. The derby ticket, not required, of course, but available at the charter office for anyone who thinks he might catch a trophy and wants a chance to reap the prize money, is currently $10.00.

[Editor's note: Prices change. The cost of the fishing license, the halibut charter, and the derby ticket will likely change.]



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