MONSTER California Halibut!

42.8lb Halibut Caught Bounce Balling with Spider Dredge!

I had Ashlee Fuller and Timothy Pickett of LINDGREN-PITMAN, INC. out for a quick trip just before their flight residence to Florida tonight. They had been out here for the Fred Hall Del Mar Display. If you created it to the show then you already know they manufacture the top of the line full longline fishing methods. Their strategies combined with their line of items have revolutionized the catching of deep h2o daytime swordfish on the east coast. They are equally Captains and operate Sword Charters. These guys are the ones to go see for a shot at a Swordie. Its quite cool things if you haven’t seen how they do it.

We got our baits in the drinking water around 0830, the problems had been wonderful but chilly. The wind was on it early, probably just ample to blow out the surf but made for the ideal drifts. We had our 1st of only two fish by one thousand, and Tim lands his first California Halibut, a good grade 25&quot hen. It was genuinely sluggish for us the up coming six hours but we had adequate fishing stories in between the three of us to pass the time and the day went by genuinely speedy.

I was clearing one of the rods from some kelp when 1 of the other rods gets completely CRUSHED. Ashlee was on it so rapid I wasn’t confident if she had the rod in her hand when the bait received picked up. I saw the rod load up out of the corner of my eye, it was in the rod holder, but up and out in a blink. She was across to the port facet and operating this fish and its peeling line massive time!!!

Tim and I cleared the other rods and had the gaff at the ready in much less than a minute and Ashlee has this fish turned and is definitely kicking its ***!!! I’m contemplating maybe this isn’t a bat ray or minimum maybe not a large 1. It is no far more than three minutes, and she has it about 25′ from the boat, but it really is as well deep to see.

This fish stayed appropriate at mid-beam, by no means produced a run for the props or the bow and this wasn’t Ashlees’ 1st rodeo pulling on large fish. We are all standing at the rail aspect by facet, me on 1 facet, Tim on the other and from about 15′ away we see what it is. About 10 things go through your head in two seconds. Your heart commences racing, your stamina for sticking with the slow day and cold wind (cold for Floridian blood) has just paid off, you squeeze the gaff any tighter and you break your hand. All I could say was, &quotTim could you make sure you grab yet another gaff just in scenario.&quot We had a heart stopper minute, when this fish determined it didn’t like viewing a boat and did its finest to spit the hook.

She arrived up out of the water about a foot and went batshit for about five extended seconds, then sunk out for one more run to the bottom. Ashlee set the hammer down, turned this fish and Tim assisted leader it into perfect gaff assortment. I went for the stick, but the angle wasn’t very good and I am gonna get one particular shot at a trophy, quite green fish, &quotdont F this up&quot. It turned for a actually quick 15′ operate, circled back in the direction of us, straightened out, Tim yet again served leader it at any time so softly into the kill zone and I buried the gaff in the shoulder. This fish is in the boat!!!!!!!!

We all just stood there with our mouths open, silence, no person could feel what we have been seeing. This was Ashlees’ very first halibut actually!!! It was so awesome, such a rush the when a fish like that comes more than the rail and slams the deck. It is just as great as it will get. It was such a stunning fish, not a mark on her. The largest fish on the boat so far was 34lbs and this fish looked alot larger, alot even bigger!!!

She was 47&quot lengthy and weighed 42.8 lbs!!! This fish took all of us, working together to get in the boat. It was a genuine team hard work, West coast East coast. I could see Tims swordfish expertise arrive into the combine when he leadered the fish to the rail. Ashlee just fought it like most folks battle a 20lbs course butt. We all manufactured it transpire together

The rig was a Calstar 870M, an AVET HX Narrow with spectra and top shot of 40lb flouro. It really is not specifically a finesse rig but it got the career performed.

They had a flight to catch, so we got back to the dock and slabbed out some fillets to be eaten in Florida tomorrow night time.

Thank you to Tim and Ashlee for a wonderful day on the h2o and the finest butt on the boat. I feel this one particular is gonna be hard to beat.Attachment 191135Attachment 191136Attachment 191137