Personal best
 

The surf was high and predicted to be 3 feet, I'm standing on the beach listening to the sounds of crashing waves and looking into a white foamed beach from the violent crashing waves. My adrenaline is pumping and I can fill my body tremble as I wait and look at the sets , The sky is gray with a cool morning breeze.
My Rods and reels are all stowed inside the kayak as i prepare to launch.
My Pfd is fastened and my handheld vhf is attached.
I see a window of opportunity and go for it . I pass the foam filled water only to meet face to face with a a black wall of water barreling down on me , I paddle harder to try to make it over the set but the strength of the wave pushes me backward ,and tosses me off the kayak into the water, My kayak is washed up on to the beach . I pick myself up and grab the kayak and see another chance and this time I am over and through the waves .

Off the distance about 3/4 of a mile I see a few private boaters with their lights on and head into that direction to meet up with some of my buddies that launched their kayaks about a half hour before I did .

When I arrived on the grounds , My plan was to target white sea bass , I had a dropper loop rigged up on my 40 lb outfit and a glow and white jigg set up on another rod . I didn't need any bait since I had fresh frozen . I pinned on 2 squids on the dropper loop and sent it down in a 100 ft of water , and also sent the glow and white down with a couple of squid pinned on . With in 2 minutes, my dropper loop set up is bit , I grab the rod from the rod holder and set the hook . The first run had me thinking it was the right kind , and then I soon realized it was something else when it stopped running , I felt head shakes and heavy weight as i began to turn the handle .
I got this fish up to the surface and couldn't believe my eyes when i seen a big brown carpet come up from underneath the kayak .I laid the fish out nice and perfectly on to the right side of the kayak and gaffed her right in the belly , I secured the fish with my game clip .

For the next few minutes this fish tried to kill me http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/ima...ilies/rofl.gif, I bleed the fish by popping a few gills and started beating it in the head with my bamboo gaff.
She went 45" and 41.7 lbs

Landing the kayak was the fun part , I stowed all gear and fish down below.
The sets were long and nasty , but the breaks in between were very doable, Of course I took on the biggest and badest wave , I seen a overhead set coming right at me and bailed the kayak .. The 75yd swim back in wasn't bad at allhttp://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/ima...ilies/rofl.gif
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegallery/data/2/0164.JPG

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegallery/data/2/0164.JPG

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegallery/data/2/0132.JPG

Nice report, good read and WTG on the PB but. What are those in the back of the yak?

What a pig halibut. Nice job John, that kind of fish makes a swim all worth it.
:cheers1:

Barracuda , Caught and released about 14 of them , mostly all log size.I kept 3 for a buddies smoker .

About time you caught a fish! Well earned on so many levels! :luxhello:

I don't recognize that stretch of ocean though :D

Thats a lot of slime for a yak trip. Nice fish man

Sucks you got tossed but it was well worth it! Good looking butt:D

Nice Fish!! :cheers1:

what a fish, way to go out there... thanks for sharing...:jig:

Nice thinking with the Fresh dead squid.

I'm going to try that next for sure.

Way to go John. :cheers1:


That fish caused a riot on the beach:

Little children screaming

Mothers holding their children back from the "beast"

Surfers quitting surfing to pick up fishing

Hot chicks stripping to their bikinis throwing themselves at john;)



Did you flip or something? Out of the whole group there is always that one guy that decides to flip.:rolleyes:





Yo da man!

Great Job on that pig man.


:luxhello:

Holy crap that thing looks wide!:luxhello:

Awesome butt, Jon. And good story.

Sweet Slab man, what a fish!!!!!!:luxhello:

WTG! John :you_rock:

Nice Hali :D

Hice work on the butt, chaser!

Where/how did you store that beast in your OK?

I put her in the front hatch, and used the rod pod to store all my other gear , I had 3 Rod and reels ,Plano tackle trays , Dry box , Dry bag, Gaff , Fish finder ,Scotty rod holder and all my rod leashes . The Ok has plenty of storage.

Wow John!!!

That's the reward you get when you work hard at something.

Nice job.

damn rename thread: Grab some pop corn.
Great Job glad your safe from 75 yard swim back.
Can't wait for your next report.

Hell yeah Jon! Makes those last few skunks in LJ worth it :you_rock:

Fat Fat Fat! Congrats John :cheers1:

Big time congrats John. Beautiful fish! :cheers1:

Congrats on your personal best, John.
 

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Catching Halibut is right up there with watching grass grow---until you hook one that size. :D
.
.
.
Big Halibut in that class = dangerous as all hell! Only second in line to a Mako Shark. A White Shark sliding comfortably in third, of course.

Great story, even greater halibut, congratulations. I'd take a beating like that at launch, if that's the reward. Was this in the Long Beach area, or down here at LJ?
Thanks.
Aaron

man that's a nice fish!

Awesome Man! Awesome!!

VERY nice fish... :luxhello:

Congrats again John. That was the thickest Halibut I have ever seen. It looked like a Badger laying down for a nap. "This thing is so big, I am affraid" classic :D. My PB was trying to flop out of my front hatch a good 20 minutes after I put her there (after 30 minutes of bleeding in the water):eek::eek:.

Great catch and thanks for bringing some respect to that landing style!

Wow way to go John that thing is a pig!:you_rock:

Congrats on a real beauty of a butt John!!! You really had to work for this one. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Congrats again on your monster flatty.:luxhello:

It was fun watching you put that halibut in the front hatch....haha. She was massive!!!

There's something special about watching someone catch a 41lb halibut. There's also something special about swimming with someone 75 yards to shore with a paddle in the hand.

Nice fish big John,,,good to see at the launch the other day..

John is the shit!!!!

He shall be known now as john "hugebuttcatcher"

Way to go on that hali, some good fillets for the BBQ. Still haven't got the nerve to hit the open ocean, just the bay for me now.

Fish-on-bro, out....

You were not kidding when you said carpet! That is one big hali. Congrats!:you_rock:

Thats AWESOME!!! :luxhello:

WOW..! very nice bro...:)

A Different angle
 

Johns halibut was friggin huge!!! Biggest local one I've ever seen! He definitely put in the time and effort to catch this thing though...! He was saving it up and boy did it pay!!!! Congrats bruddah!!!

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u...p/f66a24e3.jpg