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Old 11-29-2011, 09:39 AM   #1
Dave Freeman
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Laguna knife in butt

Dove Laguna 12/28 last night.
Vis:10ft
Temp:58*
Swell:Very little swell but lots of surge.

Got off work and was not so eager to take my clothes off and suit up it was cold! Started off the night entering great visibility in the shallows. Some small bugs on the crawl. Was excited to hit my first cave and the surge started pushing in and pulling out. Within minutes I was in 5ft vis and it seemed pointless to work the shallows. I turned my light off and swam straight for the cave hoping the surge wasn't churning the bottom up too bad and I'd have a chance at some bugs.

Reached the cave entrace dove down and was immediatley slammed into a wall. So I was going to have a fight on my hands. Kicked my light on and was delighted to see that between the surge pushing at the back of the cave and my light blasting the bugs. That the bugs began running at me instead of away from me. Grabbed several from the cave. I wanted to work a decent three pounder out of the back when within seconds I was being rag dolled out of the cave and along the bottom shelf overhang.

After slamming my shoulder hard enough for me to think, "wow that sucked"
I cleared the shelf and hit the surface. Unsure if I would have rather been pinned in the cave and not beat up or tossed around like a small grain of sand. I decided it was time to work the outside because the surge was too strong even at fifteen to twenty feet. Being alone left the smallest thought of, "What if it had really crammed me deep into the cave? Well it would have been a challenge!"

Moved to the outside and started doing drops in twenty five to thirty feet. No structure around to get into trouble. Grabbed another bug making his way across the ocean floor. Vis opening up ten to fifteen feet on the bottom. Bagged the bug. Picked the direction I was going to dive on the horizon and made my way down. When I was certain I was near the bottom the bioluminescence no longer giving me enough to work with I kicked on my light. I was startled for a second when I realized I was practically on top of a five foot ray. Started scanning and ray after ray, bats and sting were layed up in the sand patches inbetween kelp strands. Moved my way into a thicker kelp bed with more rock structure at its base.

And to my surprise in a small sand patch. There it is! What I've been waiting for countless bug dive after bug dive. A halibut burried with enough of its silhouet visible that I know it's a decent butt. His fin sticking straight up just letting me know, "come on over here man, give me a ride home to your place". This is the part that I replayed over a couple times. Somehow, someway, my hand went straight to my dive knife on my belt. Of course that was my intention, but I normally have to fumble around my belt until my hand meets the knife and then extracting it is another ordeal. Not this time! Blade comes out smoothly and I turn my light to the left of the butt so I wouldn't spook it. Just casting a shadow on its face I pull my knife up aim for the spine behind the head and plunge my knife into it's flesh.

She fights for five minutes. I've now held me breathe for eight minutes. Wait no that's just the feeling going through my body the adrenaline of my first knifed halibut. I pin it to the bottom and as she fought I lost more and more knife into her. I'm losing handle and she is going to swim away with my knife through her. Fortunately I slam my left hand into her mouth and subdue her to the surface. She accepts my offering and clamps down. Big breathe and tons of stoke. Oh wait I don't want to loose this fish. I get my hands through the gills bleed her and she stops putting up a fight.

Fortunately my buddy gave me a big lobster bag and I was able to throw her in with my bugs. Decided despite the adrenaline and thoughts of other butts lying around the bottom I'd better call it a night. Couldn't stop smiling on the way in even after getting thrown over a boiler by the surge. Would have liked a limit but I'll take four bugs and a butt any night.
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Old 11-29-2011, 11:42 AM   #2
Pinoyfisher
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Great read!!!
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Old 11-29-2011, 12:10 PM   #3
Myrran
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Awesome! Great write up.
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Old 11-29-2011, 12:25 PM   #4
ezcompany
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

hell yeah, that was a awesome read and report. stoked for you
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Old 11-29-2011, 12:55 PM   #5
low_blow
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Nice work! Much better luck than I had in Laguna last night.

Last edited by low_blow; 12-01-2011 at 04:33 PM.
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Old 11-29-2011, 01:36 PM   #6
rhyne
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

love the energy in your write up! nice catch too
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Old 11-29-2011, 01:49 PM   #7
halibutmike
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Great... glad yu got a good hali..... you were lucky!

If you want to hunt halis this way . . please .... dont use a knife..... way too many good fish are lost because of attempting to spear with a knife.....

Lots of good posts here on hali-hammers.... they work!! and you wont lose a good fish.

congrats.

mike
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Old 11-29-2011, 01:50 PM   #8
Bob Ballew
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

at $20 a pound for halibut filets and lobster tails, you did ok....
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Old 11-30-2011, 12:12 PM   #9
spearsamohi
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Good job...nice work
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Old 11-30-2011, 01:59 PM   #10
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Quote:
Originally Posted by halibutmike View Post
Great... glad yu got a good hali..... you were lucky!

If you want to hunt halis this way . . please .... dont use a knife..... way too many good fish are lost because of attempting to spear with a knife.....

Lots of good posts here on hali-hammers.... they work!! and you wont lose a good fish.

congrats.

mike
True dat Mike. I once was lobster diving in Avalon bay and came across a 19 pound halibut sitting on a flat rock.
I had no gun so my buddy said "use your knife". So I did.
I had him at first and thought I made a clean kill shot, but when I tried to put my hand under him all hell broke loose and I lost the fish in a cloud of dust.
My partner who was holding the light also lost him, and said "is he gone?" when I asked where he went.
After 20 minutes of looking I found him in 20 feet of water his head grotesque from my first attack. But on my second strike I got him and swam to the boat with no lobsters but a 19 pound butt.
Moral of the story? Using a knife to get a decent sized butt is not that easy.
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Old 11-30-2011, 02:11 PM   #11
Jared44
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

He he, Buttstabbers.

Seriously, that's a great catch. Good job.
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Old 11-30-2011, 02:43 PM   #12
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Nice write-up!
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Old 11-30-2011, 02:48 PM   #13
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Greta job congrats.
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Old 11-30-2011, 02:49 PM   #14
Dave Freeman
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

Mike and Danny I couldn't agree with you guys enough. I was out lobster hunting and stumbled onto a nice halibut. I had been waiting to see a nice one again and in my post I made it sound as if I was hunting them down to knife one. I was just looking to see nice halibuts. I've actually dove with a polespear pretty consitently on my lobster dives just in case, but of course this dive was the dive I didn't have one with me.
The first thing I told my dive buddies was the fact that if the halibut had been any bigger than it actually was at ten pounds I would have been really worried about the fish fighting off. But it was successful and still is fun to have had the experience and fish in my stomach.
Once again I really appreciate the years and experience you bring to the table Mike. I'll definately be looking for someone that wants to sell their bent 9/32 or 7/64 shaft so I can make a hammer and have it on my belt during lobster dives.
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Old 11-30-2011, 03:09 PM   #15
Land&SeaKahuna
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Re: Laguna knife in butt

wow that sounds awesome
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