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Old 02-24-2009, 01:35 AM   #1
campione
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PB hali

North laguna, last weekend: As I glide towards the bottom, a large halibut bolts next to a rock, and kicks sand in my face! I took a hail Mary shot. It was a bad shot holding onto 1 inch of skin and fin... My float line goes screaming by me. I played the line gingerly and swam in her direction as quickly as I could. Then the line goes slack.... Probably tore.... I feel deflated....
I collect the line and at some point there is something at the end! Then I see her, she's swimming towards me! I follow her and I can see she's getting tired. She goes under a ledge and settles in a sand bowl. I can see the barb is barely holding on. This is my chance to go down and pin her down before she takes off again. I have no second gun, so I pull my knife and dive down. I stab her in the midsection and try to pin her down. This usually works for, say, a 15 lb halibut, but not for a 4-foot barn-door. The fish goes berserk and managed to break loose! I lost her...I feel depressed... I almost had this huge hali but I lost it and it's going to die needlessly...
I reload and try to guess where she would go. Probably not too far. Sure enough, in a couple of minutes I find her again under another rock ledge. I shot her in the midsection, and grabbed the spear on both sides so she cannot go anywhere. Another epic battle ensues! But now I got my hand under the gillplate. She's mine!!
Within 5 minutes I went: adrenaline rush--despair--adrenaline--despair--elation.
She registered 35 lb on my Berkley and 37 lb on my certified ICS. My personal best halibut to date.
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Old 02-24-2009, 01:36 AM   #2
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Re: PB hali

Nice, freakin door mat!
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Old 02-24-2009, 01:43 AM   #3
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Re: PB hali

Nice fish Stathis! Right in my backyard too-congrats.
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Old 02-24-2009, 01:43 AM   #4
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Re: PB hali

ummmmmmmm DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats man!!!!!
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Old 02-24-2009, 01:44 AM   #5
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Re: PB hali

Jeezus Stathis, that thing is a monster!! Nice job my friend!!
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Old 02-24-2009, 01:54 AM   #6
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Re: PB hali

Hell of a fish Stathis. Congrats
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Old 02-24-2009, 02:07 AM   #7
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Re: PB hali

Wow thats a toad, congrats!
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Old 02-24-2009, 02:17 AM   #8
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Re: PB hali

That thing is huge! Have fun eating it
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Old 02-24-2009, 02:50 AM   #9
Socal Rob
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Re: PB hali

Holy hell, time for a fish sticks party
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Old 02-24-2009, 03:42 AM   #10
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Re: PB hali

Beautiful. Were you using a sliptip or just a flopper? When it was hanging on by a thread, why not try to grab the shaft and push it back into the fish? This is a technique I've employed in the past with great success (though never when a 'but was just barely hanging on, always just as a means of ending the fight more quickly). Congrats on one hell of a fish.
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Old 02-24-2009, 03:46 AM   #11
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Re: PB hali

Very nice fish. Congrats
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Old 02-24-2009, 03:48 AM   #12
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Re: PB hali

Wow!!! Nice fish with an awesome story to go along with it.
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Old 02-24-2009, 08:13 AM   #13
seacrecher
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Re: PB hali

Nice haibut Stathis! I was wondering when somebody beside Randy or mysef was finally going to take the big flattie for the year
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Old 02-24-2009, 09:31 AM   #14
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Re: PB hali

Good Job ..... Nice Picture!
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Old 02-24-2009, 09:34 AM   #15
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Re: PB hali

thats friggin awesome stathis. congrats!!!! how deep were you divng when you came across her??

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