Fisherman opts to keep massive Halibut

March 09, 2020

What Do You Do When You Catch A Massive Halibut? Keep It Of Course!

An avid fisher, Jake Birkett was out on an Alaskan halibut fishing trip with his buddies. He had the pleasure of hauling in a 200-pound halibut on his trip. As amazing as it is to catch such a fish, what is more, intriguing is that he turned down the offer of a free fishing trip to release it. He decided to take his halibut home, and it even took two shots from a .38 spec to bring the trophy halibut under control.

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Jake Birkett, who we have learned is an accountant from upstate New York, caught the giant Alaskan halibut during his initial hour of fishing. To make it even more interesting, we learned that this was his very first visit to Alaska to fish. Being that he never dreamed he would catch a giant halibut fish, it certainly makes sense that he is eager to hold onto his catch of a lifetime.

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The company that chartered the fishing trip even offered him a gift voucher for a free fishing trip the next day, which is worth $250 if he let the massive fish go. It is easy to understand the draw of a giant halibut, and we are sure that this is going to be a story that is passed down to his grandchildren.

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It’s easy to understand why this fisherman decided to hang on to his big halibut catch. He nabbed a beautiful Pacific Halibut in a mere 340 feet of water located near Cook Inlet. This ideal fishing spot is right near Homer, Alaska. This area is well known for offering the best halibut fishing in Alaska for anglers of all skill levels.

It took Jake Birkett more than an hour to reel in this whopper of a fish and it came in just under  245 lbs! With all of the effort it took, it is no surprise that the halibut price per pound is well over $30 for the Alaskan variety.  After a lot of strong-arming between the fish and the rod, Jake decided to keep his catch and had to devise a creative plan to subdue the monster catch.

 “Near the end of the battle with the huge halibut, the fish actually tried to escape back into the depths of the water. In order to catch him, we had to take extreme measures,” Explained Captain Bird of Fishing Excursions Inc. when we called him for a line on the story.  He told us, “if you want to know how big is a halibut in relation to the size of our boat, we actually had to pull up the anchor in order to follow the fish.”  Jake Birkett  when asked how he subdued the massive catch told us, “We had to use three shots with a .38 spec to disable him, and then it took three gaffs just to haul it onto the boat.”

It may sound strange to use a gun on a fish, but in Alaska not only is it common, but it is also advised. Any fish that is more than 100 pounds is usually pure muscle. Not only can a thrashing fish cause harm to a fishing vessel, but it can also harm passengers. Can you imagine trying to haul a 1000 pound halibut kicking and screaming onto your boat? We think not. Any Halibut or other fish over a certain size should be killed before you try to haul it on deck to prevent accidents, loss of life, or even getting capsized.

The captain offers another option than shooting the fish, and that, of course, is catch and release.

“I present my passengers with a voucher for another trip at no cost if they catch a giant halibut. Sadly, Jake Birkett was not fascinated in the offer,” he said. “This is the fifth giant halibut we have caught in the last three weeks. The last one was around 215 pounds and it was let go. It is the best time to halibut fish in Alaska, and another we caught is currently the Halibut Homer Jackpot Derby leader."

If you want a visual idea of the size of the halibut, check out the first-year deckhand posing with the giant fish. He is a wide receiver from Texas State University, and he is quite healthy. Looking at him posed with the giant fish gives you an idea of why the best place to halibut fish in Alaska is Homer.

Kipling, who is a healthy 210 pounds looks to be a child next to the giant fish. Of course, we know that Jake will be taking home a year’s work of fillets. Also according to Jake, he says this is the best time go halibut fishing Alaska and he plans to return next year for more.

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