Halibut without harpoon

[TheRock]

After my experience a few months ago, I will never bleed a halibut out side the boat ever again at least not let it bleed in the water! We were out near Swifture bank a few months ago anchored up. We brought a nice halibut about 70 lbs. up we speared it right behind the gills, the spear head was right through, halibut did its run and dance ect.. all was going as planned. With the spear still in and wire end tided to a braided rope with un moveable knots and cleated onto the back cleat of the boat.. the gills were cut and it was bleeding nicely a few feet below the water. We left the halibut in the water bleeding away no more than 3-4 feet off the back of the boat while our skipper of the boat went to the cabin to find some hog tie rope, I walked over to the back corner of the boat to see the halibut there bleeding away, all looked good, rope was not going any where! spear head was right through... I thought done deal!.. I go sit down, a minute latter our skipper comes out of the cabin and walks to the back of the boat and picks up the spear rope just off the cleat and YELLS!!! "WHAT THE F*****CK" his face was instantly white his jaw to his chest in disbelief...! He lifts the spear braided rope up and its SHREDDED!!!! double braided core rope shredded like spaghetti!!!! only a 3-4 foot section of rope remained from the water line up to the boat cleat!!!!! 70LB. HALIBUT GONE!!! spear ROPE AND SPEAR wire and head GONE!! WE were in utter disbelief!!! shell shocked. When you thought you have it all figured out.. the ocean can and will through you for a loop. We get back to Port Renfrew marina and we told our story to a few guides, and we find out the Salmon sharks travel north at that time of year? Could of been a great white shark? One guide said latter in the season last year there was a great white out there on the bank.. we concluded it had to be a shark. There was nothing on the side or bottom or corner of the boat that could of shredded the double braided rope like that... motors were all off we were anchored, the hallibut was limp no preassure on the rope.. no other conclusion but was ripped off by a shark.... It was an unbelievable experience.

 

[Dogbreath]

Next time I'm out on the bank I think I'll p*ss in a bucket not overboard.

 

[fishspoon]

Yikes! I think I won't swim at the beaches anymore cuz of sharks lurking out there. [:0] I have heard a few stories that killer whales eat halibut too.

 

[scalesgroup]

Finally got our 77 lber in the NET 2 weeks ago - while in 55 feet of water next to a kelp bed - WHEW - net was thrashed totally - never to go hali fishing again without gaff / harpoon / or red-bull n` jagermeisters

 

[Charter Tofino]

The rock thats a cool story. Would have been something to see!

 

[battaglino]

Could a sea lion have taken the hali. We lost a 100lb to one last year well almost all of it I ended up with head. I had a freind years ago that used a snake charmer .410 with a slug and it seem to work quite well. I don't think you can shoot halis in Canada I thought I read it in the regs a few years ago. What kind of permit would one get for the gun to shoot fish? Most of the one I catch you don't worry about them.

 

[TheRock]

Ya, it could of been a big sea lion, killer whale, shark? what ever it was it must of been big with very sharp teeth! I'v never seen a double braided core rope shreeded that bad. It was a new piece of rope in good shape to boot... To make things even more bizzar we did not hear or feel any thing. Though being out on the bank anchored in a 21 ft. extended poded Trophy in some pretty choppy water slapping and splashing on the sides of the boat made it quite noisey being out there, would of been very easy not to hear what was happening.

 

[Charter Tofino]

seals teeth are like a dogs they could cut through but it would take some chewing for a while. You would probaly notice a whale grabbing it so maybe a shark??

 

[teamchachi]

That doesn't sound like a sea lion or whale. They wouldn't be able to do that to the rope without a lot of splashing and thrashing about. The teeth just aren't sharp enough.

I was talking with a Ucluelet guide last year who said it is pretty common to see Blue sharks offshore. Salmon Sharks are also very common in BC waters and can get big enough to do what you described.

A quick search of the net shows that Great Whites are caught and observed as far north as Alaska and are commonly encountered on the Oregon and Washington coasts. If the currents are warm enough for Albacore Tuna to come in close to the island, I don't see why a great white would be out of the realm of possibility on Swiftsure bank.

 

[bhemi]

Get a bigger gaff. I bought a 4 foot gaff before my recent run to Tofino and landed halibut easily. Don't have to lean way out with the longer gaff, just have one guy keep the tension on the rod get it close and let him have it. Swing outside in and sweep the fish inboard as you gaff it. Bonk it good and bleed it.

 

[Robert Warren]

quote:Originally posted by teamchachi

I don't see why a great white would be out of the realm of possibility on Swiftsure bank.

I heard the largest Great White ever recorded on film was at the whistle boy in Barkley Sound. Anyone else ever hear of this story?

More than likly.. halibut are hard to kill.. so it probly got the rope to touch the prop or some other semi sharp metal object. It would not take much to cut a rope like that if the hali runs a bit and all of a sudden there is 500+ pnds pressure on it. and pulled at the same time? possible? I'd like to think that instead of great whites maurading our waters...lol
My brother caught a barracuda in Sooke. It was in the Times Colonist paper and such. Well acually half of one... Something ate the other half.. it was a clean bite right below the head. I think the crazy bugger still has it in his freezer.. It was from the elnino back in the 80's. People where catching sunfish and all sorts of interesting specimens. Well apparently this filming of the great white took place around that same era.