A Picture is Worth 182 Pounds!
Carl “Shooter” Sundell nailed this halibut 40 miles out in the Gulf of Alaska while fishing with Dave Friez and Paul Glinski on the Pro-Fish-N-Sea on Thursday, August 17th. When it was weighed in Seward six hours after capture, it tipped the scales at 182 pounds and measured 5′ 10″ . Savants at the weigh-in indicated that the fish had lost 10% of it’s weight in the interim. As phony as the result may sound, you do the math…. The “Shooter” that’s now my middle name derives from the fact that any halibut too large to be taken alive onto a boat safely is shot with a .410 to the brain before being brought aboard. A fish that size is also referred to as a “barn door” for obvious reasons…. Just to lend a sense of proportion to the size of the fish in a comparative way, if this fish had been entered in the Homer Halibut Derby, the largest fishing derby in Alaska, it would be the second largest fish thus far for the month of August. However, please note that the leader weighs 312 pounds!…. All this must be considered from a number of perspectives. Try these on for size. Scenario 1: Sundell is an able angler who puts in his hours on the water and earns his luck. He researched available charters carefully, and chose wisely. With aplomb and finesse, he enticed the halibut to the hook. He played the fish with considerable skill and panache. It’s not at all surprising that someone of his competence caught this lunker. Scenario 2: Dave planned the Alaskan journey; Charmi booked the charter; Cap’n Kevin put the boat over fish and baited the hook; Carl did manage to identify there was something making his rod jiggle and did reel (very slowly) the fish up most of the necessary 300 feet; however, he was kindly assisted by Dave Friez and received moral support from Paul; Cap’n Kevin administered final rites and hauled the fish aboard, with some help from Carl. In summary, Sundell is one lucky son of a gun who could barely hold on to the rod!….. Please comment to the blog and register your vote— or alternative scenarios….
