GUSTAVUS, Alaska - A Utah man caught the fish of a lifetime June 17 while halibut fishing near Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park.
Shane Long of Talmage, Utah, caught a 215-pound halibut on the carcass of a king salmon he landed the day before.
Long was part of a group from Utah and Colorado staying at Alaskan Anglers Inn in Gustavus, a small fishing community west of Juneau.
"Before this my biggest fish was only four or five pounds," said Long, who battled the giant halibut for nearly 45 minutes before his fishing guide harpooned it after it reached the surface. The big halibut was then shot with a .410 shotgun before being brought aboard the Icy Rose, the charter boat Long and his friends were fishing from.
During their five-day trip with Alaskan Anglers Inn, Long and his three fellow anglers caught three halibut topping 100 pounds, and dozens of halibut from 50 to 90 pounds. They also landed five salmon from the cold waters of Icy Straight.
The group's guide, Capt. Andy Martin (www.wildriversfishing.com), saved a few of the salmon carcasses from the previous day and threaded one onto a size 20/0 Eagle Claw hook. The salmon heads had been marinating overnight in Pautzke's Halibut and Rockfish Nectar. Shortly after Long lowered it to the bottom, a big halibut inhaled the carcass and took off on a long run. The fish stayed near the bottom for 15 minutes before Long was able to begin forcing it to the surface. It was caught in 110 feet of water less than 10 miles from the Gustavus dock.
After filling eight 50-pound boxes with fillets during their first four days of fishing, Long's group decided to catch and release on its last day. One of the fishermen released a 150-pound halibut, while three more fish just under 100 pounds were let go.
