Releasing oversize halibut?

[Lewy]

Hi, reading quite a few posts where guys are getting oversize hali and then releasing them - fair enough!
I'm just wondering how you do that.

Are you bringing the hali on board, measuring them, taking the hooks out etc, then picking them up to somehow get them back over the side and away? Seems like that would be a problem with a big sucker thrashing about on deck, but what do I know

 

[eroyd]

Only a challenge if the halibut is close. Restrained in a net pinned to the floor of the boat for measurement. Too big. Back over the side it goes. A big one stays in the water.

 

[Newf]

Easier said than done. After you’ve caught a few you get a rough idea if they are close to the limit. For me, if I think they are close I get my harpoon out which I’ve marked over the years with 133cm, 126cm and now 102cm. I use that to measure in the water to get my Best Guess. If I’m over I release in the water. If it looks like I’m within a cm or two I grab by the gill plate and yank into the boat. 102 and under is not that hard to lift in. I have a low freeboard. After it stops going nuts I put the nose of the fish to a solid edge, use my stick to get a measurement and keep or release. I’m sure others have their own way but this works for me..

 

[Eden Island]

Easier said than done. After you’ve caught a few you get a rough idea if they are close to the limit. For me, if I think they are close I get my harpoon out which I’ve marked over the years with 133cm, 126cm and now 102cm. I use that to measure in the water to get my Best Guess. If I’m over I release in the water. If it looks like I’m within a cm or two I grab by the gill plate and yank into the boat. 102 and under is not that hard to lift in. I have a low freeboard. After it stops going nuts I put the nose of the fish to a solid edge, use my stick to get a measurement and keep or release. I’m sure others have their own way but this works for me..
View attachment 117499

My harpoon has all the same size markings plus the chinook limits. I am not okay with bringing a ~100 cm halibut into the cockpit with wife and daughter so we do all our measuring in the water. Made a mistake a few years ago and was 1.5 cm over - skulked into town. The local processor told me not to worry - the town guide had already brought in 2 that size. I try to be accurate.

 

[Newf]

Tried to attach the video to show the length and my marking but couldn’t do it for some reason.

 

[Samnjoe]

Measure as best you can in the water. Kill and bring on board. Realize it's too big. Fillet and stash in the cabin.

 

[brutus]

Getting the hooks out is the problem, usually buried, so I just cut the leader, if I can get it with the gaff I do but seldom happens, I don’t keep the big ones anyway, I use a stick like mention above if it’s to close I just let it go, I never bring them onboard unless I am going to kill it

 

[Whole in the Water]

I use a pool foam noodle on a rope with the sizes marked on it. I just float it alongside or on top of the halibut to get a measurement in the water.

 

[Kinetic]

We brought our 102cm on board a couple weeks ago to measure it on the deck because it was so close. This past week our big one was clearly oversized so we released it beside the boat with pliers. We did have to wait for it to stop thrashing around 1st.

 

[Samnjoe]

Anyone know what a 102 cm hali should weigh on average?

 

[lemmy]

A little under 30 lbs....

 

[Kinetic]

Ours weighed 30lbs exactly on a Chinese Amazon scale.

 

[King Crab]

If it’s clearly over 102 cm, I usually try to release it with a gaff. You don’t want your hand too close to those loose J hooks flying around if that Hali starts thrashing around.

For close ones, I’ve been netting them and tossing them on the deck to measure. Makes a mess usually with hooks getting stuck in the net but at least the Hali has a good chance of survival without a gaff or harpoon hole in them.

I’ve had to release 3 overs so far. 40-60 lbs

 

[big rock]

Easier said than done. After you’ve caught a few you get a rough idea if they are close to the limit. For me, if I think they are close I get my harpoon out which I’ve marked over the years with 133cm, 126cm and now 102cm. I use that to measure in the water to get my Best Guess. If I’m over I release in the water. If it looks like I’m within a cm or two I grab by the gill plate and yank into the boat. 102 and under is not that hard to lift in. I have a low freeboard. After it stops going nuts I put the nose of the fish to a solid edge, use my stick to get a measurement and keep or release. I’m sure others have their own way but this works for me..
View attachment 117499

I prefer a piece of 1/2 or 3/4 PVC marked up with all the different species lengths. Drill some holes in the PVC so water pass through and lay the beside the fish in the water.