Anglers love to catch big fish. The main theme of many of their fish stories is how long, how fat, how beautiful, or how big was their fish. In Montana the biggest fish could be a sturgeon, chinook salmon, Lake trout, paddlefish, or a hefty pike. These fish may range up to 100 pounds or so.
To go for the biggest of the big fish, we need to travel. One of my fishing buddies Geoff Cerrelli loves to chase Big Butts in Alaska. He loves Big Butts, and he cannot lie. Geoff once lived in Bozeman but has since moved to chase his dreams. His nickname was “Limit Gitter”.
Last week he was fishing with Captain Zac in Petersburg Alaska. Capt. Zac has a great Alaska boat and they traveled from Juneau to Petersburg and stayed at the Green Rocks Lodge.
Captain Zac has regular video YouTube postings on Facebook. You can see this trip and all his trips on videos at his website. Captain Zac sells Big Jigs that are perfect for Big Butts and other fish. Zac’s educational videos are excellent. If you are planning a trip to Alaska, check out his website.
Captain Zac anchored up in 200 feet of water in the Sumner Straits. Both were using salmon scraps for bait as they jigged 16 oz. and 24 oz, jigs. His jigs have a glow plastic on them for deep visual attraction. “Jig, Jig, Thump, Thump”, and the bite was on.
He had hooked something HUGE! Big Halibuts are attracted by scent, sound, and sight. Sometimes it takes awhile for a scent trail to form and lure in a big butt. Geoff was jigging away when he finally got a bite. He let the bite go then crossed his eyes.
The battle was on, and Geoff tugged, cranked, pulled, and slowly dragged the behemoth off the bottom. 200 feet is a long way when the fish is tugging back. The battle raged and Geoff had to tag out with the Capt. After several turns, the fish was getting closer. They were unable to confirm whether the fish was a big butt or a giant skate. Whatever it weas, the beast was not making it easy.
Finally, they could see Deep Color. The beast was a huge Halibut. When they get this big, they are called” Barn Doors”, and Geoff was about to open this barn up! Captain Zac is an ethical sportsman and knows that the Halibut over 200 pounds are usually breeding females. These giant Butts are not the best eaters but are responsible for maintaining future fish populations.
This beast would be released! So how do you get a 16 oz, jig back, and not bring a 300 pound plus butt into the boat. How can you even measure such a fish without injuring it? They tied a length of rope to the line and let it flow behind the fish to its tail. That length would be the measure. With the rope knotted and marked, the gaff was placed in the large open mouth so Cat. Zac could unhook the jig. With the jig free, he simply slid the gaff away and the Barn Door slowly glided back into the depths.
Large Butts are measured to confirm weight. In this case, the Butt was 85 inches long and weighed 336 pounds! That’s one BIG BUTT!
Giant Halibut can reach mammoth size well over several hundred pounds. This beast would become Captain Zac’s and Geoff’s personal best.
Once the fish was released, they both went back on the well scented bottom. More fast action started, and the days limit was welcomed aboard. The best Butts to eat are called Chickens. Once the coop was full, it was time to head back to Green Rocks Lodged for a cold brew, and some Tylenol!
Great fishermen tell great stories!
Montana Grant
