Finally the sinker reaches bottom. The captain advises reeling the line in a foot so that the hook doesn't snag bottom. He also advises pulling up the pole a few feet and letting it drop until the sinker hits bottom. This pounding of the sinker on the bottom attracts the halibut. For a few minutes there is no action but suddenly there are a few strong tugs and instinctively the fisherperson jerks the pole back to set the hook. This time the tip of the pole bends almost straight down toward the water indicating that there is a large fish hooked and it is about to fight. After what seems to be endless hours of reeling in the fish and letting it take out the line, a shadowy bulk approaches the surface of the water. The captain advises that you not to let the head of the fish break the surface of the water or the fish will attempt to break away and take more line. Finally the captain positions himself and uses a small harpoon to secure this very large halibut. It is not uncommon to catch halibut in the Gustavus area that exceed 100 pounds and King Salmon in the 30 to 50 pound range. So if you are an avid fisherperson, let us team you up with our local captains who know these waters as well as the fish! Because fishing is dependent on the season and the tides, contact us about the best fishing dates.