I pulled the halibut towards the kayak easily as if it did not fully understand it was hooked, but when it neared the kayak everything changed.


Halibut


and calm, but end with a thunderstorm that lasts several days. To stay safe, I have a boat tow me to the


best places and stand by in case of trouble. I mostly fish in unsheltered areas, and at depths between 30 and 150 feet, which is considered shallow water in Norway.


SHY BITERS


UNLIKE THE PIKE that usually strike aggressively and with no caution at all, a halibut will stalk its prey and attack it from behind. When a halibut takes the bait, I first feel a


light tap indicating something just touched the bait. The key is not to set the hook right away. It can take several minutes before I feel another nibble as the fish is investigating the lure. It will first bite on to the back of the lure and then chew its way to the hook. I give a moment of slack line and only when


I feel a solid weight at the end of the line will I set the hook. We use soft plastics such as shad jigs with heavy leadheads that weigh up to one pound. It is crucial to have a stinger hook far back on the lure to combat the halibut’s strike. Atlantic halibut grow very slowly—large


fish can be more than 50 years old. We release all the trophy-sized fish and keep only the smaller specimens up to 88 pounds. The official World Record Atlantic halibut that weighed 418 pounds was caught in Troms, Norway, in 2004 by Thomas Nielsen, but commercial fishermen report catching much larger specimens every year.


70…KAYAK ANGLER


DREAM CATCH


THE FIRST TIME I attempted to catch a giant Altantic halibut from a kayak I got the surprise of a lifetime. After a few years fishing for pike and other species out of a kayak, I was on the hunt for something bigger and giant Atlantic halibut were a tempting target. I transported my kayak to the island and arranged to have a friend with a boat serve as mothership support. On the first few days of the trip I caught some smaller halibut that fought extremely hard, but I was still waiting for the big one. Just as I put my rod in the holder to pour


myself a cup of coffee, I noticed the tip bend and picked it up, figuring the lure was on some seaweed. It felt funny. As I reeled in the line, I felt a weight come up with the lure and suddenly the line stopped coming along. I realized I was into a fish and set the hook. I got the halibut to the kayak easily as if it


did not fully understand it was hooked, but when it neared the kayak things changed. The fish panicked, turned to the bottom and took over 150 feet of line against full drag. I bent into the fish, bringing the monster to the kayak three times before I could stick it in the mouth with the gaff. The motorboat was nearby and we


dragged the fish to the beach for photos. Flat as a pancake, it measured over 60 inches long and we estimated it weighed 130 pounds. I released it back to the Barents Sea where it belongs.


Fishing The farther north you go, the better the halibut fishing. Anglers exploring the islands off northwest Norway can score triple digit halibut in 150 feet of water. Summer is the most pleasant time to fish this extreme climate but winter fishing can pay off with the biggest fish.


TACKLE BOX Rods: 7-foot, 30-pound class


Reel: Avet Raptor, Accurate Boss BX or Release LG Line: 50-pound braided line Leader: 100-pound fluorocarbon


GUIDES


Nordic Sportfishing is run by an English angler who lives in Norway. They offer guided as well as self-guided kayak fishing trips. www.nordicsportfishing.com.


ULTIMATE ATLANTIC HALIBUT TRIP


Fly into the world’s most northern city, Hammerfest. Catch the ferry to Söröya and stay in the small fishing village. The only hotel is pretty basic. Enjoy a sauna before jumping into the icy cold Barents Sea. When halibut fishing is blown-out, go whale watching, trekking or trout fishing in a remote lake.


Kayak fishing in Scandinavia is still a small


sport, but it has potential to grow. There is amazing fishing and wild places to explore. The weather is unpredictable and the waters cold, but the fish grow big and strong. Maybe someday kayak anglers around the world will dream of fishing for giant Scandinavian fish. •


PHOTO: S-O LARSSON


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