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Old 08-02-2014, 09:07 PM   #1
Smesh
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My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

Well this morning I rolled out to Malibu John's place with my son Dakotah and my new w-w-w-w-w-wife Monique. He hooked me up with one of his old Riffe suits and lent me his world famous halibut slayer midhandle for some good juju, while he took out his new 38 Smesh-ial. LOVE the name of his new short gun. Lol.

While Dakotah and Monique cruised around on his two seater Kayak, we headed out and got into the stuff. He gave me a few pointers on what to look for and how to hunt the bottom, then turned me loose while he scoped out the WSB situation in the kelp - determined to kill a WSB with the 38 Smesh-ial.

I went nice and slow, kicking lightly to find the sandy transitions in and outside the rocky bottom, then letting the surge drift me along for each run.

It didn't take very long before I saw
a line in the sand that just didn't fit, so I flicked my fins lightly to stop, and stared at the line for a couple of seconds. Just like with any other hunting, where you see a branch that doesn't look right and turns out to be an antler, or the tip of an ear that catches your eye and slowly materializes into a whitetail, that halibut slowly took shape just below the sand.

He was completely submerged in the sand, and I couldn't even see the eyes, but the shape became unmistakable. I spent a few more seconds trying to judge the size. Was it legal? Once I decided he was a shooter, that little midhandle pointed like a dream and I let him have it. It completely stoned him. I was pretty stoked.

I left him on the flopper for a bit while I swam over to John to show him my prize. He was a bit far off, so I decided to gill it. He was stoned and wasn't even flinching, but I read too many things about them biting, so I figured I would gill and brain it before removing it from the shaft and putting it on my stringer. I pulled out my knife and was about to do it, when the think chomped my middle finger! Haha! If I was on dry land I would have jumped a foot off the ground like a spooked kitten! Almost dropped my knife to the bottom. I was literally LMAO through the snorkel and even choked down some water in the process. So....funny.

Dakotah and Monique had a blast in the kayak and Dakotah later took out the paddleboard and John had him surf it right into the rocky shore below his place. I was a bit freaked out coming back into shore myself among the rocks, while having flashbacks of getting smashed up in PV, so I was bit nervous, but watching John jump right into the water and coach him into guiding it home put me at ease.

I didn't see it, but Dakotah watched him beach the kayak into the rocks. The shore below the retaining wall for his building is a giant pile of rocks, and then all the kayaks and boards are stored under there. He waits for a big wave and then paddles like a MF straight at the rocks and lets the wave push him right on top of the rocks, then as it recedes, the kayak ends up perched on top of them, only a few feet from the retaining wall. In other words, he's nuts! Lol. I'm scared of a few rocks along the shore, and he kamakazies it right into the nastiest rock pile in Malibu.

John showed me how to fillet our fish and we finally headed home.

Much thanks to MJ for taking the time out of a very hectic day to school me and my son and help me get my first hali. I owe you bud!

Last edited by Smesh; 02-26-2015 at 05:53 PM.
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Old 08-02-2014, 09:12 PM   #2
ChasinButts
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

Congrats Smesh. Like I said, if anyone can put you on a fish it's John.

John, that's some karma points for you sir
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Old 08-02-2014, 09:24 PM   #3
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

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Originally Posted by ChasinButts View Post
Congrats Smesh. Like I said, if anyone can put you on a fish it's John.

John, that's some karma points for you sir
I knew that, but didn't expect to get the chance to dive with him, let alone have him give me a suit to use. I can now dive as much as time permits as I have everything else I need and shore diving is free. Super pumped and grateful. I'm going out tomorrow morning as well. Woo HOO!
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Old 08-02-2014, 09:29 PM   #4
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

That's awesome! Great eating!
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Old 08-02-2014, 09:32 PM   #5
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

They have a lot more meat on them than it seems when you look at them. Any good recipes for halibut?
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Old 08-02-2014, 09:37 PM   #6
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

There are lots out there, but I always like to keep it simple: butter, lemon, salt and pepper.
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Old 08-02-2014, 09:51 PM   #7
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

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They have a lot more meat on them than it seems when you look at them. Any good recipes for halibut?
Tempura with rice. And don't forget to tempura some bell pepper with it.
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Old 08-02-2014, 10:10 PM   #8
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

They only get bigger from here ...
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Old 08-02-2014, 10:22 PM   #9
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

John. I said it before and I'm sayin it again.

You are DA MAN!

Nice work. Putting somebody on their first fish is really awesome!
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Old 08-02-2014, 11:01 PM   #10
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

congrats amigo!!
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Old 08-02-2014, 11:03 PM   #11
phil herranen
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

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They have a lot more meat on them than it seems when you look at them. Any good recipes for halibut?
Hali are one of the best yield fish around , the fillet to waste is around 80% . Most other fish are under 60% meat
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Old 08-02-2014, 11:35 PM   #12
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

It was great having you and your family out. Super stoked you were able to cross that hali off your bucket list, and that suit, I am sure, will be put to good use!
As for the halibut. Mix up some Italian bread crumbs and parmasean cheese, bread it with that and pan fry it in butter-nothing better!!
After you left we ended up spending the rest of the day lining up new trucks for me, as mine was totaled out front, last night, by a drunk driver!
Great work today, we'll do it again soon!!
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Old 08-02-2014, 11:51 PM   #13
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

Holy crap John! That's nuts! I'll call you in the am... Glad you weren't in your truck! Crazy!
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Old 08-03-2014, 12:30 AM   #14
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

Smesh, great halibut. The halibut hotel is rocking. Best recipe (and several on here will back me up): Heavenly Halibut (just search allrecipes.com or google and it will come right up).

John, sorry about your truck. I know its was only a few months old.

Last edited by KelpChaka; 08-03-2014 at 12:30 AM. Reason: typo
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Old 08-03-2014, 02:15 AM   #15
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Re: My First Halibut. Thank you Malibu John!

Yeah we were looking for the address and saw the truck on the side of PCH. Got so distracted we missed John's house and rolled right past it while gawking at it. When we turned back around and found out it was John's truck, we felt pretty bad. He was up all night dealing with that and then we show up. There were truck parts and the remnants of road flares all up and down PCH. Yeesh. If you need a hand with anything John, I have an SUV and lots of time on my hands. It's not a truck but... Just let me know.
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