After enduring two rainy windy days down at Tillamook that included a bar closure it was a blessed relief to arrive at Ilwaco with a forecast of sunny skies and calm winds. Time to go halibut fishing!

I met up with Rob and Hillary Holman and Dale Ballard of Fin Reaper Guide Service and at 5:30am we were off with Capt. Pat aboard the Legacy. The forecast did indeed hold true and a nicer day on the water we could not have asked for. The 22 mile run out to the halibut grounds was very pleasant with gentle swells that Capt Pat easily cut through.

We and another half dozen or so boats arrived and got to work. Work may not be such a bad word as we were fishing down 500-600 feet using 3 pound weights and herring. Fortunately, the Legacy came with electric reels making the retrieval of said bait a snap.

Customers immediately started hooking up and bringing in halibut ranging 17-25 pounds. Some used the electric assist, some reeled the fish up manually. When my turn came I did it “old school” and I must say by the time I got my hali to the net I thought it was twice as big as it was!

Pick fish of the day was caught by Rob, I would put it at 25-30 pounds. The boated limited and we were back to the dock at 2pm.
It was a pretty fun day with a great group of customers. Capt. Pat and his son Pat Jr. are a blast to fish with. If you get the chance don’t miss it! Halibut season is very short but Pat was thinking there may be a bonus day scheduled soon due to the bad weather keeping the fleet in. Give Sea Breeze Charters a call to get yourself a seat!

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