Alaska Fishing

Suddenly, huge halibut seem to be congregating outside Resurrection Bay.

Over the last week, two weighing more than 300 pounds and at least two that are more than 200 pounds have been strung up on the Seward docks by boats venturing as far as Montague Island in the Gulf of Alaska in search of heavyweights.

The flurry of fat flatfish comes well after the conclusion of the Seward Silver Salmon Derby, which often signals the beginning of the end for Resurrection Bay fishermen.

But not for Helen Harmon. The 73-year-old Seward angler hooked the smallest of the fearsome flatfish foursome, a 202-pounder, Sunday aboard the Nauti-Girl with captain John Moline of Inn and Out Charters.

"She's probably one of the luckiest fishermen I've ever had out," Moline said. "That same day, she had five silvers and one rockfish. Earlier this season, she limited out on another trip."

But over the past week, Harmon was one of several lucky anglers in Seward:

• On Friday, David Shimbo of Menlo Park, Calif., hauled in a 305-pound halibut fishing with captain Sean Carlin aboard the 27-foot Revelation, one of the boats out of Seward's Fish House.

• That same day, captain Jim Lee fishing on his boat The Swelltime with two friends landed a 302-pounder on a fun run.

• The day before, Kevin Knight, a 27-year-old captain with Pro Fish-N-Sea Charters in Seward helped an East Coast client aboard the Pursuit land a 267-pounder.

Elle Zernia, one of the Pro Fish-N-Sea owners, confirmed the catch but did not have the angler's name. She said the lucky fisherman was among a group of eight East Coast fishermen -- "mostly transit bus drivers from New York who come up every year" -- who fished five days and brought home more than a ton of filets.

Seward's surge included some of Southcentral's biggest fish of the season.

In Homer, long considered Alaska's halibut capital, only one halibut heavier than 300 pounds -- Thomas Youngblood's derby-leading 355-pounder -- has been entered in the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby since it began May 1. The Valdez Halibut Derby has a similar story, with Stephen Caverly's derby-leading 313-pounder the lone fish exceeding 300 pounds.

To be sure, derby anglers aren't the only ones who can catch big fish, and Alaska's biggest of the year may well be a huge halibut Faye and Mark Manning caught with captain Brian Peterson fishing out of Kodiak's Ugak Bay Lodge in July.

Peterson estimated that halibut's size at 450 pounds, based on its 93-inch length and 70-inch girth. He said it wouldn't qualify for record consideration because the couple traded off reeling it in.

"I've been waiting for that fish for 25 years," Peterson said.

Harmon waited more than seven decades for hers.

"It just sort of blew my mind," she said after landing the biggest fish of her life. "It didn't seem like it wanted to move."

The pressure from her doubled-over rod made her knees hurt, and son Thomas Harmon lent a hand.

"He'd help lift, and I'd reel," she said. After a few turns, she turned the whole operation over to Thomas.

"I'm so short, I was afraid I was going to fall over the side of the boat," said the 5-foot senior.

Seward's succession of big fish pumped some excitement into the end of the season.

"Usually, it's tapering off this time of year," said Carlin, captain of the Revelation. "Maybe a few freak fish came up on the shelf. But that's a lot of fish over 200 pounds."

Dan Bosch, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game fishery biologist, isn't surprised. He's one of the state scientists researching ling cod populations in Resurrection Bay and the Gulf of Alaska using an undersea remote operated vehicle (ROV).

Occasionally, they find spots "loaded to the gills with halibut, including some real big ones," Bosch said.

Before the research, Bosch considered most hulking flatfish loners, "but it seems to me there are some big halibut traveling in groups."

And Seward charters seem to have located some.

"Seward gets some big fish," Bosch said. "Seward kind of comes in under the radar; it's not surprising."

Reach reporter Mike Campbell at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.

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