As soon as the rod got heavy, Red Estes knew there was a fish on the other end.
How big? Considering Estes was halibut fishing on Glacier Bay, Alaska, the question was open-ended.
“You feel the weight a little bit,” said Estes, the retired Fresno State track and cross country coach. “But for the first few moments you’re not sure whether you have a 40-pounder or a 400-pound monster.”
Fortunately for Estes — and his friends — his fish fell into the latter category. The 303-pound Pacific halibut fought for 35 minutes before finally succumbing to exhaustion.
“It’s like bringing in a refrigerator,” Estes marveled.
From left, Claude "Bud" Brundage, Birger Johnson, Greg Taylor, Sterling Bodell, Gene "Red" Estes, and Art Huff pose around a 303-pound halibut caught by Estes during their August 2009 fishing trip to Glacier Bay, Alaska.
The largest of all flatfish, halibut swim along the ocean floor with both eyes on the upper side of its head like a flounder. Their distinctive two-tone color scheme — dark gray on top, white on the bottom — helps them avoid detection from both above and below.
They’re also tasty eating. Hence the nickname “Cow of the Sea.”
Estes and his fishing buddies have been making annual fishing trips to Alaska for years. The past three, they’ve gone to Gustavus, a port city (pop. 429) surrounded on three sides by mountainous Glacier Bay National Park and the other by water.
Unless you’re a skilled pilot or ocean navigator, the only way to reach Gustavus is from nearby Juneau by commercial airliner. If there’s good visibility over the mountains, the flight takes 15 minutes. If not, the plane has to go around.
The rest of the group — all retirees — includes 90-year-old Birger Johnson, the former Fresno State athletics trainer and kinesiology professor; 82-year-old Art Huff, the former chair of Fresno State’s music department; and 78-year-old Bud Brundage, a former Bee circulation manager.
“I’m the baby of the group, the junior partner of the law firm,” the 71-year-old Estes joked.
This is the second straight year the group has landed a giant halibut. Last year, Brundage hooked a 287-pounder that he, Johnson and Estes spent half an hour bringing alongside the boat.
“You can’t do anything except hang on,” Brundage said. “For the first 15 minutes, I don’t think he even realized he was on a hook.”
The five-day trip in August produced several other halibut — including one that weighed “only” 127 pounds — Coho salmon, yellow eye rockfish and ling cod.
Estes and Brundage brought home 150 pounds of fish, while Johnson and Huff, who don’t have as much freezer space, brought home 100 pounds.
Totaling up his expenses from the trip, Estes figured he paid $15 per pound for the fish. Not bad, considering halibut sells from between $16-$20 per pound at most supermarkets.
And no supermarket in the world offers the majestic setting of Glacier Bay, where eagles and humpback whales frolicked near the group’s fishing charter at no extra charge.
“I’ve never seen a humpback with daylight underneath its entire body,” Estes said. “Incredible.”
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