I LIKE BIG BUTTS!!!
By Montana Grant

Posted: August 18, 2019

And I can not lie! Monster halibuts are simply amazing. These BIG Flounder are no Flukes. The poundage and pullage are simply awesome! If you have not pounded a few Big Butts, then you need to add this to your bucket list!

As an east coast flounder fisherman, I would drag, use” Ma and Pa rigs”, and drift for flounder. If you got a limit, it was several pounds of meat. The biggest Chincoteague flounder that we ever netted was 7 lbs. Seeing a flounder surface is always exciting. Seeing a Halibut surface is epic!

The Green Rocks Lodge that we stayed at in Alaska was nice. It offered Blue Collar accommodations and decent tackle, gear, and boats. Nearby you could target halibut, salmon, rockfish and great fun. We focused on Big Butts!

The new guys did our homework. Tom was the Captain and ran the boat. Montana Grant focused on hooking up. You can not catch Big Butts by yourself. Hooking up and landing Big Butts requires teamwork. Thanks to great teamwork and problem solving, Tom and I never lost a hook up. We landed several fish over 70 lbs. and up to 150 lbs. The smallest Butt was 30 pounds. Together, we overcame every problem!

Hooking a Big Butt starts as a simple rap, tat, tat. The bites were light and soft. Winding the rod down then slightly lifting revealed weight. Now, it was time to cross their eyes. The initial run of a Big Butt is like hooking a tractor trailer off an interstate bridge. Just hang on, its all you can do. Hopefully, there is enough line and “ass” in your rod to stop them. Once they stop running, the battle begins.

After a lot of winding and lifting, the fish comes closer. Finally, the plywood size Big Butt rises alongside the boat. Now the real fight begins. When the fish sees the boat, they sprint for the safety of the deep. Keeping the motor up helps at this moment. Less tangling is essential. Finally, the Huge Flat Beast will come along side the boat and present itself to the harpoon. If you have a handgun, a shot in the head will end the game. If not, spear the harpoon like you are Atlas and try to pass through the Giant critter. If you hit them but don’t pass through, they will take another run.

We needed to harpoon our biggest fish 3 times until we figured it out. Remember to use the gaff as plan B. Each time you hit the fish with a harpoon, you are injuring the beast and they are getting tired out. With time and patience, you will eventually boat the fish. Most of our butts were gaffed since the harpoon was a challenge.

Now that the Big Butt is aboard, you need to kill it. If the massive and strong fish begins to flop around, you will get injured. Keep the cellphones in your pocket until the battle is done. Use a Billy Club to smack the Big Butt between the eyes. Avoid the cheeks which are good to eat. You can also stab the fish between the eyes with a bait knife. Now, cut the tail and break the spine at the tail to bleed the fish.

While this is going on, try to get the rods back in the water. I swear that the Butts come in schools. You can hook up in a hurry if your baited rig is on the bottom.

Now chill, and relax, if you can!

Montana Grant

For more Montana Grant, drag him aboard at www.montanagrantfishing.com.

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