112-pound halibut caught through the ice in a unique fishery

A trio of fishermen working with scientists under a special arrangement to go ice fishing on the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec landed a 112-pound Atlantic halibut that gave the anglers an adrenaline rush to remember.

Last month, Denis Lavergne, Stéphane Rivard, and Jean-François Simard were allowed to ice fish the fjord under a program in which the fishermen agreed to submit their catches to scientists, who record biological data from the fish, as reported by Field and Stream. Recreational fishing is otherwise prohibited.

“The Saguenay Fjord is a unique and very special ecosystem,” Simard, a wildlife technician for the Quebec government, told Field and Stream. “The main species caught here are redfish, Atlantic cod, and Atlantic halibut.

“A layer of freshwater flows over the saltwater, which provides us with a solid, safe covering of ice in winter, allowing us to fish for saltwater fish at depth. This glacial valley has very steep walls and a depth that can reach slightly more than 800 feet.”

Two hours into the fishing trip, a big fish took the bait and the trio took turns reeling in the halibut. While fighting the fish, they realized they needed to widen the hole, and managed to do so without breaking the line.

“When we saw the fish in the hole for the first time, our stress and adrenaline levels reached their peak,” Simard told Field and Stream. “We managed to hook it a first time with a gaff, but it broke free from the gaff and dove about 50 feet below the surface of the ice.

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“Given the size of the fish, we widened our hole a second time to make it easier to pull it out…The final moment came soon after and I had the honor of hooking the fish with the gaff the second time. I must admit that I still get goosebumps when I remember the moment I felt the fish struggling in my hands.”

Part of the fight was captured in video and posted on YouTube:

The fish was weighed, measured and had its stomach contents analyzed at the Fjord Museum.

“From the moment the fish was hoisted onto the ice, it was total euphoria,” Simard told Field and Stream. “We were running on adrenaline and were all very proud of accomplishing this feat. We were also in awe of this enormous fish. And we felt honored to be able to have had such an experience so close to home and surrounded by the beauty of the Saguenay Fjord mountains. As a team, we caught the fish of a lifetime, and we know that this memory will stay with us forever.”

Photos courtesy of Stephane Rivard and Jean-Francois Simard.