3 men, 4 hours, 1 big catch: The incredible story of snagging a 109-pound halibut

globalnews.ca:

Fishers have been known to spin a yarn or two, but three Quebec men out on a scientific ice fishing expedition in the Saguenay over the weekend made sure to document their adventures.

And it’s a lucky thing too, because Mathieu Aubin reeled in a 109-pound Atlantic halibut on Sunday for the catch of a lifetime.

Aubin said the trio, consisting of him, his uncle Rémi Aubin and a friend, set out on foot Sunday morning after first making sure the ice on the fjord was thick enough.

Every now and again they would stop and drill holes, to check not only the ice thickness but also the depth of the water.

To catch a halibut, they figured a depth of about 650 feet was ideal. It’s information the group has gleaned over the three years halibut fishing has been allowed there.

Not much is known about the species living in the Saguenay — hence the need for a scientific study.

Anyone hoping to catch the fabled fish has to be registered to do so.

After walking for two kilometres, dragging their gear and drilling their holes, the men put in their lines and settled in as best they could.

“It was difficult,” Remi said. “It was very cold on the ice with high winds — up to 40 kilometres an hour.”

Mathieu dropped his line and immediately pulled up a cod. It would be another hour before the action really got underway.

In the meantime, there was a bit of back and forth and Mathieu was reflecting on his new fishing rod. He made it himself, specifically to catch halibut, at the fishing shop he now owns. The store has been in the family since 1932 and passed down from one generation to the next.

“So I was telling my uncle I really liked the hatch and I really liked the rod and I’m so happy about it,” Mathieu recounted. “Then five minutes after I got