Originally published in 2013, this 2011 Prince Rupert fishing report was updated in September 2026 with refreshed photos, videos and presentation.
Our 2011 Prince Rupert fishing trip was another good one for the FishinBC crew. This year we had Neal, Travis (Teddy), Oak, Ian (Hammer), and myself aboard. My brother Travis flew into Prince Rupert to join us for three days. On the drive up, we were talking about Travis joining us when Ian misheard the conversation and asked, “Who the heck is Teddy?” Oak immediately picked up on it, and from that moment on, Travis was Teddy. The funny part was that Travis wasn’t even in the vehicle when the nickname was invented. He had no idea where it came from and didn’t hear the full story until many years later. Our usual anchorman, Ron Burgundy (B.O.), couldn’t make the trip this year, but we kept him updated with photos from the water.
Oak’s 104 lb Halibut
We had some good weather during the trip that allowed us to head offshore to the halibut grounds. The highlight was Oak’s 104 lb, 150 cm (59-inch) halibut, caught using a salmon head on a spreader bar. It broke the boat record previously held by Neal’s 74 lb halibut from our 2010 trip and earned Oak the title of Halibelt champion.
As you can see in the video, Oak’s halibut still had plenty of fight left after we speared it. The fish thrashed around quite a bit, which is a good reminder of how much power a large halibut can have, even after it’s been brought alongside the boat. Landing a fish this size takes some preparation, and it’s important to have a plan before bringing it aboard. I cover the equipment and techniques we use in our post How to Land a Halibut Safely.
The Halibelt tradition started in 2010 after we vacuum-sealed Neal’s halibut fillets. The bags curved slightly, with the white halibut skin showing through the plastic, giving us the idea for a championship belt. Much like a UFC title belt, the Halibelt became our travelling trophy, awarded to whoever caught the biggest halibut on the boat.
For more on the techniques and bait we use, see the FishinBC.COM Halibut Fishing: The Complete Guide to Catch West Coast Halibut and our post Best Halibut Baits: How to Rig, Scent and Fish Them. Our post Halibut Weight Length Table is also useful for estimating weight from length, while Fishing Records, Awards, and Trophy Room covers more of our fishing traditions.
Salmon Fishing
We headed out from Prince Rupert to target the migratory Chinook salmon heading toward the Skeena River. We fished around Edye Pass, Avery, and Dundas Island, and had some good fishing for both Chinook and coho.
Our biggest Chinook of the trip was caught by Ian (Hammer). It didn’t come close to B.O.’s 62 lb Chinook from our Prince Rupert Fishing 2010 trip, but it was still a good fish and a great fight.
We’d nicknamed Hammer Coho-Lingerson because, for the first half of the trip, all he seemed able to catch were coho and lingcod. Finally, near the end of the trip, he hooked into a really nice Chinook. We caught the fight on video, along with some of the other salmon fishing action from the trip.
The rest of us also caught quite a few Chinook and coho, although most of the fish were in the teens to twenty-pound range. One unusual thing we noticed was the number of jack salmon returning that year. We hadn’t seen that many since we started fishing the area in 2001.
For more on the techniques we use, see the FishinBC.COM Complete Guide to Salmon Fishing.
Orcas on the Fishing Grounds
One day during the trip, we returned to the spot where Brian caught his boat-record 62 lb Chinook in 2010. We fished the area for a while and landed a few nice Chinook in the 20 lb range. Then a pod of orcas arrived, their black dorsal fins breaking the surface as they swam right through the fishing grounds. It was quite a sight to have these magnificent animals passing through the same waters where we’d been catching salmon. Seeing whales is always exciting, but having them show up right in the middle of our fishing made the day even more memorable. We knew it was a good fishing spot from our own results, but it was pretty convincing to see the orcas had found it too!
Fishing Fails
We had some classic fishing fails on this trip too. A big yacht pulled up anchor with a ton of kelp dangling from the bow, Teddy got stereo-bombed by Donald Duck, and Oak performed a textbook long-line release of some codfish that was destined to become beautiful halibut bait.
Your Turn: What’s Your Biggest Halibut?
Oak’s 104 lb halibut took over the boat record in 2011 and earned him the Halibelt — at least until someone could catch a bigger one.
What’s the biggest halibut you’ve ever caught? Share the weight or length and whether it set a boat record of your own in the comments below.