The very size of Alaska halibut make them an exciting angling prospect. Halibut--found throughout the marine waters of Alaska--are the world's largest flatfish; some exceed 400 pounds, including the 459-pound record fish caught in Unalaska Bay in 1996. The bigger fish are female, as male halibut rarely reach 100 pounds. Halibut migrate clockwise through the Gulf of Alaska, regularly passing the mouth of the Deep Creek, a legendary site of excellent halibut fishing.
Identification
Halibut are bottom swimmers, usually found on mud, gravel or sand banks. As flatfish, they start life in an upright position, one eye on each side of the head. Soon, however, the left eye moves across to the right side of the head and the fish end up with both eyes on one side of their flat body. By six months, the young halibut settle to the bottom in shallow areas near the shore, which is where savvy anglers seek them.
Geography
Alaska is halibut territory, and the fish is found along every state coastline except the Arctic, including the Aleutian chain, the Gulf of Alaska and the southeastern Alaska panhandle. Although the majority of halibut are caught at depths of 90 to 900 feet, some have been recorded far deeper--down to 3,600 feet. They move between shallow and deep waters, moving to ocean depths in the fall to spawn and returning to shore-line feeding areas in early summer.
Cook Inlet Halibut
Kenai Peninsula is a large almost-island of land just below Anchorage in southern Alaska. The Cook Inlet separates Kenai from the Alaska mainland to the north. Central Cook Inlet halibut fishing is among the finest in the state, much of it concentrated just off the mouth of a small river flowing into the inlet, Deep Creek. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Sport Fish Division, more than 200,000 halibut are caught in the Central Cook Inlet region each year.
Deep Creek Access
The state-operated Deep Creek Recreation Area, located at mile 137.3 of the Sterling Highway, offers day use facilities and campgrounds at Deep Creek Beach. The park includes a boat launch, located in Deep Creek near Cook Inlet where halibut charters and private halibut fishermen put into Cook Inlet.
Considerations
The coastal waters off Deep Creek continue to offer halibut fishermen excellent results. If you decide to vary your pleasures, the small river itself holds four kinds of salmon and is a popular spot for bank fishing. In addition, Deep Creek Beach offers some of the best razor clamming available.
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