For party boats north of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where the target species these days is usually pollock, haddock, or cusk, the holy grail of headboat catches is the halibut.
The longer, farther-ranging trips to distant ledges like Fippennies or Cashes offer the best, albeit still distant, shot at hooking an Atlantic halibut. Yet every year, boats like the American Classic and the Eastman’s Fleet catch these massive flatfish.
The crew of the American Classic was hoping to see a halibut as they departed for Cashes Ledge last weekend. On the grounds, they immediately found pollock and cusk biting. With a few groundfish on ice, 13-year Jackson Denio took one of his catches, a pollock, and sent it to the bottom on a big hook and heavy tackle. Before long, he had a take. After a hard fought battle, the deckhands secured Jackson’s catch, a 178.9-pound Atlantic halibut, which should place Jackson in the record book for holding the IGFA Junior Record for Atlantic halibut once the fish is approved.
Other notable halibut catches in recent years include a 73-incher caught by a haddock fisherman on Jeffreys Ledge back in June, a line-class record caught off Cape Cod in July 2024, and a 135-pounder caught on the Helen-H in August 2023.
(Photo from Al Gauron Deep Sea Fishing and Whale Watching)
