On the last day of the 2014 Seward Halibut Jackpot Tournament, Penn Pro Staff Capt. Andy Mezirow and the crew of the Crackerjack Voyager did the impossible and caught a giant 312-pound Pacific Halibut. The largest halibut landed in Seward, Alaska, since the 337-pounder the Crackerjack Voyager landed to win the 2011 Tournament. The fish was caught on a bait fished from a Penn International 12 VSX II speed reel and a Penn Carnage Rod.
The angler and his group from Russia were ecstatic about the catch and had chartered the boat for the purpose of catching a derby winning halibut. The fight lasted 30 minutes and the fish was taken in the waters of the Prince William Sound. This fish marks three grand prize winners in the last four years for Captain Andy on the Crackerjack Voyager.
Mezirow attributes guiding fishermen to three of the last four grand prize winners in the Seward Jackpot Halibut Tournament to a few basic elements: Good tackle, a great crew and knowing where and when to be.
“I have been very fortunate to surround myself with a crew that is as focused in catching these fish as I am,” Mezirow said.
Leading up to the winning halibut, Mezirow had landed six daily big fish winners in the last three weeks, including a 251-pounder. The angler Case Voyt caught the 251-pounder on the last day of a three day long-range trip on the Crackerjack Voyager. He hooked this giant halibut in 150 feet of water in the North Gulf Coast of Alaska. He was fishing one of Captain Andy Mezirow’s Penn Fathom 25’s spooled with 65-pound Berkley tracer braid and a 10′ Berkley Pro Spec 80 fluorocarbon leader tied to an 8 oz. lead head and a Berkely White power bait 8″ grub. The fight lasted 45 minutes.
Captain Andy said “One thing is for sure, I can depend on my tackle to hold up to the pulling power of giant Pacific halibut.”