How do you do it?

[BT]

I have never caught the right kind off of a yak before, especially anything that needed to be measured. I have caught my fair share of tuna, yt, and dorado from a boat, but I dont get to LJ on my yak much. I am not a morning person, so thats why I love hooping.

But last night, there I was hooping, and I was trying to make extra bait before the first pull. Thats when my sabiki hooks into a halibut that I bring almost to the surface before it gets unhooked. To me, someone who has never landed a legal halibut ever (just really short ones), it looked more than legal. It looked like the size of a door mat, and thats not including the tail. I was shocked to see it, and didnt expect it at all. At least now I know for next time what it feels like.

So hear is my question after thinking about my experience last night. I know halibut have to be 22" in total length, but how the hell do you measure ones that are close before bringing it on the yak? And last night, I would have gaffed that halibut because it looked big, but what if my novice eyes were wrong? I would have felt like a real schmuck sticking a gaff into something that wasnt big enough for me to take.

So any tips or thoughts on how to determine size on a close one if it is legal before bringing it on a yak? Or should I just play it safe and release it? Bringing home a hali is almost as rewarding as bringing home bugs...cause the wifey likes halibut just as much as lobster.