You might call Nick Rose-Rankin a lucky man. Last Saturday he won first place in the long-running Monterey Bay Kayaks Kayak Fishing Derby. And, he did it in a fashion never seen before in MBK Derby history. His winning entry was not just the fish of the day, but possibly the fish of a lifetime! Rose-Rankin returned to the weigh-n table with a California halibut that measured 44.5 inches and weighed out just a hair under 40 pounds. By far the biggest halibut ever measured for the MBK Derby, and likely the biggest any of the contestants will ever have the opportunity to see.

“It is the largest halibut I’ve ever seen, and the biggest fish I’ve ever caught,” Rose Rankin reported.

 

Rose-Rankin is a transplant from Central Texas who ended up living in Pacifica 15 years ago. On a visit to nearby Half Moon Bay one weekend, he saw a guy setting up his fishing kayak with a sonar unit prior to go-out. They struck up a conversation and then a friendship when Rose-Rankin got his own kayak to fish the reefs and rocky points of that area just south of San Francisco. An active member of NorCal Kayak Anglers Forum, he entered the MBK Derby with no expectations of taking the grand prize, but rather to share in the camaraderie and to support the Derby’s aims.

 

MBK sponsors this yearly contest to promote safe and fun kayak fishing build community and donates all proceeds to worthy ocean related non-profits. While most years’ proceeds have gone to the Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project, this year owner Cass Schrock and MBK manager Adam Helm will forward the proceeds to Kayak Fishing For Beginners INC. KFFB is a non-profit organization aimed to help veterans, kids, and people with disabilities get into the sport of kayak fishing safely. Helm was instrumental in establishing KFFB and continues in a leadership role with the organization. He also coordinates the yearly fishing derby. 

 

Despite the Department of Fish and Wildlife early in-season closure for rockfish and lingcod this year, Helm was gratified to see a healthy attendance at the contest. “We had 89 people sign up and 67 showed up. We had great weather. Calm winds and sea. The top three largest fish were all California halibut. The bite was a bit slow. There was a large pod of dolphins that many were able to see. Due to the new regulations no one was able to keep any rockfish, cabezon, lingcod, or greenling. Many had caught these fish but all were safely released. Overall, around 10 halibut were caught. All were of the larger variety,” Helm reported.

 

For Rose-Rankin, the day was anything but slow. He enjoyed a major adrenaline experience while hooking and fighting his gigantic halibut.  As he recounts, “ I went down to the hotel then on the way back found a big fish on a frozen anchovy. Heavy with big head shakes up from 80 feet to about 20 feet, then a handful of heavy but short runs down.  Good gaff shot at the boat but it was heavy and woke up when I was getting the stringer in. Big washing machine action, gaff came out but I got it back in. Got it on the stringer and paddled back with it on the front of the kayak. Couldn’t fit it in my kill bag and didn’t want to try and lose it.  It was a ‘go-home fish.’  This thing was a beast, it weighed in 39.39 pounds and 44.5 inches. Biggest fish let alone halibut I ever caught. Still so happy I didn’t lose it at the boat.” Then in what is perhaps the understatement of the day and in Texan style he added, “Thanks again Adam and MBK, amazing day. Y'all went big this year.”