California man catches 482-pound halibut in Alaska

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A California man hooked the catch of a lifetime while on vacation in Alaska.

The Orange County Register reports Friday (http://bit.ly/1qQSWU9) 76-year-old Jack McGuire of Santa Ana caught a 482-pound Pacific halibut.

McGuire struggled for 40 minutes before the giant fish was reeled in.

His catch outweighs the 459-pound Pacific halibut caught in Alaska in 1996 that is the world record, but it doesn’t meet International Game Fish Association regulations. The halibut was shot, then harpooned before it was brought aboard the boat, disqualifying the catch from being considered for a world record.

McGuire was on a weeklong fishing trip near Glacier Bay with his three children when he caught the 95-inch-long fish.

He says the boat captain shot the giant fish to keep it from flopping around and hurting someone. He applauded the decision, even if it contributed to him not getting the record.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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