Catching halibut with ChatGPT

OpenAI

February 4, 2025

ChatGPT

Using ChatGPT to catch halibut.

The interior walls are plastered with literally thousands of snapshots of fisherfolk proudly holding their scaly prizes - big and small - all caught with bait and gear thoughtfully procured from the neighborhood institution. For more than half a century, Gus’ Discount Tackle has been well known among local anglers as the place to go for all your fishing needs - and good conversation to boot. So Adam started chewing the fat with Stephanie, the owner, by showing her ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode on his phone:

“Have you heard about Gus’ Discount Tackle? It’s one of the best tackle shops in the San Francisco area.”

To Stephanie’s surprise, ChatGPT answers in a preselected pirate voice.

“It’s a treasure trove for gear, whether ye be a seasoned sea dog or a landlubber looking to make your first catch.”  

Adam is an unlikely social influencer. Instead of taco reviews, the latest fits or dancing tutorials, he’s created and shared hundreds of hours of fishing content. The videos typically feature Adam on his kitted-out sea kayak in and around the Bay and surrounding waters. Reeling in rockfish, lingcod and halibut from his bobbing perch with an enthusiastic and informative live commentary has earned him Internet fame in a niche community. His following has grown big enough that he recently - and with his wife’s permission - was able to quit his office job and go fishing full time. 

“I create fishing videos essentially for a living and share them with the world on YouTube. My channel is called Diehard Fishing. I grew up in the Bay Area, so I’m more familiar with this area fishing wise. And more recently I’ve branched out a little bit doing some traveling. I recently took a trip to Panama, to Alaska and basically all up and down the California coastline.”

“I’m out fishing and I’m not catching anything and I was thinking. Man, there are so many things with fishing… So I had an idea, let’s just get AI to take care of it all for us.”