About those seabed areas

[Sea lyin’]

Pouring over my new charts looking for new halibut areas. I see places with sand, gravel, rocks and areas of mud and shells. I know halibut like a gravel bottom over mud but I don’t know what to think about areas marked as having a shell bottom. Are they worth checking out? Do halibut even hang out on a bottom made of shells? And I’m curious as to how a shell bottom area even forms? Seems like you’d need an awful lot of seashells to have enough to consider it being called a shell bottom.

 

[cuttlefish]

Mollusks have relatively short lifespans but their shells last a long time. Clams make good bait for halibut. So I would guess if the shell bottom was made up of clam shells it would be worth checking out.

 

[Sea lyin’]

Nice. Thanks for the info. Makes sense to me.

 

[Wondermur]

Pouring over my new charts looking for new halibut areas. I see places with sand, gravel, rocks and areas of mud and shells. I know halibut like a gravel bottom over mud but I don’t know what to think about areas marked as having a shell bottom. Are they worth checking out? Do halibut even hang out on a bottom made of shells? And I’m curious as to how a shell bottom area even forms? Seems like you’d need an awful lot of seashells to have enough to consider it being called a shell bottom.

I thought the sh on maps was for shale...or shingle? supposedly a Hali hangout spot.

 

[Sea lyin’]

I thought the sh on maps was for shale...supposedly a Hali hangout spot.

My navionics app says bottoms marked SH is shell?

 

[Wondermur]

My navionics app says bottoms marked SH is shell?

Ok. There is ss I see also. Maybe that is shale/shingle?

 

[Sea lyin’]

Ok. There is ss I see also. Maybe that is shale/shingle?

I’m going to have to check later. I haven’t seen a SS area yet

 

[Howzer]

On CHS charts 'Sh' signifies shells... Not sure if Navionics follow suit, they may follow U.S. designations? (Although US symbols I believe are the same...)

 

[Sea lyin’]

Yes they’re the same.
SH= shell
S= sand

 

[gone fishin]

I have caught lots of Halibut in the Mud Hole off William Head and other areas where the mud is still hanging off the anchor.
120' to 380' Rocky, Sandy and Mud bottoms. So.....go figure. The halibut are where you find them. Good Luck