Aussie wants to fish for Halibut

[Paikea]

Hi all.
I live in Cronulla, Sydney Australia. A keen saltwater fisherman I have just (once again) changed my boat after damaging my shoulder from trying to push a heavy F/G boat onto its trailer. Boat No 14 is a 490C Barcrusher 4mm thick aluminium plate boat, a great rough water boat. (www.barcrusher.com.au). After owning some much larger boats including two Game Fishing cruisers the smaller boat is a revelation in terms of ease of handling and being able tp park it in my garage. As a 76 YO ease of handling becomes important.

My reason for joining your site is that catching a Halibut has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. My wife and I have just arranged a 25 day plus holiday in BC and Alaska in July/August 2016 and if possible I would like to have a fish for Halibut either at the beginning or after the end of the tour. I would appreciate any advice that members may be able to provide re charter opportunities from Vancouver.

 

[trophywife]

head to the west coast of vancouver island... book a stay in bamfield or barkley sound lodge and hire......... me!!



google barkley sound lodge... only 16km off the paved road and an affordable floating lodge experience!

 

[profisher]

Lots of good halibut fishing in the Victoria waters and an easy trip over from Vancouver

 

[Grace underfire]

Paikea,
You are going to have to get away from Vancouver to stand a reasonable chance of catching halibut. The west coast of Vancouver island in Bamfield or Uclulet are good options. Besides, it's a beautiful place to see.
Best of luck.

 

[terrin]

If its on your Bucket list and you want to catch and keep a big one better off doing it up in Alaska as for sportfisher's in B.C. its catch and release for anything bigger than 133cm.

 

[the fog ducker]

if its quick day trip , and your in the Victoria area ,
ive had decent success on our own as well as a hiring a guide ,
give Wolf a call on this forum , one of the best in the area it sounds like ,

if you have the time and a vehicle that doesnt mind a 75 minute gravel road , good road ,
theres plenty of fish and good guides available in Bamfield, Trophywife , Rockypoint Charters, Mills Landing , JP's fishing adventures i believe its called , all will hook ya up ....
or if the gravel road is not an option , hit Ucluelet , lots of great guides , i highly recommend Ken Myers , excellent
accommodation in the area, awesome drive in , plenty of great spots to stop and check out at all 3 areas mentioned
gd lk
fd

 

[Last Chance]

July and August are a bit late for Victoria halibut, but a bit sooner then that I could take you.

 

[scott craven]

Awesome boats, someone should start producing them in Canada.

 

[Rum Buddies]

wow - business slow guys?

 

[ericl]

Hi Paikea. This may help:
http://www.halibut.net

Halibut are certainly caught in the locations in the posts above, but I would not rate them as great anymore. Great is when you get bit within 10 seconds of hitting bottom every drop. When i commercial fished them, we would have one on every hook (hooks were 6 feet apart) when we were in a good area. 15 miles of hooks in 1200ft of water.

If you want that "oh wow" experience you need something larger than 25kg. I was at Langara Island this June & we found a spot where we got a 90, 50, & a 30 (pounds) in a few minutes time - the largest was over the size limit. We also got a 40lb in 40ft of water about 3 minutes from the lodge, so I'd rate Langara Island as pretty good Halibut fishing, but this is an expensive trip. Primary focus is on Salmon & we had to work on the guide a bit to get him to go out for Halibut and pick a calm day as the boats used there are rather small. I went with www.westcoastfishingclub.com
Some areas in Alaska have a maximum size limit as well - be sure to check the regs before you decide on a location. Even if legal, it may be "boat rules" to release the larger fish.
Most Halibut fishing will be done in open ocean waters 200 - 400 feet deep, so weather/ocean conditions can be an issue. Best way around this is to book a multi-day trip. Tides are an issue. Usually smaller tides are better. http://www.tides4fishing.com/ should help you pick a good time. In BC, Halibut fishing is a side show with Salmon being the main target; very few if any dedicated Halibut-only operations & most boats are 25ft or less. Alaska is different; lot's of 40ft+ boats that only go Halibut fishing. There may be some great Halibut opportunities in sheltered waters as well in Alaska; I'd give Dutch Harbor a close look.

Bottom line is meeting your expectations. Also, there is an El Nino event this year so areas like Bamfield/Ucluelet/Tofino could be worse than usual.

 

[Dogbreath]

Rental vehicles aren't supposed to be taken on dirt roads.

If OP can't find someone to trade with I suggest he look for a shared charter with someone out of Ukee.

 

[fogged in]

July and August are a bit late for Victoria halibut, but a bit sooner then that I could take you.

with the greatest of respect Last Chance...we have some of our BEST halibut fishing in September and October off Victoria
Back to the Aussie who wants to tick off a Halibut on his bucket list...I would suggest he take a salmon charter with you and have some sport of landing a 20 plus pound Chinook.
Sure the excitement of the search for halibut and the thrill of that first run is great, but after that it's strictly a meat fishery, like pulling up a rock from the bottom....but we all love fresh halibut.
That's my take.

 

[trophywife]

Hi Paikea.

Bottom line is meeting your expectations. Also, there is an El Nino event this year so areas like Bamfield/Ucluelet/Tofino could be worse than usual.

worse than usual? bro, do even fish?

 

[Aces]

Bottom line is meeting your expectations. Also, there is an El Nino event this year so areas like Bamfield/Ucluelet/Tofino could be worse than usual.

Lol!!

 

[ericl]

Been fishing WCVI since 1983 - El nino year BTW. I have experienced firsthand the decline & the El nino years. Don't fish it like you guy's do but since 1983 at least 3-4 days a year. Late 80's - early 90's had a boat moored in Ucluelet/Tofino & went often. Don't get me wrong - I'd rather fish where you guy's are than anywhere on earth - but this guy is coming all the way from Australia, is 75 years old & wants to tick a bucket list item off the list. You need to be old to "get that" - I'm 65 & working on my bucket list - a Spring over 50 - wanna help me out? Get Wya open in August.

Check this out:

http://www.halibut.net/halibut-hotspots.htm

I have fished 2 of these spots & believe they belong on the list.

How about you guys offer to take this guy out for 3 days for $2K & if he does't get something over 50 he get's his money back?

 

[trophywife]

This was 2.5 hrs on one of the inside spots.. 55-40lbs.. Frequently we release overs on the same hill..
Definitely would not be asking for 2k.. Maybe 4-5 hundy for a half day plus accommodations..

Always good hali fishin in barkley.. Even el nino years.




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[ericl]

Hi trophywife. I'll shut-up - you have my sincerest apology, Eric

 

[Last Chance]

with the greatest of respect Last Chance...we have some of our BEST halibut fishing in September and October off Victoria
Back to the Aussie who wants to tick off a Halibut on his bucket list...I would suggest he take a salmon charter with you and have some sport of landing a 20 plus pound Chinook.
Sure the excitement of the search for halibut and the thrill of that first run is great, but after that it's strictly a meat fishery, like pulling up a rock from the bottom....but we all love fresh halibut.
That's my take.

The OP was going to be here for July and August, not Sept-Oct, which I agree is usually hood.for hali. The hali are here all the time, the relentless dogfish in the summer take a lot of the fun out of it, which is why I usually reccommend to my clients the shoulder seasons for them off Vic..