Cant Catch a Hali :(

[TelStar26]

Wow!! I didnt expect so many replys! Thanks for all the tips and info!

Just to recap here....

I like the idea of heading out with a guide. Im going to really push my fishing buddies to go in on it with me.

Another proven method is to grab a couple buddies
Take a guided Trip with one of the boys and cut your learning curve in half...
It will more than pay for itself in the amount of Hali's you will catch once you learn from the pro's.. so worth it...
Ask lots of questions and get some hands on experience.. years of knowledge packed into a day on the water.. cant beat it...

Fishing on a good, or know hali spot.... more questions about this later....

You should also look for areas that hold feeding halibut and or routes used to travel to feeding grounds.. a good method is to search charts and establish troughs from deeper water that move into shallower easier accessed fishing areas.Halibut have been known to navigate from these areas in search of food - gravel or sandy substrates will hold halibut until it's time to feed -then they will move to feed in areas such as pinicles ect that hold bait fish.Like any species area, food source will be a factor in finding fish.

And I see how many of you stress the scent trail.....Check

It's the scent that draws them to where you are.

A little bit of current would be ideal say .5kts - just enough current to get the scent moving down stream, although we've caught plenty of big fish when the current was pumping close to 2kts.

Another thing - no need to go moving your anchor over and over. Every time you do that you gotta start your scent field again.. Moral of the story: put the time in - it'll happen!

exc, exc.....

I should try and focus on only a couple spots....Check

Just keep at it and try not limit the areas you fish. If you can pick 2-3 known halibut spots and keep working them in different currents and from different angles eventually you'll find out what works for each area. If you fish a new spot every weekend you might never land on a spot when its feeding time.

Tides and currents.. This seems to be THE biggy! When I get a bit more time, Im going to sit down and really get a grasp of the moon phases, tides, ebbs, floods exc, and im sure ill get back to all of you with more in depth questions about them all.

Thanks again for the help guys, Its given me some more confidence and a slightly differnt game plan for next time!

 

[TheSookesOfHazzard]

Glad you found what you were looking for!

One more thing about Hali spots - check your chart for pinnacles and drop-offs (they are pretty obvious) and if the spot is large enough, typically you fish it on the down-current side. So say you want to fish Constance Bank - if it's flooding, you'd probably want to anchor on the west side. Fish often hold in the back eddies formed by structure to conserve energy and also to ambush baitfish that get pushed into the area.

Go slay em'!

 

[Fisher Down]

Whats with all the Italian in the hali thread??

Haha - is the Spanish that bad?
Not cool, though - it'd be rude with buddies at the pub and it's poor taste here, too.
Start a Spanish thread if that's your play. This IS an English language place - you know that.

This IS an English site - that's what I said (using Internet Explorer 9... highlight the text -> right click -> Tranlate with Bing).

F D

 

[sammyslabber]

This IS an English site - that's what I said (using Internet Explorer 9... highlight the text -> right click -> Tranlate with Bing).

F D

If anyone wants to ask me a question in spanish ..i'll answer them in spanish. btw the only thing rude are your comments!

 

[pescador]

Diversity... alive and well on SFBC. The odd dip into the vast landscape of Canada's diverse cultures isn't going to harm anyone....lol....peace out. Lets all try to get along, no disrespect intended. Lets focus on what's really important, fishing......

 

[sammyslabber]

Pescador..Well put,of course I wouldn't expect anything less from a scholar & gentleman.If Espana had it's way we could all be speaking Espanol as a 2nd language!!
Saludos!
ss