Finding halibut spots ... tips from the pros

Labman I know who you are now LOL LOL yes that was a funny day indeed .....

Funny my arse, it was cold and shi77y. and the Halis weren't being too friendly.
I 've been on those same holes in years past with alot of diffrent guides, twice with Kelly, last time out me and the wife limited out right about where you were sitting. ;-)
 
Finally after a few posts I get a fisherman talking, didn't mean to throw the lure out to you Optimist .....;-)
 
Great thread! Thanks to all who contribute to help us newbie's. Can't wait to get out there...
 
It seems everythings been said. I will add this- It took me years of learning hali fishing techniques to get any good at it and I still have lots to learn. I think a person should do what they can to learn especially listening to pros. However, I absolutely refuse to post anything Ive learned on a public forum. I may respond to a PM if Ive gotten to know the person, I may even give out a way point, but definately not to the public.
 
ILF- Totally agree, there are a handful of us who post on these websites and forums but we also have to think of the hundreds who just view and dont post. How many people do we want to end up on some of our spots. Its bad enough some of them mark with their GPS out there. I have certain spots I like to fish on weekend and during the week because on a wednesday you might not get "Joe Blo" Coming around and marking your spots!

I also took the last 5 years to get any good at hali fishing and im at maybe a 50% success rate! and for me thats awsome! I know over the next few years that number can only get better if the fish are there to catch!

I have also picked up a few "How to catch halibut on the west coast of BC" Books! And they explained to me a few more details on how the tide works and the bottom structure creates eddies and that will also hold fish picking up on bait in the slack areas!


-Steve
 
Ahhhhh..........right, guess I need to throw a bigger lure out to you, lol. Its no big science to try and figure out what to do to hunt these fish, as the saying goes....... You want a halibut, go get your own.
 
Can't disagree with what you say about how many lurkers are on the site FFG89, but there's a lot of new-comers like myself that are just looking for information regarding rigs, gear and technique rather than a spot off your GPS. I could spend hours upon hours reading books,(which I do anyhow), and searching on line for information, but I prefer to talk to, or chat on-line with, people that know what they are doing. It saves tons of time sorting wheat from chaff regarding the information and what works. Case in point is the thread on here regarding your top ten salmon lures. When it boiled down to it there were about 7-8 lures that almost everyone had as proven performers with a smattering of others thrown in the mix. As a newbie to west coast fishing, I could not even begin to calculate how much money this thread may have saved me in buying any of the gazzillion lures out there, experimenting with them, burning the boat gas, etc, only to find that with less than 20 lures in my tackle box, I could have all of the ones that are proven performers here. Yes there may be days on the water when only one of the lures not in that mix is the magic one catching fish, but for the most part I know with some degree of confidence that if I have those 20 lures in the box, the odds of me coming home with a fish are greatly increased on average.

It's no different on this Hali fishing thread. I can now eliminate a ton of water as unproductive area knowing the most productive depths and bottom structure, on average. I now know that the heavily scented baits will perform better, and to watch for large structure on flats that creates eddys in current where the big ones lye in wait. I also have learned that by knocking bottom I can potentially not only attract fish but trigger a strike that would otherwise be missed.

And I'm sure that there is more techniques and info out there.

Those of us that FISH want to learn what works and then try it on our own. Nothing beats the satisfaction you get from doing things this way.

The people out there that follow the guides, or park on someone else's butt are not fishermen to begin with. They are boat owners with a rod. Don't give them the satisfaction of being classed as sportsman. If they were sportsmen they would not behave the way they do.

And to the guides that share info between one another in order to put clients on fish, GOOD ON YOU. You are providing a valuable service not only to them, but to your communities as the clients spend their money with you and the other businesses in the region. There's nothing like successful word of mouth advertising to generate new and return business. But sharing your spots with another operator is far different than posting that info here. It is equivalent to inviting someone aboard your boat. That's the difference.

I doubt that many of the people who are participating members of this site, if any, ever drive up the butt of the guides to find a spot to fish. And those of us that are new to the sport appreciate the wealth of knowledge you provide us with on here. So as a newbie I say thanks and keep the flow of info coming.
 
I doubt that many of the people who are participating members of this site, if any, ever drive up the butt of the guides to find a spot to fish.


OH yes they do.... alot of them do on here....... thats why its hard to talk about it I learned the hard way and lost good spots(one time I had 3 boats off of the waterfront just to follow me out) as i dont post my results on here much at all, Now Trev is getting it and Justin.
If you PM me I always answer questions, As i was new to it as well one time and i know it really helps.

BTW what is
sorting wheat from chaff
I know what wheat is .... what the hell is chaff???? sounds like something you get when you dont wash your crotch for a week LOL LOL
remeber im not from the praires... LOL LOL
 
OH yes they do.... alot of them do on here....... thats why its hard to talk about it I learned the hard way and lost good spots(one time I had 3 boats off of the waterfront just to follow me out) as i dont post my results on here much at all, Now Trev is getting it and Justin.
If you PM me I always answer questions, As i was new to it as well one time and i know it really helps.

BTW what is I know what wheat is .... what the hell is chaff???? sounds like something you get when you dont wash your crotch for a week LOL LOL
remeber im not from the praires... LOL LOL

"Chaff" the unusable cellulose husk that surrounds and protects a seed. IE the crap that covers up the good stuff. I guess that could go for an unwashed crotch. EEEEEUUUUUEEE!

Sorry to hear my assumption about some of the members on the site was wrong. Seemed to me from reading the posts that the vast majority of participating guys and girls on here were true sportsmen. Can't speak for the lurkers as you can't judge a person's character if they never even say anything.

And thanks for the offer of info by PM. I'll take you up on that.
 
Yes there are very few people on this site that wont help you with gear, rigs, set ups, technique and baits and even the general location of finding halibut.

After you have all that stuff sorted out finding the halibut becomes a challenge to all of us. Dont think that if you get halis on a spot that they will always be there. I fished a spot last year and got 5 and then fished it 5-6 other times only to get skunked each time.

-Steve
 
I have a good trick, that help get the point across.

When buddy follows you right to the spot, stop throw your ballon over and pretend to anchor...once he throws the pick beside you, pull your float back in and bugger off. Works wonders derby day. If they still follow you, get the flare gun out.:cool:
 
halibut spots around victoria

you dont always have to go far from shore alot of the most productive spots thirtyorforty years ago were near the shorelinewherepeoplefished them because theydidnt know any better.
 
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I've read all the where to aim harpoon threads, but did I see recently that some pros harpoon on anchor and shark hook when drifting? Is that because they tend to lie flat due to current on anchor and hang tail down when drifting?
Cool thread.
 
i like to have both ready if it feels like it is over 40lbs... good point tho, vertical =hook em... horizontal poon em.. pooning just more fun ,IMO
 
thanks for this discussion. i only started halibut fishing 3 years ago, this will be my 4th season and i am gratefull to learn that others have also had to climb that steep learning curve.
 
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