Halibut Fishing Tips

[Hurston]

Ok since the derby is a go for March 25th and I've never caught a Halibut before I figured I'd start a post asking all the 'Butt' fishermen on the site for some pointers.
So I'll start with a few questions
*How do I determine if the tide is right for Halibut fishing, use next weekend the 25th,26th for example
*Is drifting a viable alternative to anchoring?
*Is bait much better than the artificial jigs?
*Where is the easiest place for a 'Halibut Newb' to catch Halibut? Constance, SIdney, Sooke Bluffs, Jordan River, etc?
Feel free to give any tips or pointers

Thanx
Jason

 

[scott craven]

i am not a halie expert, but have fished them for years with bud's
soft tides are the best, look for short changes.you want tides
slow enough to keep your gear working.
have tried drifting, but anchoring up on a good spot seems to work
better.
the fresher the bait the better, if you can dip a fresh ball up
that is ideal...
jigs work good too, sweeten them up with a piece of herring or octapus, salmon belly etc.
good luck !

scotty

 

[marula]

Hey Hurston, not all but most people here anchor up. Up island and on the banks in more open water they drift as the currents don't run as fast.

More important first, have you anchored before and what are you doing for a set up? Done improper, it can be unsafe. One year a while back, 4 to 6 boats got swamped/sank. Safety first.

cheers

 

[Hurston]

I don't have the proper gear yet for anchoring in moving water, so I figured I'd try the drifting method 1st off.
When u anchor how long do u usually give the area before u move on if nothings happening?
I wondered if any of the areas would be more conducive to drifting?
I read all the links that Hallilamma posted on Halibut, which showed great gear setups.
I just have to find areas now and put in some hours.

 

[scott craven]

on a slow tide you can drift fish the oakbay flats
no problem, sandy bottom and not much to get hung up on.
you will likely see other boats doing the same
this time of year.

scotty

 

[SEARAM]

Word of advice , if you never use an anchor before in deep water , be very carefull, I personnaly would avoid anchoring ! Maybe an expert will jump in and and explain the real danger. There is more to it than just having an anchor and a rope long anough to reach bottom.

Gary

 

[Tailspin]

As Wolf has mentioned in past posts, If your not comfortable anchoring, Don't!
If you have not done it yet and plan to, it would be in better interest to get set up properly and try it in a low current or at dead slack in sandy bottom area as retrieving can be tricky when you get hung up. Hang ups do happen as there is all kinds of stuff down there. eg. rock piles, Old anchor lines, cables fishing nets.I was hung up myself on something heavy that we could drag all over but not get free from, "SNIP"$$$$$ I have also seen people do circles for hours trying to unwrap from debree before finally cutting loose. I am by no means trying to deter anyone from anchoring as practice is best, but be confident and try in a safe area first. Backtrolling in position with your kicker can work better than drifting with far less gear loss.

Island Outfitters used to put on a evening course to give you the basics and setup procedure for Halibut anchoring. Not certain if they still do?

 

[wolf]

OK hurston heres a couple of tips for you.

1. Do NOT anchor behind fellow fisherman for a couple of reasons if the person in front of you gets a big one on and he has to cut loose to chase it and he gets caught in your anchor he may be a bit pissed at you or if the current starts going to fast and the person in front of you breaks free he may hit your boat.dont think you want either of those happening to you or other fisherman.

2.Do not anchor close to fellow fisherman all the halibut are NOT under all the guide boats or other successfull fisherman look for your own little piece of the ocean its a very big place out there on that pond.

3.When your looking at current tables Ive found the best currents are -9 to a +9 as your maximum current flow as any more your line is out very far from the boat slacks or very slight currents where your gear is basically at a 45 degree angle is best.

4.There are hundreds of places to fish out there the best places are where you are on your own because when you sit for a long time creating scent out on the bottom a halibut will travel a long distance in search of your baits its a patience game sometimes you get them sometimes you dont just like in hunting you dont get one everytime your out look for pinnacles and valleys with gravel and rock you will however find some in sand and mud I personally dont fish them that often I like pinnacles and rock.

Lastly to all fisherman give people room out there if you think your too close to somebody you probably are. as for anchoring one thing to remember if im in 180 ft of water I have got over 400 ft of line out so Im going to move alot with the wind and current if your too close we will hook up!!!!so give at least 400 to 500 ft of room min. more is better in this case here 400 yds is great!!!!!!!
The current out there is very very powerfull and can flip a boat quite fast if you do not know how to anchor properly and wham it gets tangled in you leg the back end goes down guick ive seen it happen its does it very fast so please be carefull.

The currents for this sat are from are basically an all dayer but from 6:30 to 8:15 theres a strong ebb of -9 but after that its good to a mini flood from 10:30 to 2:45 but its onlya max of 0.4 and it takes over 4 hours to do that so very weak think of a bath tub full of water pull the plug out zoom out in 5 mins just pull the plug out sligtly takes 5 hours to drain same as on the ocean look for current flow over long periods.

Good luck to all in the derby

Wolf

 

[Hurston]

Thanx for all the great info so far<img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

 

[HALILLAMA]

Some quick answers are:
...pay attention to 'current tables'links avail...they are only a guide (reset the area to your liking)
...drifting,backtrolling,trolling,and anchoring all catch halibut each is a different
...yes bait outcatches jigs for hali this only my opinion (I do use both and everything in between)
...A good spot to try is the Bluffs and Flats(I've caught there, its flat bottom.stay away from RCA no fishing areas)
..preview every post and link of halibut,gear,tides over again and save some to favs they do update and you musta missed some.<img src=icon_smile_blush.gif border=0 align=middle>
...keep a detailed fishing log its amazing the fun inside for years to come!

Please Heed everyone's advice to being careful.!!!!!
Anchoring is not to be taken lightly.Anchor should fit size of boat& style of bottom,,,chain &size minimum (twice length of boat),,,scope (length)of rope should be 3:1 ratio(300'rodeto100'depth) when aboard and 5:1 when not aboard. Dont forget to set the anchor.Leave room to swing(tide,wind etc).Keep a sharp knive handy!!
Use a strong cleat and 'scotchmen' float to disconnect from when you've got one on.Also when its stuck leave it instead of cutting it off.Try it again at slack tide or opposite tide it will usually come
free.
These are only guidelines.Practice in good conditions first.Wear a lifejacket!I can name many bad experiences where anchoring and backtrolling ended up with very cold wet extra people on board my boat!One comes to mind of 4 over 55 yr olds sank their 23 ft backtrolling 5nm WSW from swiftsure while we watched. Another 29' sunk right beside us anchored at Race Rocks one day.He got the anchor rode caught up inthe shaft and put it in gear..wound the anchor right up thru the bottom. Went down quick ..we saved them 3 and 1 tacklebox.Scary
<img src=icon_smile_evil.gif border=0 align=middle>PLEASE DONT ANCHOR or drift right NEXT to anyone....<img src=icon_smile_dead.gif border=0 align=middle>... If you want that spot get up earlier!!400 yds apart is minimum!!!..the fish travel a long way.Ps I'm no expert, I learn every time I go thats why I go alot<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>Sorry I can't attend the Forum Derby.Will attend 'Just for the Halibut Derby'thou...GOOD LUCK everyone.

On The Beach

 

[marula]

Halla, great safety tips. I hesitate to encourage my salmon fishing friends about halli fishing unless I know they will anchor safe. Case in point, I took a seasoned salmon fisher to constance years ago and we pulled up a few good hali's. He got his friend interested who had a large twin screw diesel boat and headed out on sunday. With more enthusasim then education they proceeded to drop the bow anchor over a pinical. Having slipped back because of the tide before the anchor touched down they powered forward dangling the anchor line off the bow. Unfortuanetly they drove over the line and got it caught in one of the screws and did not know that. When one of the diesels stalled they started it up and revved it unknowingly winding up the anchor rode untill it holed the boat.

There are other and maybe better ways but this seams to work for me.

cheers


That evening I watched the news to see them plucked out of the water by the Coho ferry with the boat now an articfical reef. What saved their bacon was a hand held waterproof VHF. ( I bought one the next week)

I have the typical set up with a line attached from bow to the stern which the anchor rode , one way grabber and large scotchman attach to with a large "D" clip. Nearby is a sharp knife or two and my hand held vhf clipped to my floater jacket. In addition, the line from the bow goes to an eye on the stern, back up to a cleat with only one turn and then brought up to my steering station and left on the floor. I then put one foot on it which holds the whole line in place while I motor off to pull the anchor. Should I get the anchor really stuck and need to release quickly, i just lift my foot and the whole line slips off the boat, through the "d" clip on the rode and seperates me from the anchor.

 

[Tailspin]

Oops, I should of said buck the tide, bow first (not backtroll)<img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle>

 

[saltydawg]

Good info above!!
Heres another little tidbit. Buy the biggest Scotchman you can find.
You're already into it for $200 for anchor, chain, rope so don't cheap out on the float.
If you don't-Once the tide starts to rip and its time to skidadle... you unhook your boat and watch your 16" float get pulled under never to be seen again. Now your fish is worth about $10-$20 a pound.

 

[marula]

Saltydawg

been there, done that. Had a small scotchman, unhooked it at constantance and down it went.

It was 3 or 4 days before the wind died down untill i could go back to look for it. Luck was on my side and it was still there.

 

[HALILLAMA]

quote....'Now your fish is worth about $10-$20 a pound.'...
I wish....if wishes were???<img src=icon_smile_8ball.gif border=0 align=middle>I'd have caught them all..lol
remember hali= &gt;&lt;}}}}}:0-$$$$$$

Be Careful!!! get help to learn,there is so much info..here and
on places like Google (punch in anchoring) or better yet take some courses,power squadron,local college,local volunteers,library,outfitters.charlie white.etc the list goes on...
We had to learn too! It didn't happen overnite !!

On The Beach

 

[explorer185]

Got caught at East Race once, left the Scotsman as it went under. Came back in the afternoon and got mine back, and someone else's. Put a sign up at Peddar Bay and soon found the owner.

 

[starcraftttom]

I have anchored in moving water on the colubian river down here for salmon and sturgeon. we use a anchor, lots of rode, and a float with a one way sliding couple that allows you to drop your line and chase a fish then come back and use the float to pull you anchor. How are you rigged up and what is the process for dropping the hook?

teach a man to fish and he will steal all your best spots.

 

[marula]

Thats what i use here with the exception of a static line tied from bow to stern. The anchor rode is tied to a big stainless "D-clip". I get in position, clip on the rode to the static line at the side of the boat, turf the anchor over and let out line untill it hits; as the current pulls me back and the anchor rode is pulled to the bow along the static line. When it's time to go, I slowly motor around and ahead of the scotsman float as the anchor line on the clip slides down static line to the stern. At this point I get on a slow plane and pull the anchor line up through the one way grabber. As a precaution, the static line is not hard tied to the stern but goes through a stern eye, back up the boat to a cleat, one wrap of the cleat and then laid on the floor where I put my foot on it. If I need to release the anchor quick, i just lift my foot off the line and the anchor rode slips free.

 

[wolf]

Maurla Dont understand why you put your foot on it?????? mine is hard tied and all i do is have a knife ready under tension you wont believe how FAST a rope will go you have to barely even touch it.
I have 2 floats on my anchor line one is a 60 inch scotsman and a little 6 inch ball with a Big S/S caribener on that one which is about 30 ft from my scotsman and about 6 ft away from my bow with another 6 ft which then has my D clip so its all connected like on long rope. so when i do get a hog on i just grab the the little ball release the line leaving the caribener and the float and the scotsman and the anchor.
Now I get the fish in motor back up to the little float re clip and let it slip back up again to the bow. The reason why this way so if you do have to untie like i said the rope wont fall down and wrap around your scotsman its all right there very easy.

If you worried about how you hang up out there most people including me attach the chain on the back end of the anchor and attach a big zap strap to the eye with the chain so the zap strap breaks thus pulling from the back of the anchor. I also use a bruce anchor not a danforth.

Good luck Wolf

Edited by - wolf on 02/23/2006 15:30:09

 

[starcraftttom]

I quess that the rode to the bow and stern allows you to stay close to the controlls and throw the anchor your self. on the river the water is very fast but rather smooth. out in the salt I can see how you would not want to be out on the bow some days. This is a great idea even for around here where i am sturgeon fishing by myself. thanks for the replys.

teach a man to fish and he will steal all your best spots.