halibut on the downrigger

[juandesooka]

I recall a thread last year that talked about using a downrigger for halibut fishing, as a way to get the gear down in a current or just as a way to fish the hali without the extra weight, as well as not having to winch up that 2lb ball and other gear when checking bait.

I am intrigued by the idea, curious to know more from those who have given this a try.

It isn't illegal (as the downrigger weight isn't fixed). The main issue I could see would be tangling of the leader on the mainline, either as you drop the gear, or if it is down there on a slack current -- this would mean you're not actually fishing because your gear is all tied up, but when you release the clip and pull it up, it all straightens out on the way up, so you don't know it. Another issue would be whether the presence of the downrigger line and ball cause less bites -- which I doubt with these voraciously hungry creatures.

I tried this set up last weekend, with 1 line on DR, 2 lines normal. Current was slack to light. I kept the DR line closest to the boat, with the other 2 lines behind the boat, to minimize tangles.

I put the spreader bar on the DR line, with the weight attaches to short arm, a DR clip on long arm, and then the mainline clipped in -- with maybe 2 feet of leader past that to the bait. However, it was not a very good test, as the only bite we got was one dogfish bite, on the non-DR rod.

What revisions to this set up would make it work better? Or tips on how to drop the gear to minimize the chance of it screwing up?

 

[yo mama]

I have done it but never had a lot of luck. Definitely better used when the current starts barking as at slack it just causes a big tangle.

 

[roughrider]

Tried this a few years ago at Nootka when I ran short of leads. Lost a halibut, 60 feet of DR cable, about 100 feet of Power Pro.

Got a fish on, tried to pop out of release clip, no luck.

Tried to bring DR up slowly and realized that my DR cable and fishing line were one braided mass for the bottom 100 feet.

Cut line and bring in DR slowly while unravelling line from cable.

At this point my DR arm is bouncing up and down about a foot at a time and I'm getting pretty worried about my downrigger. (Scotty 1106)

At around the 60 foot mark there is one big tug and bye bye everything.

I've never had the urge to try it again since.

I know its quite common in the Queen Charlottes.

 

[SpringFever2359]

..halis off riggers,
just over 80% of the halis I've caught have been all off the rigger...... we were TROLLING,just off or within 25-30ft of the bottom...

not what OP is eluding to, but has been effective for me personally...

 

[Sculpin]

We started off 100 percent jigging for our halibut years ago and are now about 75 percent trolling like SpringFever552 stated above and 25 percent jigging in our favourite jigging spots. We like trolling along the top edge of steep drop offs on the banks. We drop the balls down till they hit and bring them up 5 feet. Turd or white hootchie behind a glow geen or white flasher works like a charm. You cover alot of ground trolling for them.

Sometimes we have marked the spot of the hit and after getting that trolled fish into the boat we go back over or just past the marked spot and jig for them with good results as well.

 

[juandesooka]

RR...that sounds like reason enough not to go there....unless you're in current and need to. Could do that and stack a salmon rod above ... fun in a current to run a spoon, should a coho happen by. Trolling at anchor!

Jackel...you're right, not getting any younger, those 2 lb balls will be the end of me! ;-) Nah, part of this is just wanting to play the fish without all the gizmos attached, just like you cutpluggers...no flasher, no weight, you and the fish...

 

[searun]

J. works like a hot dam, no need to jig them up unless you want the exercise or the big hogs. Jigging almost always gets you larger fish.

 

[Lipripper]

Jigging almost always gets you larger fish.

Jigging is work and little ones taste better

 

[juandesooka]

Jigging is work and little ones taste better

"That's what she said!"

Eww.

 

[bananas]

John i think your talking about being on the hook not trolling rite. It works but you must have current or you will just get wrapped up over and over. I'll pm you some ideas to try.

 

[beemer]

I have had reasonable success with a downrigger setup for halibut. In order to keep you line from tangling with your downrigger line you need current and I add a mini flasher to keep the line out from the rigger.

Something to think about is the top current can often be heading a different direction than the bottom current , so if you are not trolling you need to watch your line carefully at anchor or you will end up with some epic tangles.

good luck , beemer

 

[Pippen]

..halis off riggers,
just over 80% of the halis I've caught have been all off the rigger...... we were TROLLING,just off or within 25-30ft of the bottom...

not what OP is eluding to, but has been effective for me personally...

x2!!!

 

[sammyslabber]

..halis off riggers,
just over 80% of the halis I've caught have been all off the rigger...... we were TROLLING,just off or within 25-30ft of the bottom...

not what OP is eluding to, but has been effective for me personally...

x3 A 65+ lbs. in 70' water off lagoon bch. Vic.Trolling 2 herring jigged off gorge br. day before; most caught Hardy Airport 9 Hali @90' in a 2hr span, trolling a flasher + hoochy short leader.

 

[Sitkaspruce]

We troll and bottom bounce for them using riggers, kicking the engine in and out of gear and letting ball bounce off the bottom. We use a big herring in a herring teaser dripping in attractant usually w/o a flasher or a big glow white hootchie with glow flasher. Very effective when the weather cooperates.

Cheers

SS

 

[teamchachi]

I fish the Ucluelet banks a couple of weeks every year. We usually have a rod near the bottom running anything from hoochies, to spoons, to Tomic plugs. We pickup Chinook, Coho, and Halibut on the deep rod all the time. I think that it is actually a pretty good way of targeting Halibut because you end up covering a LOT more ground than you would drifting?

 

[magnum357]

I've been rigger fishing halis for a couple of years now...I get in about 220' of water off Quatsino, set one rigger a little shallower (140' - 180') to get the speed right and then drop the other rigger (I use 12# finned pancakes) right to bottom on those sandy humps around Lawn Point with a flasher and a herring in a teaser or a hoochie (green seems to work pretty well). If they're around, you know it right away...usually get a pickup within a couple of minutes of tagging bottom. I pick up lings, yelloweye, and the odd spring as well. Have never gotten any huge halis, but 30 - 50 lbs is fairly common.

I like Sitka's strategy of knocking the kicker out of gear to let the ball drop back down as you're trolling...that might keep me from having to pay out so much cable to stay in contact with bottom...I'm usually only good for three or four re-drops before there's close to 300' of cable out, and that only has me fishing for 20 - 30 min at a time. Thanks for the tip!!