Halibut Reports 2009 South Island

Threw in a Tulista yesterday. Drifted with whole herring for three hours (100ft/average) near Zero Rock. One bite that was it. Nothing.

It got a little lumpy for the Wife (okay, for me too) so we stopped and drifted down the channel between James and Sidney (135/ft) for an hour and a half. Nothing.

Nice to get out though. Can't imagine a more beautiful place to live.

Still have yet to meet my first Halibut.
 
Was jigging for rockfish at William Head today, after a long and useless time hali fishing with no bites. Went to 150 ft of water and hit a 50 pound hali on a mooching rod, now that was a ridiculos fight, got it to the boat my buddy harpoons in and i have the rope and its dancing around the boat, i notice the harpoon is thru the gills not the back, so i pull it closer to gaff it, and the harpoon head ripps thru the gills, bye bye beautiful hali, :( my buddy had never harpooned i cant blame him. But what a battle! wow, very unexpected!


-Steve
 
Was jigging for rockfish at William Head today, after a long and useless time hali fishing with no bites. Went to 150 ft of water and hit a 50 pound hali on a mooching rod, now that was a ridiculos fight, got it to the boat my buddy harpoons in and i have the rope and its dancing around the boat, i notice the harpoon is thru the gills not the back, so i pull it closer to gaff it, and the harpoon head ripps thru the gills, bye bye beautiful hali, :( my buddy had never harpooned i cant blame him. But what a battle! wow, very unexpected!


-Steve
 
I'd be pissed... maybe tempted to harpoon my buddy to show'em how it's done.
 
I'd be pissed... maybe tempted to harpoon my buddy to show'em how it's done.
 
The best place to hit a hali is right in the guts, look at some of Justin and myselfs pics it goes in like butter and holds as there is rib bones and is so soft there when they do start to go mental its not there pivot point as there head is as like just happened it will pull out.

I aim right at the pectoroal fin the best part too is most of the time they bleed when you hit em there here is a pic of one
halibut2007023.jpg


What I have is the harpoon that looks like 2 arrow heads I took the rope off at the head unit and replaced it with metal cable which is about 18 inchs long with a loop on the end of it then my rope with a big stainless steel snap on it so when I do harpoon a hali just un do it and grab the head and pull loop thru to be ready for the next one, about 15 ft from there I have the float and another 15 ft to the boat so the float works like a big shock absorber (remember jaws) LOL

Since I have pooning fish this way I have never lost 1 fish 15 years ago we were always tod "HIT EM IN THE HEAD" well after a few times of the poon not going in or pulling out I learned the hard way as well you wont believe how easy it passes into the fish this way try it it works great!!!!

Good luck out there wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com
 
The best place to hit a hali is right in the guts, look at some of Justin and myselfs pics it goes in like butter and holds as there is rib bones and is so soft there when they do start to go mental its not there pivot point as there head is as like just happened it will pull out.

I aim right at the pectoroal fin the best part too is most of the time they bleed when you hit em there here is a pic of one
halibut2007023.jpg


What I have is the harpoon that looks like 2 arrow heads I took the rope off at the head unit and replaced it with metal cable which is about 18 inchs long with a loop on the end of it then my rope with a big stainless steel snap on it so when I do harpoon a hali just un do it and grab the head and pull loop thru to be ready for the next one, about 15 ft from there I have the float and another 15 ft to the boat so the float works like a big shock absorber (remember jaws) LOL

Since I have pooning fish this way I have never lost 1 fish 15 years ago we were always tod "HIT EM IN THE HEAD" well after a few times of the poon not going in or pulling out I learned the hard way as well you wont believe how easy it passes into the fish this way try it it works great!!!!

Good luck out there wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com
 
quote:The best place to hit a hali is right in the guts

Respectively disagree - I've seen several large 100lb+ fish rip the poon right out of their guts. The belly meat is thin and soft and rips easily.

In your pic wolf it looks like its more on the lateral line then in the guts.

The head is a bad place, just put it in the shoulder of the fish, its easy to get all the way through but you have a lot of muscle and bone to keep it in place.
 
quote:The best place to hit a hali is right in the guts

Respectively disagree - I've seen several large 100lb+ fish rip the poon right out of their guts. The belly meat is thin and soft and rips easily.

In your pic wolf it looks like its more on the lateral line then in the guts.

The head is a bad place, just put it in the shoulder of the fish, its easy to get all the way through but you have a lot of muscle and bone to keep it in place.
 
Yesterday morning Managed to get 2 fish, 1 around 40 and the other around 30
South of Darcy in about 180 to 200 ft using squid
 
Yesterday morning Managed to get 2 fish, 1 around 40 and the other around 30
South of Darcy in about 180 to 200 ft using squid
 
Well poppa I have probablly pooned about 1000 plus halibut in the guts and have never had one pop out so you can respectfully do what you want but I have never had one pull out of there here is other pics as well.

Easist way to do explian it to you is put your hand out ok put your finger at the base of your middle finger now lift your hand in the motion of a hali up and down the tip of your finger torgues alot more same as your wrist(tail) look how the middle of your finger is barly moving as there is way less torgue there and IT will not come out almost impossable my record speaks for itself.I aim for the fin sometime it gets it sometimes high or low it doesnt matter its in the mid section its a good kill shot LOL LOL
halibut2007032.jpg

and I have pooned big ones as well but saying it is ripping out thats why the float any fish doesnt matter the size if you dont have a float on it it will rip as they are just too powerful.


Good luck Wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com
 
Well poppa I have probablly pooned about 1000 plus halibut in the guts and have never had one pop out so you can respectfully do what you want but I have never had one pull out of there here is other pics as well.

Easist way to do explian it to you is put your hand out ok put your finger at the base of your middle finger now lift your hand in the motion of a hali up and down the tip of your finger torgues alot more same as your wrist(tail) look how the middle of your finger is barly moving as there is way less torgue there and IT will not come out almost impossable my record speaks for itself.I aim for the fin sometime it gets it sometimes high or low it doesnt matter its in the mid section its a good kill shot LOL LOL
halibut2007032.jpg

and I have pooned big ones as well but saying it is ripping out thats why the float any fish doesnt matter the size if you dont have a float on it it will rip as they are just too powerful.


Good luck Wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com
 
I think the float is key here. I once had a 65 come very very close to ripping out through the guts - it tried to deep six hard and the rope went taut and the boat rocked - when we pulled it in there was a harpoon sized slot on the white side and the head of the harp was almost out the other side. Since then I've gone head since its sooo tough and once its in its very very solid. But I agree wolf that it is harder to get through - sometimes you hit a large bone or something and it only goes part way.

I'm just now rigging a float to my harp and am going back to the guts - large target, easy to get through, and with the float absorbing shock, I think its the way to go. If the wolfman hasn't had one go wrong in 15 years, it must work.
 
I think the float is key here. I once had a 65 come very very close to ripping out through the guts - it tried to deep six hard and the rope went taut and the boat rocked - when we pulled it in there was a harpoon sized slot on the white side and the head of the harp was almost out the other side. Since then I've gone head since its sooo tough and once its in its very very solid. But I agree wolf that it is harder to get through - sometimes you hit a large bone or something and it only goes part way.

I'm just now rigging a float to my harp and am going back to the guts - large target, easy to get through, and with the float absorbing shock, I think its the way to go. If the wolfman hasn't had one go wrong in 15 years, it must work.
 
I'm talking about big fish here 100lbs+.

Just look at the belly flaps on a halibut, even a big one they are like 1/4" thick - I'll take 4-10" of flesh on the upper shoulder over a couple of little belly flaps any day.

The fact is the upper shoulder is a much more secure position to harpoon a halibut. You can tell me that using a float makes the belly shot work, ok fine. But you can't tell me that its better then the shoulder.
 
I'm talking about big fish here 100lbs+.

Just look at the belly flaps on a halibut, even a big one they are like 1/4" thick - I'll take 4-10" of flesh on the upper shoulder over a couple of little belly flaps any day.

The fact is the upper shoulder is a much more secure position to harpoon a halibut. You can tell me that using a float makes the belly shot work, ok fine. But you can't tell me that its better then the shoulder.
 
I'm with Wolf on this one. No wasted meat, bleeds the fish and really slows them down. Maybe it is the type of harpoon head Roy uses also. The basic poon heads pull through easier. The big arrow heads don't.
We release the ones over 100lb so we don't know anything about harpooning them, right Roy.;)

PS thanks for posting the pics Wolf, now I have seen your secret spot!

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