Halibut Setup

[explorer185]

I was wondering if maybe Wolf or someone could describe what is a proper set up for hali or the set up someone finds works for them. In particular:
1) What is the better hook set up, circle hook or double single hook setup?
2) How long should the leader be from the spreader bar to hook?
3) How long is the leader from the spreader bar to the weight?

 

[Mr. Dean]

LOOOOVE that hali fish'n!
This is just my two cents worth;

Last year I expierimented w/ the circle hooks and the jury is still out. From my understanding of them you HAVE to let the fish 'take' it rather than 'set' it. Requires lots of patience and self control. As soon as I felt one hit, I'd let it rest on the bottom untill it started to 'swim away', then steadily reel in for some good resistance and then hit her w/ all I had!. With that said, every fish I did hook this way came up from the depths w/ that hook wrapped nicely around the lip. Lost not one. Never had one 'gut' hooked though...Thought I'd see lots of those...Anyway, caught our fair share but did miss out on several 'nibblers'. Found other quests couldn't resist the urge to 'rip a lip' as soon as the bait was mouthed. I Always use a two hook rig despite the type of hooks used. Keep them super sharp, hali's have real tough mouths. So far I'm going to use them circles again this year, really liked the hook-n raise ratio of last year! I'll let friends and family figure it out for themselves.

I like to keep a fairly short leader, say about 24". This helps keep the bait from scraping along the bottom and either ruining it (the bait or dulling the hooks) and also helps from getting fouled up on the bottom as well. Should also state here that I prefer to use mono leaders over steel. Like to think the bait 'swims' more naturally.

I hook my weights directly to the spreader bar using a light weight swivel. This way if one gets hung up it's fairly easy to thumb down on the spool and break it off. I make all of my own riggn's and still find it fairly costly to be donating an entire set-up to the abyss. Some say I'm just tight. I say lead is cheap!.

FYI. Salmon bellies 'ripened' a day or so are deadly! Dress them up w/ a prettied coloured squid and get bouncing!

Hope it all helps but I bet its going to get all confusing real soon w/ other posts...Thats fish'n!.

Dean
Ps. I could be 'off' on some of this.
After all I do live in Langley.
Halibut don't swim up the river ya know!. haha.

Good luck and greater fish'n



Edited by - Mr. Dean on 03/02/2005 11:48:10

 

[yo mama]

Ya you nailed it right on the head. I do find that the circle hooks are less effective for the average recreational fisherman and were designed for commerical long lineing where they leave the gear down for a day. Plus isn't that the fun of hali fishing, to set the hook as #$@#ing hard as you can! Up north I can recall breaking a couple salmons rod trying to put that hook into there steel yap! Good times with a half a rod by your self with 25lb test in one hand and a pissed of fiddy pound hali in the other hand.

 

[Mr. Dean]

Oh Mama........I HEAR YA!.
Dean


Good luck and greater fish'n

 

[JuandeOne]

I recommend using a 40lb or so leader for your weight, similar in length to your hook leader. The lighter test of course allows you to bust off the weight if it gets snagged instead of your mainline.

The advantage of the weight leader is it keeps your hooks off the bottom better, greatly decreasing hook snags. Moreover, as you bounce your ball on bottom your bait/lure is "swimming" around instead of simply laying on the bottom.

 

[Bravefart]

Interesting post caught a couple of halibut last year at Uke using my mooching reel.Want to get one of them multiplier reels for this year any sugestions for a not too expensive reel that I would only use occasionaly.

Davie

 

[Mr. Dean]

Davie, I suggest looking around for a used rig. Nothing in the buy-sell today but it usually has lots of older Penn's for sale. Seems as though I'm always bumping into to the models w/ the red case halves. Can't remember the model #'s but look for large capacity spools that can hold a minimum of 300 yrds or better of about 100lb. test Dacron line (Tuff-line). A level wind is just an option and that's all. Penn's come with or without the guidance system. To buy this stuff new can be a bit pricey (hundreds of dollars).

If you happen to pick one up assume it needs new drag washers and get a kit and swap them out 'pronto'. Lots of people think that their reel is 'hooped' because the drag is screwing up (sticky) and therefore it goes on sale. 99% of the time the leather washers just got wet or dried out over time (they need to be somewhat oily). I replace these washers every other year on my gear as a standard practice and try to avoid letting them sit out in the rain for extended periods of time. Like on the boat out in the elements for a week's stretch!.

As for the level wind...Some people look at them as being like an electric starter on a snowmobile. You know it's going to konk out at sometime. Just a matter of when. If you like this option, buy two so that way you'll have one as a back-up. That's what I do. Others live w/ the finger doing the magic, like you do with a mooching reel. Just watch out when that 150lb. monster wants to get back down to where it came from...That Tuff-line will saw through your finger almost as fast as a hot knife through butter!. As an honorable mention, roller guides on the stick are a must.

These are somewhat complicated pieces of machinery and therefore do require maintenance, that's all (so does a mooching reel for that matter). With that said I've got a couple kicking around that I've had for 12 yrs and never had a glitch w/ the levelers. I guess its boils down to 'you know what you know'. Penn is what I grew up with but I'm sure there's other stuff out there that may even be better.

I'm curiously waiting on the sidelines to see other posts.

Some like it rough.
Others puke!.
Mr.Dean

 

[Mr. Dean]

quote:
I recommend using a 40lb or so leader for your weight, similar in length to your hook leader. The lighter test of course allows you to bust off the weight if it gets snagged instead of your mainline.

The advantage of the weight leader is it keeps your hooks off the bottom better, greatly decreasing hook snags. Moreover, as you bounce your ball on bottom your bait/lure is "swimming" around instead of simply laying on the bottom.

JuandeOne;

I think our reasoning is the same here. The practices are a bit different though.

I like the weight directly snapped to the bar so when you do get that good one up, there's less hardware that has less momentum flying through the air (two pounds of lead. Ouch) when you stick'm w/ a harpoon/gaff/shark hook/buckshot or, whatever...A light snap will open up fairly easy if snagged.

After I hit bottom I come up about three ft. Periodically find it again and always, always keep one eye on the sounder.

Thoughts?


Some like it rough.
Others puke!.
Mr.Dean

 

[JuandeOne]

Sounds like it works fine for you Mr. D. I do most of my hali fishing offshore where drifting is the norm and when doing so, I constantly bounce my lead along the bottom. From experience I do find I get more fish and less hangups with the leader.

 

[Mr. Dean]

All our hali catching comes from drifting as well.

Are you implying that constant bouncing 'calls em in'?
Have had one other person make that statement..But he has never caught a fish until out w/ me.

Should I change my technique? Always looking for more freezer-fill!.

Some like it rough.
Others puke!.
Mr.Dean

 

[JuandeOne]

Are you implying that constant bouncing 'calls em in'?

No, but I have heard theories of this as well...I can't see it hurting. I just feel way more confident when I am constantly in contact with bottom and when a drift covers a decending depth, I find you constantly have to "re-find" bottom to stay in the strike zone.

Should I change my technique? Always looking for more freezer-fill!.

I'd wait for more input.

 

[Mr. Dean]

Thanks JuandeOne. I see clearer now.

Yup. Everything the two of us are doing seemingly ends up w/ the same outcome, as far as technique goes. I can actually make out my hardware on the sounder down to about 375/385ft. Tight bottom huggin is most important, critical if you want Mr. hali for dinner. I like to stay within 5ft of it.

Then again is there any truth to the hearsay of 'ringing the dinner bell'?

Anybody?......

Some like it rough.
Others puke!.
Mr.Dean

 

[explorer185]

Thanks for all this info from you drifters, if there is someone out there who anchors up, I would appreciate hearing of your setup as I described in the first post.

 

[JuandeOne]

I tend to find more hali on/near bottom then 515 feet off bottom! But your right RVP, nothing is really "critical" in sportfishing other than using a hook.

As for anchoring e185, setups are not significantly different than those used for drifting.

 

[Yote]

I have anchored up in the past but since hitting swiftsure last year and doing the drift thing, I am going to try a drift fish for them this Sunday at Constance. I know that most people anchore up there but I can't see why drifting wouldn't work. The way that I see it, if I can get on top of them and present theofferings to them, they should take it. Sometimes it turns in to a real pain in the a$$ trying to get on that rock pile.

I usually use a spreader with a leader to the weight and bait it with herring, octupus or salmon bellies. I am going to try using grubs on Sunday as I have had success with them in other places. They are good especially when you keep getting cleaned out by those damned dogfish.

 

[Mr. Dean]

Interesting;

Can't say as I ever caught a mid water hali. However, I think I've hooked as many lings from mid water with no structure with in a half mile, as I have off of pinnacles!. Just one of them things that makes fishing interesting, I guess. I have hooked a few hali's cut plugg'n for Chinook. Only managed to get a very small chicken landed though (released).

10-4, Rodger, copy that, on the 'you find and you will catch' summarization!. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

185:

Are you looking for anchor set-ups or gear tips?...Your leading post doesn't mention anything about an anchor, on my screen at least. Don't anchor out myself. The only good tip that I could put out there for ya is to keep a sharp knife handy at all times on your belt!. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Think Wolf would be a good resorce for this info.

FYI. This is all I see.

I was wondering if maybe Wolf or someone could describe what is a proper set up for hali or the set up someone finds works for them. In particular:
1) What is the better hook set up, circle hook or double single hook setup?
2) How long should the leader be from the spreader bar to hook?
3) How long is the leader from the spreader bar to the weight?



Some like it rough.
Others puke!.
Mr.Dean

 

[explorer185]

Thanks for all the replies, I really find this interesting. Yes, I am one who anchors out there and am just trying to find out different ways of setups for the butt's. From what I have read, I think maybe my leader is too long to the bait and my leader to the weight maybe too long as well. Trial and error..... but when all else fails, ask which is what I did here...........keep the info coming gang!!!!

 

[explorer185]

Sorry Dean, I did not mention in original post about anchoring, I just took that for granted as I have only fished Hali on Constance or 18 fathom. I have always considered drifting out there over the hills and dales to be a nuisance trying to find the bottom.

But I have another question, it putting a "bait bag" attached on the anchor chain to get that scent back there to the bait illegal????

 

[Mr. Dean]

No apology needed 185...It's aaaaaall good!. <img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

As far as the bait bag goes. It's aaaaaall good as well. No regs. on chumm'n that I could find w/ DFO.

Some like it rough...
Others just puke!.
Mr. Dean

 

[explorer185]

Sir Dean:
I had heard that the use of a "bait bag" was illegal but couldn't find anything either with DFO.
So, again, the question arises, would/does a bait bag attached to an anchor chain work in getting the scent out there for them to take the real bait???????????????????????????



Edited by - explorer185 on 03/04/2005 19:41:35