Howe Sound halibut

yep no hali out there............ taken a few years ago now .....and don't ask as not telling but in the straight ... taken bottom bouncing on salmon gear flasher and green splatter back hoochie
 
IPHC did a number of set line surveys in SoG a few years back because the US side continues to press for a re-distribution of Coast-wide TAC based on productive bottom area - not surprisingly that would result in AK getting the lions share and Canada getting the short end of the stick. Anyways.....rant aside, not many halibut showed up in the set line surveys inside SoG.
 
Surprised there are not more caught up on the BC side of the line. There are a fair amount of halibut caught in the San Juan’s each year. We used to catch them as incidentals year round fishing for salmon. (Back when the San Juan’s actually had a decent season)
 
Back when we could fish more than a couple of months a year I worked a lot more hours than I do now on the Epsom flats, drop off's and canyons seeking salmon bottom bumping. It is mainly sand (and lost traps) off Epsom. Every year up to 2019 or so we would encounter a Hali. I say encounter since they did not always make the deck, try keeping the rod holder in check when he has never hooked a butt before let alone training a gaffer on the fly... did try some targeted sets a few years back with nothing but dogs. Buddy below though he had a crab trap... one that runs when first hooked.. right.....
 

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Both the above two posts echo my own experiences around Epsom and Malaspina Strait, the odd hali taking a salmon lure or bait trolled deep. You'd waste a lot of time deliberately targeting them.
 
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