Release this halibut - I Dare Ya! (Picture Thread)

[GDW]

Not a huge specimen I think this one was about 20 pounds. Caught last season. Say I already have my over fish - or I want to high grade because I already have 5 of my 6 fish this season and this 20 pounder just won't quite cut it as the final fish to cap the year.

Who volunteers to get the hooks out of this guy in the water beside the boat? Remember you can't galf it and try not to touch the gills as that might hurt the fish.

That's a 6 inch power grub (typical bait out on the banks) it has two No. 8 or 9 barbed J hooks in it. The first of the two hooks can be seen in the picutre - the second is probably another 4 inches behind the first.

Think this fish is going to survive if we manage to get the hooks out? Think it will survive if I cut the line and send it to the bottom to choke on that plastic bait for the next several months?

This is why if the over/under regulation comes into effect circle hooks will become mandatory right along with it.

Does anyone else have any examples of awesome hook sets on halibut we will now be trying to release?

(Picture #1 - Hmm where's the bait?)
(Pciture #2 - Ohhh... there it is)

Excuse the mess this was my first solo halibut I've refined my methods slightly to try and reduce the bloodbath in my boat. Sometimes it works, other times not so much.

 

[GDW]

To answer my own questions I do think it would survive if the fish was a perfect patient and opened up wide, stayed still and let me get the hooks out (most of the blood is from the gaff to the gills and the beat down i think - could have been bleeding from the hooks too).

I think it would choke and die on that grub if I just cut the line though. It would deffinetly have some issues eating. And I doubt I would have gotten the hooks out in the water beside the boat because fish are rarely perfect patients when you try to release them.

I think about 50% of the halibut I caught last year I had to cut the line and take the hooks out at the dock because the baits were taken too deep.

 

[scott craven]

If you're not killing the fish and it's deep hooked, the leader will have to be cut and
it will have to swim around with hooks in it.
All the more reason to use circle hooks i guess

 

[scott craven]

Wow I am surprised you are in favour... Just like barb less once its in it will never go away.

Its not that I want another regulation imposed, just kinda puts me off thinking about the number of fish that will be released
with a couple big trebles down their throat

 

[mikep]

Why the hate on circle hooks? I have guided a couple thousand hails ALL on 14/0 or 16/0 circles. Maybe 1/100 gets deep hooked, super easy to release and they hardly ever fall off on the way up. Whats so hard about waiting till the fish is pulling line in the rod holder before setting the hook? Also barbless hooks are were a great regulation, how many fish do you think that one has saved over the last 15 years? Just my opinion for what its worth.....

 

[hambone]

Why the hate on circle hooks? I have guided a couple thousand hails ALL on 14/0 or 16/0 circles. Maybe 1/100 gets deep hooked, super easy to release and they hardly ever fall off on the way up. Whats so hard about waiting till the fish is pulling line in the rod holder before setting the hook? Also barbless hooks are were a great regulation, how many fish do you think that one has saved over the last 15 years? Just my opinion for what its worth.....

Thank you....

 

[trophywife]

mikep you are a guide and sportsfisher, how do you feel about only being able to catch a sixty (as a guide and as a sports fisher(food) unless the quota is bought?

lets remember, allocation and dfo are the problem, not the type of hooks we use.

 

[Karma-Kazi]

Good point Trophy. Even I get sidetracked and forget some of the key reasons behind all of this. And its all about allocation and DFO from the start!

-KK

 

[outback]

Not a huge specimen I think this one was about 20 pounds. Caught last season. Say I already have my over fish - or I want to high grade because I already have 5 of my 6 fish this season and this 20 pounder just won't quite cut it as the final fish to cap the year.

Who volunteers to get the hooks out of this guy in the water beside the boat? Remember you can't galf it and try not to touch the gills as that might hurt the fish.

That's a 6 inch power grub (typical bait out on the banks) it has two No. 8 or 9 barbed J hooks in it. The first of the two hooks can be seen in the picutre - the second is probably another 4 inches behind the first.

Think this fish is going to survive if we manage to get the hooks out? Think it will survive if I cut the line and send it to the bottom to choke on that plastic bait for the next several months?

This is why if the over/under regulation comes into effect circle hooks will become mandatory right along with it.

Does anyone else have any examples of awesome hook sets on halibut we will now be trying to release?

(Picture #1 - Hmm where's the bait?)
(Pciture #2 - Ohhh... there it is)

Excuse the mess this was my first solo halibut I've refined my methods slightly to try and reduce the bloodbath in my boat. Sometimes it works, other times not so much.

exact same mess im in. The hali's rarley ever take the power grubs "gently"

 

[fshnfnatic]

Why the hate on circle hooks? I have guided a couple thousand hails ALL on 14/0 or 16/0 circles. Maybe 1/100 gets deep hooked, super easy to release and they hardly ever fall off on the way up. Whats so hard about waiting till the fish is pulling line in the rod holder before setting the hook? Also barbless hooks are were a great regulation, how many fish do you think that one has saved over the last 15 years? Just my opinion for what its worth.....

100% agree,mikep. Been using them for years now.Haven,t lost one fish yet,and a perfect hookset
almost every time! Just need the patience to wait for them to swallow it and start moving off.Once that happens,all you gotta do is clamp down on the reel,and the circle hook works its' magic.

 

[Dave S]

Not a huge specimen I think this one was about 20 pounds. Caught last season. Say I already have my over fish - or I want to high grade because I already have 5 of my 6 fish this season and this 20 pounder just won't quite cut it as the final fish to cap the year.

Who volunteers to get the hooks out of this guy in the water beside the boat? Remember you can't galf it and try not to touch the gills as that might hurt the fish.

That's a 6 inch power grub (typical bait out on the banks) it has two No. 8 or 9 barbed J hooks in it. The first of the two hooks can be seen in the picutre - the second is probably another 4 inches behind the first.

Think this fish is going to survive if we manage to get the hooks out? Think it will survive if I cut the line and send it to the bottom to choke on that plastic bait for the next several months?

This is why if the over/under regulation comes into effect circle hooks will become mandatory right along with it.

Does anyone else have any examples of awesome hook sets on halibut we will now be trying to release?

(Picture #1 - Hmm where's the bait?)
(Pciture #2 - Ohhh... there it is)

Excuse the mess this was my first solo halibut I've refined my methods slightly to try and reduce the bloodbath in my boat. Sometimes it works, other times not so much.

Bonk it! Put it towards one of your annual fish, explain the situation to dfo if you happen to be confronted by one, hope they will understand the reasoning behind your decision. If they don't....maybe you could challenge the ticket in court.

 

[GDW]

So I don't have a problem with circle hooks. I use J HOOKS because I like setting the hook and my hit to land ratio was 93% last season using them.

I don't want to be told what hooks to use. Can you imagine if they say circle hook only for halibut? What if your trolling a big spoon along the bottom, or jigging a mudraker. You need a circle hook for those now? I like to use circle hooks when I want and J hooks when I want. I don't need trebles at all for Hali but if it's the hook you like go ahead.

Somebody asked for a picture of a bigger fish this is the best I have. This measured 60 inches I think it would be just legal under the proposed new regulations. Look at the gaff we wrestled this fish so long the gaff almost entered its face. I had to cut the line and take the hook out at the dock. Funny thing is I was using a circle hook with a stinger I caught this fish on the stinger! The circle hook missed but I probably wasn't patient enough. Same day I foul hooked a skate in the wing with the same circle hook - that's why I added the stinger I didn't like how the skate hooked up.

 

[mikep]

ok first off gear restrictions are not a bad thing, case and point the barbless hook rule for salmon fishing. I do agree that on typical halibut lures, ie mudrakers, spinnows, lead heads, spoons and plugs circle hooks are not appropriate. Circle hooks are appropriate when fishing BAIT from an anchored or drifting boat. Typically bait fishing, incuding power grubs (which are pretty much bait) leads to a lot of deep hooked fish because they have time to swallow it. When jigging you typically see fish hooked on the outer area of the mouth and even on the outside of the mouth as you react to a take more quickly with the rod in your hands. Of course there will be times when the jig is deeply inhaled resulting in a mortality but this occures much less often then with the bait and J hook setup. I would LOVE to see circle hooks regulated for ALL halibut bait fishing applications. At the end of the day if you have to release a fish you would like to give it the best chance of surviving. The circle hook regulation should be there to protect the fish..............I don't really care if you don't feel like using them.....they significantly reduce mortality on released fish so you SHOULD use them.


As for the current regulation status with the 1 fish under 15# and one over 15# I think it is CRAP. I would like to see 1/day with a possession of 2 ANY SIZE. I would be happy with a annual limit of lets say 5 halibut. Seriously who needs more than that unless they are killig ping pong paddels. I want to be able to kill 2-3 30-70# halibut a year............period. This are just my opinions.

 

[falcon1]

On the subject of supid regs, did you know that 3lb weights were illegal? I hear this when I was out hali fishing with a family friend and his friend, who happened to be a guide. He said that the one and two pound weights were fine but pointed to a set of some that we couldn't use. We got around this by using heavy gear

 

[Fisher Down]

On the subject of supid regs, did you know that 3lb weights were illegal?

Yup, 1kg weights haves been in the regs for years.

F D

 

[fish4all]

ok first off gear restrictions are not a bad thing, case and point the barbless hook rule for salmon fishing. I do agree that on typical halibut lures, ie mudrakers, spinnows, lead heads, spoons and plugs circle hooks are not appropriate. Circle hooks are appropriate when fishing BAIT from an anchored or drifting boat. Typically bait fishing, incuding power grubs (which are pretty much bait) leads to a lot of deep hooked fish because they have time to swallow it. When jigging you typically see fish hooked on the outer area of the mouth and even on the outside of the mouth as you react to a take more quickly with the rod in your hands. Of course there will be times when the jig is deeply inhaled resulting in a mortality but this occures much less often then with the bait and J hook setup. I would LOVE to see circle hooks regulated for ALL halibut bait fishing applications. At the end of the day if you have to release a fish you would like to give it the best chance of surviving. The circle hook regulation should be there to protect the fish..............I don't really care if you don't feel like using them.....they significantly reduce mortality on released fish so you SHOULD use them.




As for the current regulation status with the 1 fish under 15# and one over 15# I think it is CRAP. I would like to see 1/day with a possession of 2 ANY SIZE. I would be happy with a annual limit of lets say 5 halibut. Seriously who needs more than that unless they are killig ping pong paddels. I want to be able to kill 2-3 30-70# halibut a year............period. This are just my opinions.

good post. if it reduces mortality why not.

 

[GDW]

I guess the part a lot (all?) of us are going to have to get used to is releasing halibut.

I've never released one - why would you? A halibut on my hook has no chance of survival unless its puney or gets away. Halibut fishing has always been go out, try to catch your limit, if your so lucky to get it go home or switch to salmon. Mortality is 100% - they all die by the gaff or spear and club. With that in mind what's wrong with a nice J HOOK if it's what I like?

If we really are moving to C&R Halibut its going to take a long time for guys to give up their hooks. Look at salmon fishing we all know guys who still use barbs sometimes and that reg has been in place for over a decade.