Fishing for Halibut
 

I was looking for Halibut rigs and ran in to a site and read this.


Here Kit shows three of his best halibut rigs.
Kit likes graphite or graphite composite rods that have a very sensitive tip so you can feel the bite.
Egg Sinker to a basic brass swivel with a 3 foot leader. All of the same line. This needs 3 very dependable knots like the Triline or the Palomar.
Good smooth drags are a must and you may want to set your drags a little looser than you would ordinarily set them for other fish. The rod tip should not jerk or bounce when the line is pulled off the reel.


Why is it that for Halibut you have to have your drag looser than when you fish for other fish? Like I said before, I am new to this sport. I've gone out 4 times this year and I love being out their.

Halibut Tend to shake there Head when hooked and can shake the hook , The bigger the fish The More Power in the Tail , I've had Hooks straighten out due to tight drags . I think it important to have a rod that can absorb the head shakes along with a smooth drag.

Now I know to loosen up my drag. Like I said before, I've gone out 4 times out of Dana Point. I've caught 2 Leapord Sharks and a short halibut and I keep my drag as if I was fishing for Yellows. Will the Halibut hit dead bait as well? Thanks for the info.

They'll hit the dead stuff , But you'll get alot more Bites on the Live :)

they also have much softer mouths...

Thanks guys. Hopefully I can catch a keeper and post it.

I'll add my 2 cents here about light drags for halibut. My technique or philosophy about landing halis is different than for every other fish I target. I fight other fish to the boat; I guide halibut to the boat. I have found the harder I pull on a hali the harder it pulls back and those fish often go completely nuts. Now I try to gently guide them to the surface. I use a softer rod and do not pump or horse the fish in any way, just easy-like-sunday-morning winding all the way to the gaff. I've had fish come up so gently they never really know some thing was wrong, no runs or head shakes, until the gaff or net is on them. I also exclusivly use very sharp light wire circle hooks so I don't even need to set the hook, just smooth presure all the way up. It doesn't always work, some halis do fight hard. But most respond well to this technique. Lastly, many halis come up barely hooked so light steady presure keep them hooked. Mike

Since we are talking about halibut, maybe some of our more experienced fishers could weigh in on the best kinds of bait or lure setups.

I have been told that when using live bait one should use a two hook rig. Is that correct?

What about using plastics? I have caught small halibut when going for bass but have never caught a keeper. Is there a better technique?

Bob

bounce ballin & krocs have always worked for me in the artificial area just pullin it w/the drift & yes a trailer treble is key on live bait for those butts who always mouth the bait and dont inhale it

I have caught exactly 2 legal halibut on artificials in my life. It can be done and I'm sure there are many people much better than me at it, but when I target halibut I use live bait; smelt, deans, chovies. macks, or squid. I started out with the trap rig but found that I only caught more sub-legal halibut while gut hooking too many non-target fish like bass or lizard fish. In the bays or from the shore I prefer a sliding sinker rig with a fluoro leader and for deeper water I use a reverse dropper loop. Keep the rod in your hand, reel in free spool, and line tight to the weight and let out line at the immediately at the slightlest hint of a strike. Many people miss the "strike" of a halibut. Some times the line just feels heavy or there is a light thump but no line leaves the reel. Those are bites. Halis rarely run with the bait, they just lay back down on the bottom. Well that's some of it. Mike

How long do the Halibut stay close to shore? I'll be going out on Sunday 5/31. And now that is getting hotter, what other species is there to target in Dana point? Thanks again for all the info.