Halibut Fishing Tips
There are a variety of methods to fish for halibut, some more labour intensive
than others. Some anglers anchor on their favourite spot and drop bait to the
bottom, put the rod in the holder and wait. Others make repeated drifts using
the tide to cover the grounds. Another productive way to halibut fish is to troll,
slowly. This works best when one angler drives the boat and the other bounces
bottom with the downrigger balls. Trolling works best in most conditions.
Halibut have an excellent sense of smell, and they are massive predators, and not scavengers.
Fresh baits and live baits are needed. Jigging a few herring in the Gorge and
carefully freezing them or using them fresh is a good idea. Halibut will also
take artificial dropped in front of them: Norwegian cod jigs, large sting zeldas
and rubber bodied jigs. Still fishing at anchor, with fresh herring or octopus,
works well because halibut will move substantial distances to come to a bait.
When a group of still fishermen congregate in a good area someone is definitely
going to get lucky. Drifting and still fishing are best done with a spreader
bar to prevent your gear from tangling. I just use a homemade coat hanger rig
and a Peetz rod and reel with wire line. Wire fishes deeper, and has no stretch
for good hook setting. Trollers can use a flasher and large herring or anchovy.
Remember to pin your gear very close to your weight, and constantly bounce bottom.
Trolling works best off flat bottom and beach areas and is a popular on and around
La Perouse Bank. Some halibut anglers plug cut fish with lighter set-ups. A good
heavy leader should be used because halibut have teeth that easily file leaders.
There are lots of ways to land a halibut once you’ve hooked one.
They are famous for
powerful, unstoppable runs, they always come up hanging straight up and down,
head first. Smaller fish 20 to 60 lb. can be netted with a good net or gaffed
behind eyes, in the gill plate area. A good whack just behind the eyes can incapacitate
them. Larger fish are best handled with a spear device. Peetz manufactures one,
and it comes with instructions. When your fish is secured let it thrash until
you know it’s exhausted. Large halibut can be dangerous, especially in smaller
boats, in close quarters. Just make sure everything in your boat is stowed, not
cluttered. Boating a large fish is a real adventure; common sense is your best
ally.
In southern waters halibut fishing becomes very frustrating once the dogfish
start to show up in late May or early June. Now is a good opportunity to angle
for these excellent eating fish between our winter chinook and summer chinook
fisheries. You will fill your freezer for awhile.
Good luck!
Barkley Adventure Station thanks Alan Crow for this great fishing article.
Please note that viewpoints express in this article are the author’s.
