catching halibut - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

carbonbass · 06-07-2011, 12:15 AM

I know there are some basic things like swimming a swimbait on the bottom, luckycraft etc. But if i wanna target a big hali inshore what are some key things to look for? do you prefer the kelp line over more towards the surf? Anything in particular on a FF, are you fishing under a bait ball? are most of your halis targeted or bycatch? Just curious on more hali insight, as i have yet to get a nice one on the yak.

jorluivil · 06-07-2011, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carbonbass

I know there are some basic things like swimming a swimbait on the bottom, luckycraft etc. But if i wanna target a big hali inshore what are some key things to look for? do you prefer the kelp line over more towards the surf? Anything in particular on a FF, are you fishing under a bait ball? are most of your halis targeted or bycatch? Just curious on more hali insight, as i have yet to get a nice one on the yak.

I'm pretty knew to the Hali fishing myself. Where do you normally fish?

sasha · 06-07-2011, 08:40 AM

I would love to know that answer as well..

Sasha

Jimmyz123 · 06-07-2011, 09:24 AM

This is the setup that I use and it works really well.
http://www.getbentsportfishing.com/h...libut-fishing/

There is also the 3 way swivel Bounce Ball setup that also works well.
http://www.kayaksportfishing.com/tac...or_halibut.htm
I have used this but without the dodger on it. Live bait or plastics work.
Don't worry about using larger baits they work and they work well.

They can be caught as shallow as to feet of water and even shallower, to 50 feet or deeper. Most of the Halibut I have caught have been in the 10 to 80 foot depths. Bait of choice Sardines and Macs. I know squid, and anchovies work well also. Make sure your bait in on the bottom and that your drift is not too fast.

Have fun.

taggermike · 06-07-2011, 10:21 AM

Halibut are a tough fish to figure out. They don't school, are often unaggresive biters, and can be found in a wide variety of depths and bottom structures. I've caught or speared them from 3 to 150 feet. Some things I have observed. They are ofter on sand or mud near hard bottom areas with eel grass or kelp. They do follow bait fish concentrations, especially grunion as they school up and migrate in to the surf to spawn. When the surf perch have thier babies in the spring I see halibut right up against the edges of the reefs. Naive little perch that stray away from the safety of the rocks do not last long. In the bays I try to target them on the edges of areas. Edge of structure, edge of eel grass or the edges of drop offs. At the channel edges they can be on the top, slope or bottom. Ive caught halis on chovies, dines, perch, smelt, grunion, macks, brown bait, and squid. Keep your bait on the bottom. I like sliding sinker rigs for shallower water and dropper loop for deeper. Be slow with halis, slow drift, slow bait movement, long wait before setting the hook, and slow steady winding on the fish with out any pumping of the rod. Mike

bus kid · 06-07-2011, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorluivil

I'm pretty knew to the Hali fishing myself. Where do you normally fish?

The grunion are running this month, seal beach night session is in the near future. trolling just past the surf line with a dine, or a squid strip works well. The best bait I have ever had for halis is by far lizard fish.

good tips

http://www.getbentsportfishing.com/h...libut-fishing/

http://www.hookupsportfishing.com/fo...hing-tips.html

http://www.newportlanding.com/halibutfishing.html

Jimmyz123 · 06-07-2011, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bus kid

The grunion are running this month, seal beach night session is in the near future. trolling just past the surf line with a dine, or a squid strip works well. The best bait I have ever had for halis is by far lizard fish.

good tips

http://www.getbentsportfishing.com/h...libut-fishing/

http://www.hookupsportfishing.com/fo...hing-tips.html

http://www.newportlanding.com/halibutfishing.html

Are you serious about the Lizard fish part? I catch lizards all the time and have wondered what they could be used for. I caught nice bait sized one the other day I should have strapped that thing on the line to be Halibut food.

bus kid · 06-07-2011, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmyz123

Are you serious about the Lizard fish part? I catch lizards all the time and have wondered what they could be used for. I caught nice bait sized one the other day I should have strapped that thing on the line to be Halibut food.

shhhhh its a big secret.

http://www.charkbait.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001092.html

http://www.pierfishing.com/msgboard/...438cc217c394f8

Jimmyz123 · 06-07-2011, 02:05 PM

I'm hooked, I'll be giving this a try. I catch enough of them and rather than just kill them I'll pin a hook in them. Thanks for the info.

lowprofile · 06-07-2011, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmyz123

I'm hooked, I'll be giving this a try. I catch enough of them and rather than just kill them I'll pin a hook in them. Thanks for the info.

you kill them for no reason?

GregAndrew · 06-07-2011, 03:30 PM

If you really wanna target a "big" Hali, then you want to use big baits. While you can catch large ones on small baits, you will spend less time dealing with smaller models and bycatch by sticking to large baits. I prefer Sardines, Spanish Macks, live Squid and Greenbacks in that order. Cover a lot of ground with just enough weight to keep your sinker on or just above the bottom. Fish multiple rods in a tight pattern because they will seldom move more than a few feet to chase a bait down. Fish near structure whether it be kelp, grass, hard bottom, slope, bumps, holes, reefs etc. Especially structure that has bait fish near the bottom around it.

Jimmyz123 · 06-07-2011, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowprofile

you kill them for no reason?

They make good lobster bait from what I hear. I have a buddy who likes to keep them for that. So, I take him a couple from time to time.

addicted2sp33d · 06-07-2011, 04:36 PM

I wish I knew about this Lizardfish thing a few weekends ago!

I boated the biggest Lizardfish I had ever seen (18").

I would have totally outfitted him with a big treble and sent him back down with lead shoes on!

Better than using them for yard fertilizer.

lowprofile · 06-07-2011, 04:40 PM

In the bays i've always cought my legals in aout 20ft of water over sand where the eel grass stops and just before you cant see the bottom anymore. throwing anchovies and sardines into the eel grass usually produces a few hali's but in the 16-20" range. when i find a spot thats kickin out smaller model i'll hover over the grass and throw towards the middle of the bay, let it drop a few feet then engage the reel so the bait falls towards me then every 5 mins or so id reel in a couple feet. they'd never take off id always just feel the line go tight like it was caught on grass or a rock and then pop it to get it off ultimatly setting the hook.

that was in a float tube, fishing the yak i notice i drift alot more so i'll have to figure out how to fish it. i'm thinkin of bringing fins like i used in the tube and sitting sideways and kick around to stay in place and work smaller areas.

on the boat id do roughly the same thing in alot deeper water over hard ground or sandy bottom. throw out about 50 yrds then slowly drag it in. taking 15 mins to work it in.

a couple good places to practice on smaller models and maybe pull some legals is right outside O'side harbor between the two jetties, inside balboa bay on the south side just before the jettie theres a big rock that stick out in the water. fish the oceanside of it, on the bay side (going in) it drops off and your more likely to get rockfish, sculpin and bass.

carbonbass · 06-07-2011, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowprofile

In the bays i've always cought my legals in aout 20ft of water over sand where the eel grass stops and just before you cant see the bottom anymore. throwing anchovies and sardines into the eel grass usually produces a few hali's but in the 16-20" range. when i find a spot thats kickin out smaller model i'll hover over the grass and throw towards the middle of the bay, let it drop a few feet then engage the reel so the bait falls towards me then every 5 mins or so id reel in a couple feet. they'd never take off id always just feel the line go tight like it was caught on grass or a rock and then pop it to get it off ultimatly setting the hook.

that was in a float tube, fishing the yak i notice i drift alot more so i'll have to figure out how to fish it. i'm thinkin of bringing fins like i used in the tube and sitting sideways and kick around to stay in place and work smaller areas.

on the boat id do roughly the same thing in alot deeper water over hard ground or sandy bottom. throw out about 50 yrds then slowly drag it in. taking 15 mins to work it in.

a couple good places to practice on smaller models and maybe pull some legals is right outside O'side harbor between the two jetties, inside balboa bay on the south side just before the jettie theres a big rock that stick out in the water. fish the oceanside of it, on the bay side (going in) it drops off and your more likely to get rockfish, sculpin and bass.

Yea i actually have a decent understanding how to catch halis from the surf and jetties/harbors etc, i have caught tons of barely legal in LBC/NPH/and other jetty areas, along with countless shorts, but i would really like to learn how to kayak around an area like a kelp forest and really nail a barn door, like 35"+ I have yet to get one this size and in these conditions, id rather catch one out in a healthy fresh area of water like a kelp forest than in the nasty polluted waters of NPH. I wont even keep a legal from newport harbor anymore, just dont want my kids having antlers

06-07-2011, 12:15 AM	#1
carbonbass Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 367	catching halibut I know there are some basic things like swimming a swimbait on the bottom, luckycraft etc. But if i wanna target a big hali inshore what are some key things to look for? do you prefer the kelp line over more towards the surf? Anything in particular on a FF, are you fishing under a bait ball? are most of your halis targeted or bycatch? Just curious on more hali insight, as i have yet to get a nice one on the yak.

06-07-2011, 09:24 AM	#4
Jimmyz123 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,385	This is the setup that I use and it works really well. http://www.getbentsportfishing.com/h...libut-fishing/ There is also the 3 way swivel Bounce Ball setup that also works well. http://www.kayaksportfishing.com/tac...or_halibut.htm I have used this but without the dodger on it. Live bait or plastics work. Don't worry about using larger baits they work and they work well. They can be caught as shallow as to feet of water and even shallower, to 50 feet or deeper. Most of the Halibut I have caught have been in the 10 to 80 foot depths. Bait of choice Sardines and Macs. I know squid, and anchovies work well also. Make sure your bait in on the bottom and that your drift is not too fast. Have fun. __________________ No better time than being on the water, God Bless, JimmyZ

06-07-2011, 02:05 PM	#9
Jimmyz123 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,385	I'm hooked, I'll be giving this a try. I catch enough of them and rather than just kill them I'll pin a hook in them. Thanks for the info. __________________ No better time than being on the water, God Bless, JimmyZ

06-07-2011, 08:40 AM	#3
sasha Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 275	I would love to know that answer as well.. Sasha

06-07-2011, 10:21 AM	#5
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	Halibut are a tough fish to figure out. They don't school, are often unaggresive biters, and can be found in a wide variety of depths and bottom structures. I've caught or speared them from 3 to 150 feet. Some things I have observed. They are ofter on sand or mud near hard bottom areas with eel grass or kelp. They do follow bait fish concentrations, especially grunion as they school up and migrate in to the surf to spawn. When the surf perch have thier babies in the spring I see halibut right up against the edges of the reefs. Naive little perch that stray away from the safety of the rocks do not last long. In the bays I try to target them on the edges of areas. Edge of structure, edge of eel grass or the edges of drop offs. At the channel edges they can be on the top, slope or bottom. Ive caught halis on chovies, dines, perch, smelt, grunion, macks, brown bait, and squid. Keep your bait on the bottom. I like sliding sinker rigs for shallower water and dropper loop for deeper. Be slow with halis, slow drift, slow bait movement, long wait before setting the hook, and slow steady winding on the fish with out any pumping of the rod. Mike

06-07-2011, 03:30 PM	#11
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	If you really wanna target a "big" Hali, then you want to use big baits. While you can catch large ones on small baits, you will spend less time dealing with smaller models and bycatch by sticking to large baits. I prefer Sardines, Spanish Macks, live Squid and Greenbacks in that order. Cover a lot of ground with just enough weight to keep your sinker on or just above the bottom. Fish multiple rods in a tight pattern because they will seldom move more than a few feet to chase a bait down. Fish near structure whether it be kelp, grass, hard bottom, slope, bumps, holes, reefs etc. Especially structure that has bait fish near the bottom around it.

06-07-2011, 04:36 PM	#13
addicted2sp33d Here fishy fishy fishy... Join Date: May 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 774	I wish I knew about this Lizardfish thing a few weekends ago! I boated the biggest Lizardfish I had ever seen (18"). I would have totally outfitted him with a big treble and sent him back down with lead shoes on! Better than using them for yard fertilizer.

06-07-2011, 04:40 PM	#14
lowprofile #1 on fishstick's hitlist Join Date: May 2011 Location: Sea level Posts: 1,478	In the bays i've always cought my legals in aout 20ft of water over sand where the eel grass stops and just before you cant see the bottom anymore. throwing anchovies and sardines into the eel grass usually produces a few hali's but in the 16-20" range. when i find a spot thats kickin out smaller model i'll hover over the grass and throw towards the middle of the bay, let it drop a few feet then engage the reel so the bait falls towards me then every 5 mins or so id reel in a couple feet. they'd never take off id always just feel the line go tight like it was caught on grass or a rock and then pop it to get it off ultimatly setting the hook. that was in a float tube, fishing the yak i notice i drift alot more so i'll have to figure out how to fish it. i'm thinkin of bringing fins like i used in the tube and sitting sideways and kick around to stay in place and work smaller areas. on the boat id do roughly the same thing in alot deeper water over hard ground or sandy bottom. throw out about 50 yrds then slowly drag it in. taking 15 mins to work it in. a couple good places to practice on smaller models and maybe pull some legals is right outside O'side harbor between the two jetties, inside balboa bay on the south side just before the jettie theres a big rock that stick out in the water. fish the oceanside of it, on the bay side (going in) it drops off and your more likely to get rockfish, sculpin and bass.