Oceanside Halibut

[jimbo]

Not sure what kind of advice you're looking for, but here's some basic advice. You want to present your bait on the bottom. The easiest way to go w/ live bait is to use a carolina rig w/ barrel sinker, swivel, flouro to hook. I use 30# for that setup for halibut. In shallow water, low current and wind, 2-3 oz weight should be enough. If deeper or faster moving water you need more weight to get to bottom. If you're not on the bottom, you're not halibut fishing. I like using anchovies or small sardines, but little macs will work too. Try to fish in sandy bottoms along the edge of structure including kelp, rocks, eel grass, or man-made structure (e.g., docks or sea-walls). They can move in pretty shallow - I've caught them in 4 feet of water, or out to about 80 ft deep. Halibut are ambush predators and typically not most voracious eaters at first. I usually wait until I feel them run a bit before putting reel in gear. When to fish...? If you're in a bay, be sure to fish when there is some tidal surge. Usually, before and after high tide (but not during slack tide) are good. Where to fish...? Well, hali holes are usually closely held. Give it try and see if you can find some. If you're catching shorts, you're on the right track. Good luck.