braid vs mono

[slobslayer]

This question is for the halibut killers out there. I have recently started fishing braid(spectra) for halibut. I just use mono for leader line from the swivel to hook and swivel to weight, or as a very short topshot. Reason i pose this question is because i have been losing a lot of halibut lately and i am getting very frustrated. I have narrowed it down and this is the only thing that has changed since ive been fishing halibut over the years. Am i pulling hook because there is no stretch with the braid? Thanks for the help in advance im tired of laying into niice fish then nothing after a few good headshakes or runs.

[Jimmyz123]

I see nothing wrong with your approach, but I would use Flouro, about 20# seagar works best for me, as your line from the swivel. Do you use a sliding wieght above the swivel? Also are you using bait hook or circle hooks? Also how big of baits are you using and are you using a stinger hook?

Most of the Hali hunters I know are using either a circle hook or bait hook with a stinger attached. Now the stinger does not have to be a treble hook, you can have a double bait hook or circle hook. Remember with circle hooks you don't swing to set the hook, you just reel and the hook does the rest.

Also with halibut you need to be patient, really make sure they have the bait before you start to pull on them.

Are they breaking off, or are you seeing your bait getting raked?

[slobslayer]

I've been doing a lot of experiementing lately to try to improve my game. I use PLine fluorcarbon coated which works well for me and saves some coin. I never had any good experiences with circle hooks. I use a single bait hook for sardines and run a trap rig for anything over say 6 or 7 inches but I used treble hooks. I'll try the bait hook trap rig but how do you hook it to the bait? I'm connecting and hooking fish but am losing them when bringing them in. I know halibut can be difficult but I've never lost so many fish.

[slobslayer]

Also im using a triple swivel with about 2-5 ounces of led

[JeffB]

Don't waste your money on that flourocarbon coated P-Line. It's garbage. It does not last very long, and when it gets stretched out, it stress the line really bad. I would go either 30lb mono or bigger for your leader or straight flourocarbon. You have to ask yourself if saving a couple of bucks is worth risking a big barn door? When I fish for halibut I always give them an extra sec to eat the bait. 50% of the time for me is that they miss it or let it go and I immediately drop back down and then I hook back up. Rather than shipping at it on the first bite, they inhale it the second time around

[Jimmyz123]

Originally Posted by JeffB

Don't waste your money on that flourocarbon coated P-Line. It's garbage. It does not last very long, and when it gets stretched out, it stress the line really bad. I would go either 30lb mono or bigger for your evader or straight flourocarbon. You have to ask yourself if saving a couple of bucks is worth risking a big barn door? When I fish for halibut I always give them an extra sec to eat the bait. 50% of the time for me is that they miss it or let it go and I just drop back down and then I hook back up. Rather than shipping at it on the first bite, the inhale it the second time around

I agree with this post. As for using a bait hook for the trap, just stick it through like you would any other hook. I know someone on another fish board that has caught more Halibut in San Diego County in that last 5 years than anyone. He's always posting up legal sized fish and many of them going over 35" in length. I learned a lot from him.

Don't be afraid to use heavy line on the Halibuts if the bait is right they won't care about the line. Be patient with setting the hooks, give them some time to run with it a little. Look into the sliding weight setup. It works well too.

[StinkyMatt]

Some guy that knows of a guy who knows a guy that catches halis told me:



Spectra ok

Which flouro or mono, who cares......fisherman choice

He uses circle hooks with increased hook up since he went to them.

Usually fishes a treble stinger

Fishes with reels IN gear. No waiting, if the Hali hit it , it is likely hooked.

No gut hooked fish by letting them "run" with it.


Enjoy and don't over think it. Its just fishing.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by slobslayer

Am i pulling hook because there is no stretch with the braid?

Are you running the same drag settings and using a fast taper rod like you would with mono?

If so..... well..... then probably so. Spectra as you say has no stretch...duh!

OK try this.... Take 20 feet of mono and 20 feet of spectra and tie it off to something. Now take a end and each hand tighten it up, hold both hands to together in front of you and give it a little one inch sharp jerk. Chances with identical force and grip your going to be able to hold on to the mono but the spectra will pull right out of your hand. Now multiply that by the depth your fishing. The mono will have three times that stretch at 60ft but the spectra will still have none.

So when a halibut shakes it's head back in forth with spectra your going to have equal force to your drag applied to the hook, with mono you don't have that because with the mono the stretch acts as a shock absorber.

Hooks shake out because the rapid movement of the fishes head puts a lot of quick side to side or really up and down pressure at the hook. Mono stretches one way then keeps the line tight the other way like a spring.

Spectra doesn't stretch the one way, and then goes slack the other, so the changes in pressure tear a hole then the slack on the return allows the hook to essentially just fall out, that's your problem.

So how do you get around that?

Well you want to use a much lighter drag setting and you also want to use a lighter tipped more parabolic rod. The parabolic rod will act like a shock absorber absorbing more of the headshakes motion and the lighter drag will slip before enough force goes into the hook to rip a hole.

I used to use fast taper Calstars for halibut, now that I've switched to spectra I use Kencor magnaglass or original magnaglass zebra 10-30s because they are very light tipped and absorb shock full length.

I also fish very light drags like I'm fishing say 12lbs when I'm fishing say 20lbs.

Since spectra has no stretch I can still set the hook, and I leave the drag light until the fish calms down and I want to put enough pressure to lift them. When the fish shakes it's head I just slowly reel towards me allowing the drag to slip. That keeps the hook from ripping out but also keeps the line from going slack on the return shake.

This is actually a rehash of a tuna trick. Tuna tend to circle when they fight with the side that's hooked up and the line coming out of the corner of their mouth. Every once in a while though when they see the boat they will freak out take off on short surface run then do a barrel roll where they end up with the other side up, so now rather then pulling the hook from the correct side, then line is pulling for the other side and if your bait fishing with small hooks your hook tends to rip out. Sometimes it re-snags on the other side sometimes it doesn't so the result is lost fish. When you get a tuna that acts squirrly or one that rolls you loosen the drag and let them run a bit. Eventually they turn back over so the lines pulling from the hook side and then you can put pressure on them and pump them up to the boat.

Works for me, Jim

[slobslayer]

Thanks for all the awesome info