Best Way To Land a Halibut?

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Greg Andrew, thank you so much for taking to time to recap all this valuable information for us.

And yes, a kayak sized Kage Gaff is another good name for what I'm trying to describe.

Originally Posted by Dave Legacy

This might be a dumb question, but could one just scoop up a halibut in a net? I bought a collapsing net to be legal in the water, but the most economic route was a 24"x24". If I can net my 3-year-old with it I ought to be able to net at least the business end of a huge halibut, right?

I think a basic legal size or net size halibut would not be too much trouble. With nets, you run the risk of splitting the tail of fish you let go. They can become infected with tail rot and the fish dies. Some nets work better than others. For halibut that are shorter than 22" I have been able to reach down with my pliers and grab the hook. A small shake from the fish or me usually sets him free.

I prefer to use one hook, so the release is easier. I was trying 2nd trap hooks for awhile, but I felt bad about other fish I was not targeting getting the 2nd hook lodged deeply in the throat, meaning they usually got torn up pretty bad by the time I got it out. I try to avoid collateral damage to fish I don't want to catch.

My question is about the larger size halibut we see some of the pros around here catch consistently. The power and difficulty of landing a larger halibut from a kayak goes up exponentially with the size of the fish. The fish I lost was suitable for framed photos on the wall. I want to be prepared so I don't make mistakes again when the next opportunity presents itself.

If you can net and lift your daughter, maybe your net will work well for you

I seriously want to catch and land a large halibut from my kayak, with finesse and aplomb. This thread is my homework assignment.

Opportunities like this capture my interest more than I can describe in words:

http://www.kayakfishmag.com/features...kayak-halibut/

What a great catch. I would love to hear him describe how he got that halibut into his kayak.

[jorluivil]

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.

Good luck!

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.

Welllllllllllllllllllllll?

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Welllllllllllllllllllllll?

Sorry, I had to work again today.

:big sigh:

Tomorrow is a 40/60, Tuesday is a 60/40. Between now and the end of Wednesday will hopefully be 100%

F-it. Sometimes we just have to drop what we're doing and go fishing.

---

However, I finished my new home made gaff set today with my morning coffee before I went to work.

[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Sorry, I had to work again today.

:big sigh:

Tomorrow is a 40/60, Tuesday is a 60/40. Between now and the end of Wednesday will hopefully be 100%

F-it. Sometimes we just have to drop what we're doing and go fishing.

---

However, I finished my new home made gaff set today with my morning coffee before I went to work.

Are you still trying to figure out how to land a halibut....?

Now you have a spear...? Looks like you did a good job...minus the zip tie holding the cable to the shaft...


Mr.niceguy....you are still seriously over thinking this. Just gaff the fish and game clip it...! No spear, no ka-GAY, no 55 gallon barrels....Just a perfectly timed and placed gaff shot...GAME OVER.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by ful-rac

Are you still trying to figure out how to land a halibut....?

No. I think that has been covered pretty well. Thanks to several excellent contributions to this thread.

My only concern is losing a large one the next time an opportunity presents itself. That's what I have been mulling as I linger here and visit with kindred spirits. I want to reduce my risk of failure to as close to 0% as I can get it.

This place also serves as a social and networking environment, and not a bad one at that. I like meeting people and listening to all the diverse ideas.

Please start the next topic

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Now you'll have a halibut on your deck that can go ape sh*t at any moment with a hook in its mouth, a spear in its body and a gaff jammed in it?

That would be a neatly tethered and surgically placed spear tip only, not a spear. No need for a flailed hook gaff in this case.

The next one will be sufficiently dead, bled, unhooked and on a game clip before I pull him or her onto my lap.

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Sorry, I had to work again today.

:big sigh:

Tomorrow is a 40/60, Tuesday is a 60/40. Between now and the end of Wednesday will hopefully be 100%

F-it. Sometimes we just have to drop what we're doing and go fishing.

---

However, I finished my new home made gaff set today with my morning coffee before I went to work.

How long is the handle on the gaff? What is the best size for kayaking?

[jorluivil]

Now you'll have a halibut on your deck that can go ape sh*t at any moment with a hook in its mouth, a spear in its body and a gaff jammed in it?

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by Harry Hill

How long is the handle on the gaff? What is the best size for kayaking?

Opinions will vary. It depends on the size of your boat and the distance to the water. I like exploring ideas and building things from scraps laying around my workbench.

For my Outback, I like 32" total length for a normal hook gaff, with a 2 1/2" (2/0) hook. It's compact enough to tuck out of the way on my kayak and it comfortably gives me all the reach I need. I tend to grab that one at the end of the handle with the wrist strap. 1" or 1.25" makes a stout pole size, depending on the size of your hands. Shovel handles work well for strength and the tailored shape fits the hand nicely. I would shave down the excess bulk at the hook end, unless you also want to use the back side of the hook end as a club. Personally, I don't like the idea of clubbing animals. I would rather put them to sleep gently by bleeding them.

Squidco has nice gaff hooks for about $6 and they are nice people. You can get 100' of 550# paracord from amazon prime for $9. That's enough cord for 2 to 4 gaffs, depending on how much ornamental wrapping you want to do. If you only want to wrap the hook, that much paracord will last until you get tired of making gaffs.

I've never made a straight gaff before. This one turned out 42". It balances nicely at the bare wood area between the paracord wraps. If it was any shorter it would feel point heavy from the stainless steel hardware. The zip tie is only to keep the cable from flopping around as the varnish hardens. The large swivel hooked to the zip tie will clip to a nylon cord or other lanyard/leash secured to the kayak.

When my previous gaffs bounced around in the pole holders of my kayak, it knocked off the varnish finish where they stand on end. That's why I added the butt caps to these two.

[Deamon]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Ummmm...just wait one minute Mister Jorge. Have you EVER caught a quality halibut? I'm just asking. Jim

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Was that typed sitting behind a keyboard?

Just curious.

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Was that typed sitting behind a keyboard?

Just curious.

Yes, it was. I typed that after I finished eating the halibut I had just grilled.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Yes, it was. I typed that after I finished eating the halibut I had just grilled.

Touché