catching halibut

[bus kid]

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]

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]

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?

[Jimmyz123]

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.

[GregAndrew]

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.

[addicted2sp33d]

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]

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]

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