Discussion Board
California Halibut Jigging
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 02/09/2010 11:14 AM
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WHIPPET
Joined: 08/29/2008
Posts: 169
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re: California Halibut Jigging
Finding where and when to fish is as important as "how"
and putting in time / paying your dues.
you will have zero fish days more often than not.
But its worth it when you find them.
No secrets , anything froma a bass baitcaster to a tuna stick with anywhere from say 8# to 60# line
but you must normally but not always be very near the bottom.
Attach lure heavy enough to get to bottom to your line or use a weight ahead of lure or bait. halibut lurk on bottom.
make sure your hook is sharp pointed.
find sandy/muddy bottom or flat gravel/sand , near rocks OK but not IN ROCKS.
plastic metal or live bait, doesent always matter but some days one thing works better than others.
drop lure/bait to bottom
move lure or boat slowly across sand somehow to cover ground
medium current or wind drift helpful....
until halibut bites and is hooked.
If no bites, fish elsewhere
best to start where halibut have been caught recently if you dont know where to try.
dont start out with too big a lure .
halibut are agressive ambush feeders.
if you are not hooking any halibut, try different lure/bait or try elsewhere.
depths from 8 feet to 200 feet can be productive but bigger ones seem to be at least 30feet deep for me and ussually shallower than
25 fathoms/150 feet.
you will have a lot of bycatch like rays skates sharks croaker
bottom fish as you cover ground.
a plastic worm on the edge of a kelp bed has been known to produce and so has a 6 oz chrome spoon jigged straigt up and down.
no one way, jsut go fishing
lots to read here, just go do it
this is not meant to be the ultimate advice as most of us have caught halibut dozens of different ways.
remember to be gentle with short fish and release carefully.
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02/09/2010 01:59 PM
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ksong
Moderator
Jigging and Popping
Joined: 11/20/2003
Posts: 670
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re: California Halibut Jigging
Thanks for the detailed info.
Wow, zero bite all day is pretty tough. 
i fished halibut in Alaska many times. on the last trip to Kodiak Island, AK two years ago, I had at least 40 halibut on jigs in a single day though there were only a few over 50 lbs.
I am an addicted fluke(summer flounder) fisherman. The biting patterns of Californis halibut are very identical to fluke's.
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02/11/2010 04:13 PM
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WHIPPET
Joined: 08/29/2008
Posts: 169
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re: California Halibut Jigging
Calif Halis are much smaller than Alaska Pacific barndoors, and also I believe more spotty in their distribution, wide, but not everywhere, they move, but frequent certain areas, they seem to have made a comeback over the years since the net restrictions and we are seeing bigger fish every year. Dont know fluke habits but our tiny flat sand dabs in a bit deeper water gobble up tine baits like puppies eating kibble.
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