Baits and Rigs for Halibut and Salmon (Kings in Saltwater)

Had a conversation with a guy at Sportsman's this evening - he occasionally fishes Cook Inlet via kayak for halibut, having landed up to 60 lbs.

He does not recommend circle hooks for two reasons: halibut have an odd shaped mouth and thick jaw bone, which may prevent the small(er) opening of the circle hook from making contact with the corner of the mouth. He also prefers to set the hook when drift fishing, as the bait is constantly moving and may not allow enough time for a circle hook to set (believe Kardinal was making the same point).

He prefers 10/0 Gamakatsu "Big River Bait" hooks - looks like a giant version of a live bait hook used when fishing live shiners for largemouth.

He had a good tip for hanging weights - Pucci sliding swivels, pack of 25 was only $5. Not only are they cheap but the swivel will pull out if hung up. Know you lose the weight, but to me seems better than cutting off 100'+ feet of PowerPro.

So think my set up for halibut will be 80# PowerPro main line, the aforementioned sliding swivel with a bead to protect the knot, a large barrel swivel to connect 100+ lbs leader, with the aforementioned Gamakatsu hook to finish it off.

May or may not crimp, but do like fluorocarbon for stiffness and abrasion resistance. Thoughts?

He does not recommend circle hooks for two reasons: halibut have an odd shaped mouth and thick jaw bone, which may prevent the small(er) opening of the circle hook from making contact with the corner of the mouth. He also prefers to set the hook when drift fishing, as the bait is constantly moving and may not allow enough time for a circle hook to set (believe Kardinal was making the same point).

We fixed that issue about 15 years ago and sorry, I never mention it. Take a pair of pliers and open the hook up just a touch more.  I've never had an issue hooking up.  The people who have problems with circle hooks are the jerking jimmies... Folks who try to set the hook.  It sets itself, all about letting the fish chew a while then just steadily reel in. 

Good suggestion. I use circle hooks for just about everything, so completely get it (so much so that if I fish with a non-circle hook, I usually miss the first couple of strikes - hard to get back into the habit of setting the hook). Thanks.