Halibut Season Dates

Looks like they finally updated the Halibut dates:

North Coast (Marine Areas 3 and 4): Open May 9, 2 days per week, Thursdays and Saturdays through May 18. If there is available quota the fishery will re-open May 30 and/or June 1 and continue again starting Thursday, June 13 until the quota is reached.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/creel/halibut/northcoast.html

How far out do you go for halibut?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

This year, I think, will be a PB hali year if I get to fish for them at all.  Maybe in a few years when the 2 younger kids are quite so little it'll be feasible to target them from my yak.

The season is shortened, especially in area 5...this really Sucks, we lost 2 + weekends there.  I bet our licenses keep going up though.

Ouch.  My sympathies. You guys really need to come to our neck of the woods.  Two per day -- open for months and months and months on end.  I suppose it's only a matter of time before we see increased restrictions too. But until then... 

Ouch.  My sympathies. You guys really need to come to our neck of the woods.  Two per day -- open for months and months and months on end.  I suppose it's only a matter of time before we see increased restrictions too. But until then...

I suspect your right. The average size of our halibut is going down and you have to work for them a little harder than I remember in years past.

Ouch.  My sympathies. You guys really need to come to our neck of the woods.  Two per day -- open for months and months and months on end.  I suppose it's only a matter of time before we see increased restrictions too. But until then...

I suspect your right. The average size of our halibut is going down and you have to work for them a little harder than I remember in years past.

I agree as well.  Look at the charters in SE Alaska. They are down to 1 per day if I remember right. I do believe they even went to some quota system in south central and that pushed some charter operators out as well. 15 years ago you could go out in cook inlet and almost gaurantee 35+ pound fish. The guy I used to fish with out of anchor point doesn't even go out anymore because the fishing is so pathetic now compared to then.

Thanks Akers, it's a dream of mine, as I'm sure it is with many on this site, to get up that way one day and one of these days.....

The rub is, the area they took the days from we were 4 for 4 in, I caught 3 there. 

Thanks Akers, it's a dream of mine, as I'm sure it is with many on this site, to get up that way one day and one of these days.....

The rub is, the area they took the days from we were 4 for 4 in, I caught 3 there.

That rub is exactly why you've got our sympathies.  Fishing our favorite local waters has changed massively over the 30 years I've been wetting a line here. All of us can relate sympathetically to seeing access restricted and catches dwindle as numbers of fish decline and numbers of those who want to intercept fish increase. While I might lament the declining size of halibut, I'm grateful I can still hunt for barn doors relatively unimpeded. Wish you guys could too.