Memorial Day Weekend Halibut

Sweet, Matt. So many places I want to check out.  I'm curious about Salt Creek, too, and would love to spend a day there. From what I've seen in a guide book and online scouting, it looks like a good family place. You going to be there Sat./Sun?

I'm down for wherever. I plan on leaving Friday afternoon and fishing Saturday. I don't think I'm really set up for halibut (the largest reel I have out here a 7000C3). However I'll be taking the spinning rod and fly rod in an attempt to catch my first ling and/or bass.

Cool deal Wayne.  I'll do an inventory on what gear I have up here and see if I can't supply a butt rig for you.  I also talked to Charles tonight and it looks like he's in as well.  Looks like we've got a great crew shaping up!

-Allen

Tides look good for the Saturday ... http://www.dairiki.org/tides/daily.php/nba/2007-05-26

Which means currents look good too ... http://www.dairiki.org/tides/daily.php/jdf/2007-05-26

-Allen

Wayne,

I'd bet you would do fine with the Abu; we're not using real heavy line (20-30#), nor are we going really deep (70'-250'?). Chances are the fish we catch will be chickens, 25-40#.

Cool, I'll spool the it up with some 25# test... If anyone has a crappy old rod I can match up with it for the day that would be great.

What should I pick up for terminal tackle?

Thanks for the info!

At this point, the only spare I will have, for sure, is an old surf spinning rod. It's 11' long, with a butt section that is at least 2' long (a pain to pass from side to side, past my beer belly). However, it can jig up to 16oz., and I have been successful with it before.

I'll quote PP and myself, from earlier in this thread, on the terminal tackle-

PS-

I use a spreader; instead of a weight I use a big jighead (8-24oz.) w/ grub. Off the arm, I use the biggest circle hook I can find. I've been using a large 9" squid threaded on the line, with a large herring. I like having the lure, in case I lose the bait. I try to minimize the number of times I have to crank a pound of lead several hundred feet up.

PP-

I don't use a spreader.  I use 2-2.5 feet of 200-400 pound leader (whatever big I already have handy), an 8-10" glow squid over a 16/0 circle hook.  I know this seems large but butts have no problem with it.  The stiffness of a leader that size helps with not getting tangled.  Bait is either salmon bellies, large horse herring, octopus, or squid.  One salmon belly strip can last you all day as they are extremely tough on the hook, unless the dogfish are pesky.  For weight, I'll rig a 8-16 ounce torpedo weight on a slider.  30 pound spectra on my mainline.  Slather everything with herring oil.

PS-

The charter boats I've been on, out of Neah, use a sliding weight, which is on a short section of 250# cord. Sequence: mainline, swivel, cord w/ weight, swivel, leader.

I've been using the jighead for weight to have twice the lures! I've been using 16/0 circles, too. Last year I started using a short section of wire bite leader between hook and regular leader. (Buts and lings are not leader shy.) My regular leader is only 25-30#, so that I don't risk losing the spreader.

PP-

Good point on the breakaway leader, forgot about that.  Last year on POW, I was on a regular boat and snagged bottom.  With the 30# spectra, I had a really hard time breaking it away.  30# spectra will test to about 50#.  I worried about being able to break that away on a kayak so I did switch to a topshot of 25# leader.  My rig was 30# spectra to a 10 foot section of 25# topshot tied with a a uni-to-uni knot then to the swivel.  The slider was on the mono with a bead above it to keep it from sliding over the topshot knot.  I never did snag up on the kayak so it never became a concern on that trip, but I definitely can see how it could be problematic.   If I were to  replace the spectra mainline, I definitely would switch to 20# spectra, but I'll keep the topshot rigging for now as I don't want to waste 300 yards of spectra.

Great idea on the dropper jig for weight.  Can't do this up in Canada though as the regs there called for single hooks.  We jigged these with large 10" glow worms in POW with a moderate amount of success.  Glow colors on the large hootchies over the bait too.

We also found that large sweeping jigging motions helped entice the strikes more.  The butts would pick em up on the sweep then I'd drop the rod down and put the reel in freespool to allow the butts to run with it before reeling tight.  Remember with circle hooks to not to set the hook.  Just reel tight and keep reeling.  The circle hooks will set themselves in the corner of the mouth.

One other note, the hooks need to be barbless on the inner waters.  It can be extremely difficult to de-barb the heavy circles as we found out at Sekiu last year.  With a regular file it will take a long time to grind down the barb.  Best to take a dremel tool to it at home before getting to your fishing location.

I'll add that on de-barbing big hooks, I use the biggest pair of slip joint pliers I own, to crush the barb. I've never seen our DFW enforcement object this.

For the halibut, I'd have variety of jig heads, or weights, from 6oz. up to 16oz. For rocks and lings I commonly use 2-6oz., though it's almost impossible to go too big for ling lures/bait.

I highly recommend braid for your mainline. The thin diameter allows less weight for the same depth, and the lack of stretch allows better feel of whats happening 200' down. Mono is like a giant rubber band when used deep.

How far west would you be willing to go, for your Sat. fishing, Wayne?

I plan on camping out Friday night somewhere out there so I'm willing to travel to find fish...

Thanks for all the halibut rigging info! If you ever need to know how to rig for any of those crazy east coast fish just let me know...

Hunh, never did the shark thing, though there were lots of guys that went for makos, off Long Island, NY. I was born on the east coast, and use to regularly go back to the NY area to visit relatives. The surf rod I mentioned, I picked up years ago on L.I., for stripers and blues.

The grouper and sharks are from Florida?

So I have a bunch of 16/0 circles, heavy duty leaders, and glow squids that I will share.  So please nobody go out and buy more of these.  However, if someone wants to pick up some large black label herring,  I'll trade gear for bait.

Wayne, when will you be leaving on Friday?  I think we'll be leaving mid-day some time and I'm hoping to push through all the way to Hobuck's at Neah Bay.  I haven't heard anyone opposed to Hobuck's yet.  Figure ~5 hours drive from Seattle if you make the ferry.  As it's a holiday weekend, you'll most likely have to wait at least one ferry.

Fishin-T, have you made up your mind yet about joining us?

-Allen

You thinking of a launch at Hobuck's?  Or in the strait? What if MA4 isn't open for 'buts?  The 'but in my avatar was caught a couple of miles east of Snow Cr. A large pull-off from the highway, allowed me to back up to the water. There was nobody else around.

I've got a bunch of stale, old little herring, in my freezer, nothing big; and a few planters.   

pp wrote-

Fishin-T, have you made up your mind yet about joining us?

That would be cool, if you did!

I think I like the idea of camping next to the ocean.   

If it's extremely nice out, it would be great to launch on the Pacific side.  However, it's probably not the place to go for butts.  If MA4 is open, I'd love to go right back to where you caught that one.  If MA4 is closed, then let's hit the mouth of the Sekiu R. to Kydaka.  At least that's what I'm thinking.  I could be easily swayed to go just about anywhere.

Ohhh ... I have some chum fillets left over from last fall that I could put to use.  I might just salt these down to toughen them up a bit and use them for butt bait as well as strip bait to tip some jigs with.

-Allen

I plan on leaving around noon.

The grouper was caught in Key West. I worked on a boat called the Yankee Capts. for 3 years after college. We spent November-May doing 2-4 day long-range trips from Key West, then spent the rest of the season in New England fishing for bottom fish and tuna.

Where can I pick up some bait in Seattle for us?

I don't spend enough time in Seattle to know where the best places are...

I am going to go to my local grocery store and ask the meatman what kind of trimmings he can save me. This time of the year, they get in all kinds of fresh AK stuff, including salmon and halibut. A white belly strip from another 'but works as well as anything else.

Not to tempt you guys anymore I know you all want to hit the big butts . The Solduc is open for springers. Water has been a little milky though due to run off. Just something else to consider.