It's nearly halibut time!

All,

It's very nearly halibut time in Wa., and I've just GOT to make a plan to take myself on a trip!  It's my personal religion not to go by myself on such a trip (please don't hijack my thread over this issue) and I don't have a buddy lined up for a weekend in the near future, so I'm putting out a call to see if we can generate any interest in a halibut hunt.

Right now, I'm looking at the first two weekends in May but I'm flexible beyond that too.  My main interest is to fish either off of the Dungeness Spit or I also see a spot inside of Discovery Bay that I'd like to try.  At either of these two spots, I'd like to drop my shrimp pot to soak while fishing.  I'm open to fishing off of Whidbey Island too, probably in Mutiny Bay.  Almost for sure one night of camping would be involved (hopefully at a state park) since it would be a ferry ride for me to fish either of these two general locations.

If it's an issue, I've got two rods and two reels suitable to the task (accoding to me any way... a Penn 210 and a Penn 310) and a small handful of spreader bars and circle hooks.  Any interest out there?  Anybody?  Anybody?


Fishin-T

Damn, T sorry i'm still stuck in this desert or i'd take you up on it. I know how bad it was for you in Philly to not be able to get out....

All, here's a good chance to fish with a good guy who also is a heck of a fisherman.. take him up on this, you won't regret it...

Too bad your not closer to the central Oregon coast. We are planning a little sumpin sumpin for that time frame down here.

Good luck on your quest, hope we all get to mark a big flattie on our tags this year!

Mid May is the target date for Halibut here in Southcentral Alaska.  When I lived in Ocean Shores, WA boats were traveling a LOOONG ways for halibut and super deep.  How far and how deep do you fish them in the area you are talking about?

Man, T, I wish I could make it over but it's just not in the cards. You might want to consider going just outside Ediz Hook, too. I think it's possible to launch on the outside and you can start fishing pretty quick.

k_84, out on the coast most of the charters do head far out because the fishing (and catching) is quicker out there, and more dependable. However, it is possible to catch halibut close in. I've caught a few over the years just a mile or two off the beach while on bottomfish charter trips. One day, just off Cannon Beach in OR, I landed one 40# "but and crackered another. (I was using a steelhead rod w/ 20# braid, so was kind of undergunned for being on a big boat.)

Up in WA, halibut can sometimes be caught pretty shallow (<80') in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the North Sound. In some areas it drops off pretty quick, too, so that it's possible to fish >300' FOW. The big mamas spawn on the tops of the banks, so some of them are pretty big- 100-200#.

Mid May is the target date for Halibut here in Southcentral Alaska.  When I lived in Ocean Shores, WA boats were traveling a LOOONG ways for halibut and super deep.  How far and how deep do you fish them in the area you are talking about?

About 300' is plenty deep enough at the right spot inside the straight.  I watched Pisco bring a very nice chicken to his self-crafted row boat in about 300' of water closer than 1/2 mile to the shore at the above mentioned Dungeness Spit.  Of course that part of the spit is a 3 mile paddle from the launch, but it's still right by land if you should need it.

So Pisco, that looks like a good lead over there on the hook!  I've never noticed that before.   Any charge to launch from the boat ramps?  Can I launch from the north side of the hook across from the ramps?  How busy does it get over there?  It looks like it might be a decent spot to soak a shrimp pot there too!  Any feel for that one?  If I was to fish the hook I think I'd want to try the 200-240' depth area that's about straight north from the far west end of the harbor.


Fishin-T

I don't remember any fee for the ramp out on the hook, but it's been a few years since I've been out there. I think it's still a mile plus to get to the end of the Hook.

I remember there being some gravel beach in places along the outside of the Hook. You might have to do a little scouting. As long as there isn't some nasty westerlies blowing, it should be a pretty easy launch.

As for the fishing, I've heard that it's possible to catch fish in less than 100'. A few years back, I saw some photos posted on another site and the poster said he was just outside the point. The better fish are not usually down in holes, but on the banks and slopes.

Nice.  Most of the halibut fishing in Alaska occurs at 250ft down to 400 ft or so.  In Cook Inlet where I plan to try, people use 4 lbs weight to get down.  That's not fishing, that's commercial long lining with a halibut reel instead of a hydraulic winch.  I don't care for it much.  But in mid May the herring and hooligan are running, and there are kings close to shore.  The presence of baitfish seems to draw the halibut closer to shore.  It seems like people hook as many chicken halibut trolling for kings 100 yards off shore as they do kings. 

I am going to try inside a quarter mile or so I think.  It should be around 60ft.  All it takes is one fish...well, I'll be greedy and say two fish for a limit!

In Cook Inlet, though baitfish will be abundant, a primary source of food is dungeness and tanner crabs for the halibut.  They are always puking them up.  So here's my go to rig for halibut over 50 pounds.  I wish I could take credit for the idea but I saw a guide using one and he caught lots of big fish on it.  Saw 3 myself.  Maybe I'll try to catch a few smaller ones before I slap this one.  If we can use jigs for Octopus, this is going to be my octo jig too.  haha.  Crab courtesy of some souvenir shop...had these forever waiting to get them done! Mounted on 160z lead head jig.  Sponge insert on bottom for scent,  Gulp crab scented spray.

K_84,

I like how you're thinking outside the box.  I might give these a halibut try based on your tip...
 http://www.fishusa.com/Berkley-Gulp-4-Saltwater-Rig-Peeler-Crab_p.html
Check 'em out, what do you think?

Fishin-T

K_84,

I like how you're thinking outside the box.  I might give these a halibut try based on your tip...
 http://www.fishusa.com/Berkley-Gulp-4-Saltwater-Rig-Peeler-Crab_p.html
Check 'em out, what do you think?

Fishin-T

I bet they would work great.  I used them once but it was for surfcasting for surfperch.  Sand shrimp didn't stay on long enough, I'd always run out of the razor clam neck tips since the limit is a measily 15 clams in WA (60 in Alaska!).  I'd pinch off a chunk of the peeler crab and it worked great so I know it looks and tastes like food to something.  At 4 inches, I wonder if the is "halibut" sized?  I think I'd still be tempted to fish with a chunk of bait like herring(a crab eating a dead fish look?) but at least when you got the hit and you miss it, you'd feel pretty confident working your stuff on the bottom for a few more minutes trying to entice that one to come back.  I always feel stupid when I do that with a conventional bait like herring and then when you pull it up, your bait was gone...or worse, you reel up to check, you still have bait, and your buddy next to you hammers a 100 pounder while you are out of the water...BTDT....

Interesting, k_84. If the crab was turned around on the jig, you could pin a herring on the hook and it would look like the crab was feeding on a dead one. Definitely worth a try!

I am definitely in for a halibut trip this May!!
Undecided if I am going to stay in Wa or head south to join the OR crew.

I was planning on heading to Hobuck that opening weekend to target them.  Am I totally off on this? 

You know how I love me some Hobuck!!
What is opening weekend? Is it the same for OR and Wa?

Thursday May 12, and Saturday May 14.  Depending on Quotas, those may be the ONLY days.  I was planning on the 14th.  Dunno what Oregon has going on.  I think it's open in JDF then as well.