Halibut harpoon technique

Personally I prefer the shark hook technique as most of the halibut I have caught have come up vertically.

Could you describe the shark hook technique and the equipment used in that technique?

Personally I prefer the shark hook technique as most of the halibut I have caught have come up vertically.

Could you describe the shark hook technique and the equipment used in that technique?

I started using a shark hook because I wanted a landing technique that I felt better used the type of stability in a kayak, or more correctly, avoided the instability of a kayak.
To deploy a harpoon you have to push down along side the boat and I felt that it was more difficult to push down than it was to lift up on a kayak.
The shark hook allows you a barbed gaff hook with a flexible tether.  As the halibut gets to the surface you can either get the hook inside its mouth and pull in out, or put the hook under its chin and pull the hook to the inside.
Plus there are less pieces involved. No tip to fall off and no harpoon shaft to deal with.
This year I went with a smaller A0 bouy and am going to shorten my line to 5-6 feet.
Here is video of the technique when thinges go easy on a ling and when they don't go too smooth on a 40-50ish halibut.



Washington Coast Kayak Lingcod:

Kayak halibut rodeo:

Haha.  Great vid Bill!  You are a better man than I!!!!  Frankly for a wimp like me, it's much easier to stick them with a harpoon.   Very little effort required to get the tip through a 100 pound halibut.  The only thing to be aware of is not losing the tip as you get ready to hit the fish.   I have all sorts of video that shows what can go wrong.   

And for me, especially after seeing Bushy's nice halibut jump off the shark hook, I got to believe a 4 inch harpoon tip is a lot more secure than an 1/4 inch barb.  Once again the video of you lifting the ling up with the hook by your head made me cringe a little.  I would end up having the hook embedded against my head as the fish started thrashing around. Well maybe not, not sure I could lift a 42 inch ling up in the air like that!!! 

I definitely think it comes down to preference.  I have both.  I know I can rely on the harpoon as long as I don't screw the tip up.  I have tried to deploy the shark hook a couple of times, and leaning  over to get the good set scared me a little to be honest. 

I think that this clearly illustrates that what works for some doesn't work for other.
Figuring out what works for you and what doesn't is one of the things that makes catching a halibut from the kayak so challenging because we don't get many attempts at it outside of AK.

   I have to agree--great videos.

 My biggest butt from a kayak is only 40 lbs so I can't address handling a bigger one. I didn't use a harpoon or a gaff type thingy. I got it up to the yak cut a gill ( at which time it went a little berserk) . Let it play out some energy and brought it back to the boat. Slipped a game clip in it's gills that had a 5' rope attached and let the fish expend the rest of its energy before bringing it into my lap. Then cut the other gill rakers and had the fish secured.
 Maybe this year I'll break the 50 pound mark and then shoot for bigger fish. Looking forward to Neah Bay.

I think that this clearly illustrates that what works for some doesn't work for other.
Figuring out what works for you and what doesn't is one of the things that makes catching a halibut from the kayak so challenging because we don't get many attempts at it outside of AK.

I agree with halibut whisperer Bill on all his points.

One point I'd stress is prepare/plan/practice your halibut landing technique before the season rolls around. Practice hitting a cardboard cutout when sitting in your boat (of course when nobody is watching). If you're lucky you'll get your one shot at it this year.

Some years ago I lost one in the 60-70 pound range when I hit it with harpoon designed to irritate more than kill. I went back empty handed and redesigned my gear and proceedure. Since then I haven't missed but I credit luck more than anything. It's usually a big investment of hours for the chance at a single fish here in Washington. Do everything you can to make that one shot count.

Do everything you can to make that one shot count.

While we are more fortunate to land multiple fish daily in a season that runs 11 months, you never know when you will catch that fish of a life time. 

The reason I stick with the harpoon is for exactly the reason for making that ONE shot count.  I have screwed up more times than I care to recall with a harpoon.  I also have most of the screw ups on tape.  Even my big fish, I hit it once WITHOUT the harpoon head.  ARGH!  But keep in mind I have only really been harpooning fish out of a kayak for a year.

The difference is all of the "negative aspects" of a harpoon head has been Pre-strike.  All issues I have seen with the shark hook is post-strike or during.  I have control pre-strike.  You often don't have control at the moment of strike and certainly not afterwards. 

I can see the concern if you have ever lost a fish with a harpoon.  I never have.  The closest I have seen was with Spot's fish that tore a couple inch gash into the fish.  For me at least the physics of a harpoon head outweighs the shark hook.  The hook is a mini-gaff and we know gaffs are not cool for halibut, the weight is working to pull the barb out if you let go and slack develops.  There no comparison on "barb/retention point" size.  If I am going to shark hook it, I might as well boca grip it.   I would not feel good about letting a shark hook go and having the fish thrash around. Especially if its off the line somehow.  With the harpoon head, I can let it go all day long and feel comfortable.  I think maybe I just don't have that level of comfort yet.  I also have a fear of the halibut thrashing on deck with a shark hook embedd in it.  The harpoon while I suppose it can turn to cause damage isn't an anchored sharp thing attached to a 50 or more pounds of muscle.  Shark hooks in, fish flops and rolls...it would suck to get a shark hook jammed through your thighs.  Ok, maybe I am now getting ridiculous. 

Bill is right that a lot of halibut come up vertically.  It does make harpooning them harder.  But if you are in a hobie, a few kicks as it gets to the surface pulls the head toward you and flattens the body out...most of the time....

No question both methods work and what makes it interesting I think is the pros and cons are very different for each.  It definitely is a personal preference issue. I am intrigued.  I am going to try and shark hook a few smaller fish this season to make a better assessment for what works for me.

 

I believe I may be inclined to go the harpoon method if I was specifically targeting 100+ pounders. It does hold better and I have seen shark hooks fall out.
Personally the halibut rodeo is half the fun for me =)

I believe I may be inclined to go the harpoon method if I was specifically targeting 100+ pounders. It does hold better and I have seen shark hooks fall out.
Personally the halibut rodeo is half the fun for me =)

Lol.  I have to admit. I've been tempted to hit a decent one and see if I can hold on to the rope and get that sleigh ride. Might need a shock cord though. I think it'd rip my arms out of the socket even in a kayak.

Spots 65 plus pounder took an A2 buoy with nearly 70 pounds of flotation down for 15 seconds or so. 

We should have an AOTY category for fastest GPS reading while being towed by a fish. Haha.

I'm not sure I could fish halibut with Bill or Lee.  The stuff I've seen them do is ridiculously insane and cool.  I'm just too wimpy to manhandle them like that.  Halibut scare me...really.  I've been beat up pretty good on board a boat. It's really hard to explain the power to people who have never dealt with one green.

I am no expert on halibut harpooning as I have just one (105) that I have harpooned but I have a healthy respect for these fish. I have caught many on my powerboat that were in the 90 to 120 range and a couple that were pressing 300 lbs over a almost 50 years as a boat owner fishing in Alaska. I have been smacked silly by 50 lbers  and had a more than  few bruises on my legs on my boat. These fish are powerful and hard to kill. The one I harpooned last year was attached to a A2 float and it still pulled it under as well as gave me a ride. The harpoon didn't hurt it a bit as it slid under the gill plate and wedged in its throat.  On my boat I shot any that were over 50 lbs. I thought about a shark hook but went with the harpoon because of the Toggle effect of the harpoon.

I think this is a great discussion.  I will have to go back and compile my "FAILS".  Should be interesting.  So far, I haven't lost one to a failure but its only a matter of time until I get it better dialed in. 

Does anybody have any suggestions or recommendations about where to buy a harpoon or kage gaff which is suitable for use in a kayak?  Or is it a do-it-yourself project?

Does anybody have any suggestions or recommendations about where to buy a harpoon or kage gaff which is suitable for use in a kayak?  Or is it a do-it-yourself project?

Any dart style wood handled harpoon will work. Usually $30-75.
Shorten the handle to your liking.

My local sporting good stores ha the heads. But you can get them online. https://www.google.com/search?q=halibut+harpoon+head&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=XR36VMGrNIqrogTXqYLAAQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=320&bih=460&dpr=2#spd=3419247180943330359
I'm going to make my own pole next. I was impressed with Chris' that I think he made from a broken hiking stick.

My local sporting good stores ha the heads. But you can get them online. https://www.google.com/search?q=halibut+harpoon+head&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=XR36VMGrNIqrogTXqYLAAQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=320&bih=460&dpr=2#spd=3419247180943330359
I'm going to make my own pole next. I was impressed with Chris' that I think he made from a broken hiking stick.