| Pages:
1
2 |
Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
|
|
I'm offering these tips just for the HAL-i-but.
Hah...I'm On The Road Again...and just re-reading this fishing thread about Asuncion's halibut.
This is great fun...cuz Fishing/Hunting reports are ALWAYS my favorite Nomad threads to read.
I'm still chuckling over Santiago's colorful description of how he was introduced to Alaskan halibut fishing...whoa!.. what a job, eh? NOT FUN!
Well, the real story..at least our story... is far from that ordeal, thank Neptune.
I know most fishermen who have been on Alaskan halibut trips are already up to par on this, but just in case...here's my 2 cents worth of tips.
These are NOT gauranteed ways for 'you' to catch halibut...just some suggestions from someone who began learning to fish those waters in the sixties
..and is still learning today.
Note: the following are purely sport-fishing ways to catch both BIG and chicken halibut in Alaska. Not to be confused with
the Grocery Boat heavy-tackle fishing methods like the Sitka charters offered to Santiago. Nevertheless, if that's what the paying customers want
thier money spent on?...then so be it. It is certainly not my place or intention to insult them here.
We are lucky, though, in that we/I have our own boats and gear with us at all times. We generally use fairly light butt-tackle….especially compared
to what Santiago describes so humorously! And!..There is even some great fly-lining for halibut out of Kodiak Island.
I should mention that I am especially fortunate in that I had a head-start in fishing halibut (and all other fish) in Homer, Seward, Kodiak Island,
and Dutch Harbor when I was a teenager. Thanks to a Dad/fishing-flying instructor/ and all-round good guy who took me many places in a Stinson
station-wagon flying machine! (Much like Igor, Skipjack Joe taking his son, Alex, to great fishing adventures)
A little later on my own, I got into a few seasons of commercial fishing (reds mostly) in the Aleutians out of Dutch Harbor and inside Bristol
Bay….32ft drift-netters…that keeps you awake!.... but still sport-fished a whole lot whenever I had the time. So I had a considerable advantage in
learning the ropes of how to sport-fish halibut….Alaska style.
And now.. hopefully.. Baja-style at Asuncion!
I think this was 2002...was with mi amigo, Two Dogs,who snapped this photo. A great dinner! A nice linguado taken in Coyote Bay just off Isle Barga
in 75ft with a yellow 3/4 oz jig, drifting and drinking.
My late friend, Matt-Mateo of Coyote Bay (a great benefactor to Mulege who financed & restored El Candil and a few other places), always caught
some nice Baja-halibut dinners while sailing his sloop, Gale, slowly thru BOC's channel area to the river anchorage at Mulege. That channel still is
a great place for them. Stop by anytime and I'll mark some rockpiles for you to try your luck.
Back in the colder seas!....May is a good time for big butts in Alaska... ...
but the prime time is the last of August to mid- September. I’ve fished Dutch Harbor area bruiser halibut …200-300 lbers….with an entire cut fillet of
cod …maybe 1 to 1 ½ lbs..and hook to a heavy bullet jig. You can..and should... jig in rocky areas, with some high points here and there, using long
strokes up and down…enticing those brutes! We are 'always drifting slowly'...using a sea anchor if needed.…maybe 1-2 knots. NOT anchored.
This is an extremely exciting way to catch the preferred chickens...AND that 300 lb fish. The 300lber doesn’t nibble…heck
no!....you’ll think you’ve snagged a passing Sherman tank!
Seward is always a favorite port of mine because of the great scenery all around you….gorgeous snow-capped mountains….the quick boat runs to the front
of Resurrection Bay…or southeast to Montague island…all good spots to enjoy the views …and catch fish! My angler amigos and I have
literally lost count of the many halibut over 100 lbs we’ve caught out of Seward. I like it a lot because you can fish much shallower here…from 40 to
200…but also have options to go much deeper…say to 600ft if needed. You get to switch from your ultra-lites to the heavier gear.
It's not rocket science tech needed to catch these boys. Simply use some scampi jigs, teamed with light line…65lb 'good stuff line' wound onto some
quality reel, like a Penn 10 clamped to a Loomis or Seeker or ? 40lb bluewater series rod….just like ones I use in the Cortez. Hey, it works just as
well Up North as Down South.
Rig 12 to 16-ounce lead head jigs with some scented Berkley Power Grubs...these will catch big halibut, believe me. As for bait, the fresher the
better. Use salmon, cod carcasses and/or heads, also herring. Fish the bait three-four feet off the bottom and keep it as still as possible for a
long trial...then switch to some slow bottoming and back to 3-4 feet if needed.
Rocky areas are best when fishing the shallow areas. When and if you have to fish deeper spots….then try to find a gentle rise on a mud flat.
If you go back to Sitka, Santiago...you might give this a try:
First and foremost, don't go to Sitka for halibut...because the salmon fishing gets red hot, especially the coho fishing with generous six fish
limits. Early on, from mid May until mid July fishermen can also enjoy spectacular King fishing. Typically anglers can catch a limit of salmon and
average-sized halibut in the same day.
But for anglers who want to target 100lb-plus halibut it’s simply a matter of asking the charter operator about that prior to booking your trip. Most
of the guides practice catch and release on large fish. This practice has worked out well and provides many anglers the chance to catch large fish
without depleting the resource.
Savy angling customers who fish for three or four days will most likely notice that the charter captains self-regulate themselves by fishing in areas
with chicken-halibut most days and fishing areas with larger barn-door halibut only part of the time. This practice as worked well to maintain the
resource and works out well for anglers who want to bring the highest quality halibut fillets from halibut weighing 30 to 40
pounds. like in my photo somewhere below...
....unless I've gone and posted it in some Baja-dog photo thread like before. 
Nosirree, by Neptune! Here it is...I'm the one in camo.
Catching the barn doors is a blast, for sure...but when going after a halibut dinner...think small. (..like why I prefer pinto bass in SOC for a
meal...works for me.)
This size is called a 'chicken'...any halibut from 20-40 lbs...the best for dinner.
As stated above, if you want to catch bigger fish let your captain know your intentions ahead of time – including your desire to or release big fish
or keep them. It’s much better to communicate your wishes with the captain prior to booking your trip.
Well, there's lot more more with chasing big butts....about 50 years worth...but that much bilge-water would short-out your memory banks, as
it has mine.
And remember...tell 'em you read it on Bajanomads!
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
|
|
|
rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
My Uncle, a commercial fisherman in Alaska refused to bring large halibut aboard the boat when sport fishing. He called them trash fish . (they would
trash the boat).
|
|
|
Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4275
Registered: 1-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Depends on which way the wind is blowing
|
|
Hey, Pompano
Congrats! Your text and pics are fitting the frame on my web browser.
I am happy that I can see and read your adventures so easily now.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
|
|
|
Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
Congrats! Your text and pics are fitting the frame on my web browser.
I am happy that I can see and read your adventures so easily now. |
Hi...and Thanks for a reminder to down-size a lot of my over-sized photos. Being a klutz, I made a wrong adjustment on my camera to pc download
program..which left the pics way too big for most screens. Like me, these photos need to go on a diet!
I'm working to correct those now in Photobucket...sorry about the inconvience in sliding your screen all over the place. 
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
|
|
|
| Pages:
1
2 |
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
