Questions about Halibut fishing

[tady]

Hi:

Reading about the upcoming Halibut season has me convinced I need to try this fishery out. But I have a few questions to ask the Halibut experts

1) The only equipment that I have that might be suitable is a 5 1/2 foot stubby tuna rod with a Penn 113HLW. The reel is stock and the rod is rated for 50Lb to 80Lb test. Should I even consider taking this rod and reel setup with me or should I just use what the charter boat supplies?

2) If the rod and reel setup is useable, I was planning to spool up with Dacron line. What test dacron should I get, or should I use a diffrent braided line?

3) I am planning to go on a charter boat since I do not own a boat of my own. Any Recommendations on Charter boats are greatly appreciated.

4) Would a Rod Butt belt be useful on a Halibut trip?

5) What is the best way to rig up for halibut (Terminal Tackle)?

6) Is bait used for Halibut or Jigs? If jigs are used what types are recommended.


Tady

[Fishplay]

Hi Tady,
I don't considermyself an expert but I am experienced.

1. Your rod and reel will work fine. My only concerne is that if you fish your equipment and get tangled with others it is your line that you will be losing. Charter captains and deck hands tend to complain about customers using spectra braids. That said I would still use my own setup.

2. Spool with 65lb or better Tuff or PowerPro (I prefer 80lb PP).

3. The Blitz or USIA Adventure Charters out of Newport. You can find them here. web page

4. Yes

5. Courtesy of Pilar. web page

6. You can use either but I prefer bait because it's cheaper. Use some glow in the dark item on you rig to make it stand out in the dark at 600ft deep. I just thread a glow rubber worm on the hook prior to the bait.

[Capin' Dan]

Tady if you go with a charter use his gear. Many times bringing your own will really mess up the drift because of different line sizes ectra. Many charters will have you use theirs. Also another thing you can try is to post up for open seats. Ask a fellow ifisher. Many times they are looking for an extra to help pay for the gas rooms whatever. With gas prices the way they are it really helps out. Also you get to meet some awesome people. many times you can work out trades drift boat trip if you own one or some such thing.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Dan!

[ 03-12-2003, 02:09 AM: Message edited by: Capin' Dan ]

[Pilar]

Hi Tady ..


The rod you have is a bit short IMO. It will work but is probably pretty stiff. The Tiger ugly stick is cheap on sale at $59 and at 7' is the ideal boat rod for Halibut and deep water reef fishing. Dan is right on about the head boat wanting you to use their gear so maybe you dont need to get a new pole.

113h is a Penn senator 4/0. Great reel and it holds alot of line. 80# green power pro (spectra) will fill that reel with 400 - 500 yds! Enough for tuna or whatever else. Most reels like this I spool with 400 yds and then wind on some backing till full. Then I wind that onto an identical empty reel to get the exact fill I want. The reel is full and I didn't take too bad a hit in the wallet. Dacron is not really good because it fills the reel up quickly and you can't put enough line on it. The fishing varies from 500 to 900 feet depending on who you fish with and where. So 400 yds will get you to the bottom and you will still have a big enough spool to do some reeling when you get bit.

Dan is also right on about finding a ride here on Salty dogs.

http://www.ifish.net/ubb/ultimatebb....;f=21;t=001105

Most of the guys that will run small boats after Halibut also Tuna fish and will be in Newport this weekend for the Tunaholics Anonymous meeting on Saturday. We wanted to do some salmon in the ocean too but mother nature has other ideas. Fishing with a few friends is a much better trip than fishing with 20 guys you just met at the charter dock that morning.

So get in the game. Meet some of these guys online or in the RV Camping/parking lot at S. Beach Marina in Newport this weekend. There is another thread on this subject here somewhere.

Go catch a Halibut!

[ 03-12-2003, 07:02 AM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[Mark Mc]

Hi Tady, the only thing I would add is that for halibut, a rail plate attached to your rod is much friendlier than a fighting belt. With the rail plate you just lay the rod (in front of the foregrip) on the rail & grind, which is what you do most of the time while landing a halibut. A fighting belt is more appropriate for fighting tuna (& similar) where the fish is out away from the boat and you have your rod tip up & you're pumping & reeling. Not to mention, a rail plate prevents scuffing of your rod and the boat.

You could certainly use the fighting belt just to keep the rod butt from digging into your belly, but for most of us we have natural protection against this.

[ 03-12-2003, 08:42 AM: Message edited by: Mark Mc ]

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

Your rod is a little on the stiff side but would work. A 113 LHW with 40# mono will work and will get you to the bottom. I use this on my charter boat and have no problem. Some charter boats will not let you use tuff line or powerpro but I see no problem with it. Dacron is not a good idea for many reasons. It is abrasive on the guides, has too much drag in the current, will cut through mono, just not a good idea. If you are going on a charter boat, check with the captain before departure. The gear on the boat will be adequate and you won't have to worry unless you just want to use your own stuff.

Captain Mike

[Booja 1]

Heya Tady...looks like these guys have you dialed in...A couple more charter boats than was mentioned by Fishplay are the "Irish" out of South Beach in Newport,,only takes 6 people and the Siggi G out of Garibaldi..Make your reservations like yesterday...They might already be full....If you weren't fishing so deep,, an all white Tady PDQ would work but being only 20 ounces it wouldn't make the bottom...great jigs those Tady's are........

[tady]

Thanks for all of the advise and the invite to the tunaholics meeting.Unfortunatly, I am booked that weekend. I am a tuna Freak from So. Cal, I missed the Oregon tuna season last year becouse I was working in Taiwan for half of the summer and fall. I did keep up on the offshore action through the disscussion board on Ifish.... I am looking forward to using my tuna gear this summer.

I will looks like I will take Booja !'s advice and reserve a spot on a charter ASAP. I will bring my tuna rig with a rail plate as a backup to the boat rod, I have had bad experiances with boat rods in So. Cal.I will make sure I spool up with the same line the boat rods use.

Hey Booja 1 it sound like you have fished in So. Cal, At least you recognize what my screen name stands for.
You are right Booja 1, Tady's are great jigs. I caought a 38lb Chinook last June on a Tady 9 while on a light tackle bottom fishing trip out of Garbaldi. I was casting the jig to some bait fish that were being chased on the surface, then boom the Chinook hit. It took me around the boat twice. I love throwing Tady's when the Tuna are around.

Thanks again for the Halibut advice. I am looking forward to pulling one in.

Tady

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

Hey Tady, I grew up in S. Cal. and worked on charter boats there as a kid. I'm not fimiliar with the jig called Tady. Could you fill me in a bit about it? We used a variety of aluminum jigs that worked great and I'm sure we could use some of them here especially for tuna fishing. I'll be doing a little experimenting this summer myself and would like to try one.

Captain Mike