What to have for hali in Newport

[Wernergonefishin]

Was wondering just what does each person need to have on trip to newport hali fishing. Like how many lead balls and what sizes also how leaders should a we have per person. Last year while fishing with Taylors veiwpoint and NorriverDave seem like we went though some gear. Also How to deal with fish at the boat,shoot it, net it , or gaff it. Im planing on being down there fri sat maybe looking for someone to pair up with to run out. Thanks

[Miss B Haven]

Hmmm.... PM - I think I'll let you handle this question! :grin:

[corrirod]

Werner.,

Try using the "Search" feature at the top of the page. There have been a ton of topics on this over the last couple months.

Just remember this rule:

You can never have enough tackle.

[Mr. Fisherman]

You will need balls, big ones.
3#, 4# and maybe some 42 ounce cannon balls
I take at least 3 no excuse Halibut rigs per angler. Which weight you use is determined by the drift and ocean conditions. Faster drift, bigger weight. On a calm day we can get away with 2# and it is really nice.
At least one extra reel with enough line to fish 850 feet.
Lots of fresh bait, usually Herring.
Lots of stretchy string. It is no fun doing the deep sea bait check.
I also recomend a pair of rubber boots and at least some bibs. Don't wear anything you plan to wear in public. Halibut slime tells it's story forever.

Dealing with fish depends on the size of the fish. Chickens (under 40") are no problem. Just gaff them into the boat.

Big fish are a wonderful problem to have. Pilar and I have had three fish in his boat at one time that were all over 55#, that was a rodeo and I don't recommend it. Flattie won't be happy and those cannon balls have that name for a reason :shocked: . Picture total chaos, anything not bolted down flying all over the place, boxes coming apart, sharp things flying around, the aftermath can be anything but pretty. Just a reminder to keep the deck clear. Don't leave your tackle box open and get that weight under control quick.. Don't ask me how I know this...
Once the fish is in the boat bleed it out at the gills and cut a hole at the base of the tail.
Some people prefer to harpoon their large fish. I have heard stories of boats being damaged by fleeing fish. Just because you have a line on the fish dosen't mean it is just going to go along with the program. Stories have been told about whole corners of boats being torn away in Alaska by very large Halibut that were cleated off. I plan to have my Harpoon available and this is how I'm gonna rig it. I will have a rope tied to the harpoon point. About 10 to 15' down the rope I will tie the anchor ball. Another 75 to 100 foot of rope and I should be o.k. to tie it off. This way the fish will be fighting the anchor ball and eventually tire out, I hope. I am hoping that the drag on the anchor ball will turn the fish before it gets up enough speed to damage my boat. When you do harpoon a fish remember to hold on to the harpoon, don't throw it like in Moby Dick. It won't come back...

I have seen Halibut up to 78# neted, but I wouldn't recomend a net for anything over Chicken size.

I like a gaff. Even with a harpoon a gaff or two will make the chore of getting that big flattie into the boat do-able.

I have not shot a fish or seen it done but if you do shoot a fish, remember to do it BEFORE you bring it into the boat. It is not uncomon to hear stories of people who have sunk their boat by shooting a fish on deck [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img] .

I am no expert and hope I am not coming across as a know it all. I have been making this pilgrimage for a few years now and this year will be the first time out in my new to me boat. I am really looking forward to it.
In addition to the fishing gear make sure that you have enough safety gear. Don't assume that the boat you are on has a life jacket that fits you. Make sure before you leave the dock.

I am sure more Salty Dogs will chine in to answer this question...

Tight lines..

Mr. F,
You have bigger balls than me :grin: I have 1 32oz a few 24oz and 5 or 6 16oz left over.
You are right about halibut slime. It lasts and lasts.

[Mello-Yello]

On the subject of handling a larger than normal halibut, I've seen a few different options.

My preference is to not bring the fish in the boat until I've pretty much disabled it! I've witnessed the chaos that Mr. Fisherman described first hand a few times. Bringing the fish in the boat with the intention of whacking it a good one on the head doesn't always work so well. This fish can live at 1,000', that's gotta be pretty similar to a small billy club. I've seen them take an incredible amount of abuse only to come back to life 5 minutes later.

A heavy duty snubber is a good idea if you're going to tie your harpoon line off to your boat. Three life jackets, an innertube and a 5 minute air bottle is a good idea if you're going to tie it around your waist. Just make sure you tie it off to something that is very strong....it's sometimes hard to get a good grip on a small wet rope.

An old timer once told me it's best to harpoon them dead center as this will turn them if they try going deep and it reduces the chance of you're harpoon interferring with your main rigging. I tend to harpoon them wherever my harpoon ends up hitting.

Probably the coolest thing I've seen was a medium size boat buoy (about 18"-24" dia.) tied about 10' from the harpoon tip, then the remaining 10-20' of line tied off to your boat (snubber optional with this application). If the halibut decides to go back to the bottom, he's gotta take the float with him. The float works as a great snubber as Hali's will usually try to go straight down rather than away from the boat (at least in my experience). The float will wear him out real fast.

As for shooting them, I've done it, but don't really feel it's necessary (not a good idea if other boats are around). A halibut's brain is about the size of my thumbnail, and resides (if I'm not mistaken) between the eyes and back about an inch (on a big fish). Be ready for noise if you use a handgun. You're ears will ring for half an hour. If you do choose to shoot it, IMO the weapon of choice would be a "snake charmer". A .410 shotgun cut down to minimum legal barrel length and a pistol grip. Get it close though, you only need to make a hole big enough to see daylight through. ; /

My biggest dislike for shooting them is I want their heart pounding all the blood out of him as possible. Blood is a bad thing for optimum table fare as blood spoils first.

If you choose to bring him in the boat while he's still got a lot of spit, a good trick once you get him wrested down is to tie a cinch knot around his tail, then feed the line through his gills and out his mouth. Then pull the two ends together. This will bend him bend him into and arch and he can no longer flop around the boat. Then cut his gills real good and watch your boat floor turn red. I only ring his tail if I'm going to be hanging him by the head.

Oh, you're question was how much lead and leaders will you need.

I have no idea...Like Mr. F said, bring a little bit of everything!

[ 04-14-2003, 10:56 PM: Message edited by: Mello-Yello ]

I liked to harpoon them about 2" behind the eyes and through their skull. I've made some brain shots this way but like Mello posted their brain is small. The optic nerve is about 5 times the size of their brain.

[Mark Mc]

This is why I like short gaffs for halibut. Gaff 'em in the head. If it's "boat damaging" size, pull it's head out of the water, and wak'em with a hammer (like a 3-4 lb ball peen) in the head. Sure, he may thrash around, but if the gaff is in the head and the head is pointing up, he can't go down. Not a skinny aluminum gaff from Rite-Aid, but a meaty shaft (axe handle or 2 inch bamboo) and a big hook.

[SlabQuest]

Last week my local fishing club (PSA) hosted a presentation by halibut expert, Terry Rudnick. I purched his book :"How to Catch Trophy Halibut" but haven't cracked the cover yet. Some of his points were:

Harpoon the fish behind the gill plates and above the spine. Extra large fish should be poked in the thinner area below the spine to assure through penetration. Do not stab the spine or the gill plates. You have to make it all the way through on the first try.

The tiny brain is about 1" behind the eye next to the "edge" of the fish - not between the eyes. A .22 is adequate if the shot is properly placed.

[tailchaser]

One last thing to always remember when dealing with a hali on board is to lay them white side up. They won't thrash around nearly as much and can be handled quite easily. I've been told by several people it has to do with their spine structure and can't move as well when laying that way. Which makes sense because they're never laying in the ocean white side up.

Also a great place to sink a harpoon is right in the guts of a halibut. 99% of the time that a fish gets loose on a harpoon is because it didn't make it all the way through the fish. This is a soft spot on them to penetrate. Plus it doesn't ruin any meat from the fish becuase you don't want the belly meat anyhow.

tc

[Jimmy Carl Black]

All this talk of thrashing fish makes me wonder what line to go with. Is 65 lb. tuff line xp acceptable? With all this experience I'm sure there are some favorites.

[Pilar]

80# tuff if you can get it. These fish will foul you on the bottom if you allow your line to trail out behind the boat or there is a big drift. 80# is much more abrasion resistant.

Back to the subject .. Werner, you need enough gear to get hung up and broke off at least 3 times. Going back to the marina for more gear is not a possibility.

So put 400 or 500 yds of tuffline on each reel. More than one reel is better because you need a spare, you never know what will happen. Have enough lead so you don't have to beg for more if you lose some. 2, 2.5, 3 and 4 pounders are pretty handy. I try to have 3 of each and 4 or 5 if I can manage it.

When Mr Fisherman is onboard double your lead. :grin:

You can never tell what the drift will do. Not enough lead on a fast drift and you can't sink 600 feet without being a hundred yards behind the boat. This is a bad thing because you are sure to snag something on the bottom when your line is at that shallow angle. Best to hang straight down with the minimum amount of lead it takes to do that.

Extra pole is good because you might break one.

I use three main rigs. One is alot like a salmon mooching leader with heavy mono and circle hooks. The other is the 'No excuses' rig you see on the board from time to time with wire leader and 16/0 circle. The third is the ling jig, spreader and mono leader with circle hook.

Mr Fisherman was there when we first tried that jig and hook rig out. We had 3 on in about a minute after we hit the bottom and 15 minutes later we had about 25 square feet and 175 lbs of angry black and white fish competing for deck space with 3 fisherman.

Carry enough of whatever you will use for each fisher and some spares.

Ammo is always more expensive in the field and you can never have enough premade tackle, bait or fishin poles.

[ 04-15-2003, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[Wernergonefishin]

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] Thank you to all that replyed you guys are a class act bunch of fishermen, hope to see all your smiling face down in newport.Also one last question? Does anyone know of a place to buy the wire leader and crimps in washington for the no nonscence leaders. Thanks

[Orca]

Werner,

You can call Englund Marine in Astoria or Westport and they will ship out to you. Last year they only had 125 lb wire, but it worked fine for me since I lose them faster than the 'buts can wear them out. Cabelas also has heavy wire and crimps. If you go Cabelas, the sleeves (crimps) are HERE and there is a table to show you which sleeve to select for which wire or mono size.

[ 04-16-2003, 08:16 AM: Message edited by: Orca ]

[Mr. Fisherman]

Cabelas is a safe bet but if you are changing wire size it is good to put the ferrils (sp) on the wire to check for fit.

There is always Bobs in Longview but I haven't shopped there and can not speak as to their selection of this type of gear. I guess you could always call...

[Pilar]

Ray, the store in Longview (Bobs) is kind of a dissappointment for offshore tackle. I did find a 12/0 Gamakatsu hook for peeler fishing there, called 'Big River Bait'. Three in a pack and dang they are spendy. They had no wire or crimps and no circle hooks. The jig selection was good with every size from 2 oz to 12oz.

[puffins crew]

My first trip to the Chicken Ranch, I was using 30lb mono, and a 15 to 30lb rated 7ft G. Loomis boat rod. We were using 20oz lead, with big circle hook and a herring tied to it. Dropped straight down, fished under the boat, hit bottom, cranked up a couple of turns, and "FISH ON!"
FB and an Orange drink please. One drift, four fish, average size 40lbs. Off to the rock pile.

Another trip, same place, 4lbs of lead, 30 to 60lb rated meat stick, we had to back into the swell. Got our rear ends kicked, and had to work hard to limit the boat.

Like Rod said, you can never have too much gear.

I have been the guy who broke off, and did not have enough line to reach bottom. Never again. We have at least two complete rigs as back ups, ready to fish at all times.

Peace, Tom

[ 04-16-2003, 11:03 AM: Message edited by: puffins crew ]