Alaska's Halibut Cove Lagoon

[bigshark]

reelist

The only Halibut Cove I'm familiar with is across
from the Homer Spit. This isn't what your asking about I hope. Where is the one your talking about located?

[reelist]

It is...and it isn't.

The Lagoon is just past (behind) the Cove. Its 2 mi long and 1/2 mi wide. Has a terminal chinok fishery in it and two public use cabins. Might be kinda good fishing...

Octopus works good and it stays on the hook. Try to find a 10"-12" hoochy in glow in the dark, slide on your leader and over your hook.

[212hjet]

Probably not late enough there....but best bait is a Halibut's favorite........Pink salmon head or if you run out of heads, a belly strip (after fileting it...it is illegal to use edible part of sport caught for bait now). It is legal to use purchased (commerically caught and then purchased) salmon for bait according to my Alaska neighbor there.
When we lived in Anchor Point ( a fiew miles away from Homer) we went out on the slack tides in our small boat and used herring with WD-40.
Now we have a small place in SE Alaska and whatever we use, we spray it with WD-40....biggest Halibut to date has been 240# ( by F&G length/weight charts).
Good luck and have fun.....watch the BIG tides and NEVER anchor a small boat in that area...just fish sack tides for two to three hours with 20 to 32 oz. weights. If you are not familar with handling a halibut around a small boat...ask!

[ 03-09-2003, 07:40 PM: Message edited by: 212hjet ]

[spooner]

And when you shoot them, shoot them before you put them in the boat :shocked:

Hi Spooner. Good advice [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] How's the fishing been?

[reelist]

Just wondering if anyone has been to this fishery. Scheduled for June 24-25 and looking to get prepared as best we can for the techniques and details about this area.

A side question too. Anyone use octopus for halibut? Lighted lures of other lighted attractants for halibut in Alaska? I'd be intersted in your tho'ts regarding that too.

Thanks in advance, Mark

[Ragnar]

I used to go up to Homer each year on vacation. As a true sick-o, I got a job working as a deckhand on a halibut charter boat. I learned alot about salmon and halibut fishing in the area. I don't have any info specifically on the Halibut Cove lagoon fishery but, if it's any thing like the Homer Spit "fishing lagoon", things could get very interesting. You will probably not have to worry about the droves of tourists driving down from Anchorage in their rented motorhomes. For the best success on salmon, I would go on a charter and maybe do a combo salmon/halibut trip or two. Afte all , how often are you gonna go fishing in Alaska? I am going to take wild stab here...... And say you're probably on a buget. Right? So, O.K. Here's how you do it on the cheap.... Ask around the docks to see if you can get on a charter boat and go fishing if you fillet all the fish or clean the boat when they come back in or something like that. I doubt if Halibut cove has any large charter boats though. Probabaly just 6 packs. Salmon fishing from the beach, number #5 bluefox vibrax spinners (orange bodies-silver blades Stock-up here) connected directly to your main 12lbs.test line with a ball bearing type locking snap swivel. I would take a rod that's 9-11ft. long withat a line rating of 8-15 lbs. test spinning style. A good spinning reel like one of the better Okumas size 40? or 4000 Shimamo Sedona
Spooled with 12 lbs. test Trilene XL. This line and rod combo will allow you to cast further therefore covering more water= more fish. And yes,12lbs. test is enough to land kings. The worst thing that will cause you to loose a fish is a harbor seal (throwing rocks helps sometimes). You will be casting a lot. your arms may get very tired. Also I would take along some stuff for floating herring or eggs under a bobber. These methods have been proven there in Homer. Something interesting about the "lagoon fisheries" (at least in Homer), is once the fish enter the lagoon itself they just "shut-off" the bite. I don' know what causes this, but I do know it is real. On the Bay or Cove side of the lagoon the fish still seem to be actively feeding and will readily take just about anything. I also know there is some good trolling at times just out side of Seldovia, just down the bay from Halibut Cove. Good luck.
Ragnar

[reelist]

Thanks Ragnar!

Lots of good info there. One follow-up...

Is the end of June starting to get late for the Chinook? I've read thru early July, but if that's like the prediction for here ("Fall chinook thru November.."!) that's overstating it (alot!).

Thanks again. Good info in your post.

Mark

[Tilla]

Octopus is great bait. It got the biggest one on one Homer charter a couple years back.

[Ragnar]

I don't know if I stated this earlier but, I haven't actually been to Halibut Cove. All the experience I have hsa been out of Homer. My suggestion to you would be to contact someone from the Homer Chamber of Commerce. They are the ones who behind these lagoon fisheries. The run timing can be influenced by a great many thing. Traditionally in the Kenai Peninsula area, there are two runs of kings. The first of which peaks sometime in mid June. The second run usually peaks in late July-early August. I could be way off here. Regardless, you will be right there on the salt water. There will be lots of fish swimming by heading for that lagoon. I would say that your best bet would be to intercept them somehow in some bottle-neck place. Check the tides before you head north, just look up Kachemack Bay(spelling?). The tides can be your friend. Don't rule out fishing on the low tides either. Many times the fish will be just right out there staging for the next high tide. All you need to do is put on your chest waders and wade out into the Bay. This is where the ability to cast further will come into play. If there is thick eel grass, then use an un-weighted flash-n-glo (or homemade)spinner with the largest brass or whatever colored blade on it. This large blade will allow you to still cast the lure but it won't sink into the eel grass. Sometimes you can see the fish swimming all around you. It's really cool. Be sure to keep your hooks sharp (or change them out as needed) as the salt water will rust away the tips quickly. And of course, rinse off your rod and reel really good each day with fresh water.
As for the haibut.....usually large herring from New Brunswick are used. If you have some octopus, take about the last 12"-16" (the skinny end) of the arm and put that on your hook so that it dangles and dances in the water. The halibut will work it's way up the arm and eventually get to the hook. Be patient and don't set the hook just litf and reel down quickly and don't give 'em any slack. I would still recommend using herring or salmon bellies in addition to the Devilfish(octopus). Those lighted doo dads you talk about earlier might be more of a hassle than it's worth. Usually your sinker has all sorts of teeth marks on them, if that tells you anything. Hey, give it a shot. Let me tell ya, it's a great place to do some testing. It's not like you're gonna get skunked if you do. Othen times when fishing from the beach in the bay you will also catch greycod and flounders. Keep and eye out for bait balls. You might want to throw some vetical salmon jigs in your luggage.
Rip into one for me
Ragnar

[Joe Schwab]

Been there, done that. It is a long run across the bay to the lagoon so go for the day and pick your tides. Remember the tides run 15 feet and more in that area. The entrance is narrow and swift at tide change and big rocks are strewn throughout. We found fish but they were very reluctant to bite and the locals toss hardware (large trebles with lead attached). I'm sure if you spent some time there you could figure it out. Beautiful spot, completely enclosed from the outside bay except for the narrow entrance.