Halibut

Halibut fishing means putting a big, smelly bait or a bait-tipped jig on the bottom where Pacific halibut lie in wait, often in 150 to 400 feet of water or more. You drift along edges and slopes, keep the bait bouncing near the bottom and wait for a heavy, steady pull. It's a short-season fishery with few open days, so preparation counts. The skills that matter are finding the right edge, keeping contact with the bottom, being patient on the bite and landing a large fish safely.

What It Is and When It Beats Other Methods

Halibut are flatfish that ambush prey from the bottom. They lie on gravel, sand and cobble near the edge of a slope, a hump or a plateau and grab food that drifts or swims past. Anglers fish for them two ways:

• Bait on a spreader bar or sliding-sinker rig. A heavy sinker holds the bottom, and a large bait on a circle hook rides just above it. This is the standard on charters and in deep water.
• Jigging. A heavy metal jig, a leadhead with a big soft-plastic tail or a large squid skirt, usually tipped with a strip of bait, is bounced on the bottom.

Drifting covers more ground and is the most common approach. Anchoring on a known edge and building a scent trail works in the right spot, especially when the tide is moderate, but it takes heavy anchor gear and experience.

Halibut fishing is different from jigging for lingcod and rockfish, which favors rocky reefs and slack tide. Halibut often bite best when the water is moving and are usually found over softer, more open bottom. Many trips combine the two when halibut are slow or the quota closes.

Target Species and Where in Washington

Pacific halibut is the target. Lingcod, rockfish, cabezon and other bottomfish are common bycatch and are often kept where the rules allow. See Halibut.

Where Washington anglers fish for halibut:

• Neah Bay and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca: banks and humps reached from Neah Bay and Sekiu.
• La Push and the north coast: offshore banks, often in deep water.
• Westport and Ilwaco: offshore grounds, with long runs and deep water. See Washington Coast Bottomfish, Halibut and Lingcod.
• Puget Sound: some marine areas open for halibut, but WDFW notes that halibut are rare in central Puget Sound. Banks in the eastern Strait and north Sound are better known.

Halibut fishing is mostly done from charter boats or private boats of about 20 feet or more, because of the distance, depth and weather.

Seasons and Conditions

Best Times, Not Regulations. Washington halibut seasons are short, set each year and managed by quota, and they can close early when the catch is reached. Openers usually come in spring and early summer, with some areas adding days later in the year. Each area has its own open days.

• Tide. Moving water turns on the bite, because bait gets active and halibut feed. Very large tides, especially big minus tides, can make the current too fast to hold the bottom. Many anglers prefer moderate tides.
• Wind and swell. Coastal trips depend on the forecast and the bar crossing. Wind against current in the Strait builds steep, dangerous seas.
• Depth. There's no magic depth. The edge is what counts. A slope may run from 50 to 300 feet or from 400 to 700 feet.
• Where to check. NOAA tide and current predictions, the marine forecast and buoy reports, and Coast Guard bar conditions for the coast.

Rods, Reels, Line and Leader

Terminal Tackle and Rigging, Step by Step

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Spreader-Bar Rig

1. Tie the shock leader. Join the braid to 5 to 6 feet of heavy mono with a double uni or FG knot.
2. Attach the spreader bar. Tie the shock leader to the swivel on the main arm.
3. Clip on the sinker. Snap a 16 to 32 ounce sinker to the sinker arm or center drop. Use a quick-change snap so you can change weight.
4. Attach the leader. Tie or crimp 18 to 24 inches of 80 to 150 pound mono to the swivel on the other end of the bar.
5. Add the hook and bait. Thread a large circle hook through a whole herring at the head or a strip of salmon belly at the narrow end. Wrap soft bait with fine elastic bait thread so it lasts longer. Leave the hook point and gap exposed.
6. Add scent. Many anglers inject scent into the bait or add scent gel.

Sliding-Sinker Rig

Thread the main line through a slider with a weight snap, then add a bead and tie on a swivel. Tie the leader to the other side of the swivel. This rig is simpler but tangles more than a spreader bar. It's common for anchoring.

Bait-Tipped Jig

Tie a heavy metal jig or a large leadhead with a soft-plastic squid or scampi-style tail to the shock leader, often with a large single hook. Tip the hook with a strip of herring, salmon belly or squid. When dogfish are thick, jigs hold up better than bait.

Bait tips. Use fresh bait if you can. Frozen herring is soft, so brine it overnight in a strong salt solution to firm it up. Large herring work best. Never fish mushy or freezer-burned bait.

Technique, Step by Step

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1. Find the edge. Use a chart and sonar to find a hump, plateau or slope where the bottom drops faster. Look for bait on the sonar.
2. Set up a downhill drift. Position the boat at the top of the slope, so the tide and wind will carry you from shallow to deep. Halibut face uphill waiting for food, and drifting downhill also snags less.
3. Drop to the bottom. Free-spool the rig with a thumb on the spool. When the sinker hits bottom, engage the reel and lift it a foot or two.
4. Keep in touch with the bottom. As the water gets deeper on the drift, let out line to keep tapping the bottom. Bounce the sinker every so often to send up a puff of sand and scent. If the line angle gets too shallow, reel up and drop again, or add weight.
5. Lift every few minutes. Raise the bait a few feet and let it settle. This keeps it moving and helps avoid snags.
6. Check your bait. Reel up every 15 to 20 minutes or after a bite to check the bait and change it if needed.
7. Reset the drift. When the bottom flattens out or you reach the depth you can fish well, reel up, run back up the slope and start again.
8. Repeat what works. Mark bites on the GPS and drift the same line again.

Reading the Bottom and the Tide

• The down-slope side of a hump. Halibut lie just below the break in the slope.
• Gravel and cobble bottom near the edge of a bank.
• Bait on the sonar. Halibut follow bait.
• Current breaks where the tide wraps around a hump.
• Moving water. Halibut feed when the tide is running. Lingcod fishing is often better at slack.

The Bite, Hook Set, Fight and Landing

The halibut bite often starts with taps or a light, nibbling pull as the fish mouths the bait. Then the rod loads with a heavy, steady pull.

Don't set the hook at the first bite. With a circle hook, let the halibut take the bait, wait until the rod bends steadily and then reel steadily and lift. The hook rolls into the corner of the mouth. A hard jerk pulls the circle hook out. If the fish lets go, drop the bait back down right away. It often comes back.

The fight. Halibut make strong runs, then sulk on the bottom. Use steady pressure and let the drag work. Pump and reel slowly. Don't try to winch a large halibut straight to the surface.

Landing. Small halibut can be netted. Big halibut are dangerous at the boat. Guides and experienced crews control the fish beside the boat and subdue it before bringing it aboard. They usually use a harpoon with a float line, then a large gaff. Never lift a large halibut by the leader or bring a live big fish into the boat. Let the crew handle it. A halibut thrashing in the boat can break legs and gear.

Handling and Release

• If you plan to release a halibut, keep it in the water and unhook it there. Large fish should never be lifted by the jaw or gills.
• A dehooker or long pliers keeps hands away from teeth.
• For rockfish caught as bycatch, barotrauma is a big risk. Fish with bulging eyes or stomachs often can't swim back down. Return them to the depth where they were caught, or at least 60 feet, with a descending device. WDFW advises doing this quickly, ideally within about two minutes, and not venting the fish.
• Check the WDFW pamphlet for current handling and size rules.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Pro Tips From Guides

• Scent is everything. Use bait with lots of oil and add scent often.
• Rig at home. Pre-tie leaders and spreader-bar setups the night before.
• Use matching weights in a group. If everyone on the boat uses about the same weight, lines are less likely to tangle.
• Try a jig when dogfish are thick. They destroy bait quickly.
• Mark the edge. Note the depth and spot where you get bites, and drift the same line.
• Prepare for the cold. Dress warm, and take seasickness medicine before the trip if you need it.
• Book early. Charter openers fill quickly.

When It's Slow

1. Bottom contact. Make sure you're on or just above the bottom.
2. Bait. Change to fresh bait and add scent.
3. Edge. Move to a different part of the slope or another hump.
4. Tide. Wait for the water to start moving.
5. Presentation. Switch between bait and a bait-tipped jig.
6. Species. If halibut won't bite, fish for lingcod or rockfish where allowed.

Safety

• Offshore halibut trips are long and rough. Wear a life jacket, and check the weather and the bar before you go.
• Keep hands and fingers clear when a large halibut is at the boat. Let the crew land it.
• Heavy sinkers and braid under tension can cut. Never wrap braid around your hand.
• Seasickness is common. Take medicine before you leave, and stay hydrated.
• Fog and shipping traffic are common in the Strait and offshore.

A Guided Day and What to Ask

A halibut charter usually leaves early, often between 5:30 and 7 a.m., and may run 1 to 3 hours to the grounds. The crew rigs rods, baits hooks and runs the drifts. Your job is to drop, keep the sinker near the bottom, wait for the bite and reel. The crew lands big fish and processes the catch. Many trips also fish for lingcod or rockfish, especially if halibut are slow.

Questions worth asking before you book:

1. What days and areas do you fish, and what happens if the quota closes?
2. How far is the run, and how long is the day?
3. What's included: tackle, bait and fish cleaning?
4. What's your weather and bar policy, and who makes the call?
5. Will we fish for bottomfish too?
6. How many anglers are on the boat?
7. What should I wear, and do you recommend seasickness medicine?

Ask your guide for their WDFW guide license number before you book.

Glossary

Spreader bar

A wire arm that keeps the sinker and baited leader apart.

Circle hook

A hook that turns into the corner of the mouth as the fish swims away.

Downhill drift

Drifting from shallow to deep water along a slope.

Hump

An underwater hill that rises from deeper water.

Edge

A place where the bottom drops faster.

Harpoon

A dart on a line, with a float, used to secure large halibut.

Barotrauma

Injury to a fish from rapid change in pressure as it's brought up from depth.

Descending device

A weighted tool that returns a fish to depth for release.

Bait thread

Fine elastic thread wrapped around bait to hold it on the hook.

Quota

The total catch allowed in a season, after which the fishery closes.

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