do it yourself Halibut?

[slipbobber]

I've only been to the coast once to go fishing. Lots of locals fishing for salmon as it was only a 15 minute ride to where they were catching salmon. How about Halibut and other bottom fish. Can these be a do it yourself fishing trip. Providing a guy has a good sized boat, tackle, some knowledge of what he's doing.

[tacklerunner]

I've only been to the coast once to go fishing. Lots of locals fishing for salmon as it was only a 15 minute ride to where they were catching salmon. How about Halibut and other bottom fish. Can these be a do it yourself fishing trip. Providing a guy has a good sized boat, tackle, some knowledge of what he's doing.

Yes and no. Halibut are concentrated on sandy bottoms. Key word being concentrated. Pretty much every guide or local Hali fisher has spots marked on their GPS. If you can get a local to give you direction to some Hali grounds then absolutely. However, sometimes being 100 feet off a spot will make all the difference. The other problem is the current or wind will push you off a spot in minutes and you won't even know it. Unfortunately you can anchor effectively in an average of 180 - 300 feet of water be sea anchors can help. If you can buddy up with someone who will take you out and fish together beside each other you will have better luck as they can direct you. Or if you're keen on the GPS and have good boat control that will get you in them too. It's a long tiring haul to bring up frankly anything over 30 lbs and when you get into a 100 pounder, be prepared to look around after you land him and not recognize where you are because you drifted so far.

As far as other bottom fish go, all types of rock cod, yelloweye (mistakenly referred to as red snapper on the west coast) and ling (the most delicious fish ever) can be easily caught by dropping any bait to the bottom most anywhere. Salmon bellies and fins work good because they never come off the hook for all bottom fish and Hali as well. Be patient with the Halibut, they need to swallow it first and your using a circle hook so let them pull before you pull back and then hang on.

Also important to note that the tiny little 1 - 2 pound rock cod you catch can be 50 - 80 years old and they are territorial. That means that 1 fish lived on 1 rock or shelf no bigger than a 10' x 10' spare bedroom all his life. If you release him, he will go back, but another fish will never move in from elsewhere to take his spot. They can be fun to catch and every drop will bring up something a little different in different shape and colour. But one person themselves can wipe out an entire colony within an hour if your not careful. It's a really delicate environment so I'm not going to judge ethics, but when it comes to the little rock fish, for the amount of meat you get, you should have better alternatives. Yelloweyes and Ling and Halibut are a totally different story. Also beware, the deeper you fish for these rock cod, the more harmful it is when catching and releasing as if you pull them up from 100 feet their bellies and guts may be hanging out of their mouth and their eyes bulged out ready to explode because of the difference in pressure. If that happens accidentally like when trolling close to bottom or something, just keep them.

Hope that helps.

TR

[Drewski Canuck]

West coast can fog in before you know it. Take a GPS, plot your route out, mark your spot, and listen for weather on a radio. IF you see fog on the horizon, its almost on you. Head back quick. It could be hours before it breaks, or days. Even with a GPS, you can't see other boats without radar, so why chance it.

For fishing, get the tide chart and plan to start at the beginning of slack or just before. This is the least current for any spot. It will last about 1.5 hr tops. This also is when your best chance is.

It is really wise to get a VHF radio. Get a real one with a good size antenae. Hand helds are really useless as they have a short antenae, and range is about 1 mile. A good whip mounted high will get you out 6 miles or more.

IF you do hook one, small ones can be gaffed (up to 40 pds). Big ones not so easy. They do a number on a boat, so make sure your deck is clear of gear or it will go flying. Remember to cut the gills and tail, and use a wire brush and scrub the slime off as soon as possible to keep the fish from getting a really fishy taste.

Otherwise, there are places that you can go in a boat that is less than 20 feet. Best is to buddy with a boat that knows what they are doing. Just ask around the docks and explain that you don't want to get in trouble. Alot of guys will help you.

Drewski

[dss44]

Ya, it definitely can be...but knowing the area and where the halibut fishing is good is key unless you want to put in many many hours exploring. For the Lings I'd use herring before salmon bellies...they don't enjoy the salmon nearlyyyyy as much as the herring and Yelloweye also loveeee the herring, plus halibut will eat it as well. Salmon bellies are good for Yelloweye as well.

[NBFK]

Me and my dad have been fishing the west coast for almost 12 years now. First few trips are big learning curves. I wouldn't run out by yourself on the west side without someone who knows the area. But there is halibut fishing on the straight I know halibut are caught out in front of campell river ocasionally. There is a place called the hump and I think its about 200ft range. We have caught halibut there and seen other people catch them. Fishing was never fast and furious as the west coast but there are fish there. The west coast of Vancouver Island is hands down alot better than the inside. But water gets big and there are heavy fog banks at times and most places are fairly remote. Its nothing to be fishing in 3meter swells. This is where you test your sea legs. Most sporting good stores out there are good to point in a general direction along with gear to get started. I have found much more success running spreader bars rather than jigs and mud raker's. We use salted herring but some people like squid,salmon bellies, and such. Yeah x2 on not to be attempted alone. 30lb fish can be difficult to land let alone anything bigger.

[Fishhunter]

Hey where are you going and i may be a help.