Best Way To Land a Halibut? - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

GregAndrew · 10-10-2015, 02:20 PM

The thread posted by Steveeeo in the 2nd post is a great resource. That being said, I have refined my contribution to that thread over the last 5 years.

The first mistake most people make is trying to horse the fish up. You will find many times that Halibut will be hooked by a little piece of lip or a piece of skin on the roof of their mouth.

The second mistake is not being prepared when you get the fish yakside. Have your gameclip/stringer, gaff and release tools easily accessible. If they are in your hatch, or you have to crawl out of your seat to get them they are not.

Fight the fish on the side of your kayak that your dominant hand is. You can use any hand to push the rod away from you to get the fish close. You want your coordinated hand on the gaff.

DO NOT PANIC! There is nothing that can be done quickly at this point that is not better handled deliberately. Loosen you drag a bit (not freespool or clicker only) so that if the fish should bolt you will be applying less pressure now than on the fight up. If you were fishing for WSB or YT when the Hali hit, it might be a considerable amount that you should have loosened it.

Identify what your are dealing with. Make sure you are only gaffing a certain legal fish. When in doubt lip grip it. Halibut are sensitive around the mouth, but they get desensitized quickly (you can probably get the gripper on pretty easy on the 3rd or 4th attempt). I prefer the plastic ones cause they disperse the weight over a larger area and generally do not puncture the mouth (and float). If it is definitely a release fish, then only gripper it if you need help getting the hook out. Otherwise pliers in the water always.

Ok, so now you have a Halibut that you intend to keep at the side of your kayak. The next step is to figure out how to maneuver the fish and yourself to give you a good belly shot on the fish without having to reach way out. I have had just as good of success when the fish was vertical as with laid out on the surface. Right side up or upside down has not been a problem either. It might be as simple as dragging it right along the side of your kayak. On windy days you might have to turn around so your rod faces down wind to pull the fish under you.

Gaff the belly firmly. The area behind the gill plate and the bottom (opposite side of eyes) 1/3 to 1/4 of the width of the fish. The bigger the fish, the bigger the sweet spot. A little too far back, a little to far across the width or too hard is where you will probably have issues with the fish going crazy. With a good gaff, you should only have to move your hand 6-8 inches when you gaff a Halibut in the belly. Gaff it firm, but do not make it bounce (they don't like that). Now that you are not going to make a reaching flail swing with the gaff, it makes it much easier to target about 1/2" behind the gill plate and a couple inches in from the edge.

Hold the head out of the water. Now that you have the fish on the gaff, don't make it think it is free to go by placing the head back in the water. Part of the paralysis that comes over a belly gaffed Halibut if from the weight supported by the gaff. However, if you support it too much it can work like bouncing them on the gaff shot. Your primary focus should have gone from your rod to your gaff as soon as it hit (keep it there).

Take care of business. Grab your game clip and slide it through the gills and out the mouth or vice versa and snap it shut. DO NOT LIFT the fish by the game clip at this point (see paralysis and weight above). If you already have your game clip tethered to your yak, then you can simply release it. Grab your pliers or other dehooking device and remove the hook. Then pop a couple gills with your finger or a pair of pliers.

Assess the situation. I like to bleed out all of my fish as much as I can immediately. Conditions (Sea Lions, Sharks Etc.) do not always allow that though. And Halibut, like Catfish, will stay alive a long time out of the water and bleeding. One thing I should have done long ago is to learn the divers spike method for Halibut in those instances. But just one of my legs on top of just about any Halibut is usually enough

. If you do decide to leave it in the water, then do not fix you game clip directly to your kayak, but tether it (fish can open fixed game clips but tethered ones are almost impossible). Now just keep your eyes and ears open for dogs and other signs.

As far as the legal side of many of these points, we had a lengthy conversation with a group of wardens 2 years ago at the Fred Hall just about the Kage. There was not 2 of they that could agree on if it was legal or not in Cali.?

Dave Legacy · 10-10-2015, 03:01 PM

This might be a dumb question, but could one just scoop up a halibut in a net? I bought a collapsing net to be legal in the water, but the most economic route was a 24"x24". If I can net my 3-year-old with it I ought to be able to net at least the business end of a huge halibut, right?

Mr. NiceGuy · 10-10-2015, 04:16 PM

Greg Andrew, thank you so much for taking to time to recap all this valuable information for us.

And yes, a kayak sized Kage Gaff is another good name for what I'm trying to describe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Legacy

This might be a dumb question, but could one just scoop up a halibut in a net? I bought a collapsing net to be legal in the water, but the most economic route was a 24"x24". If I can net my 3-year-old with it I ought to be able to net at least the business end of a huge halibut, right?

I think a basic legal size or net size halibut would not be too much trouble. With nets, you run the risk of splitting the tail of fish you let go. They can become infected with tail rot and the fish dies. Some nets work better than others. For halibut that are shorter than 22" I have been able to reach down with my pliers and grab the hook. A small shake from the fish or me usually sets him free.

I prefer to use one hook, so the release is easier. I was trying 2nd trap hooks for awhile, but I felt bad about other fish I was not targeting getting the 2nd hook lodged deeply in the throat, meaning they usually got torn up pretty bad by the time I got it out. I try to avoid collateral damage to fish I don't want to catch.

My question is about the larger size halibut we see some of the pros around here catch consistently. The power and difficulty of landing a larger halibut from a kayak goes up exponentially with the size of the fish. The fish I lost was suitable for framed photos on the wall. I want to be prepared so I don't make mistakes again when the next opportunity presents itself.

If you can net and lift your daughter, maybe your net will work well for you

I seriously want to catch and land a large halibut from my kayak, with finesse and aplomb. This thread is my homework assignment.

Opportunities like this capture my interest more than I can describe in words:

http://www.kayakfishmag.com/features...kayak-halibut/

What a great catch. I would love to hear him describe how he got that halibut into his kayak.

jorluivil · 10-10-2015, 05:24 PM

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Mr. NiceGuy · 10-10-2015, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorluivil

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.

jorluivil · 10-10-2015, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.

Good luck!

jorluivil · 10-11-2015, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.

Welllllllllllllllllllllll?

Mr. NiceGuy · 10-11-2015, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Welllllllllllllllllllllll?

Sorry, I had to work again today.

:big sigh:

Tomorrow is a 40/60, Tuesday is a 60/40. Between now and the end of Wednesday will hopefully be 100%

F-it. Sometimes we just have to drop what we're doing and go fishing.

---

However, I finished my new home made gaff set today with my morning coffee before I went to work.

Deamon · 10-10-2015, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorluivil

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Ummmm...just wait one minute Mister Jorge. Have you EVER caught a quality halibut? I'm just asking. Jim

Mr. NiceGuy · 10-10-2015, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorluivil

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Was that typed sitting behind a keyboard?

Just curious.

jorluivil · 10-10-2015, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Was that typed sitting behind a keyboard?

Just curious.

Yes, it was. I typed that after I finished eating the halibut I had just grilled.

Mr. NiceGuy · 10-11-2015, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Yes, it was. I typed that after I finished eating the halibut I had just grilled.

Touché

10-10-2015, 05:24 PM	#4
jorluivil Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 6,856	You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard __________________ www.facebook.com/Teamsewer

10-10-2015, 02:20 PM	#1
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	The thread posted by Steveeeo in the 2nd post is a great resource. That being said, I have refined my contribution to that thread over the last 5 years. The first mistake most people make is trying to horse the fish up. You will find many times that Halibut will be hooked by a little piece of lip or a piece of skin on the roof of their mouth. The second mistake is not being prepared when you get the fish yakside. Have your gameclip/stringer, gaff and release tools easily accessible. If they are in your hatch, or you have to crawl out of your seat to get them they are not. Fight the fish on the side of your kayak that your dominant hand is. You can use any hand to push the rod away from you to get the fish close. You want your coordinated hand on the gaff. DO NOT PANIC! There is nothing that can be done quickly at this point that is not better handled deliberately. Loosen you drag a bit (not freespool or clicker only) so that if the fish should bolt you will be applying less pressure now than on the fight up. If you were fishing for WSB or YT when the Hali hit, it might be a considerable amount that you should have loosened it. Identify what your are dealing with. Make sure you are only gaffing a certain legal fish. When in doubt lip grip it. Halibut are sensitive around the mouth, but they get desensitized quickly (you can probably get the gripper on pretty easy on the 3rd or 4th attempt). I prefer the plastic ones cause they disperse the weight over a larger area and generally do not puncture the mouth (and float). If it is definitely a release fish, then only gripper it if you need help getting the hook out. Otherwise pliers in the water always. Ok, so now you have a Halibut that you intend to keep at the side of your kayak. The next step is to figure out how to maneuver the fish and yourself to give you a good belly shot on the fish without having to reach way out. I have had just as good of success when the fish was vertical as with laid out on the surface. Right side up or upside down has not been a problem either. It might be as simple as dragging it right along the side of your kayak. On windy days you might have to turn around so your rod faces down wind to pull the fish under you. Gaff the belly firmly. The area behind the gill plate and the bottom (opposite side of eyes) 1/3 to 1/4 of the width of the fish. The bigger the fish, the bigger the sweet spot. A little too far back, a little to far across the width or too hard is where you will probably have issues with the fish going crazy. With a good gaff, you should only have to move your hand 6-8 inches when you gaff a Halibut in the belly. Gaff it firm, but do not make it bounce (they don't like that). Now that you are not going to make a reaching flail swing with the gaff, it makes it much easier to target about 1/2" behind the gill plate and a couple inches in from the edge. Hold the head out of the water. Now that you have the fish on the gaff, don't make it think it is free to go by placing the head back in the water. Part of the paralysis that comes over a belly gaffed Halibut if from the weight supported by the gaff. However, if you support it too much it can work like bouncing them on the gaff shot. Your primary focus should have gone from your rod to your gaff as soon as it hit (keep it there). Take care of business. Grab your game clip and slide it through the gills and out the mouth or vice versa and snap it shut. DO NOT LIFT the fish by the game clip at this point (see paralysis and weight above). If you already have your game clip tethered to your yak, then you can simply release it. Grab your pliers or other dehooking device and remove the hook. Then pop a couple gills with your finger or a pair of pliers. Assess the situation. I like to bleed out all of my fish as much as I can immediately. Conditions (Sea Lions, Sharks Etc.) do not always allow that though. And Halibut, like Catfish, will stay alive a long time out of the water and bleeding. One thing I should have done long ago is to learn the divers spike method for Halibut in those instances. But just one of my legs on top of just about any Halibut is usually enough . If you do decide to leave it in the water, then do not fix you game clip directly to your kayak, but tether it (fish can open fixed game clips but tethered ones are almost impossible). Now just keep your eyes and ears open for dogs and other signs. As far as the legal side of many of these points, we had a lengthy conversation with a group of wardens 2 years ago at the Fred Hall just about the Kage. There was not 2 of they that could agree on if it was legal or not in Cali.?

10-10-2015, 03:01 PM	#2
Dave Legacy Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Hacienda Heights, CA Posts: 427	This might be a dumb question, but could one just scoop up a halibut in a net? I bought a collapsing net to be legal in the water, but the most economic route was a 24"x24". If I can net my 3-year-old with it I ought to be able to net at least the business end of a huge halibut, right?