![]() If they were honest about it, serious and successful halibut fishermen all would tell you that big, sharp hooks, heavy jigs, braided line and well-made harpoons aren’t as important as their electronics-depthsounders and GPS units-when it comes to putting halibut in the fish box.Īlthough some anglers talk about halibut “holes,” you wont find many flatties at the bottom of deep basins. Successful halibut fishing is just like buying real estate the three most important considerations are location, location, location! The biggest key to catching fish consistently is finding the places that hold halibut, then fishing those spots the right way. Remember one key rule and you’ll catch your share of these prized bottomfish. On the other hand, it isn’t rocket science, either. It happens that way now and then, but I wouldn’t depend on that halibut-fishing strategy any more than I’d count on winning two or three million in the lottery. ![]() What’s more, being located smack-dab in the middle of the West Coast’s salmon superhighway, combo trips generally provide a bountiful harvest of both salmon and halibut, with lingcod and rockfish providing additional variety.One of the more common misconceptions among Northwest saltwater anglers is that there’s little more to halibut fishing than tying something big onto the end of your line, lowering it to the bottom out there in the middle of nowhere, and waiting for a fish half the size of your boat to commit suicide. If Alaska halibut fishing is on your radar, fishing out of Sitka is hard to beat. Similarly, the west side Biorka Island can also be productive. The entire west side of Kruzof Island from Salisbury Sound in the north to Cape Edgecumbe in the south is a productive area. However, as long as weather permits, halibut fishing is generally more productive outside the Sound. Halibut are caught both inside Sitka sound in protected water as well as outside the Sound in the open ocean. Note that halibut will rise off the bottom to eat both baits and jigs sometimes it pays to bring your offerings 5- or 10 feet off the bottom periodically. Others drawn to the scent but will bite the jigs.įor Alaska halibut fishing, regardless of whether you fish bait or jigs, anchored or drifting, it’s important to fish your offering on or close to the ocean floor, as that’s where halibut spend most of their time. The bait draws in fish due to its scent drifting down current. Many boats will fish both jigs and bait at the same time. Some popular jigs include the Kodiak Custom Halibut Jigs, large lead-head jigs in the 8- to 16-ounce range adorned with 8- to 10-inch rubber grubs, and metal jigs such as large Crippled Herring jigs. Halibut are caught on a variety of baits including herring, pink salmon parts, octopus and squid rigged on circle hooks. In the Sitka area, most halibut are caught from anchored boats. Halibut fishing can be done from either an anchored boat, or while drifting with the current. Unguided anglers may harvest two halibut per day of any size. Generally, guided anglers may harvest one halibut per day that is either 50 inches long or less, or 72 inches long or greater. By May, halibut fishing in Sitka is picks up and the fishing continues to get better all summer long and into fall.Īlaska halibut fishing regulations for the Sitka area fall into to two categories: Guided anglers, and unguided anglers. They spawn very deep water in the winter, but begin migrating back to their usual summertime haunts in spring. ![]() Pacific halibut are abundant in Sitka’s saltwater.Īdult Pacific halibut spend the winters in very deep water, sometimes beyond the continental shelf. With a generally small human population, the pristine ecosystem supports large numbers of both predator and prey species. The North Pacific is a very productive area. Alaska halibut fishing is the best in the nation.
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