[coho_killer]

i've herd rumors in the berrys bait and tackle fishing report(604-638-5899) there have been reports on halibut being cought in how sound not many by no means but a slim few! anyone out there cought any while trolling for springs?

 

[bigjay]

There was a 51lb caught off of Tustall Bay in Nov. or Dec. A 40lb was caught last May off Camp Bing... and a few smaller ones have been caught around Hole in the Wall and Tustall Bay. Not enough for a fishery but more than other years.
Have fun, Jason

 

[coho_killer]

i'm suprised that i havent had any negative input on this one! seems everything i write ppl seem to like to disagree! good to hear that halibut are kinda making a comback in howe sound!

 

[bigjay]

Coho killer, if you need to be insulted I can suggest other sites... as long as your are over 18 :wink: . The saltwater commuity is more civil.
It is really good to see more halibut caught. The last two years seem to have been the best in a decade, though, I have been listening more. Maybe ten year from now the fishing at Halibut Bank with match its name.
Have fun, Jason

 

[coho_killer]

lol bigjay saltwater seem to be all i have to not get verbaly abused hahahah would be nice to catch a hali a lil more closer to home don't ya think?what was the other site you were refering me to? lolj/j

C.K.

 

[Fishaholic]

noticed the same thing around victoria/sooke areas in the last couple years with the increased hali numbers. allthough not sure if this is a good thing? last commercail hali season around 70% of the fish were in the 10-25lb range which would imply the the large females are decreaseing in numbers? :?

 

[Pippen]

CK........the salt water makes us all "peace, love and happiness" on this forum.

I have heard similar reports of Howe Sound (Hole in the Wall) and at the gas dock in False Creek one of the guys mentioned one being caught out by the bell buoy.

 

[Rib]

my guess is you get a little more civilized once you own a boat!!! :lol:

 

[bigjay]

Fishaholic, could it be that smaller halibut are moving to new areas because of competions from the larger ones? I have seen a few shows on PBS that were highlighting research on halibut and it was amazing how agressive they were. It could be that the perportion of large females is lower because on the number of chickens... what need to be known is if the number of large ones has decreased compared to the number of large ones in previous years.
Around here getting the odd halibut is a real change from almost never.
Comercials use long lines for halibut?
You should check out the Vancouver Aquarium sight they have a good study on lingcod breading.
A round the North Gulf Island small lings are almost a pest. On one drift 200 yard you can hook up like 5 none one larger then 55 cm. The only time large ones are regually caught is late May after they spawn. And I think it got a lot to do with banning there retention. I wish they would go to a rule where you could keep a few a year but only between 40cm and 60cm. Or let under 16s catch em', kid love fast fishing and little lings are great fun. That way two goals would be acheived. One the food habitat bottle neck would be lessened for large juvinialles. Two it would help rock fish have more habitat for juvinialles... little ling with bit anything and they may not eat juvinialles rock fish but I am sure they are like african ciclids in a fish tank, harssing everything not as agressive until dead.
Have fun, Jason

 

[Fishaholic]

yup those little ling have a rough life too if there is any big ling around :twisted: . and yes they long line halis.
those bigger ling arent that easy to catch? (around here). seems that the only time you get them is when your pulling up a smaller fish, we have lots of those little lings around here as well. i know guys that dive around the area and they tell me all the time about the monster lings around
it would be nice to see them make a come back though, id take ling over hali for fish and chip any day!!

 

[bigjay]

I think the divers see big lings because most of the time they are diving in the winter when lings are shallow gruading egg. Back in the early 90' as a kid I can remeber drift down chanel where they spawn and getting +10lb every drop in less than 70' of water. I would never do that today, it is very bad to take them off there eggs even for couple minutes. You can usually scare up some big ones in late May after they are done spawning and are hungery... that is when they go shallow for greenlings, rock fish and small lings (You can't keep them until June, if retention is allowed in your area). During the summer when drift fishing (buzz bombing) for salmon I will usually get one 7 to 10 lb with all the little guys every other day. But the only big ones, +10lb, in the summer are almost always caught on very steep drop off (180' to say 80' in less than 100') where a back eddy is. I don't fish for them specifically any more but since I love to drift fish for salmon I aways get a few.
I don't like fishing deeper than 120' drifting either as rock fish will have their swim blatter expand (lings, salmon, flounder, dogfish don't for they can out gas quickly). I have heard poking a whole in it will let them swim down again but who knows how long they live after. If you know you have rockfish you are not going to keep and it coming up from deep than 80' stop a couple times on the way up for 5-10 second, this will help the fish decompress. It does work and can keep them from being eagle food.
Now, I know I'm begining to semonizes but if you take some kid out to bottom fish jsut for the fun of fishing with out keeping fish shallow. There are a lot more little lings at 60' and up and they are really aggressive and you won't kill any rockfish if they are brought up to quick.
Have fun, Jason

 

[Guest]

What would you guys reconmend fishing with for halibut around hole in the wall, this time of year?

 

[Pippen]

What would you guys reconmend fishing with for halibut around hole in the wall, this time of year?

I think Jay may have to take this one for you.....I have only fished for them on the West Coast of the Island.......and from what I understand the ones that are being caught are being caught by guys fishing just off bottom for feeder springs. So you just never know.......I know what the rigs look like, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you the name of them.

Just my opinion....if you are going to target what appears to be a small population of halibut that is slowly trying to recover in local waters.....I would tend to think you may end up catching a lot more rockfish and lings over there. But I have never "bottom fished" along hole in the wall so I don't know......so you may just want to take my word and toss it to the wind... :lol: :wink:

 

[kisinana]

Halibut generally like a sandy pebbly seabed with just enough rock outcroppings to give them some protection. They like to have enough current to bring their food supply to them rather than have to chase it. The rig is called a spreader bar about 18 inches long and your bait is attached to one end and your line to the other. A weight is attached beneath it to bounce on the bottom to attract interest.

 

[kellya]

I would recomend trolling on the bottom. There arent enough halis around to jig you need to cover more water. Spoons or hootchies sorta the same as salmon gear behind a flashed bouncing your cannon balls in the mud might do it. Do a bit of reasearch and you can probaly find good ideas.

 

[Simon G]

I caught a 14 inch baby halibut on my kayak in tunstal bay while targeting flounder.