Choosing a

fishing reel for Halibut

We fish with and recommend the Qualia Q12-II or the Q16-II These are heavy duty reels and are very dependable for pulling large fish from great depths.  They will hold about 400 yards of 80 lb test super braid line.  The spider wire braided line holds up well to the pressure that one can put on this line when landing halibut.

The Qualia is an excellent choice.   The Qualia  Q12 –II and  Q16-II are 2 speed reels.. The low gear work awesome for pulling big fish to the surface, and the high gear works well for a fast line retrieve..  Check out the LOGO on the right hand side..

Choosing hooks

for halibut fishing

A 10/0 Octopus hook is a good choice for halibut.  They are large enough to hook and hold large baits.  They are strong enough hook and hold large halibut that is hooked on a rod and reel.

 

Another poplar hook for halibut is called a circle hook.  The point of the hook is turned into and pointed toward the shank of the hook.  The harder the angler pulls the deeper the hook will twist into the jaw of the fish.

Choosing weights

for Halibut fishing

Getting to the bottom of the ocean floor for halibut is sometimes a chore.  The idea way to fish halibut is straight down from the boat. If the wind is blowing the boat across the surface of the ocean, the more weight the angler has to use. 

 

Because of the large weights needed a canon ball is a poplar weight type.  The can be bought in many different sizes.  We have and do use 48 oz weights on a regular basis.  So get your arms in shape before the halibut fishing trip..

Halibut can grow to a very large size as shown on the top left of the page.

That Halibut was caught near Bandon Oregon in 2009.

The all tackle world record at 459 pounds.

was caught near Dutch Harbor, Alaska in 1996.

 

Halibut tend to like the deep water. It is not uncommon to fish well over 300 feet deep for these big boys.

Halibut will bite on Octopus, Herring, strips of Shad and many types of big rubber lures.   Since the halibut is a deep water fish a glow bead on the leader between the two hooks seems to attract  the halibut to the bait.

 If using a rubber bait the glow in the dark rubber bait works well.

To help keep the leader from tangling and twisting while dropping the bait in deep water we recommend a halibut spreader bar. Pre-made Halibut spreader bars are very common and can be bought from sporting goods stores along the coast. The weight, hooks and black barrel swivel has to be supplied by the angler.