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Halibut Fishing in Alaska
Stout tackle is preferred for these large, strong fish when Homer Alaska Halibut Fishing. Most sport anglers use a heavy-action 5-6 foot rod equipped with a reel capable of holding up to 300 yards of 60-100 pound test line.
The most popular method of Halibut Fishing in Homer Alaska, uses circle hooks baited with herring, fished on the bottom with cannonball weights up to 36 oz. on a slider. When Homer Alaska Halibut Fishing, you can also use the head, tail, fins, and/or viscera (but only these parts) of sport-caught salmon as bait. Halibut eat almost anything they can catch, so jigging with J hooks baited with octopus or whole herring, or with lead-head jigs or other artificial lures is also effective.
Smaller halibut can be lifted aboard and gaffed. Avoid using a gaff with a straight hook. Stick the gaff in the fish behind the gills and above the gut cavity and pull the fish into the boat in a continuous motion. Be ready to subdue the fish with several good whacks above the eyes and bleed it by cutting a few gill arches, the narrow part in front of the tail, or both. Never gaff a halibut you intend to release.
Very large halibut can be dangerous if brought aboard alive and should be shot with a .22 caliber pistol or small shotgun. (Caution: make sure you have control of the fish before doing this.) The brain is located just behind (toward the tail) the upper eye. Large halibut can be harpooned or stuck with a shark hook attached to a buoy (the harpoon head must penetrate the fish completely in order to hold reliably). Halibut can also be subdued without bringing them aboard by tying them to boat cleats using a tail loop and another loop of rope through the mouth and gills. These fish can then be bled outside the boat.
When to Fish
 Success
rates can vary but good catches are made from mid-May through mid-September.
Many believe the best fishing is just before, during, and after high slack tide.
This is the easiest time to keep your tackle on or near the bottom. Use small diameter
lines to minimize stretch and drag when fishing deep or in heavy currents.
Treetops Lodge Alaska Halibut Charters
A variety of charter operators can be found in Seldovia and often provide more
success than unguided fishing.
Charter operators offer either full or half-day trips. Bait, tackle, and lunch
are generally provided. There are local processing companies that can help you
process and ship your catch (processing is based on weight).
Weather and tides are always major factors when fishing. Be prepared for a cool,
damp day on the water. Wear layers of good outdoor materials such as wool or fleece.
Bring rain gear or a waterproof shell, long underwear, light gloves, and rubber
boots or shoes are also a good idea.
Alaska Fishing Regulations (Alaska Dept of Fish & Game)
- Anglers’ 16-59 years old must have a current year's Alaska sport fishing
license. There are two exceptions for Alaska residents:
- Alaska resident anglers 60 and older must have a free ADF&G Permanent
ID Card.
- Alaska resident disabled veterans (50% or greater) must have a free ADF&G
Disabled Veteran's Permanent ID Card.
- Resident and non-resident anglers younger than 16 do not need a sport fishing
license.
- The open season for halibut is February 1-December 31.
- The bag limit is 2 fish daily and 4 in possession.
- There is no size limit.
- When a fish is landed and killed it becomes part of the bag limit of the person
originally hooking it. Once you have attained your bag limit, you are not allowed
to catch and keep halibut for anyone else on the vessel that same day.
- Possession of sport-caught halibut: a) No person may possess sport-caught halibut
aboard a vessel when other fish or shellfish aboard the vessel are destined for
sale, trade, or barter; and b) until brought back to shore and offloaded, no person
may fillet, mutilate, or otherwise disfigure a halibut in any manner that prevents
the determination of the number of fish caught or possessed.
HALIBUT FACTS
- The word halibut is derived from the Scandinavian word, halliflundra, meaning
'a fish that can be found in deep holes'. Halibut can be found as deep as 3600
feet Most Alaskan anglers fish for them in 40 to 400 feet of water.
- A 250 pound female halibut can produce up to 4,000,000 eggs.
- Halibut can migrate great distances. The longest recorded migration was for
a fish tagged near Atka in the Aleution Islands. It was captured at Coos Bay,
Oregon, a distance of 2500 miles.
- Kachemak Bay is known as the halibut capital of the world.
- The stomach of a six foot halibut examined by the International Pacific Halibut
Commission was found to contain one 28 inch salmon, remains of crab, fish and
Octopus, and the posterior section of a halibut 16 inches long, 10 inches wide
and 4 inches thick.
- The oldest, recorded age for a female halibut is 42 years, and the oldest male
is 55 years. Jack Tragis of Fairbanks, Alaska caught the current unofficial world
recorded sport caught halibut on June 10, 1996. The fish weighed 459 pounds!
- Halibut live on or near the bottom of the oceans and sounds and prefer water
temperatures ranging from 35 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Out of the hundreds of food items identified in the stomachs of adult halibut,
the top items in order are Octopus, Crab, Herring, Cod, Candlefish and Flounder.
Alaska TreeTops Fishing Lodge offers clients the opportunity to pursue these
magnificent flatfish aboard our new 34 foot Baja Sport Fishing Catamaran. [ read
more ]
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