River Halibut

River Halibut
By Anthony Acevedo

<h1 style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></h1><p>Not everyone has a boat to drift for <strong>halibut</strong> in deep water. So some fishermen catch them from the surf, piers, or the rocks. However, my favorite way to catch them is from our SoCal rivers where they meet the ocean. With very simple tackle, halibut up to 20lbs can be caught from shore.</p><p><strong>Tackle</strong></p><blockquote><p>Rods: 7ft rod, medium action spinning or casting. </p><p>Reels: Any small reel with a smooth drag. I use a shimano 1000 spinning reel.</p><p>Line: 6-8 pound test line.</p><p>Weight: Size 3/0 or 7 removable split shot 12-15&rdquo; above the hook.</p><p>Bead &amp; Swivel: Put on a size 6mm red bead, then tie on a size 14 black barrel swivel to the main line.</p><p>Hooks: Size 4 Gamakatsu octopus hooks. </p></blockquote><p><strong>Bait</strong></p><blockquote><p>Live bait will catch more and bigger halibut than artificials. Use 4-6&rdquo; live smelt, herring or shiner perch also work well. Usually, fishermen catch their own bait on piers or on docks in the harbor. Some tackle shops may have them available. They can be caught with an umbrella net, by chumming pieces of bread, or by hook and line using a size 3 Hayabusa Sabiki rig. Keep your bait in a bucket with an air pump so the smelt stay alive for hours. Also, change the water every hour so the water doesn&rsquo;t get too warm and the bait dies.</p></blockquote><p><strong>Location</strong></p><blockquote><p>All river jetties hold lots of halibut. My two favorite are: Seal Beach river jetty with is provided by the San Gabriel River, and the Newport Beach river jetty which is provided by the Santa Ana river. <strong>Halibut</strong> will hold anywhere a river enters the ocean. They lay on the bottom in shallow water waiting for baitfish to be pushed by the current. Some spots in the river will hold more fish than others. Structure spots or depressions in the sand hold the most fish. Structure spots are mostly bridges or scattered rocks. Depressions are holes or small drop-offs in the sand. </p></blockquote><p><strong>Time</strong></p><blockquote><p>The best seasons are spring and fall since halibut come very shallow. I&rsquo;ve watched a legal <strong>halibut</strong> eat my smelt in 2ft of water. Summer can be excellent too, but you will catch lots of shorts. Not as many fish are caught in winter, but they will be big. One very important tip is to fish where there is current. No current, no fish. However, the current cannot be ripping through too strong either. If the river has a slow natural current then fish during the tidal movement. During an incoming or outgoing tide is best at any river jetty. The time of day does not seem to matter much.</p></blockquote><p><strong>Technique</strong></p><blockquote><p>When using live bait, simply cast up the current and let the smelt drift down the river. It&rsquo;s very important to keep your reel in free spool. When a fish takes your bait, keep it in free spool and let the fish take line and give it time to eat your bait. Usually, I&rsquo;ll wait about 1 minute and then set the hook. Do not set the hook by snapping your rod back hard. Simply reel in the slack line and with a smooth motion gently set the hook by sweeping your rod. Similar to the way fly fishermen set the hook. Remember to keep your line tight and have a smooth light drag. If you plan on keeping the big one, I recommend having a gaff with you. Don&rsquo;t forget the minimum size is 22&rdquo; for halibut. </p><p></p><p>For more information on fishing for halibut, please visit <a href="http://www.hookupsportfishing.com/">http://www.hookupsportfishing.com</a></p></blockquote>