‘Buts And Private Boats: How To Score SoCal Halibut

The following appears in the May issue of California Sportsman:

By Joe Sarmiento

California halibut is on my list of top 10 gamefish that I target every year. It used to be a fish that would often trip me up on completing the list. The primary reason for it being problematic is that it is a fish that is tough to target on sportboats in Southern California compared to NorCal, where halibut are plentiful in San Francisco Bay.

Typically, the only time halibut are targeted by sportboats in Southern California is during the rockfish closure from January 1 through March 31. During this closure period, there are some sportfishing boats that will run a halibut derby to generate interest with anglers who might otherwise stay home.

I spent the last few years dialing in fishing halibut from shore. I really upped my shore halibut game fishing down at Estero Beach Resort, in Ensenada, Mexico, but the skills I learned there have transferred when I’ve been on the U.S. side of the border at fishing spots from San Diego to Long Beach. That’s
not what this article is about, though. What I want to talk about today is targeting halibut on private boats.

WHERE TO FIND A GOOD HALIBUT SPOT?

Halibut prefer sandy terrain next to structure. They also typically bite better when the water temperature is in the low 60s. This time of year, you can find that kind of water in shallow flats, especially if the terrain is somewhat uneven, giving them spots to lay in wait to ambush their prey. If you can find conditions like the kind I’m describing – while also marking schools of bait – then you have found a good area to target halibut.

San Diego Bay never really gets deeper than 60 feet, but we’ve been having our best success in, say, 12 to 15 feet of water. While there are definitely fish in deeper water, I think part of our success can be attributed to the fact that the bigger sportfishing boats can’t access this skinny water. A lot of the private boaters simply fish the same area the bigger sportboats are fishing in, but knowing what we’re looking for and finding it away from the boat traffic has been a successful strategy.

Because halibut are primarily an ambush predator, covering a lot of water is a key to success. If you can find stretches of terrain that meet the criteria and you have some wind and current to push you along on a slow drift, then conditions are ideal for targeting this fish.

BAIT BASICS

Lively bait is key. One of the really unique things about fishing in Southern California is the ready availability of live bait. Just roll up to the bait receiver and grab some (see sidebar, below).
One thing to be aware of is what kind of bait is available. Lately, the bait at the receiver has been largely anchovies, and halibut love anchovies, but they don’t do well when you are drifting – especially if the drift is faster. Also, a bigger bait will weed out a lot of the shorts. If you can’t get sardines, bring sabikis to make bait – likely smelt – or plan on fishing plastics.

RODS, REELS AND RIGGINGS

So, you have bait and found a likely spot – now what? We like to have a couple live bait rods in the water during our drifts, and then throw around a jig with a rod in hand. Avoid the temptation of fishing more than one bait rod per person. When having too many rods in the water, it’s hard to keep an eye on all of them. It also leads to more tangles.

For the live bait rod, I like to use a light- to medium-action rod and a small star drag reel. My setup is a Fishing Syndicate Inshore Composite 800L (15-30) rod paired with a Shimano Trinidad 14A reel. I like using a graphite and glass composite rod in this application because the more forgiving bend is stickier on a hooked fish. The reel is spooled with a 40-pound braid that I tie off to a swivel.

From the first swivel, I tie about a 3-foot length of mono to a three-way swivel. Then I tie about a foot of mono down to the weight. The leader coming off the swivel is about 3 feet long and goes to a snelled octopus-style hook – O’Shaughnessy hooks work well, too – and a treble hook I tie to the tag end. The length of the tag is dependent on the size of the bait. It needs to be roughly the length from where you hook the nose of the bait to the bait’s anus. You could use fluorocarbon for the leader, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Switching to a fluoro leader is a tactic to try if you’re not getting bit on mono.

Having the stinger treble hook is critical. Halibut are notorious short biters. Unlike, say, bass or yellowtail, which attack the head, halibut will dog-bone a bait or attack it from behind. Even with the treble they still sometimes find a way to miss the hook.

I like using a star drag reel, because when the rod is in the holder, I may not get to it right away. If the drag is set too tight, the rod could go overboard. Once a fish is hooked, it’s easier to tighten the drag to an appropriate setting with a star drag compared to a level drag.

The amount of weight you will use depends on depth and speed of the drift. Because it can be variable, it makes sense to terminate the line down from the three-way swivel to a clip swivel. This way you can easily change the weight as conditions change without having to retie. For this application, 4 to 6 ounces with a ball-style weight was enough most of the time.

Keep an eye on your bait rod while drifting. Obviously, you want to see if it gets bit, but you also want to see that the weight is bouncing on the bottom of the bay. If the rod stays at a steady bend, the weight may not be touching the seafloor like it needs to be doing.

One last note on the bait setup: I’ve noticed that more fish get hooked up when using a Scotty rod holder versus using a boat rod holder. I think it has to do with the angle. The rod recoil may be pulling tentative bites out of fish’s mouths on the boat’s rod holders.

For the rod I’m using to throw around lures, I like fishing the same type and rating of rod, but in a graphite version. Graphite is lighter, so that is a big deal over the course of the day. Graphite is also more sensitive, so you feel every bump or tentative bite. My go-to setup is the Fishing Syndicate Inshore Graphite 800L (15-30) rod paired with a Lexa 300HD. The reel is spooled with a 40-pound braid to a short (2- to 3-foot) 30-pound mono leader. A tactical clip allows you to switch baits without retying.

If you get bumped but don’t hook up, free spool immediately (or pause if you’re fishing a jerkbait). Hopefully, you’ll get a re-bite. Some of my favorite types of baits for this application are jerkbaits (Lucky Craft Staysee 90 or 100DD), jigs (Reaper Slow Pitch in 20 or 30 grams) and plastics (Berkley Gulp! 5-inch jerk shad in white with a Warbaits Neck Breaker in 1?2 or 3?4 ounce). The Neck Breaker is a newer find. I used to fish jerk shads with a short-shanked leadhead. The short shank got bit better because it gave the bait a more enticing side-to-side waggle. The Neck Breaker achieves the same side-to-side action, but with the hook point further back. It’s also more weedless, which is a plus if you’re fishing near the kelp line.

GET OUT THERE, HALIBUT HOUNDS!

There you have it. We’re coming into the halibut spawning period – May/ June is typically good – and grunion runs are starting up (look up the dates on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website, wildlife.ca.gov). Both of these situations are prime times to target halibut in our inshore waters.

Not long ago I got out with my buddy, Captain John Anjard. We only got one legal fish versus about 10 shorts. There were two legals lost, though; we saw one and the other pulled drag big time. Three legals per 10 shorts is a pretty typical ratio. Recently, the Dolphin out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego scored six legal fish and released 20 shorts on their Wednesday Halibut Derby trip. We just needed to do better by converting our opportunities. Luckily, the halibut we landed was a good one. Good luck out there! CS

Sidebar SHOWING SOME ETIQUETTE AT THE BAIT DOCK

A pro tip for those of you who stop for bait on the way out of port: Always be nice to the guys at the bait receiver. We took one of the bait guys out fishing with us last week, and he straight up told us they will give half-dead bait or even refuse service to people who aren’t respectful to them or their workplace. And bumping your boat into the floating dock will not make points with them.

Those same folks at the bait dock are also a great source of information. So be nice, learn their names, tip and bring them food; these things will go a long way toward currying favor with them. The boat captains know the rules too. When I was working on the Sea Watch, Captain Ryan Myers would often tell me to make some breakfast burritos for the guys at the bait receiver! -JS

Editor’s note: Follow author Joe Sarmiento’s blog at socalsalty.com.