Halibut Fishing

The halibut is a type of flounder commonly found on the United States Pacific coast, though they are plentiful in the Canadian and Alaskan Pacific coast. A predatory species by nature, the halibut is stealthy and aggressive when hunting for food. While smaller halibut flounder in the more southern regions of the pacific coast grow to about fifty pounds, the halibut from the north can reach up to three-hundred pounds. The halibut provides a very good amount of tender quality meat with only a few bones. With the population of halibut being so healthy many of the prize catches are throw backs in order to preserve space in the freezer. These traits make the halibut flounder a large source of recreational fun for the fisherman looking for trophies and enough food to feed a family of five.
The halibut flounder is found in coastal areas with fisherman needing only to go out into water ten to eighty feet in depth in a small fishing boat. Sometimes halibut can be found in even shallower water from the beach, dock, or small row boat. The halibut are active all year and fisherman may fish for them as they please without any legal season restrictions. During the day the best time for halibut fishing is in the afternoon when the tides are stabilized and strong. In fact it is better to fish for halibut according to the tide verses the time so watching the moon phases and paying attention to tide charts is very helpful in halibut fishing. Fishing for halibut flounder rarely requires the use of spinners and fliers; sinkers and baited hooks will suffice. The species favors live bait such as squid, anchovies, mackerel and sardine. The halibut only like quality bait that is alive or recently dead; keeping them in a quality bait container with flowing water is essential to keeping the bait alive. Light fishing gear is best, and some experts suggest using an extremely light, nearly invisible line such as a fluorocarbon. The best technique for halibut fishing is drift fishing as the halibut flounder hunts on the sea floor and hides under sand and rocks. A normal sized rod measuring about six to eight feet in length with flexibility is ideal for halibut fishing as it gives enough leverage and pliability for a struggling halibut. The species does not require a special reel for catching; a standard spinning reel suffices. The first time a fisherman fishes for halibut the help of a guide should be enlisted or the fisherman should go with a party in order to gain experience in and hands-on knowledge of catching halibut. It will only be a matter of time before the fisherman is a halibut expert, catching more fish than he or she knows what to do with.