Alaska trip 6/28/2021. Long w/many pictures.

Red Fish

Senior Member
#3
Cool trip! I did don't feel I need to go to Alaska after seeing this.... I've virtually been there and back! I believe I might want to do a Pacific Halibut trip in Eureka as they get "chickens" to 100# there (chicken is used with loose interpretation as to weight as it could be 10-100# in some circles).

I like the "working man's" rigs they use on the boat you pictured. The old TLD's 25's and 30 I believe, perhaps 2-speeds, perhaps 1.
The Ugly Tigerstik with some kind of Avet, maybe an LX or HX.

I remember the old Shimano Beastmasters,. There is actually an archaic electric reel in the movie, "The Island" with Michael Caine at the beginning. There are some "cheap" motors you can put on a Penn 4/0 or 6/0. I imagine they still make them.

Good fishing.... Your "cliff hanger" post before this... I thought you were going to say you landed a 3 or 4 hundred-pounder.
 
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Mahigeer

Senior Member
#5
Very nice! Like to see the rig used as well. Have a great trip to East Cape!
Thanks guys.

Here captain Johnny is showing how they rig for halibut at our lodge boats:
(2) How We Set Up a Halibut Fishing Rig in Alaska - YouTube

I learned that halibut is not line-shy, so don't worry about not using flo. leaders.

On the two boats that I have been, they had two speed Shimano. However, they do not like angler using the low (easy) gear.
I lost a good fish switching to low gear. I do not agree, but they say the low speed of low gear allows the fish to throw the hook.

16/0 circle hook, if properly taken by the fish is not easy to remove. I can tell by the way captains were removing the hook of the fish on the deck.

I like to put the reader in my place. Thus, the long detailed reports.

I am happy with the 196 (estimated) lbs., 72" halibut. Since in California the record is 67 lbs. 5 oz.
 
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Red Fish

Senior Member
#8
I like the bait up and rig video. Looks like a rig you could use for bigger sharks in SF. Bay. A TLD 30 2-speed with a similarly rated rod. I guess he's using 150# braid too. Very heavy three way swivel with 16/0 circle hook. Herring with pink salmon chaser. I like the way he hooked through the head, under the gills, back, and double-hooked. Looks very similar rig for shark fishing the bottom.

Also liked the slight yo-you technique and saying let the circle hook do the work and not swing on the fish. I fished quite similarly for Cali-hali but with much, much lighter gear as the record is 78# with most under 25#.
 
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Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#9
Actually no, just a totally different species.

Pacific Halibut

Species: Hippoglossus stenolepis (Schmidt, 1904); from the Greek words Hippo (horse) and glossus (tongue) referring to the shape of the fish, and the Greek words steno (narrow) and lepis (scales).

Alternate Names: Northern halibut, right halibut, alabato, whitesided paltus, hippo of the sea. Large halibut are called barndoors.

Identification: An elongate body, diamond-shaped. The lateral line is highly arched; mouth filled with sharp teeth. Eyed side dark brown,greenish-brown, to black above, with fine mottling; white on blind side.

Size: Males to 123 pounds although few reach 80 pounds; females to at least 105 inches and 500 pounds. Unverified reports to 700 pounds in the north. Small halibut of 9-12 pounds are often called “chick” or “chicken” halibut while the largest specimens are called “whale” halibut.

Range: Punta Camalu, Baja California, to the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, Alaska, to the Chukchi Sea and possibly the Beaufort Sea (both marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean). Also recorded south to northern Japan. Common northern California to Japan.

Habitat: Deep sandy bottoms, 20 to 6,500 feet.

Piers: Juveniles are an occasional catch at the "B Street" Pier ini Crescent City.

Shoreline: Rarely caught from shore in California.

Boats: A favored, offshore species for California boat anglers fishing Eureka north.

Bait and Tackle: Live bait on piers, a variety of baits and lures in deeper waters.

Food Value: Excellent, white-flaked fillets.

Comments: Nearly all halibut over 100 pounds are females. Females live to at least 42 years of age; males to 27 years of age.

California Halibut: https://www.pierfishing.com/california-halibut/
 
#10
Johnny was on Stoked on fishing boat. One of two captains that anglers request. I used #150 braid like them with corkscrew swivels.

This year I used the ready-made rig that shown in the picture. Last year it was not given enough time for it to work.

My rig had a light and the squid skirt installed backwards made the bait look bigger. According to the description of the rig.
 

Makairaa

Well-Known Member
#11
Actually no, just a totally different species.

Pacific Halibut

Species: Hippoglossus stenolepis (Schmidt, 1904); from the Greek words Hippo (horse) and glossus (tongue) referring to the shape of the fish, and the Greek words steno (narrow) and lepis (scales).

Alternate Names: Northern halibut, right halibut, alabato, whitesided paltus, hippo of the sea. Large halibut are called barndoors.

Identification: An elongate body, diamond-shaped. The lateral line is highly arched; mouth filled with sharp teeth. Eyed side dark brown,greenish-brown, to black above, with fine mottling; white on blind side.

Size: Males to 123 pounds although few reach 80 pounds; females to at least 105 inches and 500 pounds. Unverified reports to 700 pounds in the north. Small halibut of 9-12 pounds are often called “chick” or “chicken” halibut while the largest specimens are called “whale” halibut.

Range: Punta Camalu, Baja California, to the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, Alaska, to the Chukchi Sea and possibly the Beaufort Sea (both marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean). Also recorded south to northern Japan. Common northern California to Japan.

Habitat: Deep sandy bottoms, 20 to 6,500 feet.

Piers: Juveniles are an occasional catch at the "B Street" Pier ini Crescent City.

Shoreline: Rarely caught from shore in California.

Boats: A favored, offshore species for California boat anglers fishing Eureka north.

Bait and Tackle: Live bait on piers, a variety of baits and lures in deeper waters.

Food Value: Excellent, white-flaked fillets.

Comments: Nearly all halibut over 100 pounds are females. Females live to at least 42 years of age; males to 27 years of age.

California Halibut: https://www.pierfishing.com/california-halibut/
The main reason is in the title of your california halibut write up. They are not actually halibut. They are technically flounders.
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#12
Both, as far as I know, are in the flounder family as are all the sanddab, sole, flounder, turbot and other halibut found in our waters.

The California Halibut is in the family Paralichthyidae, generally considered the left eyed, large-tooth, or sand flounders. The family contains 14 genera with a total of about 110 species

The Pacific Halibut is in the family Pleuronectidae, generally considered the right eyed flounders. The family has 21 genera with 60 species.
 
#14
You not eat them yourself?
My wife is not a seafood fan, so she does not prepare fish much. Although she does a good job with these fillets.

I enjoy when others enjoy it. Goes back to my childhood, where mentor who took me fishing, would invite us to his house and serve us beer batter trout he had caught.

One of several reasons, why I do not go on many sportfishing boats for big fish.

However, Alaska is a different world. I got a text that the rest of my fish should be arriving on Monday. Don't know how many boxes yet.
 

Red Fish

Senior Member
#15
Johnny was on Stoked on fishing boat. One of two captains that anglers request. I used #150 braid like them with corkscrew swivels.

This year I used the ready-made rig that shown in the picture. Last year it was not given enough time for it to work.

My rig had a light and the squid skirt installed backwards made the bait look bigger. According to the description of the rig.
What brand of 150# braid?