Help Me Catch Calif Halibut

 I'm fishing out of Shelter Cove and I know there are Calif. halibut out there but I'm not real sure how to catch them. I've tried slow trolling a dodger/ herring/ anchovy rig in 20ft of water with no success. I have heard that live bait is best but it can be hard to come by. I've heard that using frozed squid is good. What about water depth and method. I know that there are more Cali Hali south of us but I think they are here to if I just know the method. Thank You!

TROLLING LIKE YOU DESCRIBED CAN BE VERY EFFECTIVE BECAUSE YOU CAN COVER MORE AREA,AS LONG AS YOUR NOT PICKING UP EEL GRASS OR KELP ON YOUR LINE...THE TRICK IS KEEPING YOUR PRESENTATION CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM, FOR THE MOST PART THATS WHERE THEY LAY WAITING TO AMBUSH FISH OR SQUID.LEADHEAD SWIMBAITS BOUNCED ALONG THE BOTTOM CAN WORK ALSO,EXPIERMENT WITH DIFFERENT COLORS/PATTERNS AND DEPTHS.YOU CAN LIGHT UP A CIGAR, POP A BEER AND JUST DRIFT,DEAD STICK A WHOLE SQUID OR BAIT FISH DRAGGING/BOUNCING THE BOTTOM.THEY LIKE TO LAY ON THE SAND AND WAIT,THEY ARE PATIENT.SO YOU NEED TO BE TOO.SPEND A LOTTA TIME ON THE WATER AND YOU WILL SUCCEED!

 Thanks for the input. The area I'm fishing doesn't have a problem with eel grass.The last time I was out I hooked into 3 good fish that broke me off. The fourth fish I landed and it turned out to be a 5ft. Soup/fin Shark.I'm wondering if I should be in deeper water. The last time I was fishing 15 to 25 ft of water.Thanks

Thanks for the input. The area I'm fishing doesn't have a problem with eel grass.The last time I was out I hooked into 3 good fish that broke me off. The fourth fish I landed and it turned out to be a 5ft. Soup/fin Shark.I'm wondering if I should be in deeper water. The last time I was fishing 15 to 25 ft of water.Thanks

If I were you, I would concentrate around the area where you had 3 hook-up that broke off.  I would go with heavier leader line since Hali's are not leader shy.  What is the line test you use for main line? If < 15lb I would upgrade to 20lb test line.

Most of my expierence is down south,the Rincon area.But it still applies,as far as depth goes,in general summer or warmer times of the year they come in close to spawn.And like all gamefish follow the food so try different depths...I've got legals in 3 feet and 100+.Read the reports,talk to other fisherman.If one area is thoroughly explored try another.Patience and time on the water works!Good luck!

Here are some tips from a previous post

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,3792.0.html

Man, I just had this same conversation w/my dad because RF season is closed and salmon closes 9/6. So the only game in town w/b halibut, dabs, abs, and perch.
You need to slow-troll south way past deadman's reef. Troll along the 20-30ft contour on the way down, then move out a little deeper (like maybe 50ft) on the way back. Rig up a whole sardine on 1 rod and a whole squid on the other. Use a halibut trap rig (hard-tied 2/0 octopus hook w/sz 1 treble hook stinger) with about 30" leader of 30lb flouro behind either a 3-way swivel or a sliding sinker (like those little plastic sleeves that slide over your main line and allow you to swap-out different size sinkers).
You want to troll very slowly to make sure your sinker is dragging or bouncing the bottom. Also try to bring along a spare rod rigged w/a Sabiki. There are always smelt in the surf to catch, and some people claim they make good halibut bait. Either drag it behind you while slow-trolling in shallow, or setup outside the surfline and cast towards the beach (tip the hooks w/squid tentacles too). You might even find some small perch or sardines that would make good bait this way.
Good luck!

Surprised no one has mentioned SCAllens article, from the main website:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=9

I followed it, and caught my first ever Hali in SC!  I've done three ways and Carolina rigs, and both work.  I've not had any luck with a flasher though, nothing but tangles when I tried. 

This article was also really good at addressing finer points of Halibut fishing:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,24838.0.html

GO GET SOME BUTTS! 

  A fresh dead sardine works much better than  a frozen sardine , maybe almost as well as live. I like to have it six inches to a couple of feet off the bottom to avoid  getting snagged on the bottom. Give it a two or three foot pull every 15 seconds or so to give it the illusion of life. Use a halibut rig. Talked to a guy recently who said he's seen fresh dead sardi's out catch live on some occasions.

  A drift in a light wind is ideal for almost any of this.

   Practice with a fishtrap on the surface so you can see it  and figure out how to work it so it looks like a wounded  baitfish. Works very well for halibut , but you miss half your hookups, or I do. I like raising it 5 feet off the bottom then back down for some twitching right on the bottom, about every four feet laterally or so.

  Silver jigs are a nice change up once and a while and work well.

  One of the main things is to cover as much territory as you can,   so that you increase your odds. Not too quickly tho.

   With a fishfinder, you can concentrate on the sandy areas. If you can figure out how to fish sand right next to rocky areas, your odds improve a lot, halibut congregate there.

 They may be one place one day and  1/4 mile off (or more?) the next depending on swell conditions and bait.

   Usually they are looking for an easy meal, the easier the better, ,but if there is a lot of bait in the water they'll sometimes come off the bottom to chase and hunt, I think especially in the evening.

   Trolling for halibut is popular in the San Francisco  Bay, and works well I guess. I've never had much luck with it.


   Do a google search for, Ca. halibut fishing , and you'll find hours worth of "how to" reading.
  
 Prepare to be frustrated.

 Of course , maybe forget about the Ca. halibut, if you can do this. Good luck handling it in a kayak.




   A Pacific Halibut, just a little bit bigger.

 
This one's got me thinking about moving north.

Time on the water!

Time on the water!

Oh, yeah... forgot about that part     Took me like 8-10 trys this year to get one...

Try talking to one of tractor operators at the launch.  I can't remember his name but he is the older skinny guy with a beard.  The other year we was catching halibut out of his dingy, he started at the boat moorings and drifted south a ways.
I've dragged different swimbaits through there a few times, but with no luck.  Are you going to be fishing over Labor Day weekend?

 Thank You for all your input!! I'm going out tomorrow with the Boogieman and because it sounds like rough water we will probably target Calif halibut. I'll let you now how we did. Later Gary