Halibut Rig - tie my own

Hi All,

I'm planning to tie up some of my own halibut rigs again this year.  I've had mixed results with store bought, and enjoy tieing them.  Biggest challenge - which hooks to use.  Last year I went to FW in RC, picked up some hooks they had - worked well.  This year, I'd like to get more, and looking for recommendations on which specific hooks people use, and where they get them.

Thanks,
Brian.

I've been thinking about this recently too.  I've watched a ton of Youtube videos about this, and seen a ton of variations on the rig itself, as well as the hooks used. 

Do folks use the same rig for drifting that they use for trolling?  I see how drift rigs (kinda like a fish finder rig, but backwards) and trolling rigs (3 way swivel) differ and the purpose for each, but is there a rig that works well for both?  Some way that I haven't considered? 

I was thinking about taking a drift rig, and instead of adding a weight directly to the bottom, I would add a dropper length of about 8-12 inches.  When drifting, the bait could still hover/flutter/whatever and while trolling, the leader would come up tight, essentially acting like a 3 way swivel.

Hook shopping online is a bit maddening, also, haha.  So many different sizes and shapes, and size variations between brands.  Just gonna go to the store in person today. 

And for pre-tied rigs, there seems to be huge quality variance from brand to brand.  It seems like the generic tackle store tied ones are definitely better than the branded ones. 

I almost always use Owner and Gamaktsu hooks, liking owner the most because of how sharp they are and not shiny hooks. But these days when you go to buy stuff at the store you have to pick from what is left, so end up picking what is availbile at times.

 However I've done well with Mustad hooks as well, and you can buy them in bulk, and a lot of the Hayward rigs are built with them.  I always use an Octopus and a strong Treble, I like to tie the treble with a perfection loop, and a sliding snell on the octopus.

The 4/0 is actually  for rockfishing, i usually only use a 1/0 or a 1.  For the Treble a 2, 1, or 1/0.  Same rig for drifting or trolling behind a dodger for me.  If i'm trolling I like to use a small 3-way spreader bar.

I almost always use Owner and Gamaktsu hooks, liking owner the most because of how sharp they are and not shiny hooks. But these days when you go to buy stuff at the store you have to pick from what is left, so end up picking what is availbile at times.

 However I've done well with Mustad hooks as well, and you can buy them in bulk, and a lot of the Hayward rigs are built with them.  I always use an Octopus and a strong Treble, I like to tie the treble with a perfection loop, and a sliding snell on the octopus.

Great - thanks for info!

+1
1/0 octopus on sliding snell, size 2 or 1 treble Owner no more than x2 strong needle point. 

"Fatty Flatties"
In the depths of the ocean blue,
Swims a fish both large and true.
With eyes on top and a mouth so wide,
The halibut is the king of the tide.

They glide in silence, sleek and strong,
Their scales shimmering as they move along.
They wait and watch for their prey to appear,
For the halibut has no need to fear.

Their flesh is firm, yet melts like butter,
A delicacy that will make you flutter.
Cooked just right, it's a dish to savor,
A taste that you'll always favor.

Though they live far beneath the waves,
The halibut has a life of grace.
And when they're caught and served up fresh,
They bring joy to every meal and dish.

So let us celebrate this noble fish,
For it brings us joy and tasty dishes.
And let us all remember with pride,
The halibut, swimming deep in the tide.

- Ronald Reagan (aka ChatGPT)

For halibut and rockfish I use Berkley Power Pro 25 or 30lb (maybe 40 if going for lings).

I've seen too many images of trebles buried into body parts to use them for halibut fishing. I use a double octopus rig instead, which makes me more comfortable releasing small fish boat side. This is the set-up whether I troll frozen bait or hoochies. I don't drift enough live bait, and could learn a thing or two about the best rigs for that style. 

Undersized halibut flop around so damn much, and have small mouths so I find dislodging a treble hook to be challenging and presents too much risk for an accidental hooking of the self.

I do not feel like I miss fish, or fail to hook up on bites without having the treble stringer.

As others mentioned, I like using owner or gamakatsu hooks for the superior sharpness. I almost exclusively troll, so I use the three way rig with a dropper weight and usually a rotating pyramid style flasher. I recommend using bead chain swivels especially if running a rotating flasher. This combined with heavier line (30-40 lb) reduces line twists effectively.

I was focused I guess on bait trolling, but Brian didn't say that. I started using the good old hoochie last year and also got more confident in using barbless hooks when trolling it.  For them I choose the Gamagatsu octopus barbless as well use a 1 and then 1/0, also tied on with a perfection loop.

I'm with Sea-Bree - double octopus hook rig on stiff 40lb mono. I hard tie both hooks the same as my salmon rigs and used the "choked herring" method to give the bait action. I use a slider above my swivel and bead chain to run the dropper line for the weight. I've looked at the spreader bars but I like the simplicity of this setup.

Cheers,
Brad

The past season I was doing good with a wire-baiter herring and Gamakatsu big-river bait hook.  I got pretty fast at threading them up and they always stay on and spin great.    I think I'm using 4/0.

For drifting I would do a hard tied 2 hook set up with same hook in rear and a smaller octopus hook for the head.  I think it's a size 1.

Whichever way you do it, tying it yourself is way better as you can use stronger line.  I also reuse hooks all the time.

One reason I like to use the treble so I can slide one of the hook points straight into a squids mouth.  Then there are two hook points exposed on each side of the head, but they are hidden in the squid, very little hook is seen this way. Using the top hook in the tail and the sliding snell to remove any excess line in your leader, you get a very natural looking bait, my .02c

The treble hooks really tear up the fish. Better not to use them. It’s not like we are subsistence fishing. And the halibut are going to take a beating this year with Salmon season closed. I’m going to use barbless hooks as most of the halibut I catch around alameda are shakers.

Thanks, all, for your input here. I did some shopping and tied up a handful of leaders today, going to put to work tomorrow.

I went with a 1/0 octopus sliding snell above a #2 treble. I also rigged a few with a 3/0 octopus a few inches above the sliding hook, for a hoochie.  I feel pretty prepared for a variety of situations - thanks again for the input here on hook size and rig layout!

I use a size 1 circle hook and I will use a stinger on a trap rig. 9 times out of 10 they will hook themselves and less damage to the short fish. My leaders are 60# fluorocarbon.- I use to run 30-40# until my brother lost one at the net last season that was over 40#. Chafed/bit through his 30# leader. They are not line shy so go heavy and save yourself the headache! Lol caught a bunch this last season on whole frozen squid, frozen sardines, live jack smelt and live anchovies. Best action was the squid and 6-10” jack smelt.