A Pleasant Bodega Bay Suprise on 2/14

Crab trip in Bodega Bay on 2/14 resulted in 5 crab and a halibut. Yes, a butt! 

I got on a quality dungie streak on the edge of a quick 35' to 55' transition near the seal rock all through January. February came, and the hot waypoint turned into a trash-pile full of jailbait dungies and tiny rock crabs, on a 2 hour soak. I committed the cardinal combo trip sin of fishing before locking in my decent crab spot, so I reset my traps in 25' FOW on a shallow sand flat near the harbor entrance, spot checked it after five minutes (a keeper!) and tried fishing again in 60-80''.

What I thought was a bruiser sand sole ever smacked it, and it revealed itself to be a halibut. After some pictures, the halibut went back (He looked a little short, and I didn't have my ruler.) Never again! Always bring a ruler no matter the season. (The lure of choice was a kayaker-friendly, four hook sanddab and sole rig I made, with 1/0 hooks and miniature Yamashita glow-hoochies. They only bite the bottom four hooks anyways)

Ended the day w/4 more crabs, enough to make my girlfriend a valentine's day crab feast. Success. WAF/GAF levels high.

As much as I want to say this bodes well for your chances at a very, very early season halibut, I can't endorse doing what I did. I think the butts go deep, sit there, and do as little eating or moving as possible until the water warms up or they get in the mood for love.  I strongly believe the fish are hanging out deep, they're just not bitey enough to be a reliable winter fishery, and it's a fools errand to try for Bodega Bay Butts right now.

However, I am a fool, and will eagerly return for further errands. Between driving to SPB to get skunked sturgeon fishing, driving to Napa or Petaluma to get skunked striper fishing, or a few minutes from my house to get skunked halibut fishing, I choose to save fuel. And at least if all else fails, I can come home with crab.

And a different rig. I don't think the quad hook sanddab rig thing is kosher for Calibuts, someone fact check me on this.

Nice!  Yes - always have a means of measuring - it looks close!   

"In San Francisco Bay, only one line with up to three hooks is allowed. If in possession of salmon, rockfish, or Pacific halibut, you are restricted to one line with no more than two hooks."



I think you're good targeting Californians with 4 hooks everywhere else along the coast.

Thanks Eric. I did not know gear regs for calibuts were that permissive.

I think I will try the sand dab rig then a brined anchovy. The anchovy may be really exciting to a big 'but that doesn't want to chase down a live fish.

The anchovy may be really exciting to a big 'but that doesn't want to chase down a live fish.

Dead bait has caught almost all of my halibut.

Noce looking fish. Good work on the crab dinner!!

I was contemplating winter halibut/crab combo in Bodega or Pacifica. I would suggest live bait drifted slow and deep. I'm not sure if live bait is easy to find up there in the winter. I caught my largest halibut in a December in about 140' on a sand dab rig. I think it ate a sand dab, not the small squid-tipped jigs. I've also caught a nice December halibut in Pacifica on a metal jig in 50'.
So I would target 50' to 100'. The two I got this month in Monterey were on live bait and were somewhere in 70' to 120' of water.

Thanks for the crabbing report Fitzcarraldo.

The two I got this month in Monterey were on live bait and were somewhere in 70' to 120' of water.

Joe, what surface h20 temps were you reading in Monterey?