What kind of live bait?

I haven't had a chance to fish halibut ever yet but am planning on heading out this weekend. Does it matter what type of minnows are best or any one will work?
Thanks

I haven't had a chance to fish halibut ever yet but am planning on heading out this weekend. Does it matter what type of minnows are best or any one will work?
Thanks

Minnows are not the best baits for Hali (they died in salt water in a few minutes).  We used them because they're available and "FREE"   (left over from Dave's at CL last weekend).  Best live baits for Hali are Shiners and Anchovies if you can keep them alive long enough!

Thanks for the update , I'll make sure to get the right one. 

What exactly is a "Shiner"

What exactly is a "Shiner"

Check this out:

http://www.fishin.com/articles/BassCoach/wildshiners.htm

Shad? I thought we were talking Saltwater?

aka shiner perch
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/marinebaitid.pdf

I prefer live sardines to anchovies because they're hardier.

Shad? I thought we were talking Saltwater?

 

Thanks Sin. Great site. Sailfish  the site you gave just showed how, not what they are. But then I did'nt read the whole article.

Thanks Sin. Great site. Sailfish  the site you gave just showed how, not what they are. But then I did'nt read the whole article.

I saw a couple of the pictures of the Shiner and they show different ways to hook it.  Thought it would help to identify the fish!

Thanks Sin. Great site. Sailfish  the site you gave just showed how, not what they are. But then I did'nt read the whole article.

I saw a couple of the pictures of the Shiner and they show different ways to hook it.  Thought it would help to identify the fish!

Sonny, the link you posted was not the same type of shiner 

Thanks Sin. Great site. Sailfish  the site you gave just showed how, not what they are. But then I did'nt read the whole article.

I saw a couple of the pictures of the Shiner and they show different ways to hook it.  Thought it would help to identify the fish!

Sonny, the link you posted was not the same type of shiner 

The picture of the "wild Shiner" looks "almost" like the one we bought in the baitshops here!

use 3 to 4" swimbaits

Some say smelt which are fairly tough but difficult to find at times (kelp or shallow sand for me). Sardines are great and usually all over the place. Regular mackerel always die on me when I'm de-hooking them and dumping them into the bait tube but I like their fillets for tipping swimbaits. My favorite though are jack macks because they aren't usually bigger than 8" and will live even in the footwell for 45 min. They swim well and resulted in many larger rockfish hookups and a big fish that I never got to color last season. This season I'm trying circle hook sabikis so I don't waste time and fish yanking swallowed/deep hooks.

-Tim       

Live sardines produce. Plastics? Phoooooey.