Halibut set ups?

Just wondering what set ups are used in fishing for halibut on the bay? Hooks, weights, bait. Someone told me to get the sturgeon set ups in West Marine, will these work?

Simple is best. Start with a three way swivel and use anywhere from a 30" to 72" leader with a 2/0  Octopus hook tied on with a perfection loop to allow the bait to swim naturally.

Tie a 12" length of leader with a large loop or a clasp to the other part of the three way swivel. This is the end that you attach a weight to.

The third end of the swivel is of course attached to your main line.

I prefer Owner or Gamakatsu for the hooks and any quality 30# line for the leaders. The 30# is nice because it is not as kinky as lighter lines and is way less likely to get bit through by the Halibut's teeth when a nice fish swallows the bait.

You can vary the hook size according to the size of the bait. Small 1/0's are good for live anchovies and  a 5/0 or 6/0 with a stinger treble is good for large sardines or jacksmelt.

Torpedo weights in the 2, 4 and 6 oz size should cover 90% of your fishing. You want your bait to tap the bottom as you drift along. It doesn't need to drag but a nice tap tap is good as your rod bounces with the swell or wind chop.

Good luck out there!

-Eliot

Holy shit otter...I thought you said simple

Holy shit otter...I thought you said simple

Ha ha I know it sounds bad but it really is simple. You can get way more geeked out if you want with sliders, stingers, etc etc but a three way swivel live bait rig is easy and it works.

For all around fishing I would use a 36" leader with a 2/0 octopus hook for the bait and a 12" leader to the weight.


-Eliot

Thanks, any pics, a picture says a thousand words.

Thanks, any pics, a picture says a thousand words.

if you Google "halibut rigging" you'll see a lot of pics.  here's one i like.

there are the 2 extreme examples,,,,,,very good. I'm w/Otter on the simple rig. John's pic of the hoochies/flasher is (IMHO) the way to go in dirty water and/or trolling hard, covering lots of ground.
Both will get the job done, but if you're just getting started at it, do the simple three way rig = way cheaper .....and the OTHER most important factor is: MAKEsureTHEREareHALIBUTinTHEarea

Search for "DJB Rig" if you're interested in what John posted.

  Cheesy but good info Fun to watch

  Those anchovies will die  quickly if you don't take really good care of them. I find that fresh dead anchovies make for an excellent bait. I use  a straight rig- main line, sinker, leader, and trap hooks.No three way. I've gotten good results by  jigging the dead anchovie or sardine a little bit, just off the bottom.
  I like the main line to be stronger than the leader so that I can break off if I get hung up on a rock.

Plus 3 w/ otter but i prefer live shiners and smelt over them anchovies! Anchovies are just a pain to keep alive and are too small for me to be using for bait. IMHO, the shiners or smelt work better becuase thier hardier and give off more flash and action that make them halis go nuts. Also, if theres no wind, i prefer drifting live bait with and against the current. When off the yak, I actually get more hookups and strikes going against the current. I think its mainly because Im keepin the bait in the strikezone longer and working it more slowly then as going with the current and just blowing by the halibut. Then if its windy, I like trolling and bottom bouncing as it seems to be easier to fish espeically when your a paddler!

I run a 3 oz. lead head jig on a squid bodied tube, I cut strips of squid and bait the hook with one strip at a time. About 3' up from the 3 oz. squid I put a 1oz. lead head jig with a mini squid tube and put a squid strip on it too. Rock cod and Hali's tear them up. Ling like it too, it's pretty much an all around killer.

The only thing I'll add is that on a 3 way I always use a much lighter line for the sinker, it's probably the most likely to get hung up (not common on halibut grounds) but if it does, it breaks off easy and you don't lose much.

.....and the OTHER most important factor is: MAKEsureTHEREareHALIBUTinTHEarea

Amen to that, brother!
I'm no expert, but I'm guessing halibut will eat pretty much anything that moves in front of them.

I agree that the pic i got off the web is an expensive setup if you lose them. 

All this hali-talk has got me stir crazy. 

Simplest rig of all:  bucktail jig, or swimbait, (fish trap, or scampi).  Not that it works for me, but they are classics.