Trolling for halibut - baitless alternatives???

The only rig I've used for calibut is a bounce ball rig with a krippled anchovy hood.
Some days, the rockfish/croaker are thick and quickly steal all my bait.
Hope to find a way to avoid constantly re-baiting.

Are there any alternatives out there?

Thinking of adding some big plastics to a high/low dropper rig and using that for both rockfish and halibut. Not sure how effective that would be.

You can bounce ball with a hoochie (and dodger). It’s very effective for halibut and will catch lots of other species too.

Second that. Hoochie and you can add a strip of squid to it too

I have caught them WMA and Black&Silver apex.  But another vote for hoochie tipped with squid.

Thanks guys! Gonna try this.

good info

I use this rig:

Mainline to three way swivel, dropper loop of 20# mono going to weight. off of swivel, 18" 80# Jinkai to a Yamashita UV hoochie with 3 beads and a 4/0 Owner 5315-141 snelled.  From the tag of the snell, another 10 inches to a dodger of your choice, and then another 12" to a hoochie, 1 bead, a snelled 5315, and a stinger 1/0 Owner ST-36BC.

3 hooks, 1 rod 2 hoochies.  I bait the back hoochie and get most fish on it, but they bite the front one too.

I use this rig:

Mainline to three way swivel, dropper loop of 20# mono going to weight. off of swivel, 18" 80# Jinkai to a Yamashita UV hoochie with 3 beads and a 4/0 Owner 5315-141 snelled.  From the tag of the snell, another 10 inches to a dodger of your choice, and then another 12" to a hoochie, 1 bead, a snelled 5315, and a stinger 1/0 Owner ST-36BC.

3 hooks, 1 rod 2 hoochies.  I bait the back hoochie and get most fish on it, but they bite the front one too.

Brah!  You're also a rig burner.   

I use this rig:

Mainline to three way swivel, dropper loop of 20# mono going to weight. off of swivel, 18" 80# Jinkai to a Yamashita UV hoochie with 3 beads and a 4/0 Owner 5315-141 snelled.  From the tag of the snell, another 10 inches to a dodger of your choice, and then another 12" to a hoochie, 1 bead, a snelled 5315, and a stinger 1/0 Owner ST-36BC.

3 hooks, 1 rod 2 hoochies.  I bait the back hoochie and get most fish on it, but they bite the front one too.

Brah!  You're also a rig burner.   

Now that octobers over I'm burning a little bit of everything 😂 tis the season

Tomorrow I'm going to put a hootchie in-line ahead of the dodger, but with no hook (maybe tie a rubber band onto the leader to keep it in place), then my usual two-hook hootchie after the dodger.  That way, I can keep the record-setting ground fish I'm going to get.

Tomorrow I'm going to put a hootchie in-line ahead of the dodger, but with no hook (maybe tie a rubber band onto the leader to keep it in place), then my usual two-hook hootchie after the dodger.  That way, I can keep the record-setting ground fish I'm going to get.

That’s a clever idea. Maybe even a spreader bar with a whole swarm of hookless hootchies...

Tomorrow I'm going to put a hootchie in-line ahead of the dodger, but with no hook (maybe tie a rubber band onto the leader to keep it in place), then my usual two-hook hootchie after the dodger.  That way, I can keep the record-setting ground fish I'm going to get.

That’s a clever idea. Maybe even a spreader bar with a whole swarm of hookless hootchies...

https://www.redwoodcoastspreaderbars.com/product_p/mb_white.htm    <----Imagine losing a few of those

https://www.redwoodcoastspreaderbars.com/product_p/mb_white.htm    <----Imagine losing a few of those

I was thinking more along the lines of DIY with a total cost of about $0.85...

Wiggle hootchies have worked super well for me

Wiggle hootchies have worked super well for me

Thanks for the tip--I'm going to give it a try. Do you use a dodger with them, or solo?

Best of all, it looks pretty easy to make your own...