Best Way To Land a Halibut?

[Mr. NiceGuy]

On Monday I caught the biggest halibut I've ever caught near the jetty of Zuniga Point.

His bite was a tickle. He came up gentle and calm.

He tried to run a few times when he was at the side of my kayak, but it was not more than a few kicks and jumps.

He was firmly hooked on a 4/0 wire size circle hook.

When I tried to gaff him, he went nuts, smashed into the side of my kayak, jumped off the gaff hook, and snapped my 25# Blackwater leader.


I thought I had him sufficiently tired, but I guess not.

What should I do better next time to get a big halibut onto the game clip?

Losing him at this final moment distresses me more than I can express in words.

May I please have some experienced advice here?

[steveooo]

Lots of good advice from some fishy dudes in this one...

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=6760

[Chuck D]

Best advise I can give you is to, loosen drag, gaff him calmly in the belly and KEEP HIM IN THE WATER. Then proceed to calmly set the game clip still in the water. If he lets you bleed him still in the water. Then after a few bring him in and he will prob still blow up. But at least he is hooked in and you are ready for it. Good luck, hope u get the next one!

[ful-rac]

You can't catch'm all....

[jorluivil]

Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always, gaff your halibut in the belly

[2-Stix]

watched a friend on this board do the same thing with his first legal halibut and it was a really good one.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always, gaff your halibut in the belly

I went for the shoulders.

Live and learn.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Halibut are notorious for coming up without a fight and then exploding on the gaff. IMO, it is best to gaff the fish just behind the gill plate(near the head),and immediately pin the head against the side of the kayak. Then club them into submission before trying to bring them onboard or anything else.

[ctfphoto]

Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always
Always, gaff your halibut in the belly


I went accidentally hit a 40 pounder in the head with my gaff. I know you are not suppose to do this. But ......


...... It killed him instantly with a brain shot :eek:

[taggermike]

The end game of a hali fight can be an anxiety fest. Lots of great info already but I'll add a bit. First off, have all your shit together n ready. Gaff, game clip, and billy (if you use one) should be right at hand and instantly available. One of the charter boat skippers that I most respect, Capt. Ron Baker, told me to gaff halibut deep n right in the gut. I figure he'd know, he used to fish em commercially and has gaffed 1000's. Gut shots don't ruin meat, often sorta paralyze em, and often cause them to gape their mouths for me easier game clipping. Lastly, Stay cool. Lol. Mike

[sculpins4bait]

keep their head in the water till you got em secured then billy club the snot out of em. then paddle for a bit and get ready for round 2 cuz its still alive and pissed.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Does anyone use a halibut harpoon or spearfishing spear with breakaway tip?

http://www.amazon.com/KUFA-Floatable-Aluminum-Harpoon-detachable/dp/B00HSTP1UK/ref=pd_bxgy_200_img_y

http://www.spearfishingworld.com/manny-puig-breakaway-tip.html

[ful-rac]

NO!


Your overthinking it! Gaff, gameclip, bleed, educate:viking:

[summers in kuwait]

I use a slip tip... when spearfishing in the water only!

NO!


Your overthinking it! Gaff, gameclip, bleed, educate:viking:

X2.

[makobob]

NO!


Your overthinking it! Gaff, gameclip, bleed, educate:viking:

NO, do not think it is legal in California.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

NO!



NO, do not think it is legal in California.

RE: "harpoons"

From the DFW website:

Methods of Take: When angling, no more than one line with two hooks attached may be used. A harpoon, gaff, or net may be used to assist in taking a Pacific halibut that has been legally caught by angling. See California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 28.95, for additional restrictions on the use of harpoons. Take by spearfishing is allowed pursuant to California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 28.90.


Trying to sort these things out can be confusing. They talk a lot about Pacific halibut, not so much about California halibut. I find less, not more restrictions on California halibut. I can not find any further restrictions in the actual regulations. I DO find lots of 3rd party interpretations, and embellished interpretations of these unofficial interpretations that are all over the place to varying degrees.

I think what I'm thinking about would be a "3 1/2 ft. hand-held straight halibut gaff with a detachable flying head" -- it isn't thrown like a harpoon, it's tethered to the kayak like my hook gaff, it's a thrust rather than a pull, and it doesn't employ the use of buoy's the way harpoon fishing does. This straight gaff is used to assist with the safe final landing of a large halibut caught by angling with a hook and line.

Or maybe if we detach the lanyard from the kayak and jump in the water first, it becomes a spear with a breakaway tip under Sec 28.90

Oy.

[maquinapescado]

Stab em in the head and let him go for one last run.

[Dave Legacy]

RE: "harpoons"

From the DFW website:

Methods of Take: When angling, no more than one line with two hooks attached may be used. A harpoon, gaff, or net may be used to assist in taking a Pacific halibut that has been legally caught by angling. See California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 28.95, for additional restrictions on the use of harpoons. Take by spearfishing is allowed pursuant to California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 28.90.


Trying to sort these things out can be confusing. They talk a lot about Pacific halibut, not so much about California halibut. I find less, not more restrictions on California halibut. I can not find any further restrictions in the actual regulations. I DO find lots of 3rd party interpretations and half-assed speculations that are all over the place.

Unless it says in the literature that you may use a harpoon to land California Halibut, or a harpoon may be used on legal sized finfish in general, I wouldn't make the assumption that it is legal to do so.

FWIW, I have found a lip gripper to be sufficient in landing Hali. Control the head and you control the fish... For the most part. I haven't had any experience landing big fish from a kayak yet though, so it must be quite different.

[alanw]

Unless it says in the literature that you may use a harpoon to land California Halibut, or a harpoon may be used on legal sized finfish in general, I wouldn't make the assumption that it is legal to do so.

Dave is right on. I'm not an expert but the regs seem very clear to me on harpoons.
28.65. GENERAL. Except as provided in this article, fin fish may be taken only on hook and line or by hand.

So unless you find an exception like the one for sharks skates and rays, or the new for 2015 exception for Pacific Halibut, I wouldn't use anything resembling a spear or harpoon to take your catch.

It looks like you can use a bow and arrow (or crossbow) fishing setup though ;)

[DanaPT]

Halibut have anger management problems. Angry SOBs.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Dave is right on. I'm not an expert but the regs seem very clear to me on harpoons.
28.65. GENERAL. Except as provided in this article, fin fish may be taken only on hook and line or by hand.

So unless you find an exception like the one for sharks skates and rays, or the new for 2015 exception for Pacific Halibut, I wouldn't use anything resembling a spear or harpoon to take your catch.

It looks like you can use a bow and arrow (or crossbow) fishing setup though ;)

You and Dave are raising the same kinds of questions I'm mulling myself.

Likewise, I don't at all feel comfortable assuming something is illegal just because we can't find specific language telling us it is legal. Legality or not should be by specific regulations we can understand, not by non-specific assumptions. If it's not specifically illegal, then it should be legal by default.

I'm not arguing. I'm trying to understand. I don't know the answers to these questions.

To understand the letter of the law which doesn't seem to be spelled out in the regs, we are forced to speculate about the spirit of the law which derives from broader sources.

Assuming guilt by default and unwritten law is a nasty slippery slope.

---

Lets think for a moment again about 28.65 that you bolded above under "General" ....

How can we interpret this to mean that a hook gaff, flying gaff, game clip, or lip-gripper is OK for the final assist of subduing and landing a (California halibut/Pacific halibut) where an undefined "3 1/2' hand-held straight gaff with a breakaway tip" is not, .. and how such undefined tool may or may not fall under spearfishing rules for a hand-held spear with a breakaway tip that looks and functions in exactly the same manner?

Seriously, I'm not convinced that what we are talking about here is a "harpoon" any more than it is a gaff or a spear or in the category of a self-locking lip-gripper tethered to the kayak that clips itself through the main body of the fish rather than the lip. There seems to be a general consensus that the best way to gaff a halibut is to target the stomach rather than the shoulders, boney head, shoulders or gills. If the halibut's head comes out of the water and they go berserk as they often do, a lip-gripper can easily become a lip-ripper, with lethal results when the fish gets away with irreparable damage.

I want to be a good citizen and to do what's right by local law and the laws of nature. I want to follow rules that are put in place for the greater good, if I can figure out WTF they are.

I will also try my best to respect the sanctity of life and not unnecessarily damage or maim living creatures. Morally, for me, if I'm going to catch a fish and reel him in the task should be successful and I should eat what I catch and kill. It pangs me to damage a beautiful and healthy fish only to drop it back in the water as a cripple to die somewhere else. As one who respects nature and life, I want to avoid this kind of failure.

I want to do what's right. I want to successfully land what I catch. Before I pull a large, forceful, toothy halibut into my kayak between my legs, I want him to be safely subdued and sufficiently dead in a methodical and humane way.

[Dail14]

keep them from touching the surface when bringing them in for as long as possible. When they are next to the yak loosen your drag but keep bait clicker on to prevent backlashs from possible runs. Gaff in the stomach and prepare for a close quarters fight. Once you get the gameclip in you will have a good hand hold to control it with so you can club him to death. If you dont have a game clip then good luck putting a stringer through its head without loosing a chunk of finger. And when its all said and done do not let its head anywhere near your lap until you are absolutely sure that its dead. They have sharp teeth and a hard head which can ruin your day if they make contact with certain sensitive areas.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

^^ Once it's on the game clip, is it safe to reach from the back of the head to pull out the gills with our hands as the next step for subduing and bleeding? i.e. "pop a gill"

Or would it be better to aim for the gills with a tethered knife?

After the fish bleeds out, I assume it's OK to bring it aboard, right? Don't want to linger too long because of a possible seal ambush.


The next time I bring a large halibut to the side of my kayak I want to be ready. I've been working all summer to find the halibut I lost at the beginning of this thread. I don't want to lose another one.

[Dave Legacy]

You and Dave are raising the same kinds of questions I'm mulling myself.

Likewise, I don't at all feel comfortable assuming something is illegal just because we can't find specific language telling us it is legal. Legality or not should be by specific regulations we can understand, not by non-specific assumptions. If it's not specifically illegal, then it should be legal by default.

I'm not arguing. I'm trying to understand. I don't know the answers to these questions.

To understand the letter of the law which doesn't seem to be spelled out in the regs, we are forced to speculate about the spirit of the law which derives from broader sources.

Assuming guilt by default and unwritten law is a nasty slippery slope.

---

Lets think for a moment again about 28.65 that you bolded above under "General" ....

How can we interpret this to mean that a hook gaff, flying gaff, game clip, or lip-gripper is OK for the final assist of subduing and landing a (California halibut/Pacific halibut) where an undefined "3 1/2' hand-held straight gaff with a breakaway tip" is not, .. and how such undefined tool may or may not fall under spearfishing rules for a hand-held spear with a breakaway tip that looks and functions in exactly the same manner?

Seriously, I'm not convinced that what we are talking about here is a "harpoon" any more than it is a gaff or a spear or in the category of a self-locking lip-gripper tethered to the kayak that clips itself through the main body of the fish rather than the lip. There seems to be a general consensus that the best way to gaff a halibut is to target the stomach rather than the shoulders, boney head, shoulders or gills. If the halibut's head comes out of the water and they go berserk as they often do, a lip-gripper can easily become a lip-ripper, with lethal results when the fish gets away with irreparable damage.

I want to be a good citizen and to do what's right by local law and the laws of nature. I want to follow rules that are put in place for the greater good, if I can figure out WTF they are.

I will also try my best to respect the sanctity of life and not unnecessarily damage or maim living creatures. Morally, for me, if I'm going to catch a fish and reel him in the task should be successful and I should eat what I catch and kill. It pangs me to damage a healthy fish only to drop him back into the water as a cripple to die somewhere else. As one who respects nature and life, I want to avoid this kind of failure.

I want to do what's right. I want to successfully land what I catch. Before I pull a large, forceful, toothy halibut into my kayak between my legs, I want him to be safely subdued and sufficiently dead in a methodical and humane way.

You're making a bunch of great points. I could be dead wrong, but I have always wondered if these laws were a little confusing (dare I say gray) in order to allow some flexibility to the enforcing officer. That could be both good or bad. I've also noticed that not all wardens seem to interprate the regulations the same way which is good to consider when inquiring with the CDFW. There's a great blog where people ask for such interpretations and get back clear-cut answers; Check it out at http://californiaoutdoorsqas.com

[Mr. NiceGuy]

You're making a bunch of great points. I could be dead wrong, but I have always wondered if these laws were a little confusing (dare I say gray) in order to allow some flexibility to the enforcing officer. That could be both good or bad. I've also noticed that not all wardens seem to interprate the regulations the same way which is good to consider when inquiring with the CDFW. There's a great blog where people ask for such interpretations and get back clear-cut answers; Check it out at http://californiaoutdoorsqas.com

Thanks Dave. I don't know.

I think policy and regulations should be clear for them as well as for us. I think giving the "enforcers" intentional slack for being the interpreters, judge and jury would be asking for problems. I know gray areas and conflicts are riddled throughout this system, but I don't think it's intentional. Ever-expanding regulations and bureaucracies are imperfect, to say the least. What they continually invent and proclaim as law has to be road-tested and calibrated to reality, and sometimes challenged legally for clarification or rejection.

Understanding the rules we live under should come from the official current amended regs as the original source document, from official minutes of followup meetings to define language as an official addendum, and from the results of court cases under law.

Thanks for the link to Carrie Wilson. I have been searching through her blogs to try to find these answers for myself. She writes well as an interesting blogger and journalist and she cites her credentials as a sportsman and with CDFW, but she often writes opinions what are not linked to sources. Other people then quote her and the blogisphere expands.

I don't know if she is writing and rendering opinions in an official legal capacity for the CDFW, or if she's serving in more of a PR capacity, non-binding. I'm going to guess she's not a lawyer and I'm going to guess that she's not writing as a legally binding spokeswoman for the CDFW.

At this moment, and because I have only known about her for a few days, I'm going to read what she says as interesting insight based on her experience working for CDFG, but mostly as another personal opinion of an informed columnist and writer unless she anchors her opinions and interpretations with references to officially binding documents.

I can see the logo and typestyle ".gov" stamped at the top of the page, but the website url is http://californiaoutdoorsqas.com. The reference at the bottom is WordPress.com.

Questions are submitted through the .gov website, and answered through the .com website. I don't know who is ultimately accountable for the content delivered to us by Ms. Wilson. Call me cynical, but this looks like a firewall to me.

---

Please note these chosen words: "Carrie enjoys tackling the tough questions from the public and will be regularly tapping into the expertise of CDFW’s wildlife officers and many fisheries, wildlife and marine biologists to best cover all the topics."

This sounds a little squishy to me. It seems she has artistic license as a creative writer and everyone else has plausible deniability. CDFW may be reaching out for public input and/or data mining for creating policy, but I'm going to guess that what Ms. Wilson says in her regular columns is non-binding and unofficial for the CDFW. I may be completely wrong, but I think she is set up as a CDFW supported private sector liaison, technically working for herself.

Here is how Ms. Wilson presents herself in conjunction with the columns she writes:

-----

Columnist Carrie Wilson is a 20-year CDFW veteran and an avid outdoor enthusiast, angler and hunter. She is a marine biologist with a strong background of professional experience working in both fisheries and wildlife management. An established award-winning outdoor writer, Carrie enjoys tackling the tough questions from the public and will be regularly tapping into the expertise of CDFW’s wildlife officers and many fisheries, wildlife and marine biologists to best cover all the topics.

http://californiaoutdoors.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/cwilson.jpg (http://californiaoutdoors.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/cwilson-hi-res.jpg)

[GregAndrew]

The thread posted by Steveeeo in the 2nd post is a great resource. That being said, I have refined my contribution to that thread over the last 5 years.

The first mistake most people make is trying to horse the fish up. You will find many times that Halibut will be hooked by a little piece of lip or a piece of skin on the roof of their mouth.

The second mistake is not being prepared when you get the fish yakside. Have your gameclip/stringer, gaff and release tools easily accessible. If they are in your hatch, or you have to crawl out of your seat to get them they are not.

Fight the fish on the side of your kayak that your dominant hand is. You can use any hand to push the rod away from you to get the fish close. You want your coordinated hand on the gaff.

DO NOT PANIC! There is nothing that can be done quickly at this point that is not better handled deliberately. Loosen you drag a bit (not freespool or clicker only) so that if the fish should bolt you will be applying less pressure now than on the fight up. If you were fishing for WSB or YT when the Hali hit, it might be a considerable amount that you should have loosened it.

Identify what your are dealing with. Make sure you are only gaffing a certain legal fish. When in doubt lip grip it. Halibut are sensitive around the mouth, but they get desensitized quickly (you can probably get the gripper on pretty easy on the 3rd or 4th attempt). I prefer the plastic ones cause they disperse the weight over a larger area and generally do not puncture the mouth (and float). If it is definitely a release fish, then only gripper it if you need help getting the hook out. Otherwise pliers in the water always.

Ok, so now you have a Halibut that you intend to keep at the side of your kayak. The next step is to figure out how to maneuver the fish and yourself to give you a good belly shot on the fish without having to reach way out. I have had just as good of success when the fish was vertical as with laid out on the surface. Right side up or upside down has not been a problem either. It might be as simple as dragging it right along the side of your kayak. On windy days you might have to turn around so your rod faces down wind to pull the fish under you.

Gaff the belly firmly. The area behind the gill plate and the bottom (opposite side of eyes) 1/3 to 1/4 of the width of the fish. The bigger the fish, the bigger the sweet spot. A little too far back, a little to far across the width or too hard is where you will probably have issues with the fish going crazy. With a good gaff, you should only have to move your hand 6-8 inches when you gaff a Halibut in the belly. Gaff it firm, but do not make it bounce (they don't like that). Now that you are not going to make a reaching flail swing with the gaff, it makes it much easier to target about 1/2" behind the gill plate and a couple inches in from the edge.

Hold the head out of the water. Now that you have the fish on the gaff, don't make it think it is free to go by placing the head back in the water. Part of the paralysis that comes over a belly gaffed Halibut if from the weight supported by the gaff. However, if you support it too much it can work like bouncing them on the gaff shot. Your primary focus should have gone from your rod to your gaff as soon as it hit (keep it there).

Take care of business. Grab your game clip and slide it through the gills and out the mouth or vice versa and snap it shut. DO NOT LIFT the fish by the game clip at this point (see paralysis and weight above). If you already have your game clip tethered to your yak, then you can simply release it. Grab your pliers or other dehooking device and remove the hook. Then pop a couple gills with your finger or a pair of pliers.

Assess the situation. I like to bleed out all of my fish as much as I can immediately. Conditions (Sea Lions, Sharks Etc.) do not always allow that though. And Halibut, like Catfish, will stay alive a long time out of the water and bleeding. One thing I should have done long ago is to learn the divers spike method for Halibut in those instances. But just one of my legs on top of just about any Halibut is usually enough :D. If you do decide to leave it in the water, then do not fix you game clip directly to your kayak, but tether it (fish can open fixed game clips but tethered ones are almost impossible). Now just keep your eyes and ears open for dogs and other signs.

As far as the legal side of many of these points, we had a lengthy conversation with a group of wardens 2 years ago at the Fred Hall just about the Kage. There was not 2 of they that could agree on if it was legal or not in Cali.?

[Dave Legacy]

This might be a dumb question, but could one just scoop up a halibut in a net? I bought a collapsing net to be legal in the water, but the most economic route was a 24"x24". If I can net my 3-year-old with it I ought to be able to net at least the business end of a huge halibut, right?

[alanw]

Lets think for a moment again about 28.65 that you bolded above under "General" ....

How can we interpret this to mean that a hook gaff, flying gaff, game clip, or lip-gripper is OK for the final assist of subduing and landing a (California halibut/Pacific halibut) where an undefined "3 1/2' hand-held straight gaff with a breakaway tip" is not, .. and how such undefined tool may or may not fall under spearfishing rules for a hand-held spear with a breakaway tip that looks and functions in exactly the same manner?



The way the regulations read is that everything is illegal, except hook and line or by hand.

There is an exception for a gaff, and one for spear/harpoon, so we know they are legal in the stated situations. A straight gaff is not legal because the definition of a gaff is spelled out as a "hook with or without a handle", which means that a (hook) gaff and a flying (hook) gaff must both be legal.

But, I also agree that there must be some flexibility in the regulations for things that the DFG figured were so commonplace that they didn't bother to spell it all out. Otherwise, technically using a lipgrip, "fish billy", game clip, knife, or any tool whatsoever besides the listed exceptions and your bare hands to land a fish is illegal.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Greg Andrew, thank you so much for taking to time to recap all this valuable information for us.

And yes, a kayak sized Kage Gaff is another good name for what I'm trying to describe.

This might be a dumb question, but could one just scoop up a halibut in a net? I bought a collapsing net to be legal in the water, but the most economic route was a 24"x24". If I can net my 3-year-old with it I ought to be able to net at least the business end of a huge halibut, right?

I think a basic legal size or net size halibut would not be too much trouble. With nets, you run the risk of splitting the tail of fish you let go. They can become infected with tail rot and the fish dies. Some nets work better than others. For halibut that are shorter than 22" I have been able to reach down with my pliers and grab the hook. A small shake from the fish or me usually sets him free.

I prefer to use one hook, so the release is easier. I was trying 2nd trap hooks for awhile, but I felt bad about other fish I was not targeting getting the 2nd hook lodged deeply in the throat, meaning they usually got torn up pretty bad by the time I got it out. I try to avoid collateral damage to fish I don't want to catch.

My question is about the larger size halibut we see some of the pros around here catch consistently. The power and difficulty of landing a larger halibut from a kayak goes up exponentially with the size of the fish. The fish I lost was suitable for framed photos on the wall. I want to be prepared so I don't make mistakes again when the next opportunity presents itself.

If you can net and lift your daughter, maybe your net will work well for you :)

I seriously want to catch and land a large halibut from my kayak, with finesse and aplomb. This thread is my homework assignment.

Opportunities like this capture my interest more than I can describe in words:

http://www.kayakfishmag.com/features/trophy-case/record-kayak-halibut/

What a great catch. I would love to hear him describe how he got that halibut into his kayak.

[jorluivil]

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

[Mr. NiceGuy]

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.

[jorluivil]

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.


Good luck!

[Deamon]

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Ummmm...just wait one minute Mister Jorge. Have you EVER caught a quality halibut? I'm just asking. Jim

[Mr. NiceGuy]

You'll never figure it out sitting behind a keyboard

Was that typed sitting behind a keyboard?

Just curious.

:cheers1:

[jorluivil]

Was that typed sitting behind a keyboard?

Just curious.

:cheers1:



Yes, it was. I typed that after I finished eating the halibut I had just grilled.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Yes, it was. I typed that after I finished eating the halibut I had just grilled.

Touché

[jorluivil]

Mañana Mañana ... :P

Today I had to work.



Welllllllllllllllllllllll?

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Welllllllllllllllllllllll?

Sorry, I had to work again today.

:big sigh:

Tomorrow is a 40/60, Tuesday is a 60/40. Between now and the end of Wednesday will hopefully be 100%

F-it. Sometimes we just have to drop what we're doing and go fishing.

---

However, I finished my new home made gaff set today with my morning coffee before I went to work.

http://www.pbase.com/schutze/image/161549636.jpg

[ful-rac]

Sorry, I had to work again today.

:big sigh:

Tomorrow is a 40/60, Tuesday is a 60/40. Between now and the end of Wednesday will hopefully be 100%

F-it. Sometimes we just have to drop what we're doing and go fishing.

---

However, I finished my new home made gaff set today with my morning coffee before I went to work.





Are you still trying to figure out how to land a halibut....?

Now you have a spear...? Looks like you did a good job...minus the zip tie holding the cable to the shaft...:eek:


Mr.niceguy....you are still seriously over thinking this. Just gaff the fish and game clip it...! No spear, no ka-GAY, no 55 gallon barrels....Just a perfectly timed and placed gaff shot...GAME OVER.

[Harry Hill]

Sorry, I had to work again today.

:big sigh:

Tomorrow is a 40/60, Tuesday is a 60/40. Between now and the end of Wednesday will hopefully be 100%

F-it. Sometimes we just have to drop what we're doing and go fishing.

---

However, I finished my new home made gaff set today with my morning coffee before I went to work.

http://www.pbase.com/schutze/image/161549636.jpg

How long is the handle on the gaff? What is the best size for kayaking?

[jorluivil]

Now you'll have a halibut on your deck that can go ape sh*t at any moment with a hook in its mouth, a spear in its body and a gaff jammed in it?

[summers in kuwait]

Now you'll have a halibut on your deck that can go ape sh*t at any moment with a hook in its mouth, a spear in its body and a gaff jammed in it?

Ha.
The triple threat.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Are you still trying to figure out how to land a halibut....?

No. I think that has been covered pretty well. Thanks to several excellent contributions to this thread.

My only concern is losing a large one the next time an opportunity presents itself. That's what I have been mulling as I linger here and visit with kindred spirits. I want to reduce my risk of failure to as close to 0% as I can get it.

This place also serves as a social and networking environment, and not a bad one at that. I like meeting people and listening to all the diverse ideas.

Please start the next topic :)

Now you'll have a halibut on your deck that can go ape sh*t at any moment with a hook in its mouth, a spear in its body and a gaff jammed in it?

That would be a neatly tethered and surgically placed spear tip only, not a spear. No need for a flailed hook gaff in this case.

The next one will be sufficiently dead, bled, unhooked and on a game clip before I pull him or her onto my lap.

[ful-rac]

What's a large halibut to you anyway?

Whether it's 20 or 50, 60, 75 pounds, it's not gonna be much different in the way you land them. What's gonna be different is how you keep them.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

How long is the handle on the gaff? What is the best size for kayaking?

Opinions will vary. It depends on the size of your boat and the distance to the water. I like exploring ideas and building things from scraps laying around my workbench.

For my Outback, I like 32" total length for a normal hook gaff, with a 2 1/2" (2/0) hook. It's compact enough to tuck out of the way on my kayak and it comfortably gives me all the reach I need. I tend to grab that one at the end of the handle with the wrist strap. 1" or 1.25" makes a stout pole size, depending on the size of your hands. Shovel handles work well for strength and the tailored shape fits the hand nicely. I would shave down the excess bulk at the hook end, unless you also want to use the back side of the hook end as a club. Personally, I don't like the idea of clubbing animals. I would rather put them to sleep gently by bleeding them.

Squidco has nice gaff hooks for about $6 and they are nice people. You can get 100' of 550# paracord from amazon prime for $9. That's enough cord for 2 to 4 gaffs, depending on how much ornamental wrapping you want to do. If you only want to wrap the hook, that much paracord will last until you get tired of making gaffs.

I've never made a straight gaff before. This one turned out 42". It balances nicely at the bare wood area between the paracord wraps. If it was any shorter it would feel point heavy from the stainless steel hardware. The zip tie is only to keep the cable from flopping around as the varnish hardens. The large swivel hooked to the zip tie will clip to a nylon cord or other lanyard/leash secured to the kayak.

When my previous gaffs bounced around in the pole holders of my kayak, it knocked off the varnish finish where they stand on end. That's why I added the butt caps to these two.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

What's a large halibut to you anyway?

Whether it's 20 or 50, 60, 75 pounds, it's not gonna be much different in the way you land them. What's gonna be different is how you keep them.

I'm a noob. I'm learning my way through these things. I lost a very nice halibut at the beginning of this thread when I tried to gaff him. His head-shake snapped my 25# Blackwater shock leader like it was nothing. I'm learning from my mistakes. I'm also blessed with rip-roaring ADHD so I tend to hyper-focus on challenges that excite me :)

You already know what the sizes are for the top 1/3 category of local halibut. You probably know some of the local guys who can target and land them consistently. I want to join that club. I want to do it from my kayak.

I like the pictures Paul posts ...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/Paulfishes/100_4409_zps2d9a0f6f.jpg

Life is sweet, eh?

[makobob]

SORRY Mr. NiceGuy
Every time I see your avatar I just want to make a comment. Please do not take this the wrong way.
You are no longer a NOOB.
AND if you get your tush on a trip to Baja you will no longer be MOIST, you will be DROOLING. Maybe forever after. So if you can jump on the Baja Express and take a walk on the beaches of Baja feel free to joins us. Tight lines.


I'm a noob. I'm learning my way through these things. I lost a very nice at the beginning of this thread when I tried to gaff him. I'm learning from my mistakes.

You already know what the top 1/3 larger sizes are locally for halibut. You probably know some of the local guys who can target and land them consistently. I want to join that club.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

SORRY Mr. NiceGuy
Every time I see your avatar I just want to make a comment. Please do not take this the wrong way.
You are no longer a NOOB.
AND if you get your tush on a trip to Baja you will no longer be MOIST, you will be DROOLING. Maybe forever after. So if you can jump on the Baja Express and take a walk on the beaches of Baja feel free to joins us. Tight lines.

Thank you Bob. I always enjoy your posts and I'm looking forward to the day we can meet in person.

I've flown my little Cessna 172 to Baja 6 times to explore Gonzaga Bay, Bahia LA, Mulegé, Guerrero Negro and several other amazing places with small landing strips. I have enjoyed many driving trips to explore primitive camping, photography and lush fishing. On my last trip, the honcho in charge of the airport at Cabo threatened to confiscate my airplane with his desk drawer of wadded up cash open for "parking fees." I've had trouble in Mexico on other occasions and stopped going there about 10 years ago.

I'm very sorry about this because I love Mexico and many kind people I have met there. Because of the culture of corruption and the risk of being a target of opportunity, it's no longer worth the risk to me. If there's no problem, then there's no problem. When a problem arises, there can easily be no solutions.

Moist, drooling or sopping wet ---- I'm envious of your coming adventures and I will be enjoying them with you vicariously.
I will be waiting to meet you in person north of the border :)


BTW, I don't look anything at all like the guy in my avatar, and I don't wear lipstick.

[ful-rac]

A little bit better...not by much...but better nonetheless...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bV1aelpBjUI/UrjFsGkz7WI/AAAAAAAAQMk/EU6g5-CyXC0/s200/Thomas+young.jpg

[Mr. NiceGuy]

A little bit better...not by much...but better nonetheless...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bV1aelpBjUI/UrjFsGkz7WI/AAAAAAAAQMk/EU6g5-CyXC0/s200/Thomas+young.jpg

Wow, ... he was quite fetching in his nubile youth, wasn't he?

[Mr. NiceGuy]

What's a large halibut to you anyway?

For those of us who are curious, here's how the average length and weight numbers line up for halibut:

22" legal minimum is about 4 pounds

30" is about 12 pounds
36" is about 20 pounds
40" is about 30 pounds
44" is about 40 pounds
47" is about 50 pounds
50" is about 60 pounds

[jorluivil]

What's a large halibut to you anyway?
.

For those of us who are curious, here's how the average length and weight numbers line up for halibut:

22" legal minimum is about 4 pounds

30" is about 12 pounds
36" is about 20 pounds
40" is about 30 pounds
44" is about 40 pounds
47" is about 50 pounds
50" is about 60 pounds


You still didn't answer the question.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

You still didn't answer the question.

I don't have an exact answer for you.

Without getting it on a tape measure or weight scale I don't want to guess about the size of the halibut I lost. Our minds can play tricks on us and I wouldn't want to exaggerate.

Around San Diego I would be appreciative of catching halibut from 20 pounds up. I would like to be prepared to successfully land a halibut in my kayak over 40 pounds.


As a visual comparison to the length/weight figures above, this one weighed in at 43.3 pounds. That would put it at about 45" long.

http://www.wonews.com/images/blog/30d.jpg

I've heard people in forums boast of higher numbers as if 40 pounds was as laughable as a small dick, but who knows? Talk is cheap and BS is sometimes known to flow freely in fishing forums.

Maybe this will help answer your question. It would be nice to see some bell shaped curves as well, so can know the percentages by the number of standard deviations.

http://content.cdlib.org/data/13030/z7/kt2q2n98z7/figures/caljsiol_sio1ca175_174_172.gif

65 cm is about 25". According to this chart that comes at about 7 years. That makes me a little sad. If a 7 year old fish is only 25" then how old are the fish we see in local photos that are in the 40-60 pound range?

According to Wikipedia, typical California Halibut are between 6-50 pounds.

From another source, the top weight of this species is 72 lbs and the lifespan is 30 years.
Females reach sexual maturity in 4-5 years; 2-3 years for males.
California halibut are generally older in southern CA compared to central CA.

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paralichthys_californicus/


67.3 pounds
https://www.fishwithjd.com/2011/07/05/67-3-lb-california-halibut-smashes-world-record/

55 lbs
https://youtu.be/AFdq72KXOy4

[ful-rac]

40 pounder...? Is that all?

My dog caught a 40 pounder...all SHE needed was a Gaff.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u217/pksbshp/58713e3ced1ddaeff5874b55d7eb4714_zpswhtjh3hw.jpg (http://s169.photobucket.com/user/pksbshp/media/58713e3ced1ddaeff5874b55d7eb4714_zpswhtjh3hw.jpg.h tml)

[jorluivil]

40 pounder...? Is that all?

My dog caught a 40 pounder...all SHE needed was a Gaff.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u217/pksbshp/58713e3ced1ddaeff5874b55d7eb4714_zpswhtjh3hw.jpg (http://s169.photobucket.com/user/pksbshp/media/58713e3ced1ddaeff5874b55d7eb4714_zpswhtjh3hw.jpg.h tml)

Yep, got three of those, its almost like they're given them away.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

40 pounder...? Is that all?

My dog caught a 40 pounder...all SHE needed was a Gaff.

See what I mean?

In what year did your dog catch that fish?

Just curious.


PS - your dog's a keeper

Yep, got three of those, its almost like they're given them away.

All three on the same cast?

That's great! Even if they are only 40 pounds each!

That's better than Tony's dog!

Chapeau!

---

I may have to hide it in a brown paper bag around here, but I would still be willing to take a 38 pounder home for dinner.

Even if I had to doink it with my new straight gaff to make sure I get it in the bag.

I'm a humble guy like that and I've heard that size doesn't matter.

[Sheephead]

I can tell you from what I learned landing a 22lb hali in SD bay is that you DON'T want to put the hali on the game clip before he's dead. My 22lb almost flipped my 12' pro angler several times while trying to kill it. While your bringing the hali to the surface make sure everything you'll need is ready and the game clip is on the correct side of your yak. When you get the hali 1/2' - 1' below the surface gaff them just below their pectoral fin and immediately hold them out of the water as far as your can paralyzing the fish. I'll then turn the tip of the gaff towards me to prevent the halibut popping off as I begin to club it. Once clubbed I'll game clip and bleed the fish. Keep your gameclip on a short leash. I kept mine on a 3' section of rope and it created way to much drag. As far as Im aware you can use a hawaiian spear, preferably a paralyzing tip, to help land the halibut but the game warden I asked didn't sound like he was that knowledgable. Good luck! !! Never bring a live Halibut onto your yak!! It's not fun.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

I can tell you from what I learned landing a 22lb hali in SD bay is that you DON'T want to put the hali on the game clip before he's dead. My 22lb almost flipped my 12' pro angler several times while trying to kill it. While your bringing the hali to the surface make sure everything you'll need is ready and the game clip is on the correct side of your yak. When you get the hali 1/2' - 1' below the surface gaff them just below their pectoral fin and immediately hold them out of the water as far as your can paralyzing the fish. I'll then turn the tip of the gaff towards me to prevent the halibut popping off as I begin to club it. Once clubbed I'll game clip and bleed the fish. Keep your gameclip on a short leash. I kept mine on a 3' section of rope and it created way to much drag. As far as Im aware you can use a hawaiian spear, preferably a paralyzing tip, to help land the halibut but the game warden I asked didn't sound like he was that knowledgable. Good luck! !! Never bring a live Halibut onto your yak!! It's not fun.

That's an interesting addition to this discussion. Halibut can have remarkable strength.

It's the first time I've heard NOT to use the game clip before the halibut is dead. I thought the game clip was part of how we secured the halibut alive from the hook, then gaff so we could prepare to bleed it or otherwise dispatch him to the afterworld.

The short leash for the game clip is interesting to me too. Mine is on a comfortable long arms reach, so it doesn't bind or get tangled. I will reconsider.

I am not familiar with a paralyzer tip, but I see it on this chart:

http://www.deepsixintl.com/images/thumbs/Access2.jpe

What I used for the halibut gaff I just made is called a "slip tip" here. It's also called a "breakaway tip"

It's a 5" bullet tip held on the gaff shaft by a rubber O-ring. When it punches through the fish the tip slides off and turns sideways, tethering the fish to our kayak by the cable clipped to a line on the other side of the fish.

http://www.pbase.com/schutze/image/161559211/medium.jpg