Gear questions for halibut hunting

[Rob Holman]

Hello, I am a diver from the Pacific Northwest (Washington).

I have done a little spearfishing, but not too much. Mostly rock fish in the 3-4 pound class, and the occasional lingcod in the 30-pound class. I am interested in shooting a halibut this year. I am looking for a little advice on technique, and equipment.

Here is the scenario:
I will be diving in cold water between 80 and 140 feet
It will be a flat sandy bottom, my shot will be from overhead, through the fish, into the sandy bottom.
Current may be an issue, but probably not
I will have a live boat
I would like to keep the fish below 50 pounds until I get some more experience.

Since Halibut are pretty tough fish (I have heard stories of them ripping seats out of small boats), and I will be deep, I want to use a setup that will minimize my bottom time, and will not cause my SAC rate to go through the roof. I have several questions I am hoping to get some opinions on.

Type of gun: I want to buy a new gun. I have heard Riffe, JBL, and Biller all talked about on the board and they all seem comparable. I am confused however about the difference between a rail gun and a track gun. Can I get some insight into this?

Power/Range: Regarding power and range. Our waters have pretty grim viz. If we have 30 feet, it is a stellar day. Average range that I could actually make out a fish outline well enough to take a shot with confidence would be about 10-15 feet. Therefore I will not need a gun with range beyond that. Power is a different issue. Halibut have pretty tough heads. I do not want a gun that is underpowered and will glance off the animal. I am thinking of a gun with a shaft length in the mid 30’s to low 40’s. What are thoughts on that?

Reels: Since I do not want to spend a lot of time at depth should I be so lucky as to tag a halibut, I am thinking that the use of a gun mounted reel might be a good idea. What are thoughts on that? How much complexity do they add to the formula?

Buoys: I have heard of people using bottom deployable buoys with CO2 cartridges to assist in bringing the fish up. Are those useful, or just one more thing to bother with?

Detachable spear points: What are the thoughts on this? Halibut have pretty soft meat, my fear is that a prolonged fight with a body shot could result in the spear ripping out.

Sorry this is so long, but I have lots of questions!

[Rob Holman]

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Time for a stupid question. I read somewhere that a certain gun was good to depths of 200 feet. Depth limits on spearguns never occurred to me. Is there any reason a wood gun cannot be taken to 150+ feet? Does the wood compress or warp and therefore mess up the shot? Does not seem like that would be an issue, but thought I would ask.

[richhermes]

Ever though of powerheading a Halibut?
Check out www.slinginsteel.com
SpearOne is the owner and he posts quite often. He may be able to get you into one of his fine guns.

[fernandezh]

I have seen videos of how strong those halibut can get. it is like lifting a barn door. There is no real limit for speargun use. I think the gun that was advertised said that because it proboly had a reel and 200' of line on it. With fish like that, you definitely need a line shaft or a reel connected to the gun. About the gun type, that is a tough one. You want a gun that you would be able to get spare parts and shafts for at a LDS so you don't have to go through the trouble of ordering replacements through the mail. Therefore, I can't make a hard recommendation on the gun.

But I do recommend a gun that is designed to carry at least a 48 to 60 inch shaft and has at least 2 to 3 slings. You will need that power to bust through the fish's skull and come out the other side if it is as tough as you say it is. I guess the shot placement on a halibut would proboly be about the same as one on a flounder about several inches behind the eyes depending on the size of fish. Good luck and you have to let us know how it works out.

Hector

[Rob Holman]

Thanks for the input so far. Quick question. What is a "line shaft"?

[Reef Raider]

How far south do the halibut run?? A " line shaft " is a spear shaft that you can hook a line to be it a line from a reel or other type line. I think R.H. hit the nail on the head get a P.H. then if you see a 300# BARN DOOR and get even a so-so shot off you got your self a lot of meat and wont have to worry about losing the gun. Have you asked about this at a dive shop in your area??

[Rob Holman]

Halibut go at least as far south as Southern California. Someone on the northwestdiver.com forum commented that he use to spear them in 30 feet of water from his surfboard when he lived in California. The whoppers are found up north. Washington has some big ones, (The state record is 288 pounds-taken with rod and reel in the ocean), but the real barn doors are in Alaska. Most of those taken with rod and reel in Washington are in the 10-50 pound range.

A 300# fish is a bit out of my league at this point anyway!! If I saw a halibut that large I think I would just sit back in awe and watch it like I did the 10 foot 6 gill shark I saw last year. It is quite a site to encounter a fish several times your size that you know can take you out if it chooses!

Anyway I’m really looking to hone my skills with a band gun for the time being so I’m not so sure about power heads. Someone told me that power heads were illegal in Washington so I would need to check that out if I go that route.

What are thoughts on using a buoy to assist in bringing up a large fish?

Also, what are thoughts on breakaway tips? Good, bad, indifferent?

[joens]

first off ,welcome to the board Rob .As far as the remark about the gun being limited to 200 feet the only thing I could think was that was referring to a pneumatic gun .I would second the comment made by fernandezh suggesting a gun with a shaft length of 48-60"
Joens

[i want flattys]

these "whoppers" are also a diff kind of halibut then the ones in so cal.

[Calif_Diver]

Most of the info i have read on SB is that a slip tip is recommended for halibut and a reel too.

[PropMan]

Check out the Death Stick and Bamboo Black Tip Spear Guns,
They are both great for the money,riffe is over priced and its a production gun.
These are custom for a better price.

[Devildiver]

I think a huge factor which has not yet been addressed is will you be freediving or SCUBA?

I see no reason for a reel if you're not freediving. Same with float lines.

This is a thread about a 400 pound fish taken on scuba.

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=18867&highlight=403+warsaw+grouper

I also think that the length of your gun will be directly related to the vis in your area. While I was spearing in Florida, 12-15' of shooting line was fine. Now that i'm back in Oregon, I get 12' of vis once a month! Further more, when you have crappy vis, will you be able to see your speartip on a 48" gun?

People generally use mid handle spearguns because they swing much easier that similar sized rear handle/euro guns. I like mid handles for dirty water because they get your hand/face closer to the spear tip, allowing you to take shots when the vis sucks. I speared in the Tampa bay a few times with my Riffe Euro X 120cm where vis was 2-4'. I could barely see past my hand, so the few shots I did take were with the speargun held over my shoulder, firing with my thumb - not the best idea to say the least!

I agree with deckhand mike. 30-48" midhandle. you'll have enough power, and maintain the ability to take shots a few feet in front of you.

You don't need a canon to kill halibut, check this out...Pic #2

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=61743

If you're ever down in Oregon, look me up. I'll take you out around Newport for rockfish, lings, cabezon, and halibut

[Ron S]

So, how did this thread from 2003 come back to life???

[Devildiver]

good question... my stellar perceptions didn't even pick up on that one....