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Old 05-20-2015, 01:29 AM   #16
Eddieparrasuper
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Re: WSB, Halibut, and yellowtail

As for the 3 fish you want to land, yellowtail is the hardest to find shore diving. The characteristics of yellowtail are quite different from other local fish. Yellowtails involve constant movement. They roam free in strong currents and prefer deeper waters. The reason why yellowtail do not like to be in reefs or kelp beds is because that environment congests or limits their room to swim openly. Therefore, shore divers rarely see these fish unless they are further out in deeper water. If you want to land any fish, the main thing you have to do is understand their characteristics. Find out what they eat; you have to move up the food chain. Stalk the bait. Its called bait for a reason. Remember that hunting is not about receiving, instead, hunting is about taking. The longer you stay in water the higher the chance of seeing a yellow. Once you locate the fish, there are various (tricks) to draw the fish in. BEST ONE: White gloves- wave your hand as saying high or wiggle your fingers. Also, tapping bands with gun= the sound of band thumping makes yellowtail curious. There's a rattler sold that is supposed to attract yellowtails. I'm sure it works but I do not think the effects are any different then from band thumping.

Summary in terms for yellowtail. bait fish like paddies. Yellowtail like to roam free. paddies roam free.

Last edited by Eddieparrasuper; 05-20-2015 at 02:17 AM.
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Old 05-20-2015, 05:07 AM   #17
bryang123
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Re: WSB, Halibut, and yellowtail

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Originally Posted by jdeirmend View Post
Dude, first of all, good on you for nutting up and asking. Please ignore people like Errin (LompocLocal). That guy barely has anything noteworthy or helpful to say to anyone, and probably just comes on here because it's a substitute for hanging out with people in real life.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the fish you want to target.

Halibut are my favorite fish to hunt, and are probably the easiest of the three to find and land. The thread you are looking for is right here:

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread...unting+halibut

I could go on for days, but if I have five easy tips, it would be these:

1) Make sure your gear is rigged right (floatline, reel, low-profile double flopper)
2. Swim in a pattern in relatively shallow water where there is varied structure (sand, eel grass, reef)
3. Look for the baitfish in this environment
4. Swim very slowly and stare at EVERYTHING in the sand
5. Aim for the head or gillplate

As for white seabass, they are relatively abundant, if not as much as halibut. If you can't find the smaller ones in the kelp, slow your roll down, and try to make as little noise as possible. Again, look for schooling baitfish in and/or near the kelp. Sometimes, you will also find lone fish hitting bait or spawning in very, very tight (5-10 feet of water). The trick to finding them in shallow water is opposite to what's needed when you're hunting halibut. Instead of looking DOWN, look OUT.

Also, the guys who take the big whites (40 lbs. +) will often hunt for them exclusively on their dives. They will find "kelp rooms," little places in the kelp where they know the fish regularly go or are rumored to go at certain beaches, and sit there, freezing their asses off, for 20 to 30 min. at a time before moving. They will let 20 and 30 lb. fish pass them, sometimes even 40 lb. fish, and sometimes, they will miss their opportunity to get anything because of how selective they are. Then again, they will also bring home big fish.

Yellowtail: if you even SEE a nice-sized yellowtail from a shore dive, you've seen something that many on this forum never have, including myself (I've seen some tiny breezers from shore, but that's about it). That being said, some guys on here take yellows from shore, and could tell you better than I will, but the ones who do very well with it are 1) either nonexistent or 2) a very tight lipped bunch!

If I could take an educated guess, getting these fish from shore is a combination of luck, being in on the gossip, and/or sheer persistence. If you hit certain pinnacle-type spots with fast current from shore regularly, you may find some, particularly during the summer. The chances are typically very low. Again, though, look for the bait, warmer water temperatures, fast moving water / high turbidity, and a combination of kelp and deep-jutting pinnacle-type structure. You are not likely to see these fish in less than 30-40 feet of water at the shallowest.

Anyhow, good luck! Hope that helps you out, and let us know when you pop your first one. Once you get your first white and/or halibut, you will start seeing them more often, guaranteed . . . because you'll know WHERE and HOW to look for them.
Okay! That really helps a bunch; I'll make sure I implement these on my future dives. Thank you so much for the advice and also for the support! Hopefully I'll be posting one soon!
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Old 05-20-2015, 05:09 AM   #18
bryang123
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Re: WSB, Halibut, and yellowtail

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Originally Posted by 5869 View Post
To the OP. Try this. http://www.spearboard.com/showthread...inding+halibut

Then for more, type "finding halibut" or something like that into the search function and find buttloads more. Good luck.
awesome thread! tons of information! thank you for posting it, and thanks for having my back too. I'm kinda new to all this.
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Old 05-20-2015, 05:10 AM   #19
bryang123
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Re: WSB, Halibut, and yellowtail

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Originally Posted by Eddieparrasuper View Post
Summary in terms for yellowtail. bait fish like paddies. Yellowtail like to roam free. paddies roam free.
Great info. As for the paddies, does it matter how many miles offshore you are or once you reach them does it not matter?
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Old 05-20-2015, 09:18 AM   #20
Lompoc Local
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Re: WSB, Halibut, and yellowtail

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Originally Posted by jdeirmend View Post
Sometimes, I wish I could reach right through the monitor and give you a nice, hard, straight right hand to the face. You answer people's messages just to be an asshole. It goes beyond irritating, and gets into the realm of why the hell are you even on a message board?

The point of this forum is to share knowledge. If you are averse to that, you might consider sticking to the tranny POV porn videos you faap yourself to, and not burden the rest of us with your self-satisfied, I-sniff-my-own-farts-for-fun sarcasm.
LOL

Read my reports douche bag I actually shoot fish unlike some people I know.

Besides, I thought you were busy making custom spearguns, err custom fish bags, err custom wetsuits???
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Last edited by Lompoc Local; 05-20-2015 at 09:30 AM.
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Old 05-21-2015, 12:25 AM   #21
mainphrame
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Re: WSB, Halibut, and yellowtail

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Originally Posted by Lompoc Local View Post
LOL

Read my reports douche bag I actually shoot fish unlike some people I know.

Besides, I thought you were busy making custom spearguns, err custom fish bags, err custom wetsuits???
Lol, whatever you do Lompoc, dont post an honest opinion about his gear if you ever get a chance to review any of his products.
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