Halibut Thoughts???

[sdbr911]

I saw Mnguy's post about a halibut dive after the grunion run tonight and it reminded me that I have been wondering about halibut patterns lately. I didn't want to jack his thread so I put up this one.

Are halibut mostly around during the summer/warm water months only? I have only taken one good halibut this season, and it's not for lack of looking. I know that some people have good halibut spots where they see many in a dive. I have only had one or two days like that all summer.

My main question, for those spearos who have taken lots of buts.... is the season nearing the end? Can halibut be found year round or only during warm water/summer months?

It seems that it's possible to consistently bring them home, but you have to spend most of your dive combing the bottom, which gets boring.

.........any thoughts?

[apnea_complex]

you're from SD? try Zuniga. the tip of the jetty out of the San Diego Bay. you need a boat to get there but you can see 1 to 2 butts on a breath hold...its good for lobster too

[cnoren]

you're from SD? try Zuniga. the tip of the jetty out of the San Diego Bay. you need a boat to get there but you can see 1 to 2 butts on a breath hold...its good for lobster too

Can you reach it by kayak?

[EL TIBURON]

California Halibut will move up into shallower water to spawn in Spring and Fall months. Spawning periods will differ slightly from southern to central and even northern California. I believe the California Halibut spawn throughout each year the majority of fish choosing March and April, and September and October. Ive Always had the best luck in early to mid September in shallow water to 20'. Find beaches with reef structure adjacent to large sandy areas and work your way along the perimeter where sand meets reef and chances are you will find a but. You can also try and search sandy bottom areas but it gets very monotonous and personally i get sea sick looking down at sand for too long of a time.

[Blackfoot]

like el tib said regarding the months, i have found those to be very good. i have also shot alot of butts in february. what i usually look for is the grunion run and tides. i like the the 2 days before the run (i think they know when the lil buggers are coming and they seem to get there early) and i like to go 1 to 2 hours before high tide...during and 1 to 2 hours after. (low tide is generally very dirty). but my little secret for getting halibut..... shhhh.... i go at night.


sask

[XLTChris]

I can understand hunting for bugs at night with a light but how do you manage to hold a light and shoot the gun at a butt? Doesn't the light spook them off? Do you mount a smaller light on your gun or something?

[So-Cal Spearo]

I have heard the bigger ones show up during the fall and spring months.

[Blackfoot]

Originally Posted by XLTChris

I can understand hunting for bugs at night with a light but how do you manage to hold a light and shoot the gun at a butt? Doesn't the light spook them off? Do you mount a smaller light on your gun or something?

i use a Riffe comp 00 with 3 5/8 bands and a 2 barbed tip. easy to use 1 hand. i hold a light with the other. the butts basically are completely blinded by the light and do not mover period. i have actually caught smaller ones with my hands.

[So-Cal Spearo]

Yeah,
Honestly, I had gone 2 years without evern seeing a legal butt and ever since ive been going at night I have been getting them every time (around grunion runs).
I may even use a pole spear next time. Sask's gun looks perfect for them though.

[mnguy]

Originally Posted by Sask

i use a Riffe comp 00 with 3 5/8 bands and a 2 barbed tip. easy to use 1 hand. i hold a light with the other. the butts basically are completely blinded by the light and do not mover period. i have actually caught smaller ones with my hands.

Yep, its doable with a polespear too as long as you keep the light in their faces. Sometimes if I need both hands to cock my polespear, and the surge is low, I'll actually put the light down about 4-6 feet away from the fish pointing it at its face and then load up and shoot from there. Its comparable to how animals like deer freeze when you get them in the headlights. Actually a better analogy would be gigging bullfrogs if you're a redneck.

The best I've ever got was only a 29-30 incher that I shot this year late February-early March. It's no giant, but hell, I'm not complaining.

[sdbr911]

Originally Posted by EL TIBURON

California Halibut will move up into shallower water to spawn in Spring and Fall months. Spawning periods will differ slightly from southern to central and even northern California. I believe the California Halibut spawn throughout each year the majority of fish choosing March and April, and September and October. Ive Always had the best luck in early to mid September in shallow water to 20'. Find beaches with reef structure adjacent to large sandy areas and work your way along the perimeter where sand meets reef and chances are you will find a but. You can also try and search sandy bottom areas but it gets very monotonous and personally i get sea sick looking down at sand for too long of a time.

So it's more about the spawning months than the water temp......that's mostly what I was wondering. For me, targeting halibut is similar to lobster. When diving around the reef, you either have your eyes up looking for fish or you are looking down all the time for halibut/lobster. It's kinda hard to do both. I always feel like I could be swimming right over a nice halibut if I'm not focused on the bottom, but then you miss other fish doing that.

Thanks for the info guys, good to know they're not just here during the summer. And I'll definitely try at night.

[turtle714]

hmmmm....i think ill mount my little mask light onto my pole spear and go try some night hunting.

[DaKahuna]

Look shallower than you might think to find good size fish.

The 'but in my avatar was the product of a solo dive at 11:30pm in Laguna, and taken in barely 6-8 ft of water. I had spent an hour and a half out in 15-20 ft of water and not seen one. I saw that fish on my way in to take a break, only half-buried right next to a very small patch of eel grass.
Here's a good pic of what to look for:

[fishmustdie]

hunt halibut at nite? I thot it was illegal to enter the water with a gun at nite. Can anyone answer this, because I really don't know for sure and I would hate to see some of us get busted for this.

[Blackfoot]

to the best of my knowledge it is NOT illegal to hunt at night. i carry my Comp00 when i am lobster hunting just in case i see a flattie, sheepie or calico hiding up in the rocks.

i have been stopped twice by DFG and have been questioned about the gun and they do the "it's illegal to spear lobster" speech... but i quickly volunteer my bugs for a thorough examination....and then they let me go.

besides, it's like my daddy always taught me..."you ain't do nothin wrong, until you get caught, and if you got caught, you weren't tryin hard enough!"

sask