Yep putting the tuna circle hook through from the front makes a huge difference to the hook up rate, some you tubers make that error. What a great fishery you have there. Thanks from new Zealand
Captain Cody that was Awesome and educational hopefully someday I will be able to come out and fish Sitka. Keep up the great work Captain. 🙏💯😉🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👊🔥👊
I’ve never heard of this Gagnon line I tried to find someone Amazon I don’t see it where would be an easy place to order it? It would be even better if you could provide a link I sure would appreciate that
In the video description I link to an article I wrote that shows were to get it. On Amazon there is a similar line but is it not exact. The exact line I was using was Ashaway tuna leader, 150 pound green. You can probably get it from Seamar or LFS marine. Good luck with the halibut!
Very nice rigging there Cap, you're a real pro ! I'm here in Boston and have never caught a halibut but have a bigger boat now and will be heading into Mass Bay this year specifically to try for one.
@@CaptainCody7 - you don’t know how weird it is for me to watch you within sight of land in your video and be in almost 400 ft of water! The Pacific is deep! I would have to go out almost 20 miles to see such depths here in Boston.
Very similar to my set up. Although I use Palomar knots for my line ties and a dropper loop for my weight. Another set up I use is reversing the hook & weight locations. Where I'll put my hook on the dropper loop and place my weight at the end. This allows the weight to drag bottom and the fish is free to pull against the rod without pulling against the sinker.
Andrew, cool thanks for the comment. Yeah, I use a double hook chicken rig when fishing for smaller fish with the weight on the bottom. Most of the time when halibut fishing I try and keep the bait 5-10 feet off the bottom. Every once in awhile I will bottom bounce for a bit to see if that might stir up some action. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the positive feedback. In parts of Alaska Commercial fishing permits are the hard part for halibut. There is only so many pounds that can be caught each year and it is divided by the number of boats. If you do not get quota you have to buy the right to sell if off someone else. Salmon is the easier way to go up here. Good luck fishing!
Being a family of first time fishermen (we did dipnetting for the first time this year), this was extremely helpful. I've only ever fished off of my dad's boat in SE Alaska. We are now new to the Kenai Peninsula and I'm going to try my hand at shore fishing... as we don't have a boat up here. Would you change anything with your setup for shore fishing? My most recent videos show my family dipnetting, which is something we have never done before. But it is so simple! I am a bit nervous to jump in to rod and reel setups
Dipnetting looks like a fun time. I have not fished for halibut from shore. I would probably use a surf fishing rig from shore. Salmon fishing with rod and reel is obviously fun in the rivers in the Kenai Peninsula.
Cody, thanks for the video. A couple of questions for you. Your 15/0 circle hook what manufacture is it? Where can they be purchased? Is it offset? Large eye? Anything else I need to know about it? Thank you
In the video description, I provide a link to an article I wrote with more information on the setup, and where to get the tackle online. I typically use size 16/0 standard circle hooks, just to hold lots of bait. The green leader line is Ashaway tuna leader, 150-pound test. If you have any questions after reading the article, let me know. Thanks for watching.
So in Washington state we don't sit on anchor which means we use minimum 3 to 5 pound weights. Do you think the knots will be sufficient on the ganion?
Interesting. Yeah, the knots should not have an issue with 3/5 pounds weights. Assuming the swivels do not have a very large eye and slip past. The knot itself should hold maybe "75 percent?" of the line strength which would be significantly more than five pounds. I usually used 2 pounds but sometimes use three pounds. Even three is not fun to reel up from the deep!
Do you prefer this over the spreader bars? They don't get tangled up? Probably get more good strikes on the hook than a spreader, lots of videos show halibut chewing on the swivels, cameras, bars etc. Ever try a glowing hoochie over the herring to protect it and give more visual cues for the fish? Last week I tried just bait, a hoochie and a glowing hoochie all at the same time. The glowing one caught every fish all day, until the last one, a double header when the glowing hoochie was near the surface a large halibut took the second hoochie that doesn't glow.
Glow hoochies would be a good addition. Personally, I find it is all about scent. I would never put a bait down that was not adding scent. Having four big scented baits down is perfect if you have four or more anglers. Check them after a few minutes if they get even a small bite. Always keep one bait down though to not have a break in the scent trail. I have actually never used spreader bars but they seem like a pain to set up and store between trips. I do not have any issues with this rig getting tangled. Mooching rigs work well in waterless than 200 feet down for halibut under 38 inches. I provide an article for the best halibut rigs in the video description for more info. Thanks for watching Macks!
just one more question; does the weight have to slide? Why not have it fixed to the line, or even one of the clip on weights for prawn/crab traps? Well, two questions I guess.
@@zandemen No the weight does not have to slide. That is just a way to hold the swivel. If you put the clip-on weight between two knots the clip weight could work without sliding too much. A big halibut head shake might knock it off though. Typically we use two pounds of weight. Not sure the sizes of your clip-on weights.
I see a lot of people using similar looking setups on YT, but have never done that. I've always used the 1-2 hook setup with the weight at the bottom. Have you ever had the gangion line break at those overhand knots with bigger fish?
I have not had it break at the gangion. I have had it break at the loop knot which is 100-pound mono if a big fish starts thrashing with big head shakes above the surface. If you are keeping big halibut it is important to gaff it quickly or keep the head just under the surface so it does not freak out.
Stlll learning the fishery here in Northern ca. We have caught some chickens fishing 390 - 500" . what do you recommend when the drift is to quick and can not hold the bottom with a 3# ball.
Well if you can not get down with 3 pounds the current is just two strong. If you say drift, as in you are drifting, that is the issue. You will catch way more fish if you anchor up and get a scent trail going.
Damn that was informative... totally different from what I was told.. generally they said a 2/0 hook but your was massive. Would this work for inshore fishing as well? Don't have a boat so offshore is not an option. LOL
I have not seen many people fishing for halibut from shore. I imagine you would snag bottom a lot. If you could fish from an elevated bridge or pier it could work. From shore, we fish for rockfish and salmon.
Thanks for the great video. One question, when you salt the herring and wet it down, then put it in the ice chest, do you leave the salt on it, or rinse it off first?
@@rockypavey4688 We are doing this with frozen herring. It brines the bait which makes it more durable. Without the salt the bait will still work but not for as long. When the herring gets warm it will get soft and mushy which can cause the bellies to washout and pull off the hook easier. If the bait is fresh it is actually less likely to wash out. However in Alaska people very rarely use live bait as almost all fish in the area will eat dead bait.
@@CaptainCody7 Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I just went partners with a friend in a 30' Kingfisher in Valdez and we are having to learn to do all this stuff on our own. I found your halibut rig tying videos very helpful and really appreciate you taking the time to make this info available to we novices! Thanks again and happy fishing!
So I like that setup thinking I would use smaller line for weight so that would break first if snagged iwas also thinking of trolling a rappalla or a swim bait with this rig have u tried it its gotta work!
I only lost a few rigs last year due to snags. It could work with a plug! I catch quite a few halibut with deep herring baits while trolling for king salmon. Watch my how to use downrigger video for more information. In general though anchor up and let the scent bring the halibut to you. This will catch the most fish if you are in a good spot. Thanks for watching Joe.
@@CaptainCody7 when anchored up fishing for halibut, have you found any difference in bite between an incoming tide and an outgoing tide? Or do you think it matters as long as the scent is being carried out from the boat? thanks again for your videos; very informative.
@@rockypavey4688 Where I fished, which was in deep water with flat bottom the direction of tide was not important but fishing a changing tide was important. When the tide is slack the bite will very likely be slow. So I planned when to fish for salmon vs halibut around tides. Some areas in Alaska have super strong tides so you might not want to fish during peak changing tide unless you have 3 pound weights. Typically you can use 2 pound weights. I mostly fished for halibuts on flats. If you are fishing on a hump then you would want to position the boat correctly. I would try on a flat up current of the hump.
If I was fishing for rockfish or small halibut I would just use a chicken rig. That has the weight connected at the bottom with a perfection loop and two dropper loops above that for the two hooks. In my video "7 Fishing Knots Every Good Fisherman Must Know!" I show the best way to make a dropper loop and how to tie a perfection loop. I hope that helps!
@@al-pz5nh Yes sir! And if you are in shallow water with a slow current the bottom weight could always be a 4-16 ounce jig. You can put bait on the jig and on the hook above the jig. You can only use a total of two hooks though for legal reasons I am pretty sure.
Why do you use gangion for just the weighted part? And Why do you not use the gangion all the way through to the hook also? I’m just learning how to halibut fish and about to go on my first diy trip to Petersburg! Any tips would be helpful!! Thank you
You could use gangion for the second part as well as halibut are not leader shy. It is nice to have two parts so bait can be added while not connected to the rig. The mono makes it so the loop knot can be tied easier. Hope this helps, good luck this season!
I ordered the line suggested from your link and it arrived yesterday and is 250lb gangion. Should I return it for 150lb? Also, is there ever a time I should use straight gangion to the hook? Why did you choose to use gangion in the first place for the weighted section?
@@co2profishing738 Interesting. The line from amazon is different from 150 pound Ashaway Tuna Leader I had in the video. I tried to recommend a size line with a similar diameter. Which was twine size 36. Is that what you ordered. Does it tie the leaders properly? If not let me know and I will update the page with a better size. Being a bit stronger should not be an issue as some people even use a 500-pound test line on halibut rigs.
Correct, I ordered the #36 and it came in and shows being 250lb line. I just ordered the #18 which showed in their comments as 150# line. I’ll know this weekend when it comes in.
Why do you use gangion for where the weight is and not just the 100lb mono? I like it to be able to lift fish out with. Wondering your reasoning. Is there ever a time you’d use the gangion straight to the hook? I ordered in the 100lb mono leader material. I’ve been watching ppl use much heavier and you suggested 500lb at one point in your article. When do I need to use heavier mono leaders? Trying to make sure I have everything I need because I’ll be fishing for 10-11 days straight!
It is Ashaway tuna leader, 150-pound solid braided nylon cord. You can get it at most commercial fishing stores. Any type of commercial fishing rope will work. I provide a link to a similar rope in an article I wrote in the video description. Thanks for watching!
Yeah, the weight has a very small metal loop and that goes to the swivel that is suspended between the two knots. At one point you can see the rig go over this side with the weight but I guess I never show it connected. Thanks for watching!
Yeah, we can usually get out limit within a few hours. On charters that is only one per person though. Two per person when not on charter. Your videos fishing in the San Fransisco Bay were cool! Thanks for watching!
@@panchito0145 Thanks! I am usually fishing deep in current with weights so I go with conventional reels. Spinning reels are mostly helpful for casting.
Yeah the salt acts as a brine which makes the bait tougher. The belly of the bait is the most important part to brine. Do not use freshwater as it might have chlorine and leave a bad scent on the bait. Thanks for watching Eric!
No I have not had problems with snags. Only lost a few rigs all season. Most of the time I have one fishing pole bouncing off the bottom for added vibrations as well. My halibut spots are typically on sand and gravel flats though. Always be anchored, if you drift you will be more likely to snag. Most people say that you can be 10-15 feet off the bottom and it will not effect your catch rates of halibut or ling cod but you will catch less rock fish, which is a good thing. I usually do three full cranks with my reels on high speed with my other setups that are not boning the bottom.
@@CaptainCody7 I am down in Newport Oregon and I back into the drift. Too deep to anchor. Halibut season sucked this year, I got my fair share but they disappeared this year and everybody said screw it. Fish and wildlife begged us to go out and get halibut, even let us keep two a day. I went out one time to several of my holes and there was nothing.
@@dkgiovenco interesting, yeah if you can not anchor that would make halibut fishing difficult. How deep is to deep to anchor? I anchored in 380 feet most days with 600 feet of anchor line and 75 feet of chain. Others people in Sitka anchor in 600+ feet with 1000 feet of rope. Just use an anchor ball to pull the anchor. I will be making a video about it soon. If they fish for black cod in 1000 feet plus then they back down. Has to be good conditions to do that.
@@CaptainCody7 WOW, most of my holes are around 200 feet. I do have and anchor ball, I use to fish the Columbia River area for Sturgeon 20 years ago. We go from hole to hole until we find them. Do you just stay in place or do you pull anchor and search?
@@dkgiovenco You should be able to anchor at 200 feet no problem. On an 8 hour trip we do half day halibut and half day salmon. Almost always we just halibut fish one spot, otherwise it is to much work any you catch more fish if you wait. The key to halibut fishing is the scent trail. The halibut will come from miles away if you keep good fresh bait on the bottom and are near some flat areas. It is similar to using chumb when shark fishing. The halibut usually get bigger the longer you wait on a spot as well. We could only keep one halibut per person each day so it would usually take about 1 - 3 hours to catch the limit or 6 fish. The person would mooch for salmon after they caught their halibut. I wrote an article about halibut fishing that should be in the description of the video.
Yeah, almost always anchor up when halibut fishing to build a scent trail. I have a video, how to pull an anchor with an anchor ball that shows the process. Thanks for watching!
Some people do surf fish for halibut. I would say use a surf fishing rig with some squid, pink salmon, or herring on it. A salmon mooching rig I show in the article which is listed in the video description would work as well. People use jigs as well but I like scented baits when halibut fishing. If the bottom is sandy these methods should work. If the shore is full of rocks you will probably get snagged and just catch rock fish. If you can fish off a bridge or pier that would be a good option as well. Thanks for watching!
There is a link in the video to an article I wrote showing where to get all the items needed. The exact gangion was Ashaway tuna leader, green, which is a solid braided nylon cord with a line strength of 150 pounds. Thanks for watching Daniel!
There is a link in the video to an article I wrote showing where to get all the items needed. The exact gangion was Ashaway tuna leader, green, which is a solid braided nylon cord with a line strength of 150 pounds. Thanks for watching Chester!
Depends on what you are fishing for. For halibut, the leader can get damaged by the teeth of the fish so a heavier leader is a good idea. Halibut are not leader shy and you can even use a rope. The only reason a light leader might be good is if you get snagged the line would break at the hook and not midway up the line. However, the line knot at the swivel with always be weaker than the mainline and is where the rig will break off in most cases when you get snagged. If you keep the lines off the bottom it is not common to get snagged on the flats areas typically fished for halibut.
Right now I am not running charters, I am writing fishing articles for my website. I could likely recommend a good charter company depending on where you want to fish out of.
@@newsomeassoc I would say fish out of Homer or Seward then. Sitka has great halibut fishing but on charters, anglers can only keep one halibut under 38 inches per day. In Homer and Seward you can typically keep two halibut per day, a big one, and a small one but not positive the exact size limits. Sika is a great place to fish though especially in July and August where it is not uncommon to catch 6 silvers, a king, some pinks, rockfish, and a halibut for every angler on an all-day trip.
I am not running boats in Alaska this summer. If you find any charter out of Sitka Alaska they should do a great job for you! Both for halibut and salmon! June is good for King salmon and halibut. July and August are good for lots of Siver Salmon and halibut. Thanks for watching Tim!
No you anchor up and set the bait just off the bottom. Below the video goes to a page that further explains halibut fishing. You anchor up and reel about three cranks up from the bottom and wait.
In most cases no. In Sitka where I was fishing, it is not legal to fish in the shallow bays most of the year. There are some big halibut in there but mostly small halibut under 30 inches. Early in the summer, we catch lots of nice halibut in around 200 feet of water. Hope this helps, thanks for watching Shawn!
@@CaptainCody7 o ya i weeekend fish outta prince rupert "chattum sound" in 150-200 i think july is the best month havent as good luck in augest Question do halibut bite at nite ? how come nobody fishes at nite overnite ?
@@shawncordeiro1150 Commercial fishing crews will leave their skates out overnight. Fishing that deep it is already pretty dark and halibut have bad eyesight and mostly scent feed anyway. So fishing at night would likely be about the same as daytime fishing. In the summer there are not many dark hours each day. Once you find the good halibut spots it is typically pretty easy fishing. Most days we can get out limit in 2 hours. If not then just try another spot. We can only keep one under 38 per person when on charters. No reason to stay out all night.
@@CaptainCody7 fish on the humps "150-200" feet on ocean floor with 300-600 surounding rite ? do you guys do that or look for big flat areas also i notice bays are not as good although in south east alaska theres a bay called "halibut bay"
@@shawncordeiro1150 Sometimes one side of a hump can hold fish depending on the current. Bays by us typically have small halibut. We look for flats areas in the open ocean with the fish finder. Finding a gravel flat is the best marked with a G on the GPS map. Having good bait is key though. Halibut will follow the scent from a mile or more away. Keep lots of fresh bait on the bottom and be patient. If they do not show up after about 2 hours that is too long. Unless the tied is about to change and you have a good feeling about it. Slack current is no good and super fast current can make fishing difficult. Anchoring up about 30 minutes after a tied change is my preference.
What in the world is with the salt, your hook is way too big. There is no way you need a hook that big to catch a thirty four inch Halibut. And what is with the Mono leader what is that for? Those hearing have been living in salt water all their lives and there is not a bit of salt in the flesh. How do you expect to get any salt into the skin or the flesh in 15 minutes. You have to cut the fish open and expose the salt directly onto the flesh to make that happen, You are wasting your salt and your time with this exercise.
Well, the salt on the herring is for the herring that will be mooched or trolled. It soaks in the salt all day and makes the bait tough. It has been common practice for decades to salt the bellies of ballyhoo so they do not wash out when trolling offshore. With the herring, it is not as important but makes them last a bit longer. You could use a rope/ganion leader as halibut are not leader shy. The bottom leader allows baits to be changed quickly. As far as the large hook size it allows lots of bait to be placed on the hook. A good scent trail catches way more fish. Small and large halibut are still hooked easily with the large hook.
Yep putting the tuna circle hook through from the front makes a huge difference to the hook up rate, some you tubers make that error. What a great fishery you have there. Thanks from new Zealand
Yeah, Sitka is great. Thanks for watching!
Omg, thank you so much dude! I didnt understand why the halibuts got off that circle hook so easily, but now i know!
Yeah, halibuts have a slow bite so any advantage helps! Thanks for watching!
I have never fish for halibut before, going to give it a try thanks for the video, you make it simple for rigging.
Sound fun, good luck!
Thank you. Great video. I fish Monterey Bay in CA, Alaska is on my list for sure.
Sweet, yeah plenty of fish to catch in Alaska! Late summer up their is amazing!
Thank you Cody, have a great season.
Thanks, you too!
Excellent video explains a lot of what I have observed from different trip with experience people but never explained in such detail. Thank you.
No problem, thanks for the positive feedback! Good luck halibut fishing!
Thanks Capt Cody. My wife happened to look at the TV and recognized your drive along the turnagain arm :)
Hope to see you on the water someday.
Interesting, yeah that would be cool!
Looks more like Sitka than Seward Hwy along Turnagain Arm
Great video tells you a lot how to make halibut rigs
Glad you found it helpful, thanks for watching!
Never seen the loop on the hook have always snelled mine .. nice video 🤙🏼
Yeah, since halibut can be tricky to hook sometimes everything helps. Thanks for watching!
Captain Cody that was Awesome and educational hopefully someday I will be able to come out and fish Sitka. Keep up the great work Captain. 🙏💯😉🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👊🔥👊
I’ve never heard of this Gagnon line I tried to find someone Amazon I don’t see it where would be an easy place to order it? It would be even better if you could provide a link I sure would appreciate that
In the video description I link to an article I wrote that shows were to get it. On Amazon there is a similar line but is it not exact. The exact line I was using was Ashaway tuna leader, 150 pound green. You can probably get it from Seamar or LFS marine. Good luck with the halibut!
Very nice rigging there Cap, you're a real pro ! I'm here in Boston and have never caught a halibut but have a bigger boat now and will be heading into Mass Bay this year specifically to try for one.
Thanks Tim! That sounds like fun! Good luck!
@@CaptainCody7 - you don’t know how weird it is for me to watch you within sight of land in your video and be in almost 400 ft of water! The Pacific is deep! I would have to go out almost 20 miles to see such depths here in Boston.
@@timd7782 ho to the cape lol
Very similar to my set up. Although I use Palomar knots for my line ties and a dropper loop for my weight.
Another set up I use is reversing the hook & weight locations. Where I'll put my hook on the dropper loop and place my weight at the end. This allows the weight to drag bottom and the fish is free to pull against the rod without pulling against the sinker.
Andrew, cool thanks for the comment. Yeah, I use a double hook chicken rig when fishing for smaller fish with the weight on the bottom. Most of the time when halibut fishing I try and keep the bait 5-10 feet off the bottom. Every once in awhile I will bottom bounce for a bit to see if that might stir up some action. Thanks for watching!
Great video, thanks for the knowledge.
Maybe soon I'll pull in a 40" plus like you😬
Sure thing, yeah catch um up!
nice halibut, I actually caught a halibut on my channel like a week ago.
Cool, nice job catching it from shore!
@@CaptainCody7 thanks 🤟
I'm considering getting my commercial license out here in San Diego. Great video bro.
Thanks for the positive feedback. In parts of Alaska Commercial fishing permits are the hard part for halibut. There is only so many pounds that can be caught each year and it is divided by the number of boats. If you do not get quota you have to buy the right to sell if off someone else. Salmon is the easier way to go up here. Good luck fishing!
Maybe try lobster down there in sd, idk about the commercial market for Calibuts here in Cali. Also theirs always tuna and groundfish.
Being a family of first time fishermen (we did dipnetting for the first time this year), this was extremely helpful. I've only ever fished off of my dad's boat in SE Alaska. We are now new to the Kenai Peninsula and I'm going to try my hand at shore fishing... as we don't have a boat up here. Would you change anything with your setup for shore fishing? My most recent videos show my family dipnetting, which is something we have never done before. But it is so simple! I am a bit nervous to jump in to rod and reel setups
Dipnetting looks like a fun time. I have not fished for halibut from shore. I would probably use a surf fishing rig from shore. Salmon fishing with rod and reel is obviously fun in the rivers in the Kenai Peninsula.
@@CaptainCody7 Do you have any videos on Surf fishing rig? Would you make one?
I really like this setup, looks simple and a lot cheaper than pipe jigs. Thank for a great video....Subscribed and bell is on!!
Awesome, thanks for watching! Good luck catching halibut this summer!
Cody, thank you for sharing your wisdom. Just subscribed to your channel. Addicted to fishing here in Charleston SC :)
Awesome, thanks for the sub! Lots of fishing options there!
Captain Cody Can you also show how to make your double hook rig for small halibut?
Cody, thanks for the video. A couple of questions for you. Your 15/0 circle hook what manufacture is it? Where can they be purchased? Is it offset? Large eye? Anything else I need to know about it? Thank you
In the video description, I provide a link to an article I wrote with more information on the setup, and where to get the tackle online. I typically use size 16/0 standard circle hooks, just to hold lots of bait. The green leader line is Ashaway tuna leader, 150-pound test. If you have any questions after reading the article, let me know. Thanks for watching.
Have you ever applied your techniques to california halibut?
No, but I do not see why it would not work.
So in Washington state we don't sit on anchor which means we use minimum 3 to 5 pound weights. Do you think the knots will be sufficient on the ganion?
Interesting. Yeah, the knots should not have an issue with 3/5 pounds weights. Assuming the swivels do not have a very large eye and slip past. The knot itself should hold maybe "75 percent?" of the line strength which would be significantly more than five pounds. I usually used 2 pounds but sometimes use three pounds. Even three is not fun to reel up from the deep!
Hello captain ! I have a plan for next summer August come to Alaska for fishing with my wife. Would you take us for a fishing trip?
That would be fun but I am not sure if I will be running charters up there next summer.
Very nice presentation. Thanks 😊
Sure thing, thanks for watching!
Do you prefer this over the spreader bars? They don't get tangled up?
Probably get more good strikes on the hook than a spreader, lots of videos show halibut chewing on the swivels, cameras, bars etc.
Ever try a glowing hoochie over the herring to protect it and give more visual cues for the fish?
Last week I tried just bait, a hoochie and a glowing hoochie all at the same time.
The glowing one caught every fish all day, until the last one, a double header when the glowing hoochie was near the surface a large halibut took the second hoochie that doesn't glow.
Glow hoochies would be a good addition. Personally, I find it is all about scent. I would never put a bait down that was not adding scent. Having four big scented baits down is perfect if you have four or more anglers. Check them after a few minutes if they get even a small bite. Always keep one bait down though to not have a break in the scent trail.
I have actually never used spreader bars but they seem like a pain to set up and store between trips. I do not have any issues with this rig getting tangled. Mooching rigs work well in waterless than 200 feet down for halibut under 38 inches. I provide an article for the best halibut rigs in the video description for more info. Thanks for watching Macks!
@@CaptainCody7 I can confirm spreader bars are a pain to store.
just one more question; does the weight have to slide? Why not have it fixed to the line, or even one of the clip on weights for prawn/crab traps?
Well, two questions I guess.
@@zandemen No the weight does not have to slide. That is just a way to hold the swivel. If you put the clip-on weight between two knots the clip weight could work without sliding too much. A big halibut head shake might knock it off though. Typically we use two pounds of weight. Not sure the sizes of your clip-on weights.
I see a lot of people using similar looking setups on YT, but have never done that. I've always used the 1-2 hook setup with the weight at the bottom. Have you ever had the gangion line break at those overhand knots with bigger fish?
I have not had it break at the gangion. I have had it break at the loop knot which is 100-pound mono if a big fish starts thrashing with big head shakes above the surface. If you are keeping big halibut it is important to gaff it quickly or keep the head just under the surface so it does not freak out.
Stlll learning the fishery here in Northern ca. We have caught some chickens fishing 390 - 500" . what do you recommend when the drift is to quick and can not hold the bottom
with a 3# ball.
Well if you can not get down with 3 pounds the current is just two strong. If you say drift, as in you are drifting, that is the issue. You will catch way more fish if you anchor up and get a scent trail going.
Damn that was informative... totally different from what I was told.. generally they said a 2/0 hook but your was massive. Would this work for inshore fishing as well? Don't have a boat so offshore is not an option. LOL
I have not seen many people fishing for halibut from shore. I imagine you would snag bottom a lot. If you could fish from an elevated bridge or pier it could work. From shore, we fish for rockfish and salmon.
Thanks for the great video. One question, when you salt the herring and wet it down, then put it in the ice chest, do you leave the salt on it, or rinse it off first?
Leave the salt on them. That keeps them the best!
@@CaptainCody7 Thank you!
@@CaptainCody7 What does the salt do? Is this only if the herring are not frozen to start with? Or do you salt even if the herring are frozen? Thanks!
@@rockypavey4688 We are doing this with frozen herring. It brines the bait which makes it more durable. Without the salt the bait will still work but not for as long. When the herring gets warm it will get soft and mushy which can cause the bellies to washout and pull off the hook easier. If the bait is fresh it is actually less likely to wash out. However in Alaska people very rarely use live bait as almost all fish in the area will eat dead bait.
@@CaptainCody7 Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I just went partners with a friend in a 30' Kingfisher in Valdez and we are having to learn to do all this stuff on our own. I found your halibut rig tying videos very helpful and really appreciate you taking the time to make this info available to we novices! Thanks again and happy fishing!
So I like that setup thinking I would use smaller line for weight so that would break first if snagged iwas also thinking of trolling a rappalla or a swim bait with this rig have u tried it its gotta work!
I only lost a few rigs last year due to snags. It could work with a plug! I catch quite a few halibut with deep herring baits while trolling for king salmon. Watch my how to use downrigger video for more information.
In general though anchor up and let the scent bring the halibut to you. This will catch the most fish if you are in a good spot. Thanks for watching Joe.
@@CaptainCody7 when anchored up fishing for halibut, have you found any difference in bite between an incoming tide and an outgoing tide? Or do you think it matters as long as the scent is being carried out from the boat? thanks again for your videos; very informative.
@@rockypavey4688 Where I fished, which was in deep water with flat bottom the direction of tide was not important but fishing a changing tide was important. When the tide is slack the bite will very likely be slow. So I planned when to fish for salmon vs halibut around tides. Some areas in Alaska have super strong tides so you might not want to fish during peak changing tide unless you have 3 pound weights. Typically you can use 2 pound weights. I mostly fished for halibuts on flats. If you are fishing on a hump then you would want to position the boat correctly. I would try on a flat up current of the hump.
Pretty good setup but would add a hootch..goo hootch be deadly😉
Yeah, that would be a good addition! Thanks for watching Patrick!
Solid video dude. Thanks
Thanks for the positive feedback!
Captain Cody Can you also show how to make your double hook rig for small halibut?
If I was fishing for rockfish or small halibut I would just use a chicken rig. That has the weight connected at the bottom with a perfection loop and two dropper loops above that for the two hooks. In my video "7 Fishing Knots Every Good Fisherman Must Know!" I show the best way to make a dropper loop and how to tie a perfection loop. I hope that helps!
Captain Cody Thank you! Two dropper loops for the two hooks and a perfection loop at the bottom for the weight.
@@al-pz5nh Yes sir! And if you are in shallow water with a slow current the bottom weight could always be a 4-16 ounce jig. You can put bait on the jig and on the hook above the jig. You can only use a total of two hooks though for legal reasons I am pretty sure.
Why do you use gangion for just the weighted part?
And
Why do you not use the gangion all the way through to the hook also?
I’m just learning how to halibut fish and about to go on my first diy trip to Petersburg! Any tips would be helpful!! Thank you
You could use gangion for the second part as well as halibut are not leader shy. It is nice to have two parts so bait can be added while not connected to the rig. The mono makes it so the loop knot can be tied easier. Hope this helps, good luck this season!
I ordered the line suggested from your link and it arrived yesterday and is 250lb gangion. Should I return it for 150lb?
Also, is there ever a time I should use straight gangion to the hook?
Why did you choose to use gangion in the first place for the weighted section?
@@co2profishing738 Interesting. The line from amazon is different from 150 pound Ashaway Tuna Leader I had in the video. I tried to recommend a size line with a similar diameter. Which was twine size 36. Is that what you ordered. Does it tie the leaders properly? If not let me know and I will update the page with a better size. Being a bit stronger should not be an issue as some people even use a 500-pound test line on halibut rigs.
Correct, I ordered the #36 and it came in and shows being 250lb line. I just ordered the #18 which showed in their comments as 150# line. I’ll know this weekend when it comes in.
Why do you use gangion for where the weight is and not just the 100lb mono?
I like it to be able to lift fish out with. Wondering your reasoning.
Is there ever a time you’d use the gangion straight to the hook?
I ordered in the 100lb mono leader material. I’ve been watching ppl use much heavier and you suggested 500lb at one point in your article. When do I need to use heavier mono leaders?
Trying to make sure I have everything I need because I’ll be fishing for 10-11 days straight!
What type of material is the 150lb Gagnon line for weight portion. Cannot find anywhere.
It is Ashaway tuna leader, 150-pound solid braided nylon cord. You can get it at most commercial fishing stores. Any type of commercial fishing rope will work. I provide a link to a similar rope in an article I wrote in the video description. Thanks for watching!
@@CaptainCody7 perfect. Thanks for the quick reply.
DUDE! Thankz For The Tipz!!
No problem, good luck fishing!
Great job
Thanks, Captain Jim!
It has been suggested to wet the mono line before cinching the knot.
Yeah, that is a good idea!
Yummy, Halibut.
Ha ha yep!
Good stuff. What are you using for main line?
Thanks for watching Jim! 80-pound braided line. Any color will work. Power pro is a good brand for braided line.
do you just put the weight on the snap swivel, or drop the weight a foot or so, if you said in the video missed it
Yeah, the weight has a very small metal loop and that goes to the swivel that is suspended between the two knots. At one point you can see the rig go over this side with the weight but I guess I never show it connected. Thanks for watching!
Where are you fishing?
This was out of Sitka Alaska.
Very cool, alaskan halibut fishing looks a lot better than california halibut fishing
Yeah, we can usually get out limit within a few hours. On charters that is only one per person though. Two per person when not on charter. Your videos fishing in the San Fransisco Bay were cool! Thanks for watching!
Hey man can you tell me all swivels you used and the name of the 150 pound line thanks!
I wrote an article about it. It is provided in the video description. Thanks for watching!
@@CaptainCody7 thanks man love your videos! What Spinning reel and rod do you recommend for Halibut fishing?
@@panchito0145 Thanks! I am usually fishing deep in current with weights so I go with conventional reels. Spinning reels are mostly helpful for casting.
Cody, Great video. I will head over to your channel and give it a look. If it is stuff like this you will defiantly get a subscribe.
Great, thanks for watching Mark! The channel is a mix of how-to and general fishing videos.
Why do you salt the bait? Does it make it tougher?
Yeah the salt acts as a brine which makes the bait tougher. The belly of the bait is the most important part to brine. Do not use freshwater as it might have chlorine and leave a bad scent on the bait. Thanks for watching Eric!
So many ways to skin a cat, good info sir thanks for sharing.
Sure thing! Thanks for watching!
Do you get a lot of snags with that rig? I have the cannon ball on the bottom with a 20/0 and a 16/0 hook above.
No I have not had problems with snags. Only lost a few rigs all season. Most of the time I have one fishing pole bouncing off the bottom for added vibrations as well. My halibut spots are typically on sand and gravel flats though. Always be anchored, if you drift you will be more likely to snag. Most people say that you can be 10-15 feet off the bottom and it will not effect your catch rates of halibut or ling cod but you will catch less rock fish, which is a good thing. I usually do three full cranks with my reels on high speed with my other setups that are not boning the bottom.
@@CaptainCody7 I am down in Newport Oregon and I back into the drift. Too deep to anchor. Halibut season sucked this year, I got my fair share but they disappeared this year and everybody said screw it. Fish and wildlife begged us to go out and get halibut, even let us keep two a day. I went out one time to several of my holes and there was nothing.
@@dkgiovenco interesting, yeah if you can not anchor that would make halibut fishing difficult. How deep is to deep to anchor? I anchored in 380 feet most days with 600 feet of anchor line and 75 feet of chain. Others people in Sitka anchor in 600+ feet with 1000 feet of rope. Just use an anchor ball to pull the anchor. I will be making a video about it soon. If they fish for black cod in 1000 feet plus then they back down. Has to be good conditions to do that.
@@CaptainCody7 WOW, most of my holes are around 200 feet. I do have and anchor ball, I use to fish the Columbia River area for Sturgeon 20 years ago. We go from hole to hole until we find them. Do you just stay in place or do you pull anchor and search?
@@dkgiovenco You should be able to anchor at 200 feet no problem. On an 8 hour trip we do half day halibut and half day salmon. Almost always we just halibut fish one spot, otherwise it is to much work any you catch more fish if you wait. The key to halibut fishing is the scent trail. The halibut will come from miles away if you keep good fresh bait on the bottom and are near some flat areas. It is similar to using chumb when shark fishing. The halibut usually get bigger the longer you wait on a spot as well. We could only keep one halibut per person each day so it would usually take about 1 - 3 hours to catch the limit or 6 fish. The person would mooch for salmon after they caught their halibut. I wrote an article about halibut fishing that should be in the description of the video.
Are you anchored while fishing?
Yeah, almost always anchor up when halibut fishing to build a scent trail. I have a video, how to pull an anchor with an anchor ball that shows the process. Thanks for watching!
What would your setup look like if you’re just fishing from shore?
Some people do surf fish for halibut. I would say use a surf fishing rig with some squid, pink salmon, or herring on it. A salmon mooching rig I show in the article which is listed in the video description would work as well. People use jigs as well but I like scented baits when halibut fishing. If the bottom is sandy these methods should work. If the shore is full of rocks you will probably get snagged and just catch rock fish. If you can fish off a bridge or pier that would be a good option as well. Thanks for watching!
where can one find the 150-pound gangion line? i search the internet and nothing shows up!
There is a link in the video to an article I wrote showing where to get all the items needed. The exact gangion was Ashaway tuna leader, green, which is a solid braided nylon cord with a line strength of 150 pounds. Thanks for watching Daniel!
Captain Cody were can you find that ganion line I can't find it any were
There is a link in the video to an article I wrote showing where to get all the items needed. The exact gangion was Ashaway tuna leader, green, which is a solid braided nylon cord with a line strength of 150 pounds. Thanks for watching Chester!
@@CaptainCody7 thanks for the info I will keep watching these videos for more great fishing tips
Do you just do the perfection knot with circle hooks??
You can use them with any hook but for halibut we always use circle hooks.
shouldn't main line be stronger then the leader?
Depends on what you are fishing for. For halibut, the leader can get damaged by the teeth of the fish so a heavier leader is a good idea. Halibut are not leader shy and you can even use a rope.
The only reason a light leader might be good is if you get snagged the line would break at the hook and not midway up the line. However, the line knot at the swivel with always be weaker than the mainline and is where the rig will break off in most cases when you get snagged. If you keep the lines off the bottom it is not common to get snagged on the flats areas typically fished for halibut.
I just got a new lure for halibut fishing!
Great! Hopefully it is herring, pollock, salmon guts, or squid. ha ha
Thanks.
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Wow!
ha ah thanks for watching!
@@CaptainCody7 thanks for sharing ! We have been fishing at Puget sound here in Washington!
@@kulasaadventurerusa7472 Sweet I use to fish there when I was a kid. The salmon fishing was really good!
Do you do charters?
Right now I am not running charters, I am writing fishing articles for my website. I could likely recommend a good charter company depending on where you want to fish out of.
@@CaptainCody7 yes please do. I just want to fish out of somewhere I'm guaranteed to catch a ton of halibut.
@@newsomeassoc I would say fish out of Homer or Seward then. Sitka has great halibut fishing but on charters, anglers can only keep one halibut under 38 inches per day. In Homer and Seward you can typically keep two halibut per day, a big one, and a small one but not positive the exact size limits. Sika is a great place to fish though especially in July and August where it is not uncommon to catch 6 silvers, a king, some pinks, rockfish, and a halibut for every angler on an all-day trip.
@@CaptainCody7 sweeet thanks!
great ..are you open for business in June of 2020?
I am not running boats in Alaska this summer. If you find any charter out of Sitka Alaska they should do a great job for you! Both for halibut and salmon! June is good for King salmon and halibut. July and August are good for lots of Siver Salmon and halibut. Thanks for watching Tim!
Are you trolling with this setup?
No you anchor up and set the bait just off the bottom. Below the video goes to a page that further explains halibut fishing. You anchor up and reel about three cranks up from the bottom and wait.
There's one more thing you could help me with to catch more halibut! Could l please have the numbers your fishing on?😁!!
Ha ha This was in Sitka Alaska, any flat bottom from 200-500 feet deep off Cape Edgecumbe is pretty good halibut fishnig!
I was wondering why you were using such a big hook, then I read Alaska halibut and immediately understood haha
Ha ha yeah, and we try to have lots of bait on the hook as this helps leave a scent trail for the halibut to follow in the current to find the bait.
do you need to fish at 400 feet ?
In most cases no. In Sitka where I was fishing, it is not legal to fish in the shallow bays most of the year. There are some big halibut in there but mostly small halibut under 30 inches. Early in the summer, we catch lots of nice halibut in around 200 feet of water. Hope this helps, thanks for watching Shawn!
@@CaptainCody7 o ya i weeekend fish outta prince rupert "chattum sound" in 150-200 i think july is the best month havent as good luck in augest Question do halibut bite at nite ? how come nobody fishes at nite overnite ?
@@shawncordeiro1150 Commercial fishing crews will leave their skates out overnight. Fishing that deep it is already pretty dark and halibut have bad eyesight and mostly scent feed anyway. So fishing at night would likely be about the same as daytime fishing. In the summer there are not many dark hours each day. Once you find the good halibut spots it is typically pretty easy fishing. Most days we can get out limit in 2 hours. If not then just try another spot. We can only keep one under 38 per person when on charters. No reason to stay out all night.
@@CaptainCody7 fish on the humps "150-200" feet on ocean floor with 300-600 surounding rite ? do you guys do that or look for big flat areas also i notice bays are not as good although in south east alaska theres a bay called "halibut bay"
@@shawncordeiro1150 Sometimes one side of a hump can hold fish depending on the current. Bays by us typically have small halibut. We look for flats areas in the open ocean with the fish finder. Finding a gravel flat is the best marked with a G on the GPS map. Having good bait is key though. Halibut will follow the scent from a mile or more away. Keep lots of fresh bait on the bottom and be patient. If they do not show up after about 2 hours that is too long. Unless the tied is about to change and you have a good feeling about it. Slack current is no good and super fast current can make fishing difficult. Anchoring up about 30 minutes after a tied change is my preference.
Hey whereabouts are you from?
I am fishing out of Sitka Alaska.
why you place the halibuts upside down
It is just for the photo as the white bellies of the halibut show up better in the picture.
@@CaptainCody7 i thought it was to protect the fish from the sun rayon.but thanks for your reply
And a thievin' furbag at the end.
Ha ha True! Thanks for watching!
What in the world is with the salt, your hook is way too big. There is no way you need a hook that big to catch a thirty four inch Halibut. And what is with the Mono leader what is that for? Those hearing have been living in salt water all their lives and there is not a bit of salt in the flesh. How do you expect to get any salt into the skin or the flesh in 15 minutes. You have to cut the fish open and expose the salt directly onto the flesh to make that happen, You are wasting your salt and your time with this exercise.
Well, the salt on the herring is for the herring that will be mooched or trolled. It soaks in the salt all day and makes the bait tough. It has been common practice for decades to salt the bellies of ballyhoo so they do not wash out when trolling offshore. With the herring, it is not as important but makes them last a bit longer. You could use a rope/ganion leader as halibut are not leader shy. The bottom leader allows baits to be changed quickly. As far as the large hook size it allows lots of bait to be placed on the hook. A good scent trail catches way more fish. Small and large halibut are still hooked easily with the large hook.
You lost me when making a video driving down the road in your car. Not impressed.
Copy that.