BassBuddah
04-23-2008, 06:38 PM
Fly Fishing For Halibut (http://flyfishing.about.com/od/saltwaterflyfishing/a/Halibut.htm)
Brian Milne (http://flyfishing.about.com/mbiopage.htm)
http://z.about.com/d/flyfishing/1/8/u/1/-/-/halibut.JPG When a friend of mine first asked if I wanted to go fly fishing for halibut many summers ago, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Fly fishing? For a bottom dweller that spends most of its life at depths of 75 to many hundreds of feet?
Good luck with that. But once you get a handle on when and where I quickly found out these flat fish are blast to catch.
When fly fishing for halibut, it’s best to use a fast-sinking line with a heavy leader to get it down where the fish are, although hungry fish will come off the bottom to attack flies that resemble baitfish if they’re well presented closer to the surface.
Because halibut are bottom feeders, sinking line and a heavy leader are a must. And when you feel a strong bite, set that hook. The halibut is a finicky species that likes to snack on a bait and won’t commit if it feels any tension on the line, which is why a lot of spinning-reel anglers leave their lines in fee spool when fishing for halibut, setting the hook four or five seconds after the bait is taken.
With a fly rod, the hook sets are obviously quicker, so once the fish is on, be sure to raise the rod and set that hook. Be patient and expect to lose a fish or two before you get hooked up. Once you do, you’ll forget all about previous misses as halibut often fight with the best of them.
Brian Milne (http://flyfishing.about.com/mbiopage.htm)
http://z.about.com/d/flyfishing/1/8/u/1/-/-/halibut.JPG When a friend of mine first asked if I wanted to go fly fishing for halibut many summers ago, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Fly fishing? For a bottom dweller that spends most of its life at depths of 75 to many hundreds of feet?
Good luck with that. But once you get a handle on when and where I quickly found out these flat fish are blast to catch.
When fly fishing for halibut, it’s best to use a fast-sinking line with a heavy leader to get it down where the fish are, although hungry fish will come off the bottom to attack flies that resemble baitfish if they’re well presented closer to the surface.
Because halibut are bottom feeders, sinking line and a heavy leader are a must. And when you feel a strong bite, set that hook. The halibut is a finicky species that likes to snack on a bait and won’t commit if it feels any tension on the line, which is why a lot of spinning-reel anglers leave their lines in fee spool when fishing for halibut, setting the hook four or five seconds after the bait is taken.
With a fly rod, the hook sets are obviously quicker, so once the fish is on, be sure to raise the rod and set that hook. Be patient and expect to lose a fish or two before you get hooked up. Once you do, you’ll forget all about previous misses as halibut often fight with the best of them.