Anyone go Halibut Fishing?

[Rascal03]

We will be on the Diamond Princess on the June 7 NB cruise. At our first port, Ketchikan, my family will be going Halibut fishing. Has anyone recently returned from their trip that could tell us if your fishing excursions were successful? How was the fishing in Ketchikan? Thanks so much!

[wanna sea the world]

I'm going as well, June 27... so let me know how it went for you!! Have lots of fun and Fish On!!

[bottom-dragger]

if your are charter fishing, beginning tomorrow (june 1) daily bag limit will be reduced to one fish per person per day.

 

charter catches have exceeded their quota for the past three years. whether the quota is fair or not... last year's quota was 1.4 million pounds and they exceeded it by ~0.4 million pounds.

 

commercial has seen a reduction of 27% in their quota.

 

the ratio between commercial quota and charter is about 7:1

[Sierra Fox]

Can you catch and release fish for halibut or do they all get gaffed? - SF

[bottom-dragger]

Can you catch and release fish for halibut or do they all get gaffed? - SF

 

 

typically, halibut is not a catch and release fishery.

[mbisson]

Just a thought for those who might be new to halibut fishing---

 

Don't forget to keep the cheeks! (fish face is good eatin')

[Toyz711]

halibut don't fight like regular fish...just imagine pulling a 40lb to 100lb brick up over 200 ft, while the brick is trying to get back down to the bottom? they don't fight and swim away, they only swim DOWN.i am not sure about halibut, but usually, when you fish that deep...the fish don't survive for catch/release.

we weren't allowed to throw any back, when we went out...everything was a keeper. at that time it was 2 per person...

out of seward, our boat captain took us to where he knew every fish would be over 30 lbs...the other spot had bigger fish, but also more smaller fish. pays to have a boat captain that knows his "spots".

[Dream Fish]

I would think that if a captain makes you keep the fish you catch to reach your limit, he is trying to limit the boat fast and head back to port. Halibut do NOT have an air bladder and it does not kill them to bring them up off the bottom. If your charter is using circle hooks, these hooks are also easier on the fish when you release them, if you choose too. Unfortunately, with the new 1 limit per person, the larger fish will be targeted now (those over 100 lbs are the spawner's), but to make it worth shipping home and only a 1 fish limit, charter captains just can't justify convincing customers to release the big fish.

[Diva Onboard]

We were interested in the Halibut fishing too but not sure about the cost of processing and shipping it home. There is also the question - how in the heck do you know if the fish you get at home is actually the one you caught?

[marie9186]

Who are you using to go Halibut fishing and will you have enough time while in Ketchikan?

[nohoyas]

is that for ALL fish or just halibut?

I may want to rethink my fihing excursion in ISP If I have to settle for a single 10lb halibut.

[wolfie11]

The halibut fishing in Ketchikan is not particularly good unless you go out a long ways. Where the ship excursions go, you will likely catch some small halibut, rockfish, and/or pacific cod. ISP is probably the best bet, followed by Juneau.

[Pssunshinegal]

is that for ALL fish or just halibut?

I may want to rethink my fihing excursion in ISP If I have to settle for a single 10lb halibut.

 

First let me say that I have only halibut fished in Valdez and Homer. This is the first that I have ever heard about the not catch and release. We have ALWAYS caught and released if it wasn't big enough for what we considered a "keeper." We never saw any dead halibut floating around our boats either. I am not happy about the 1 halibut rule, but I will just make sure that when I do out, silvers are coming in because I would rather have silver than halibut. We also caught rockfish and the big ugly fish, I can't remember what the name is.

 

I would only book with someone that I specifically asked these questions of. We have always headed home before the captain would have. I will be checking into the catch and release business because otherwise I will only book a salmon boat. The only thing I don't want to catch are pinks.

 

Janice

[wolfie11]

halibut don't fight like regular fish...just imagine pulling a 40lb to 100lb brick up over 200 ft, while the brick is trying to get back down to the bottom? they don't fight and swim away, they only swim DOWN.i am not sure about halibut, but usually, when you fish that deep...the fish don't survive for catch/release.

we weren't allowed to throw any back, when we went out...everything was a keeper. at that time it was 2 per person...

out of seward, our boat captain took us to where he knew every fish would be over 30 lbs...the other spot had bigger fish, but also more smaller fish. pays to have a boat captain that knows his "spots".

 

I have been halibut fishing for many years (it helps to have your own boat) and our policy has always been to keep anything that is injured when it reaches the surface and not likely to survive. This includes fish that are bleeding or have taken the hook too deep so that we have to cut it out. This applies for halibut from 10lbs to 100lbs. We won't land anything bigger than 100 lbs because it won't fit safely into the boat, and the meat isn't very good. Also because these are BIFFFs (big, fat, fecund females) and it is better for the fishery if these fish are not retained. A 100+ pound fish can usually take care of itself on the way back down to the deeps once it's released and is less likely to be attacked by a bigger fish if it's injured.

 

If your captain takes you somewhere where the fish are all 30+ lbs and says you have to keep whatever you catch, he is being a good steward. Anything over 30 pounds is a good size. We have caught 30-40 pounders and brought them up to the surface only to look down and see a really big 100+ lb halibut following it up to the surface in hopes of a meal. We have also had halibut eaten off the line on the way up. The mortality rate of smaller fish is fairly high if they are released.

 

Halibut and sculpins (the real ugly ones) don't have swim bladders and can be released. Rockfish need to be kept because they can't survive being brought to the surface.

[tekjr1]

I think if one looks at the regs you will notice that the 1 halibut limit is only in the southeast Alaska area. Seward/Homer seem to still be in the 2 per day limit.

[baron45]

Lingcod are ugly too.

[Pssunshinegal]

Lingcod are ugly too.

 

Thanks. That was the name I was trying to come up with.

 

Janice