Halibut cord/tuna cord 25-feet of 350-lb test. Just $6.50 plus $1.00 shipping & handling

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At halibut . net we'll keep you posted on all of the great innovations and new ideas having to do with halibut fishing tackle. If you talk to 100 halibut anglers who fish for halibut in Alaska or Washington you'll get several opinions on which halibut fishing tackle works best. Talk to another 100 halibut anglers in British Columbia or a California halibut fisherman and you'll notice even more different opinions on what makes the best halibut fishing tackle. The point is this, there's lots of halibut fishing tackle and even bass fishing tackle or salmon fishing tackle that will handle the job on big halibut. But when it comes to catching trophy halibut in Alaska, British Columbia or Washington, halibut.net suggests halibut anglers try the following recommendations.

Halibut Lures

In some locations a hook with nothing on it but bait just wastes valuable catching time.  When fishing in locations with lots of halibut, nothing beats a Luhr Jensen, 12-ounce B2 Squid or a 16-ounce Crippled Herring. For increased success use John Beath's Concentrated Super Scent or try putting a piece of stay-on-the-hook-all-day octopus.  Leadhead jigs hosting a giant rubber worm or scampi also works well when repeatedly tapped alluringly on the bottom.

Choosing Halibut Jig Size & Color

  Size depends on depth, current and wind.  Try to use the lightest jig that stays close to vertical and on the bottom.  This allows you to slowly and steadily yo-yo the jig up and down.  An occasional pause followed by reeling twenty feet and then free-spooling to the bottom draws strikes when nothing else will.  Often times, when my arms have grown tired, I lower my B2 Squids and Crippled Herring to the bottom, reel up 10 feet and put the rod in the rod holder with a safe, but loose drag.  The simple action or drift of the boat will trigger strikes from enough salmon to cause you to temporarily forget about big B.C. butts – until one bites your line.

Color depends on the angler and the fish.  Choose a color, fish with it and see if the fish respond.  If not, change colors.  My favorite tried-and-true colors are: white, glow-in-the-dark, green, blue and chrome.  As for plastic worm and scampi colors, I prefer; white, glow-in-the-dark, red, oil and root beer. Not all colors are created equally. Lures that contain Ultra Violet enhancers, such as the Mr. Good Bar Spreader Bar, B2 Squids & Double Glow Squids pictured above in the tackle store, contain UV. To see if your lures have UV enhancers use the Mini Black Light.

Halibut Rods & Reels

Use a short rod, usually six to eight-inches longer than your height.  A longer rod only increases the fish’s leverage, which undoubtedly will gouge your mid-section unnecessarily and cause you to strain your back.  It’s better to have a rod that’s too short than too long.

A fighting belt and lower back support belt will ensure you have a more comfortable fight.  Remember, halibut fishing can be hard work, but it should never be back-breaking work!