California Halibut Hunting

[ifukuda]

You'd need a boat to get to the artificial reefs of Seal Beach/Bolsa Chica. I don't think diving the beaches of Seal Beach would be much fun. I think it's all sand.

Try Laguna Beach when the viz (red tide) clears up. This area has a lot of shallow reefs with beach access. But, heed the DFG regulations. The DFG regulations at Laguna can be a little complicated, and the area is strictly policed by the DFG.

Good Luck!

 

[ifukuda]

The halibut are coming to up to shallow waters in large numbers. I spotted at least a dozen on Saturday. I'll post a picture of the pair I shot.

 

[BrianM]

The halibut are coming to up to shallow waters in large numbers. I spotted at least a dozen on Saturday. I'll post a picture of the pair I shot.

Nice fish!! too bad the hali's aren't cooperating up here in Norcal. We had a freediving halibut tournament Saturday in Monterey, 21 divers and not a single halibut!!! We ate some awesome tri-tip though.

 

[ifukuda]

too bad the hali's aren't cooperating up here in Norcal. We had a freediving halibut tournament Saturday in Monterey, 21 divers and not a single halibut!!! We ate some awesome tri-tip though.

It's a shame that the buts are so scarce up North. What's the water temp like in NorCal right now?

It's funny that you should mention tri-tip. I had steak on Saturday night too. My Fiance finally got sick of eating Halibut (I've landed 6 buts in the last 7 weeks)

 

[abman]

i hunt a lot in lot monterey area. we dive del monte beach a lot,off of the gunnerey range , coral st, macabe beach, hopkins reef deep. i normally try to stay just under the limit of visability off of the bottom, it allows you to see more of the bottom and less of a chance to spook a halibut before you have a chance to shoot him. as far as a gun, i use a riffe metal tech 2s with a reel and an ice pick tip. where i shoot him at, if i have the chance i'll put the shot right between his eyes or just back from there breaking his spinal cord....the fights over. we try do time our dive to hit an incoming tide. i use a dive tracker to get me back to the boat.. it's never failed to get me right back to the anchor line.

 

[SOBX]

i hunt a lot in lot monterey area. we dive del monte beach a lot,off of the gunnerey range , coral st, macabe beach, hopkins reef deep. i normally try to stay just under the limit of visability off of the bottom, it allows you to see more of the bottom and less of a chance to spook a halibut before you have a chance to shoot him. as far as a gun, i use a riffe metal tech 2s with a reel and an ice pick tip. where i shoot him at, if i have the chance i'll put the shot right between his eyes or just back from there breaking his spinal cord....the fights over. we try do time our dive to hit an incoming tide. i use a dive tracker to get me back to the boat.. it's never failed to get me right back to the anchor line.

Abman,

What is a dive tracker, I have had my share of coming up a 100 yards away from the boat when the current is bad and Viz .

SOBX

 

[BrianM]

Hey SOBX,

Here is a link to a dive tracker on leisurepro:

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/DTSC.html



Truth Aquatics out of Santa Barbara has the transmitter on their boats so I have seen people rent the receiver from a local dive shop and use that to get them back to the boat...but I think a compass and a brain is a lot more reliable than another battery powered box of electronics!!!

Abman,

What is a dive tracker, I have had my share of coming up a 100 yards away from the boat when the current is bad and Viz .

SOBX

 

[BrianM]

The halibut are coming to up to shallow waters in large numbers. I spotted at least a dozen on Saturday. I'll post a picture of the pair I shot.

Hey Ifukuda,

What kind of gun is that in your pic?? It looks like a West Coast Extreme...is it?

 

[abman]

Hey SOBX,

Here is a link to a dive tracker on leisurepro:

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/DTSC.html



Truth Aquatics out of Santa Barbara has the transmitter on their boats so I have seen people rent the receiver from a local dive shop and use that to get them back to the boat...but I think a compass and a brain is a lot more reliable than another battery powered box of electronics!!!

well, is that so!!!! i tell you what, i dive monterey bay, the channel islands, the sonoma coast, the mendicino coast. evedently so do you. so you now how good the visabilitly usually isn't. i don't personally care for doing a long, or even short surface swim with a bunch of fish on a stringer. or not being able to see the bottom or what could be swimming around below me. i have owned my dive tracker for a couple of years now. during that time, not once has the dive tracker failed not to put me either directley back under the boat or right at the anchor line, depending on where the sending until was placed at. can your say that your brain and compass has that kind of accuracy? i know how to use my compass and my brain, but if you have a device that works better that something else, why not be drug kicking and screaming into the 21st century? i've seen a LOT of changes in equipment and gear since i was certified in 1979. i've made my share of stupid purchases of dive gear that didn't work. i do an incredible amount of research, on line before i buy any new product. i did it with the dive tracker as well. i use the product, i believe in the product, i trust the product and i highly recomend the product. come out of the dark ages, you just might learn something............. ken

 

[tomboytoo]

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