All About Fishing for California Halibut

All About Fishing for California Halibut

California Halibut (Paralichthys californicus) are the most famous of all sand
flat fish. Everyone loves to catch and eat Halibut. This is not the species that
grow to 300 lbs or more in Alaska (Pacific Halibut), but a home grown, Southern
California only, species. They’re just as tasty as their bigger cousins, though.
Halibut start out their lives swimming more or less like other fish, vertically
in the water with one eye on each side of their heads. As they pass from this
juvenile stage into adulthood, one eye migrates from its original position
around the nose of the fish and ends up on the other side. The blind side then
turns white and the fish begins swimming horizontally over the bottom with the
white, blind side down. Halibut are members of the left-eyed flat fishes,
however 40% of them are actually right eyed (the left eye migrates to the right
side.)

California Halibut can grow to five feet long and 60 lbs, but most are far
smaller. In fact, throughout most of the 1980′s and 1990′s it was very unusual
to find a keeper sized Halibut (22 inches.) You would throw twenty back for
every fish that measured up. Now, since conservation efforts and heavy
restrictions on where trammel nets (the commercial nets used for flat fish) may
be set, the population of Halibut is increasing and the sizes of sport caught
Halibut is also increasing. By 1997, about half of all Halibut caught were
breeding adults (bigger than 22 inches) so the comeback of this sought after
game fish is well on its way.

Catching Halibut

Halibut are masters of ambush. They sit partially buried on the bottom awaiting
prey to wander by, then leap out grabbing the unsuspecting forage fish. Halibut
usually prefer live bait. Even scientists used to believe they were more like
Sole or Sand Dabs grubbing for food and scavenging anything that came by, but
now it’s known they’re aggressive predators. They eat sardines, anchovies, squid
and any other smaller bait fish.

Halibut range from in-shore beaches, harbors and river mouths, all the way to
deep, deep water. They live in over 1000 feet of water. Deep water caught fish
are the best eating, but often trophy fish are caught in about 20 feet of water.

To catch Halibut, drift over likely sandy bottom with a live anchovy, sardine,
herring or other bait fish (grunion work great too!) with a reverse dropper loop
setup – that is, a sinker attached to a loop tied a foot or two above the bait.
Keep it close to the bottom and just barely moving to cover more ground. Halibut
wait for bait so if you keep your bait still, it might be literally inches from
the tail of a big fish and it would never know it was there. Use just enough
weight so that the bait stays on the bottom. When Halibut hit, they mouth the
bait first so the strike is more like a slight ticking feel on the line. At this
stage have patience, if you set the hook too soon, you’ll pull the bait right
out of the Halibut’s mouth. Give it line and when you’re fairly sure it’s got
the bait, go ahead and set the hook.

Halibut will also strike lures. Rubber swim baits seem to work best and are even
more effective when baited with a thin strip of cut squid. Halibut have even
been known to come up off the bottom and strike deep trolled salmon lures.

Preparing Halibut

On the boat, have Halibut headed and gutted, then ice them down quickly. The
meat is delicate so spoils easily. Once home peel four nice fillets off the
fish. Don’t bother trying to steak the fish, like Pacific Halibut in the grocery
store, the local variety are usually too thin for this. Be sure to peel off the
engawa (outer strip of meat at the base of the fins.) The Japanese know how to
find these great eating morsels on different types of fish. It makes excellent
sashimi!

Eating Halibut

Halibut are one of the best eating fish in California waters and have the most
broad appeal to people with different tastes. I’ve never heard anyone ever say
that fresh Halibut tastes fishy. They’re excellent as sashimi, baked, broiled,
fried, sauteed, and even poached. The meat is light, delicate, flavorful, and
mild.

Jeff Spira is a fishermen and writer of fishing and seamanship books. His web
site California Ocean Fishing offers further insights into this fun sport and
has links to online sources for his books on the subject.

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