June 8 - 22 , 2018

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California halibut are one of my favorite fish in Northern California because of their taste , fight , and general moodiness .

Halibut fishing offers a number of challenges including tides , temperatures , moon phases , water clarity , bait ( what they are feeding on ) and depth .

I have caught them on all sorts of bait . Drifting live bait is usually the most successful approach , followed by a slow trolled herring or anchovy . From what I have learned over the last couple seasons is

Matt Mayes caught this north coast California halibut while fishing live bait from his Hobie kayak this spring . Photo courtesy of MATT MAYES , Kayak City . that halibut aren ’ t too picky about what they eat but it ’ s more of a challenge finding out WHEN they want to eat .

Halibut seem very temperature sensitive and can get lazy in water colder than 58 degrees , while seeming to be more active feeders in 60-degree water .

Here in Humboldt Bay we generally have colder water on the top of the incoming tide with the large influx of water from the open Pacific , but on nice sunny days and on days with smaller tidal changes ( 5ft and less between high and low ) the water will get surprisingly warm spiking up to the 62-degree mark .

When this warm water starts pushing back into the bay is when I start to see

By Matt Mayes

Halibut have needle sharp teeth . When fishing from a kayak you ’ ll want to have a lip gripping device for handling these tasty gamefish .

Photo courtesy of MATT MAYES , Kayak City .

the most action from these cold shy halibut . I usually try to stay out of the main channels and fish the current lines that form from the underwater slopes in the 15-20-foot depth range . Sometimes they are even shallower .

I typically start fishing with a Sabiki rig size 12-14 , looking for bait around docks , pilings , and rock piles . Halibut don ’ t seem to prefer one type of live bait compared to another with the one exception being the size of the bait .

I try to use shiner perch in the 3-5-inch range , as they seem to last a very long time on the hook and are easily engulfed by a legal sized halibut .

While fishing live bait I think it ’ s always important to use a circle hook in the 1 / 0-4 / 0 sizes depending on bait size , I typically use 2 ounces of weight with a 3-foot 20lb leader tied on to a single 3 / 0 circle hook .

Most halibut will just simply inhale the bait and slowly move away from you until hooked in the corner of the mouth , which greatly decreases the chance of them shaking their heads wildly and throwing your hook or having their teeth cut the line .

Trolling can be very effective as well , using small dodgers and flashers on 3-way rigs , but our bay is filled with eel grass and kelp which makes it almost impossible to troll in the summer months .

Despite the fact that it ’ s still early in the season for Humboldt Bay halibut fishing , a good amount of fish have been reported . This is a great sign for the rest of the season that is at its peak in July and August .

It pays to remember that halibut are very sensitive fish . If you do catch an undersized halibut , do not net the fish as it will tear apart their tales and slime coat . Instead , just ease them up , grab the hook with pliers and shake them off .