Rick Ferguson "DaGoose"
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Every Year Is Different
Apr. 9 2010, 4:00 PM
Apr. 9 2010, 4:00 PM
Halibut fishing here off the Southern California coast has been slow for most lately. A few nice fish have been reported. I've pounded sand bounce balling in depths from 30 to 110 feet from Carlsbad to Laguna for no joy. Other experienced and successful flattie fishermen have met the same fate. Perhaps it's a pre-spawn lockjaw funk. Maybe the fish moved. Only they really know.
These are some of the fish we've caught in April in the last two years:
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These are some of the fish we've caught in April in the last two years:
It’s going to get better very soon as the fish move in to spawn, so no worries. If I had to pick only one month to target halibut, it would be May. That said, epic bites can happen in any given month, so get out there and have a good time on the water with friends. Every year is different.
Here’s a few things the fish have taught me that may prove helpful in your quest:
• Halibut like to sit in sand or gravel next to structure. Areas with nearby lagoons or bays are always a good bet to try.
• Halibut school up together, sometimes in small areas. Big fish hang out with other big fish. When you get one, mark these spots on your GPS. Don’t leave the area. Fish it hard.
• The bite can turn on like a light switch, and then shut off just as quickly. It may last only 30 minutes. Be prepared and make the most of it. Tide swings often are involved, but not always.
My 85 year old mother-in-law Dallys has been asking “Rick, are you ever going to catch another halibut” followed the next week with “what are we going to do about this?” Last night, after another skunked day, was the kicker, “is some sort of intervention needed?” Then she just smiles and laughs. Arghhhhhhhhhhh………..
How’s a man to deal with such a thing? The answer is simple: Go Pound Sand and it will happen. Nothing worth doing is easy.
Have Fun and Tight Lines!
Rick
Best of Big Game
www.bestofbiggame.com
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April 13, 2010, 10:41 pm
Hi Rick,
If anybody could find the flat ones, it would be you.
Where are the fish? I like your answer: Only they know.
I wonder if it has anything to do with El Nino.
Back in the mid 1980's when we had epic yellowfin tuna fishing local from the warmer than normal water temps, the previous spring I noticed that our halibut counts were way down on the sportboats I worked on. My skiff halibut trips in and around Long Beach/Huntington Beach yielded few fish during the same period.
I look forward to your posts on halibut.