Search for Halibut, 03/09-10/2011

Search for Halibut, 03/09-10/2011

This week I looked for halibut.

  Every year about this time people start to get antsy. The first topic of discussion is, “When are the halibut going to bite?”Or “When will you make some halibut trips available?”

   The best answer I can give right now is SOON!

My quest for halibut started on Wednesday 3/9/2011.

  A few boats helped out with the search. They came up empty handed. I managed to hook a few. This is the time of year when experience and persistence play a key role in being successful.

  20+ years of halibut fishing has their memory. I can remember starting locations and good bites even boat direction and tide.

It’s very safe to say that it is still early. The bay is in flush mode. We have had a considerable amount of rain this year. With that rain, comes snow in the higher elevations.  Knowing the dams that feed the North Bay are open, the amount of run off is fluctuating as the water people do their best at preparing for the anticipated snow run off.

  This could work in 2 ways:

1.       The nutrient water could allow bait to stack in areas. (Bait early can be a mixture of hearing or white bait and most likely grass shrimp. )

2.       The fresh water could keep the temp lower then normal and due to the amount of flow could flush the bay completely leaving it void of life.

I’m hoping for the first one.

I found bait at the end of the Richmond rock wall in the form of a herring spawn.

I also found bait in alameda closer to Bay Farm Island in a few deep holes and in the South Bay Shipping Channel

My trek from one end of the bay to the other, while costly, allowed me to look hard at what was given.

 The water clarity was fantastic I could see my dodgers and bait working 5 foot deep and could actually see my gear working as I fished the flood, starting in about 8 foot of water behind Brooks Island in Richmond.

 This was the case every were I tried.

  Here is where I tried:

On Wed.3-9

• Behind Brooks Island to Fleming point and back up the sand bar to end of the wall.
• Richmond Rock wall ( hooked and lost a large halibut )
• Chevron dock and point Richmond

• North and South side of the Bay bridge( North side Hook up and finished at dark there with 1ea, 32 inch halibut)

On Thurs. 3/10

• Alameda rock wall (1 hook up in the AM ,a 30 inch butt and one in the evening at 28 inches)
• Bay farm Island
• Oyster point to Bird cage
• Bird Cage to coyote

18 hours on the water

6 rods out both days
3 halibut.

A great sandwich at Oyster point.

The days are getting longer and shortly the temps should start to increase. I’m going again on April fools day. Assuming we don’t have another Tsunami event.

If you are reading this because you want to book a trip / Give me a call and we will pick the best tide available for your charter.

Are you also looking for halibut and like this report for the fishing information?

 Get on your boat and go look.

Take what I have done and make it better. GOOD LUCK.

Back on the sturgeon hunt next week. I’m thawing Roe and buying eels by the bushel in preparation for next weeks trips.  I’m available Thursday and Friday for sturgeon.  3/17 &3/18.  

In the Pix this week you will see that the fish finder was blank most of the time. NO BAIT

The halibut had mud on the belly meaning he’s probably been there a while.

We definitely put in our time, The sunset!