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Halibut: Alaska Halibut Fishing For Barn Door Sized Fish

Standing on deck allowing the wave action to bounce your weighted herring or plastic lure off the bottom a hundred or more feet below is called ringing the dinner bell. Halibut will travel hundreds of yards to investigate the thumping of your lead lure as it will swallow the noisy lure?



The recognized tug, tug, then a strong pull begins the underwater rodeo. The heavy one pound lead nose on a split tail white scampi bounces off the ocean floor actually calling the halibut to the lure. At 200 foot deep the ocean is totally dark. But a white lure seems to be the best color for halibut. A 20-pound ?chicken? halibut fights likes a 60-pound salmon. The huge flat surface is added resistance teamed with muscle for a fish that is determined to stay on the bottom. The normal is three trips to the surface and two trips back to the bottom before you can land a 40-50 pound halibut.



Just as the halibut nears the surface where a net or gaff awaits, all that muscle turns the fish toward the bottom and the line screams off the reel. The Alaska halibut will not stop until it reaches the bottom again. Now you know what you have and you pray your equipment stays together.



Captain Jerry threw out the anchor on the lee side of a spit in 150 foot of water. The tide was just beginning to come in, the ?Dancer? was bobbing as the tide began to race back in. With 18-foot tides, a lot of water is displaced every 12 hours. The sandy bottom was ideal for halibut to wait for the tide to bring in the next meal. The sound of the anchor hitting the bottom had rang the dinner bell. The 55-foot cabin cruiser had pulled the slack out of the anchor chain and lined out facing into the incoming tide.



Dan dropped his one-pound lead nose white scampi lure over the side and waited for the reel to unspool. The foot long plastic lure hit the bottom with a thump. The slack was taken out of the spider wire line so the lure could be bounced on the bottom to create an underwater thump that seems to lure halibut from hundreds of yards away. Alaska halibut fishing had always been a dream, too far away to even imagine. From the day of decision it had been over 11 months of planning, preparing and dreaming for this day of fishing for halibut off Prince of Wales Island. A minute had passed then 5 minutes; Dan was thinking ?the bite? hadn?t started yet. Then it happened. Small yank, yank then he set the hook. Dan had caught several ?chickens? so he knew it was a halibut. Suddenly the short stubby deep-sea pole formed a ?U? and Dan began to lift the rod and reel down. The familiar yank, yank, yank as the fish refused to leave the bottom did not deter the stout built 6? 1?, 30 year old as muscle warred with muscle until the cry was heard from the skipper on the flying deck, ?my God the boy has hooked a keeper!? The fish looked slightly greenish brown and appeared to be gliding at an angle towards the boat but 6 to 8 feet under the surface. At 3 feet from the surface the addled fish saw the boat, bright sunshine and an excited angler all at once and did an about face heading back to the bottom. The Penn reel screamed as every bearing surface and brake rebelled as the 5 foot behemoth slipped out of sight. That foray had taken 20 minutes, Dan called for help. 6? 4? brother Paul with arms as big as a man?s thighs said ?let me have that!?



In the April Alaska cool, beads of sweat poured down Paul?s face, the yank, yank, yank, reel up and scream down had taken its toll. Weakly he said ?I?m gonna need a break!? Dan grabbed the short stubby ?U? shaped pole and began to reel. Paul had lasted exactly twenty minutes only to have a brief glimpse of a shadowed recluse before the line screamed and the halibut returned to the deep.



The fishing pole had fibers that were releasing long ways on the rod, the famous reel was making a strange squeaking sound as it reeled up and a disturbing grinding sound as the break squealed off line. The halibut was coming up but Dan gave out in 10 minutes. Paul grabbed the rod and manhandled the rod, fish and reel. 10 minutes later he hollered ?it should have been to the top by now, what is happening?? The brake on the reel had completely failed and as the line was reeled in the fish took back at its? leisure. Dan took the next watch. Within 5 minutes Dan yelled, ?I see color!? Captain Jerry was standing on the bow with a 22 rifle. Just as the halibut broke the surface Captain Jerry fired and dispatched the 124-pound giant halibut.



Alaska allows the dispatching of large halibut on the surface due to the tremendous power a halibut has after coming on board. These fish have been known to break the fisherman?s arms and legs contributing to several deaths by the flailing powerful tails.



Alaska halibut fishing doesn?t get any better. From a ?chicken? to a keeper the thrill is always the same. It starts with the same question ?Have I hooked the bottom??

About the Author:

Jim Zeller writes for numerous outdoor blogs and websites. Check out his favorite online Fishing Forum or his choice for the World's Largest Fishing Directory

Double Trouble: Fly Fishing with a Dry Fly and a Dropper

Using dropper flies is nothing new in the fly fishing world. The oldest reference I know dates all the way back to the 1930's. To many novice fly fishermen it can be an eye opening technique. There is no other technique I use more over the course of the year and none more effective. Using two flies can double your chances, but it offers much more than that. In situations when fish can be spooky, a dry fly used as an indicator can avoid scaring the fish. Bright colored indicators are easy for fishermen to see. They are also easy for fish to see. Also something as simple as the shape of the indicator can spook a fish. Oft times when the fish are spooky I like to use a long leader to the dry fly as well as a long dropper to the nymph. Many days I change from using a traditional strike indicator to a dry/dropper and it makes all the difference. I do not change the nymph, just the indicator. Here are some easy steps when fishing dry/dropper.

1. Use a Dry fly buoyant enough to hold up the dropper. Here is a common mistake. I have watched a lot of people use a dry that constantly sinks. It's hard to catch fish when your constantly casting because your fly keeps sinking. It also creates a mentality that your fly is being drug under by the dropper and not being taken under by a fish. You want to have the mentality that every time your dry fly goes under it is a fish and you should set it! I like to use foam terrestrials such as chernobyl ants or hoppers.

2. Tie your dropper to the bend of the hook. I prefer to tie my droppers to the bend of the hook rather than through the eye. It allows for better casting and easier knot attachment.

3. Observe the fish and structure to determine the length of your dropper. There is a big misconception that the length of the dropper should be 1-2 feet. I fish my droppers from from six inches to five feet. Any dropper over five feet becomes difficult to cast. I call the Green River my home water and it is crystal clear. If you take a few minutes from a good vantage point you can see the depth at which the fish are feeding. In mid-summer and fall the fish tend to be at 4-5 feet. In the spring during the blue wing hatch the fish are at 1-2 feet. Let the fish tell you how deep you should go. If there are not any visible fish look at the depth of the water you are fishing. If the fish are not visible the are holding close to the bottom or in structure. Make sure you get your fly in front of the fish.

4. Observe what the fish are eating.This should be the first thing you do when selecting a fly no matter the technique you are using. If bugs are not visible, look under rocks, on trees, or consult a fly shop.

5. Use a weighted dropper that will keep the dropper line tot. If there is slack between the dry fly and the dropper you will miss most of the fish that eat your dropper.

6. Fish with slack in the fly line. This will give you a better dead drift. If your not looking for a dead drift then disregard this step.

Finally, dropper lines, especially longer ones, can be difficult to cast. The key is making sure you load the rod. It will take longer to load the rod than it would if you were fishing a single dry fly. Pause longer on your back cast and you will avoid the tangles that discourage fishermen from fishing this effective method.

The author is a fly fishing guide on Utah's Green River. He works with Flaming Gorge Resort and is owner and writer of Green River Flyfisher

Maine Fishing Landlocked Atlantic Salomon

Landlocked Salmon Atlantic Salmon are know only in the State of Maine. Some of the other names are Sebago Salmon or Quananiche and the scientific name is Salmo Salar. The average size is 16-18 inches and 1-2 pounds, but 3-5 pound fish are not uncommon. Adults are generally silvery wiyh a slightly forked tail and small x-shaped marking on the back and iper sides. Juvenile salmon have a dark red spot between each pair of parr marks. Mature males develop a kype or hooked jaw, during the spawning season.

Landlocked salmon are a freshwater form of the sea run Atlantic Salmon. Prior to 1868, landlocked salmon populations occurred in only four river basins in Maine, St.Croix including West Grand Lake in Washington County, the union, including Green Lake in Hancock County, the Penobscot, including Sebec Lake in Piscataquis, County, and the Presumpscot, including Sebago Lake in Cumberland County.

Today, landlocked salmon provide the primary fishery in 176 lakes comprising nearly 500,000 acres. They are present and provide incideatal fisheries in an additional 127 waters comprising about 160,000 acres. Maine supports one of the larges sport fisheries for this species in the world. Landlocked salmon also provide good fisheries in 44 rivers and streams totaling about 290 miles.

Hatchery stockings are needed to maintain fisheries in 127 lakes. These lakes do not sufficient amounts of suitable spawning and nursery areas to produce wild salmon. Without regular stockings, salmon in these lakes would disappear entirely, or their numbers would be very, very low. About 123,000 salmon were stocked annually in Maine lakes from 1996 to 2000.

Natural reproduction supports salmon fisheries in 49 lakes. These are lakes that have sufficient spawning and nursery habitat to produce enough salmon to support good fisheries. Most of these waters are located in western and northern Maine. Salmon spawn in lake outlets or inlets during the period from mid October to late November. Eggs are buried in gravel from 4-12 inches deep and remain there until hatching early the following spring.

Young salmon spend from 1 to 4 years in a stream environment prior to migrating to a lake. Recent studies in Maine show most wild salmon spend 2 years as stream dweelers. In wild salmon populations, most males spawn first at ages 3 and 4, although a few spawn at ages 1 and 2. Females usually spawn first at ages 4 and 5. Spawning runs of wild salmon may be composed of fish ranging in age from 1 to 10 but 3, 4 and 5 year old individuals make up the bulk of most runs. Landlocked salmon may be repeat spawners, but most fish observed on spawning runs are spawning for the first time. Salmon may spawn in consecutive or alternate years, some may spawn in consecutive years then skip a year, and some may skip 2 or 3 years between spawning.

Salmon populations sustained by natural reproduction often more older age fish those supported by stocking, wild salmon usually exhibit slower growth do hatchery salmon, so they reach legal size and harvested 1 or 2 years later. The oldest landlocked salmon on record in Maine was years old.

Rainbow smelts are the principal forage species for salmon in Maine lakes. Without adequate numbers of smelt, salmon growth and body conition will be poor, markedly reducing value as a sportfish. Maintain adequate numbers of smelt for forage is the most important element of salmon management in Maine. Extensive studies conducted in Maine clearly show that salmon growth rates, and consequently the size of fish available to anglers, is best in lakes with excellent water that do not have large populations of other smelt predators, particularly lake trout.

From 1996 to 2000 Maine open water anglers voluntarily released over 60% of their catch of legal salmon, ice anglers released about 25% of their legal salmon catch. Catch and release of salmon has improved fishing in many lakes, but in others it has resulted in depressed smelt populations and smaller salmon, because there are too many salmon. Maine fishery biologists have responded by reducing stocking rates by implementing fishing regulations designed to restore a reasonable balance between numbers of smelts and salmon.

Hatchery salmon generally provide fisheries for larger fish than do wild salmon because the number of smelt predators can be strictly controlled. Therefore, precise management for particular types of fisheries, such as those emphasizing trophy fish, is usually best achieved with hatchery stocks rather than wild stocks.

From 1996 to 2000, the average size of salmon harvested from all Maine lakes was 17.4 inches and 1.7 pounds, the largest since department fishery biologists began conducting scientific creel surveys in the 1950?s.

About the Author:

I'm doing a web site on Maine fishing products and information on Maine fishing, my web adress is fishingzoo and i'm going to do camping products in the up coming months.

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