 |
| Big Ballin' -
Brothers Matt and Chris Honea show off the result of
bounce-balling success at Santa Rosa Island.
|
| Photo by: David
Bacon Photo |
Master the bounce-ball technique, and your prowess as a
halibut hunter will improve dramatically. Anglers are
scoring at Morro Bay, Gaviota, near Naples Reef, Goleta,
Ventura, Santa Monica Bay, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, San
Onofre, and Mission and San Diego bays. Anglers who catch
winter halibut in good numbers, work hard for them.
Bounce-balling isn't for wimps.
How to rig up: An explanation of the rig and
technique. It begins with a three-way swivel. The main line
from the rod is tied to one of the three rings on the
swivel. From a second ring, run a 24-inch light leader to a
heavy weight (from 1 to 2 lbs., depending upon the speeds of
the current and the boat). From the third ring, run a 3-ft.
heavy leader to a dodger or flasher blade. From the dodger
or flasher, run a 30-inch medium-weight leader to a hoochy
or rat trap-rig with a live or dead bait (sardine, anchovy,
whole squid, mackerel, etc.) or an artificial bait such as a
Berkley Gulp! or Power Bait tails.
The length of each of these leaders is a matter of
personal preference. However, I'll change up leader lengths
and offerings at will, in order to draw a strike.
Slow troll at just the right speed: Move the boat
along, under power and in gear, at a speed sufficient to
give the dodger or flasher some action. That will usually be
1.5 to 2.5 knots, depending on current direction and speed
relative to trolling direction. When trolling with the
current, a faster speed is necessary to impart action to the
flasher blade, compared to trolling against the current;
it's the speed through water that affects the action of the
flasher, not speed over ground.
Bounce the weight on the bottom every 20 seconds or
so, by lowering the rod tip. Nearby halibut can feel the
bump and see the cloud of sand or mud kicked up by the
bouncing weight. That gets their attention and tempts them
to take the bait.
Fish with finesse: When a halibut tentatively picks up
this rig, it's going to feel the weight fast, so an angler
must be ready to accommodate the fish without wasting a
moment. I recommend fishing with the reel out of gear and a
thumb on the spool. When a strike is felt, several feet of
line can be quickly paid out to keep the bait in the fish's
mouth long enough to hook it. When the bite is less
tentative and more aggressive, halibut inhale the bait or
lure, and there is no doubt the fish is hooked.
This is hard on the hands because of the heavy weight
and the drag of the rig through the water. It might help to
wear gloves or use tape on your thumbs. When I notice my
charter passengers growing tired and putting their rods in
rod holders, I gently suggest it's time to try drifting
instead. Unless your hands are accustomed to it, like some
of my commercial halibuteer friends who bounce-ball for a
living, you won't be able to do this for many hours. But
those hours, especially in a high tide period, can be very
productive.
Most halibut derbies on the Santa Barbara Channel and
points farther up the coast are won using the bounce-ball
technique, and as it gains in popularity down the coast, I
expect to see most derbies in California consistently won by
bounce-ballers - it's that effective.
Pick your hot spot: Fish places where a halibut's
opportunities outweigh its risks. From a halibut's
perspective, opportunities include plenty of food, water
clarity to spot and chase food, and water temperature
comfortable enough to induce active metabolism. The main
risk to minimize is customary in the food chain - that of
being eaten. If an area looks great, but there are a dozen
sea lions or harbor seals hunting in the vicinity, look
elsewhere, because a big halibut doesn't get big by making
itself a target for pinnipeds.
Halibut are absolute masters of ambush. They lie
half-buried in the sand and wait for forage fish to swim
close enough to allow them to blast up off the ocean floor
and capture prey with dagger-like sharp teeth.
Halibut often lie in the sand adjacent to a break zone
such as a pipeline covered with rocks, a rocky ledge or a
current break. Those are great ambush spots where they can
wait for small fish to swim just far enough away from the
safety of the structure to be an easy catch. When fishing
these spots, troll around the structure.
Another prime area would be anywhere huge
concentrations of baitballs are milling about. It's common
at this time of year to find a tonnage of baitfish in
relatively shallow water. That's right where a hungry
halibut wants to be, and will readily leave those favored
ambush spots to chase huge baitballs. Most predators are
searching for concentrations of baitfish. By doing the same
thing, we are sure to find the big flat predators we want to
catch.
