halibut from the beach???

[Night goat]

ive never tried to fish halibut from the beach in WA. ive seen it done in alaska, but thats a different ball game.

i dont have a boat, but was able to pick up a 15 foot surf rod, and a big reel with 700 yards of 50lbs braid.

i live on whidbey island, and i was curious if anybody has ever tried to huck some bait as far out into admiralty bay or anywhere along the west side of the island in the deepest hole they can find with any luck..... theoretically if you can get the bait far enough out into deep enough water it should be possible right?

[h20hunter]

I'd say a big maybe bit I'm thinking out in the strait...I think there is a near shore fishery called the humps?

[h20hunter]

Yeah....I don't think you are gonna reach out with a surf rod.

https://halibutchronicles.com/2014/05/14/port-angeles-washington-halibut-fishing-map-the-humps/amp/

[fishngamereaper]

Possible...not probable.
We catch Hali in as shallow as 40-50' sometimes.
Get a good drop off. Some tidal movement...
But plan on dealing with allot of dogfish and flounder.
Can't hurt to try if that's your only option.

[Mfowl]

Geoduck divers attract them so it is possible. Crabs might wreak havoc on your bait though.

[Woodhunter]

My biggest halibut (126 pounds)  although caught from a boat was in 35 feet of water.  Easily reachable from shore if using a big surf rod, I started the drift about 60-70 yards from shore.   Large squid for bait.   Green point area.   

I have thought of setting up a bicycle for fishing along the Olympic Discovery trail.  Paved flat trail, easy pedaling.    Similar to the lines of the bikes the Cape Cod guys use along the Cape Cod Canal.     Google it.

What a hoot, hooking up  a halibut from shore.

My buddy has property on Prince of Wales Island and has caught them from his dock. 

Think alvey!!!!





14 footer, up to 16 ounces weight

[GWP]

Watched some of the 'You of Tube' vids on long range casting a while back. The competitions they have in other countries (maybe here as well?) are CRAZY long casts.

[Woodhunter]

Geoduck divers attract them so it is possible. Crabs might wreak havoc on your bait though.

Lots of geoducks in the straits.  Shallow water, 25 to 50 feet, reachable from shore with a big rod.  Best areas are off the mouths of creeks.  My buddy, a diver, has had Halibut grab geoduck out of his hands when he was diving for them commercially.

A big plug jigged over a geoduck bed will raise halibut.    Remember, they are laying on the bottom looking up.  I have caught them when trolling a 7 inch Tomic plug.  Think Striped bass fishing from shore, casting big plugs.

[OutHouse]

One of my partners catches halibut in Alaska in kelp beds that are only 20-25 feet deep. Give it a shot!

[Night goat]

I gotta get me one of those alvey reels!!

I went down to cabelas there in Marysville and they had a 15 foot surfrod for 50$, some off brand, so I grabbed it

Few days later went to holiday sports and they got a giant daiwa reel, literally the biggest one they had for 55$ so I said great! I’ll take it! Fill er up with 50lbs braid……
750 yards later…. Didn’t think that at 12 cents a yard it was 90$ in line!!!!! Oops 


But yeah I got nothing to do tomorrow so might as well go try, that driftwood park down there in admiralty bay looks promising, ONX maps show a deep spot, off the point there by the ferry dock looks good too…..

I know in Alaska in the summer the big butts become a
Mid water predator and will even lay in the creek mouths slurping down humpies

[jmscon]

Haven’t tried it but there are some big drop offs on the east side of Possession Point by the state park; the head of Useless Bay and due west of Bush Point. Just be careful, private property line go out onto the beach quite a ways on Whidbey!

[Stein]

There aren't any known spots where you can catch a halibut within casting distance from shore.  If there are any, nobody will be saying anything.  I've seen and caught them shallow, but it's still a jaunt from shore.

No harm trying, there aren't all that many legal access points to chose from.  I wouldn't plunk bait, throw something big and keep it moving.  Tons of stuff on the bottom in shallows will constantly be working over your bait - flounder, crab, rock fish, sculpin. 

I've dove all over the place before I had kids and never saw a halibut in PS.

[JimmyHoffa]

There aren't any known spots where you can catch a halibut within casting distance from shore.  If there are any, nobody will be saying anything.  I've seen and caught them shallow, but it's still a jaunt from shore.

No harm trying, there aren't all that many legal access points to chose from.  I wouldn't plunk bait, throw something big and keep it moving.  Tons of stuff on the bottom in shallows will constantly be working over your bait - flounder, crab, rock fish, sculpin. 

I've dove all over the place before I had kids and never saw a halibut in PS.

Not places easy to get too.  There are sandy/gravelly areas that are sloped with deep water that attract halibut close to shore.  Near the mouths of rivers and creeks.  But like you say, the issue is the legal access.

[Alchase]

Back in the late 80s, I use to fish Point No Point from shore for salmon and do quite well casting into the rip with a Buzzbomb or Kastmaster.
Tthere was a guy who I saw there a few times who fishes for Halibut and Lings there from shore. When I talked to him, he said he picks up 5 or 6 halibut a year, usually in the 30 pound range. He would throw a 4-5 oz drop rig with squid for bait, into the rip. He said for some reason in the rip, the dog fish tend to leave it alone. I never saw him hookup a halibut, but saw him bring in a few lings.

[Norman89]

Can it be done? Yes
Has it been done? Yes
Here in Washington? Yes
Am I going to say any more? No. The guy that does it carrys a 44mag and protects his spot like the Clintons project there secrets

Get out and try and report back, in the rip tide is a big clue to how to do it

[shadowless_nite]

Hmmm.... I don't see why you couldn't do what we down here in the columbia for salmon from shore. We tow our lines out with a kayak and a breakaway dropper weight which is just a rock with a 8-10lb mono piece of line with a knot tied into it. You should be able to do the same with a sinker slider tied to a rock and tow it out to your hearts desire. Guys out here drag there lines out hundreds of feet from sure. Definitely well  beyond casting range and keeping your bait in perfect  shape. When a fish hits it rings your bell and either breaks the rock lose or you break it off when you set the hook (run up the beach with your rod) allowing ypu to fish the fish weight free and less likely to snag. Same is done with sturgeon down here.

[Smossy]

no. just no. wont happen.

[wadu1]

Hmmm.... I don't see why you couldn't do what we down here in the columbia for salmon from shore. We tow our lines out with a kayak and a breakaway dropper weight which is just a rock with a 8-10lb mono piece of line with a knot tied into it. You should be able to do the same with a sinker slider tied to a rock and tow it out to your hearts desire. Guys out here drag there lines out hundreds of feet from sure. Definitely well  beyond casting range and keeping your bait in perfect  shape. When a fish hits it rings your bell and either breaks the rock lose or you break it off when you set the hook (run up the beach with your rod) allowing ypu to fish the fish weight free and less likely to snag. Same is done with sturgeon down here.

Back in the day they used heavy rods and belly reels like this for sturgeon.

[Stein]

Hmmm.... I don't see why you couldn't do what we down here in the columbia for salmon from shore. We tow our lines out with a kayak and a breakaway dropper weight which is just a rock with a 8-10lb mono piece of line with a knot tied into it. You should be able to do the same with a sinker slider tied to a rock and tow it out to your hearts desire. Guys out here drag there lines out hundreds of feet from sure. Definitely well  beyond casting range and keeping your bait in perfect  shape. When a fish hits it rings your bell and either breaks the rock lose or you break it off when you set the hook (run up the beach with your rod) allowing ypu to fish the fish weight free and less likely to snag. Same is done with sturgeon down here.

If your bait is stationary you have about 1/20th as much of a chance of catching a halibut compared with a moving bait.  Halibut really like attacking moving stuff where salmon or sturgeon will take stuff not moving.  It will also get attacked by a bunch of other things if it's just plunked on the bottom.

[shadowless_nite]

Hmmm.... I don't see why you couldn't do what we down here in the columbia for salmon from shore. We tow our lines out with a kayak and a breakaway dropper weight which is just a rock with a 8-10lb mono piece of line with a knot tied into it. You should be able to do the same with a sinker slider tied to a rock and tow it out to your hearts desire. Guys out here drag there lines out hundreds of feet from sure. Definitely well  beyond casting range and keeping your bait in perfect  shape. When a fish hits it rings your bell and either breaks the rock lose or you break it off when you set the hook (run up the beach with your rod) allowing ypu to fish the fish weight free and less likely to snag. Same is done with sturgeon down here.

If your bait is stationary you have about 1/20th as much of a chance of catching a halibut compared with a moving bait.  Halibut really like attacking moving stuff where salmon or sturgeon will take stuff not moving.  It will also get attacked by a bunch of other things if it's just plunked on the bottom.

Ahhhh.... makes sense. I also know nothing about halibut fishing. Lol

[the mule]

we used to catch them pretty close to the the spit at Port Angeles back in the late 70s, but that was in July

[3boys]

Hmmm.... I don't see why you couldn't do what we down here in the columbia for salmon from shore. We tow our lines out with a kayak and a breakaway dropper weight which is just a rock with a 8-10lb mono piece of line with a knot tied into it. You should be able to do the same with a sinker slider tied to a rock and tow it out to your hearts desire. Guys out here drag there lines out hundreds of feet from sure. Definitely well  beyond casting range and keeping your bait in perfect  shape. When a fish hits it rings your bell and either breaks the rock lose or you break it off when you set the hook (run up the beach with your rod) allowing ypu to fish the fish weight free and less likely to snag. Same is done with sturgeon down here.

If your bait is stationary you have about 1/20th as much of a chance of catching a halibut compared with a moving bait.  Halibut really like attacking moving stuff where salmon or sturgeon will take stuff not moving.  It will also get attacked by a bunch of other things if it's just plunked on the bottom.

I have caught hundreds of sport hali. The majority of the time on anchor. We have always called it soakin for butts. I did catch a few a couple weeks ago commercial trolling. Years ago we did hook some from shore on the north side of cook inlet. It was a remote area where we landed the plane on the beach and fished.

[lokidog]

You could deploy with a remote controlled boat or drone to exceed casting distance. Hard to imagine finding any close to shore though.