Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: bobcat on May 09, 2017, 12:10:02 PM

Title: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: bobcat on May 09, 2017, 12:10:02 PM: I need to pick up some octopus and herring for halibut fishing Thursday. Where can I find some in the Olympia area? Cabelas? :dunno:
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: WSU on May 09, 2017, 12:21:55 PM: Fred Meyer had purple label herring the other day. Cabelas has herring. Let me know if you find octopus.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: bobcat on May 09, 2017, 12:24:14 PM: Thank you. That helps.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: WSU on May 09, 2017, 12:33:33 PM: Where are you fishing?
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: bobcat on May 09, 2017, 12:42:57 PM: Not sure exactly. Going with Lokidog, out of Anacortes.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: Mfowl on May 09, 2017, 12:47:42 PM: Go to an Asian food market. I bought black label size herring for $3.50/lb and a whole small octopus for $7.50. I went to Uwajimaya in Renton. They usually have sardines, mackeral and squid as well. Food grade bait is better than sporting good store bait IMO, plus you don't pay the extra taxes.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: Cap.Silver on May 09, 2017, 12:47:55 PM: If you have an old blender ,I'd use buttjuice ,some older tuna or salmon scraps,herring,anchovies -basically anything you can find ...mix it all together and put it in crab bait jar (the one with screw on lid and weep holes) ,hook it onto your downrigger cable (if you're anchored up )or make smaller container from pill bottle and hook it up to your rod line .
It should work .I have also used pieces of sponge soaked up in butt juice and tied up to my line with magic thread.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: WSU on May 09, 2017, 12:48:56 PM: Sounds fun. I was going to suggest just using pipe jigs or some other artificial if you were fishing Westport or somewhere else where you fish really deep.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: Dmulcahy on May 09, 2017, 01:12:17 PM: Quote from: Mfowl on May 09, 2017, 12:47:42 PM
Go to an Asian food market. I bought black label size herring for $3.50/lb and a whole small octopus for $7.50. I went to Uwajimaya in Renton. They usually have sardines, mackeral and squid as well. Food grade bait is better than sporting good store bait IMO, plus you don't pay the extra taxes.

:yeah: much cheaper and better quality
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on May 09, 2017, 01:54:26 PM: Hispanic markets usually have octopus as well.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: Bluemoon on May 09, 2017, 02:14:03 PM: Don't know if they would work, but I have two one gallon bags full of smelt you are welcome to. about 30 mins south of Rochester..
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: Stein on May 09, 2017, 04:31:33 PM: Cabelas, John's, Arlington Hardware, Holiday are all on your way up.

I'm thinking about going out as well, but nobody in the house here seems too jacked after the opener dud and I'm not sure I want to run that far myself The afternoon tide change is attractive as it looks like the wind might die a bit and I prefer incoming anyway.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: Buck_Nasty11 on May 09, 2017, 04:35:49 PM: I've had the best luck with trout
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: JimmyHoffa on May 09, 2017, 04:49:07 PM: Quote from: Cap.Silver on May 09, 2017, 12:47:55 PM
If you have an old blender ,I'd use buttjuice ,some older tuna or salmon scraps,herring,anchovies -basically anything you can find ...mix it all together and put it in crab bait jar (the one with screw on lid and weep holes) ,hook it onto your downrigger cable (if you're anchored up )or make smaller container from pill bottle and hook it up to your rod line .
It should work .I have also used pieces of sponge soaked up in butt juice and tied up to my line with magic thread.
I've heard of using nylon stockings with smashed up shrimp and clams.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: WSU on May 09, 2017, 05:07:59 PM: If you want trout I'll give you some.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: TomT on May 09, 2017, 05:31:35 PM: Save some strips of white halibut skin for next time. We got 3 out of our 4 on that Saturday.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: Stein on May 09, 2017, 07:40:20 PM: Quote from: JimmyHoffa on May 09, 2017, 04:49:07 PM
Quote from: Cap.Silver on May 09, 2017, 12:47:55 PM
If you have an old blender ,I'd use buttjuice ,some older tuna or salmon scraps,herring,anchovies -basically anything you can find ...mix it all together and put it in crab bait jar (the one with screw on lid and weep holes) ,hook it onto your downrigger cable (if you're anchored up )or make smaller container from pill bottle and hook it up to your rod line .
It should work .I have also used pieces of sponge soaked up in butt juice and tied up to my line with magic thread.
I've heard of using nylon stockings with smashed up shrimp and clams.

That's what I do except I have the mesh bag from John's. If we don't have scraps, we use leftover cans from shrimp season.
Title: Re: Halibut bait - where to buy?
Post by: L-ofalab on May 13, 2017, 06:39:31 AM: Try some fresh springer belly. A strip including the pectoral fin cut from that white salmon belly works fantastic. Don't freeze em if you can help it.