Surf Fishing for California Halibut - Lucky Craft Hardbaits

The California Halibut is one of the most sought after game fish by surf anglers. Their size, table fare and willingness to strike both artificial and live baitfish put the halibut on the top of many surf anglers’ priority list.

The California angling record stands at 58 lb. and 9 oz. caught by Roger W. Borrell at Santa Rosa Island on July 26^th, 1999. However, a 72 lb. and 8 oz. halibut was speared at Santa Cruz Island by William Skwarlo in August of 1982 and stands today as the California sports-diving record. Although most legal sized halibut caught from shores of the Southern California coastline are in the four to seven pound range, halibut in the 30 pound class have been caught and the possibility of a 40 or even 50 pound halibut is not a completely impossible catch from shore.

Nearly five years ago, I introduced the internet fishing community to a new approach to targeting halibut. At first there were many skeptics and I was told that these tactics would not work and were better suited for catching freshwater largemouth bass. However, the tactics that were once questioned in the past have since become arguably the most effective halibut catching methods today. So what are these methods? Lucky Craft hardbaits and the dropshot technique!

The Lucky Craft Approach

By slowly/steadily retrieving a suspending Lucky Craft hardbait (e.g. Flash Minnow 110), an angler can thoroughly work a specific water column at a pace that is slow enough to grab the attention of a feeding halibut. However, traditional methods such as spoons and swimbaits sink quickly and must be retrieved at a faster rate in order for the spoon or swimbait to “kick” or “swim” properly and not drag on the bottom. For these reasons, when I target halibut from the surf, my “go-to” lure is usually a Lucky Craft hardbait!

Proper Tackle is a Must

There are three components to having an ideal hardbait set-up:

1. Rod: Traditional light saltwater rods are not designed for hardbaits. Most of these rods have a fast action and made of stiff graphite. Because I do a lot of freshwater bass fishing, I’ve found rods that are designed specifically for deep diving crankbaits are perfectly suited for hardbaits in the surf! Although some prefer longer graphite “crankbait stick,” I personally prefer 7′-7.5″ fiberglass rods that is rated 8-20#. The Ideal “Surf Cranking” Rod
2. Reel: A slow and steady retrieve will get bit more frequently than any other type of retrieve when using hardbaits. A slower 5:1 gear ratio baitcasting reel will help maintain a slow/steady/consistent retrieve. Halibut have very soft skin around the head (top and bottom) and are often foul hooked along this area. A slower reel will often times prevent an angler from over-working a fish and causing the hooks to rip through the skin. The Ideal “Surf Cranking” Reel
3. Line: It often depends when and where I intend to fish to determine which line will be spooled on my reel. Understanding the characteristics of each line will help you decide when and where to use: braided line (spectra), fluorocarbon, copolymer and monofilament. An overall great line is a high quality 10-15# test copolymer fishing line. When fishing in areas where rocks or other abrasive materials may be present, I will not hesitate to fish with 40-50# braided line. Why such a strong line? Although the strength of braided line is important, I am more concerned about the diameter of the line. Fine braided line can cut fingers, digs into the spool and cause backlashes. If you do not properly tie a knot that is suitable for braided line, the line will “slip” and cause in a loss of a lure and fish. I suggest using a Uni or San Diego Jam Knot for braid.

Why are Lucky Craft hardbaits so effective?

Before the introduction of targeting halibut with hard jerk baits, the most common method in which halibut were targeted was by casting and winding spoons such as Kastmasters and Krocodiles and saltwater swim baits such as Fish Traps and Big Hammers. There is nothing wrong with these two methods and there are conditons that calls for these deeper swimming lures but, I’ve found I’ve consistently caught more and larger fish with hard jerk baits in waters ranging from 1′-10′ of water (which will cover most surf fishing conditions).

Why do hard jerk baits catch more halibut in the shallows of a surf environment? Well, let’s first briefly discuss the feeding habits of a halibut.

As we know halibut lay flat on the bottom of the water column and patiently waits for prey to swim close enough for them to attack. Although juvenile halibut has one eye on each side of their body, as a halibut matures, the eyes will move towards the topside of its body. For this reason, I strongly believe halibut are constantly looking up rather than looking towards their sides for unsuspecting prey. Although halibut will occasionally “pick up” prey off the bottom, majority of the attacks will be engaged above their heads.

Halibut also prefer slowly moving targets. Knowing these feeding traits of a halibut, I began searching for a lure that would suspend above the bottom, move slowly and create enough movement to trigger a bite. Although spoons and swim baits can be worked above the bottom in the shallow water columns of the surf, spoons and swim baits can’t be worked nearly as slow as suspending hard jerk baits.

I’ve first hand witnessed (while fishing off a jetty with an aerial view) halibut slowly rise off the bottom and slowly swim behind my jerk bait. It looked as if the halibut was more curious rather than hungry. Instead of making any erratic movement of my jerk bait, I continued to retrieve my lure with the same pace and just before the last 10 feet before the jerk bait reached the jetty; the halibut completely engulfed the jerk bait. During this week, I was able to fish five consecutive days and land over 40 legal halibut and countless shorts. The majority of the legal fish that were caught this particular week reacted in the same curious manner and struck the jerk bait just before it reached the jetty. It was an experience I will never forget.

Observing those halibut rise off the bottom and slowly chase down the jerk bait only to strike just before it reached the jetty made me consider if the halibut only struck my lure simply because it felt the lure was getting away or the lure would soon be in an area where the halibut felt uncomfortable. This explains why so many of the halibut I’ve caught were hooked in the last 5 feet of my retrieve. With this said, I strongly encourage anglers to finish off their retrieves completely.

Which Lucky Craft?

The hardbait technique has gained immense popularity in a short period of time. Why? Because it flat out catches big fish consistently! Don’t be fooled! There are many anglers out there who may suggest that cheaper lures such as a Rapala X-Rap or Daiwa DB Minnows are just as or even more effective than a Lucky Craft hardbait. I suggest you ask these people how much experience they have with this technique and to back their words with some pictures of their catch!

Raymond Tak from Fishing 25 is a specialist when it comes to locating hard to find Japanese made bass fishing lures. With his tackle knowledge and my saltwater background, we began experimenting with virtually ever hardbait on the market - ranging from $5 Smithwick Rogues to $30 Mega Bass Ito 110s. During our tests, we both came to the conclusion that Lucky Craft hardbaits is far superior when it comes to construction quality, casting distance, casting into the wind, the suspend rate, and most importantly the ability to catch fish. When deciding on purchasing a hardbait, ask yourself if you want to save a few bucks by purchasing an unproven lure or purchase a Lucky Craft hardbait that is responsible for 200+ legal halibut in a single year (by a single angler), responsible for other impressive catch such as large corbina, calico bass, white sea bass, leopard sharks, striped bass and even coho salmon!

The Lucky Craft Flash Minnow 110 is by far the most popular hardbait in the surf. However, there are times when lures such as the Pointer 110, Pointer 128, Flash Minnow 130 and Slender Pointer 97 is better suited depending on fishing location and condition. To get a better understanding on Lucky Craft hardbaits, please read: Surf Fishing with Lucky Craft Hardbaits.

Which Colors?

Virtually any color in the Lucky Craft lineup will catch fish (freshwater or saltwater versions). Here are some color guidelines to consider:

Clear Water/ Sunny

• Metallic Sardine
• Baitfish Silver
• Salty Chrome
• Aurora Black
• MS American Shad
• MS MJ Herring
• Bluefin Tuna

Stained Water/Sunny

• Aurora Mackerel
• Nishiski
• Aurora Gold
• Chartreuse Shad
• Zebra Sardine

Clear/Stained Water- Cloudy or Early a.m.

• Aurora Black

Presentation

As suggested earlier, a slow and steady retrieve seems to work best throughout the year. Because these Lucky Craft hardbaits were designed to suspend, you can often determine the diving/swimming depth by sweeping your rod after the initial cast, raising your rod tip high or low, and using different types of lines (e.g. fluorocarbon for added depth, copolymer or braid for less depth). For instance, let’s say we were fishing in an area where the water volume is at 6′ and the halibut wanted the lure 2′ off the bottom. We can use a deeper diving lure such as a Pointer 100 but often times you will find that the halibut will prefer the action of a Flash Minnow 110. In this type of situation, I would use 10-12# flourocarbon line. The sinking characteristic in conjunction with the fine diameter will cause your lure to dive and stay deeper during.

Timing your cast is important. Majority of the bites will come during the flat surface water period after a set of waves break. For this reason, I will make it a habit to cast just as the set is breaking so that my lure will swim at the most opportune time. If you are not getting bit, you will often have to find the fish by locating both baitfish and structure such as a trough or scattered rocks. As effective as Lucky Craft hardbaits are, they will do you no good if are fishing in “empty” waters.

Setting the Hook / Fighting / Landing

You are slowly winding in your lure and all of a sudden you feel a violent bite that makes your heart skip a beat. What do you do? Instead of jerking or snapping your rod back as with other styles of fishing, I strongly encourage you to: turn the handle of your reel as fast as possible and once you feel the weight of the fish, horizontally sweep your rod in a side-way motion. If the fish is larger, you will feel the fish pull back quite hard. Immediately back off the drag just enough so that line comes off freely off the spool yet enough drag so that your rod is “loaded” up (bent). Once the first run of the fish stops, tighten the drag slightly and begin fighting the fish.

When it is time to “beach” the fish, you will have to pull in harmony with the surf’s break (force). If you fail to beach the fish completely, immediately back off the drag and allow for the receding water to “suck” your fish back to the main body of water (if there is too much resistance, the hook will come loose or your line will break).

* Articles to follow will help you find and catch more halibut. Stay tuned!

• Reading the water
• Barometric Pressure
• How to decide which beach to fish and when
• Dropshotting for halibut