Fishing Articles

Fish On!

Catching Halibut in the Bay Halibut fishing in the summer months is a great way to escape the lake lice and enjoy catching some hard fighting, great tasting fish! Methods for catching Halibut in the bay include drifting live anchovies, herring, or sardines and Trolling live or frozen anchovies, herring, or sardines. A stinger hook setup is a must when trolling. 3 out of 4 fish are hooked by the stinger. I use a size 2 treble hook for a stinger and a 1/0 single hook. Hook the minnow through the nose with the single hook and let the stinger dangle behind the baits tail. Run 30 pound line to a 3 way swivel, 1 ft. dropper to a 10 oz. trolling weight, 3 ft leader to a chrome or green dodger, 2 ft. leader to your hooks. Troll slow at first letting your weight drag on the bottom all the time. Slowly pick up your speed to 2 mph if you're not picking up fish at 1.5 mph. I rarely troll for halibut over 3 mph but sometimes they like a faster presentation. Some good trolling spots- I like to start in the Berkley Flats because it's only a 5 minute run from the launch ramp at the Berkley Marina. find 20 ft. water and let em down. The south side of Alcatraz, west side of Treasure island, east of Candlestick park, south west side of Angel island, just north of the Golden Gate, paradise, south hampton shoals, are some of my favorite spots on the inside. You can drift live bait in any of these spots as well. Check the Fishing Regulations before you fish!