Marina Del Rey Anglers
Halibut Info

Here is our halibut fishing tips and info on this great sport fish. California Halibut are great dinner fair and a challenge to land. Finesse and skill help in hooking these predators of the sandy bottoms in and around Santa Monica Bay. Many Record Halibut have been caught in the local area. Some by MDRA members.

Marina Del Rey Anglers produces each year the
Marina Del Rey Halibut Derby

California Halibut

Our efforts to raise funds goes to two very worthy couses.

The MDRA members are active in Conservation. We even have a Fish Rearing Pen in Marina Del Rey. Currently we have been rearing baby White Seabass and restocking the native species. This is called Aquaculture.

Also learn about the
MDRA Youth Fishing Program.

These youth are the future fishermen that we are preserving the natural environment for. Someday they can go out and teach their children the wonders of the ocean as well.

33rd Annual MDR Halibut Derby

April 21 and 22 of 2007

Put it in your Calendar!
Get your boat and Tackle Ready!

go to www.HalibutDerby.com to
get your entry form and participate.

Past Derby Info at
Halibut Derby Results

California Halibut Records:

According to IGFA the top Halibut are... (as of the 2006 yearbook)

All Tackle Record 58 lb 9 oz Santa Rosa Island June 26 1999 Roger Borrell

2 lb line 22 lb 9 oz Santa Monica Bay June 6, 2004 Robert B. Young

4 lb line 34 lb 12 oz Santa Monica Bay Mar. 25, 2001 Pat Holmes

6 lb line 38 lb 7 oz Newport Beach Oct 25, 2003 Robert Tighe

8 lb line 42 lb Broad Beach Jan 1, 2004 Keith Denette

* 8 lb line (former record 2000 to 2005) 40 lb 9 oz Santa Monica Bay
MDRA Member:
Victor Jedlicka

12 lb line 52 lb 8 oz Morro Bay Nov. 9, 1993 Ken Scott

16 lb line 50 lb Santa Monica Bay Aug. 15 1996 John Bourget

20 lb line 53 lb 4 oz Santa Rosa Island July 7th 1988 Russell Harmon

30 lb line 58 lb 9 oz Santa Rosa Island June 26th 1999 Roger Borrell

50 lb line 57 lb 11 oz Santa Rosa Island June 6th 1999 William Akins

80 lb line 47 lb 7 oz Santa Rosa Island Oct. 28th 1998 Vincent Ridgeway

Women

2 lb line 18 lb 9 oz Santa Monica Bay March 18, 2000 Ms. Fariba Zand

4 lb line 24 lb 1 oz Newport Beach Aug. 11, 1999 Ms. Cheryl Duncan

6 lb line 38 lb 8 oz Coronado Islands July 8, 1995 Ms. Shirley Blackman

8 lb line 38 lb 0 oz Santa Cruse Island May 30, 1982 Ms. Kathy Smith

12 lb line 42 lb 14 oz Redondo Beach Jan. 28, 1998 Ms. Roberta Stotesbury

16 lb line 41 lb 0 oz Coronado Islands July 3, 1994 Ms. Shirley Blackman

20 lb line 42 lb 8 oz Huntington Flats July 25, 1985 Ms. Nancy Ogino

30 lb line 41 lb 0 oz Catalina Island June 26, 1988 Ms. Beverly Phillips

50 lb line 7 lb 13 oz Seal Rocks (San Fran.) July 17, 2005 Tamico Eslick

80 lb line 20 lb Carlsbad Jan 15th, 2000 April Wakeman

Junior - Male

M - Junior 36 lb Santa Monica April 2 2005 Ryan Lambert

M - Small fry 22 lb 12 oz Catalina Island Feb 8th, 1997 Charlie Albright

Junior - female

F - Junior 35 lb 12 oz Laguna Beach Dec 22, 1999 Jennifer Cullen

F - Small Fry 16 lb 14 oz San Diego Bay June 9, 2005 Reagan Marinelli

The Marina Del Rey Anglers annual Halibut Derby follows the IGFA mission of promoting the responsible and ethical angling practices. And recommend all sportsmen follow the IGFA's International Angling Rules as much as possible. See: www.IGFA.org

If you are researching Halibut in general also look for information
in places like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Halibut

So google up: Paralichthys californicus

Halibut Fishing Seminar:

Kit McNear - Halibut Fishing Tips

You should have been there for the full benefit of this excellent angler's bountiful tips and practical advice. But if you weren't there at the meeting here is an over view. With the information previously written on Kit's Tips 1999 you can gain a lot.

Prior Halibut Seminar with Kit.

To summarize the information:

Halibut are smart, aggressive fish. They are a top line predator that operates in stealth mode.
They have good eyes and are sensitive to the line diameter and color for your leader. Use Green or Blue for low visibility and thin diameter line like 8 to 12 lb test line.
Rig a sliding egg sinker with just enough weight to get to the bottom. Have as much feel as possible with the bait as you can. No one can say just when to set the hook but do let the fish run with the bait until you think he has the hook in his mouth. Remember its' mouth works sideways!
90% of the fish in the ocean are in 10% of the water. Near the structure on the sand. He talked about the various locations like Big Kelp Reef (BKR) and the north side of the pipeline just south of MDR.
Get ready to land the fish before it comes up to the surface. Do not pull its' head out of the water. So have your net and or gaff ready early. Before you even see the fish.
Need a drift to cover the water. A light wind is good. Put out a sea anchor to slow the drift on a middle cleat if the wind is to strong.

Here Kit shows three of his best halibut rigs.

Kit likes graphite or graphite composite rods that have a very sensitive tip so you can feel the bite.

Egg Sinker to a basic brass swivel with a 3 foot leader. All of the same line. This needs 3 very dependable knots like the Triline or the Palomar.

Good smooth drags are a must and you may want to set your drags a little looser than you would ordinarily set them for other fish. The rod tip should not jerk or bounce when the line is pulled off the reel.

See What we wrote last time at a
Prior Halibut Seminar by Kit McNear.

Good luck catching a big one in the Halibut Derby Learn more...