But, but, but, this isn't a cod. It's a halibut!

[trond_solem]

Fish hooked back from the head can not be turned so they can fight more effectively.  I watched a friend land a 160# yellowfin that was snagged in the side about 1/2 way back, and with a circle hook?  The captain thought he has a supper cow and chased the fish, something I had never seen done with a 105' boat.  The only foul hooked fish I've hooked were salmon and steelhead, I'd rather cut my line than mess with a foul hooked one, we can not keep snagged ones anyway.

Were you using Circle hooks or J hooks Trond?  I was told by a old Norsk commercial longliner friend in Alaska that C hooks were invented in Norway.

We can keep all fish above the minimum size, so we use big J hooks and triple hooks when fishing. If we set a line with 20-50 hooks and bait, we use circle hooks as they seem to work better for that application.

It did put up a fight. Even with the 9/0 reel it took 4 runs down to the bottom so fast that I got sprayed with salt water from the spool.
After the 4.th run, it was out of energy. The rest was quite easy.

The image shows the fish after I hauled it into the boat. You can see the pilker with the 6/0  triple hook in the back of the fish.

[Keta]

Looks like you were using iron.  How deep were you fishing?


Here's my go to butt rigs,



Home made butt iron in progress,

[Keta]

Nice Pacific butt caught on my 113HN Tank,  The guy in the middle is a retired by injury pro basketball player and Olympian and is over 7' tall.  I'm not even close to that tall, notice he's setting down, and even have to look up to Sal and Dominic.




My son and his first butt caught in the Graveyard of the Pacific, off of the Columbia River.  Ignore the red, it was to show where the glands are.

[trond_solem]

Looks like you were using iron.  How deep were you fishing?

The 400 gram pilker is actually cast lead. It's triangular with one side curved. This makes it dance when dropping down.
It's painted with fluo paint.
I used the 400 gram version of this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-4-SANGER-Norge-Pilker-Bergmann-fluo-250g-300g-400g-500g-/151625488726?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item234d955956


I use this for cod fishing. When I go for halibut, I use big fluo jigs.
I have several like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kinetic-Fishing-Giant-Jig-Head-450gram-SeaWaver-Lures-/181059911243?pt=UK_BOI_Packing_Postal_Supplies_Labels_LE&var=&hash=item2a2802fe4b

I was fishing in 70 meters (230 ft) deep water when I hooked the halibut. I am told that they often get halibuts there during winter - early spring.
During the summer they are often found at 10-30 meters depth around here.

[trond_solem]

Nice halibuts!
I hope to catch one like those this summer.

[Keta]

The 400 gram pilker is actually cast lead. It's triangular with one side curved. This makes it dance when dropping down.
It's painted with fluo paint.

We call them "iron" here no matter what they are made out of.

The butt come shallower here (Oregon) in the summer too but we fish 600'-800' (180m-240m) during the spring openings.  In Alaska we seldom fished deeper than 20 fathoms unless targeting large fish.  Is fathoms easier for you than our messed up messed up measuring system?  It is for me.

I plan on prospecting shallow water butt spots this summer by trolling over the flats between reefs.

I hope you are successful this summer.

[bluefish69]

I mostly fished 300Gr. - 9oz for Cod if the tide & drift was easy. I have fished up to 26oz Iron AkA Jigs when the tide is howling. My favorite Iron is the Soverkin [sorry I can't spell this name] they are S S  & made in Norway. I still have some 21oz Jigs here. There isn't any Cod even close to what was once was.

Mike

[Aiala]

My favorite Iron is the Soverkin [sorry I can't spell this name.]

Solvkroken Svenskepilk Rustfri Stainless Steel Cod Jig...  Yep, one awesome fish-catcher!   


~A~

[Keta]

The hook is in the wrong place....

[Alto Mare]

The hook is in the wrong place....

Not if you hold it in front of a mirror

[bluefish69]

Thanks Aiala for the spelling. I gave the Mate on the Brooklyn VI  2 of the longer 9oz Jigs they were going for Tuna. He said that they never hit bottom the Tuna were all over them. They have a nice flutter action.

Lee you can add another hook on top if you like.

Mike

[Keta]

I always cut the bottom hooks off and replace them with assist hooks.

[fIsHsTiiCkS]

Using Irons is something Im actually just getting into. The catch seems so much more gratifing on an iron then a live bait.

[trond_solem]

My favorite Iron is the Soverkin [sorry I can't spell this name.]

Solvkroken Svenskepilk Rustfri Stainless Steel Cod Jig...  Yep, one awesome fish-catcher!   


~A~

Svenskepilk is a real killer. Works for almost all fish in the ocean. It is also called Bergman pilker. Same thing.
I have them in blank as this one, with holographic patten, fluo, blue and yellow and so on.
In addition I have other shapes and colors.
I use a short (2 meters) mono line with two hooks before this iron. The hooks may be rubber occtopus, rubber worms, white feathers and so on.
Live bait isn't allowed here so we don't use that.

Octopus : http://www.ebay.com/itm/371221277971
These are cod killers: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Gummi-Makk-Meeresangeln-Meereskoder-Norwegen-Island-Behr-Beifanger-/380504126389

[fIsHsTiiCkS]

Octopus : http://www.ebay.com/itm/371221277971
These are cod killers: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Gummi-Makk-Meeresangeln-Meereskoder-Norwegen-Island-Behr-Beifanger-/380504126389

You attach that to the spoon/iron? Also, Trond is that handle on the 9/0 off the 2/0 I sent you?