Fun Day with Halibut

[Hardy Boy]

One of my charter buddies was doing some more guide training so I got to tag along. Nice day. Started off trolling up a nice 15 lb spring and then off to anchor for halibut in 90 feet of water. I had good luck with Jurlometer (Daves) flat fall he sent me. It was rigged as pictured and then tipped with a small piece of  salmon skin. It produced two halibut in less than 40 mins and then tragedy struck and I lost it !!, I them put on my octo style jig and caught a 100 lber that had to be released as its over our max size limit. Here are the three we kept: 46, 39 and 35 lbs. Flat calm water, nice day to skip out on work

Cheers:

Todd

[steelfish]

nice, pretty nice halibut

really cool to read that you have to release a halibut heavier than 100#, I wish Baja had something alike for the local groupers

[Gobi King]

Nice!

[Gfish]

Great pictures! I'd be tempted to frame onea those. Where's the Springer?
Very nice jig from Dave. Wondering how to make some of those...

[Hardy Boy]

I'll wait for a bigger prettier spring. Started to drink beer and forgot the picture taking !!


Cheers:

Todd

[El Pescador]

Todd and/or Dave,

A couple of questions from a budding BUTT fisherman, thank you Gary-the-BUTT-man!!!

- How long is the lure in inches?

- What is the approx. weight of the lure?

- What size of J Hook do you have attached to the lure?

- Is the lure flat or does it have a slight bend from top to bottom???  Inquiring minds...

- I had another question, BUTT can't remember what it was!!!!

TANKS,


Wayne

[Hardy Boy]

Dave can answer but it is a copy of the shimano flat fall 10 oz. That was a 10/0 mustad siwash hook. The trick to getting it down to the bottom quickly was to drop under tension otherwise it flutters and sinks slowly. Thanks to Mark T for that tip. I only ever tip my jigs with little strip of skin (0.5 x 1.5 inch) that I save when I skin fillets. You don't need more than that or you wreck the action of the jig.


Cheers:

todd

[jurelometer]

Todd pretty much covered it.

This is a typical flatfall.  I took dimensions off a Shimano butterfly and then drew one up from scratch, 3D printed  a mold master, poured a mold out out of silicone, printed a wire bender,  messed with the alloy to get the right density and hardness, yada yada yada.   This was just an exercise for me to see if I could make a lure to an exact set  of specifications.   All my other jigs are original designs ( well, as original as any jig design can be    ).  If you want the same jig, just buy the 300g Shimano butterfly,  but any of the clones out ther should be pretty similar.

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with flatfalls.  The have little to no action on the lift, doing all the magic when fluttering down on the drop, so they are a bit passive to fish.  And they don't sink very fast - so they would not be my first choice fishing deep halibut in a strong current.   But they are deadly on suspended fish. 

If you look at videos of fish attacking a bait ball, one or two  will take passes through the bait school, but most will be hanging out underneath, and any stragglers/wounded baits get picked off.  The flatfalls work perfect in this scenario, fluttering down into the zone.   

You can be a bit lazy working a flatfall and still do well.  Let it drop, wind up a bit at whatever speed, have a beer,  let it drop again. If it stops dropping you either hit bottom or got bit.  Put down the beer and start winding.    The cardio workout that some folks go through on some other styles of vertical jigging  is somewhere between tragic and comical.

I am not a halibut guy, but for other types of bottom fishing,  the flatfall is mostly relegated to slack tide vertical jigging.  Flatfalls are a great starter jig for folks that are new to jigging, as  long as the jigs can reach the fish.

Regarding Gfish's question:   True flat falls are pretty thin and flat, so you shouldn't  use  pure soft lead, making them  a bit trickier to pour than your typical home cast jig.  All of  comercially available molds that I have seen don't make true flatfalls (more like fatfalls ).   Flatfall jigs are totally doable as a home project, but it takes more commitment than other jig styles.


If you like throwing or trolling jigs, flatfalls are not so useful.  In this case I would suggest playing with tin to make casting and trolling jigs.    It has a density close to the zinc alloys used for the deep SoCal irons.  It melts at low temps, pours really well, is non-toxic, and has a natural luster - not too shiny, just right IMHO.  If you are good at scrounging yard sales and thrift shops, you can find cheap  pewter (a tin alloy) ware and melt it up. Tin jigs are a big tradition on the US East Coast, but not so much elsewhere.  My favorite Baja jigs nowadays are SoCal  style irons made from tin.

-J

[jurelometer]

So Todd,

If this was guide training, did you  tell a long boring story about the biggest fish you ever caught, make a giant backlash right after the guide just undid a medium sized backlash, almost fall out of the boat while throwing up mostly over the rail,  and then tell the same story about the biggest fish that you ever caught on the ride back in?

Gotta make sure that this guy knows what he is in for.

-J

[Hardy Boy]

He is only new to guiding in this area. But those are all good guide training tips. Don't forget the stupid questions and giving advice about fishing in an area you know nothing about ......... thats guiding !!


Cheers:

Todd

[jurelometer]

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with flatfalls.  The have little to no action on the lift, doing all the magic when fluttering down on the drop, so they are a bit passive to fish.

I should correct myself here.  Flatfalls can be worked in an active style with a a mix of lifts and winds interspersed with drops of various lengths.  Repeating magic incantations is supposed to help, and also make sure that you are wearing the proper slow-pitch gloves, hat, and underwear  These jigs still work pretty well with just a long wind and a drop.  Folks that are more deeply into vertical jigging swear by finding the magic mix of shorter lift/wind/drop combos to turn the bite on, and they probably have a point... to a point   As fishing depth and current/line scope increases, the less effect the more minor actions will have on lure movement.

-J

[jurelometer]

He is only new to guiding in this area. But those are all good guide training tips. Don't forget the stupid questions and giving advice about fishing in an area you know nothing about ......... thats guiding !!


Cheers:

Todd

Ooh, I and I forgot the best agrro customer comment of all.  "How come that other boat over there caught one already?  I haven't gotten a bite yet!" 

Nice halibut BTW,  I am jealous.

[Tiddlerbasher]

Those look like some of the Butt man's babies

[Hardy Boy]

There was one over 5 feet long,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, butt we cant keep those here. Give me a 40 to 60 lber any day for the best eating and a decent fight. Lots of guys prefer a 20 lber for the table.


Cheers:

Todd

[Bill B]

Good report brother.....good to see you getting out fishing....Bill