60lb/15lb Halibut Limit - Let's Discuss

[trophywife]

Hmmm well i have used circle hooks for quite a number of years and found only a small percentage of fish get throat hooked because the turned in point is less likely to grab. If you offset the point and open the gap on the circle then you can have more of a problem with throat hooking. Anything is better than a J hoook which will result in a high % of gullet hookings. The only time we were allowed to bring in a fish over 100# at the outpost was when they were mortally hooked. I think I brought in one fish each year that was gut hooked. All I ever do when setting the hooks with a circle is hold the rod maybe freespool the fish as it takes off with the bait, engage the drag and start reeling. I'm not sure what your doing to get all the gut hooks with the circles. Hey blair I cant remember did we fish circles for halis when you came up to the big time swell in 2006 or 2007?

we caught an 83 lb on salmon gear, pluggin in 30' i think 06, coughbrokenshaftcough !!remember being towed in with a smile?. i had a nap and another guy brought in a 123lb!!! other than that at big time it was jigs and large circles with meat.

 

[Hindsight]

I agree, works for me and I'll take sh-- also..

Ok well I guess I’ll throw my opinion into the mix here….

1. In terms of the yearly quota I am 100% on board, seriously who needs more than that a year?

2. Season length - It seems like the super long season will only service a few people who live close to where the halibut live. I hate to point fingers but this is the WCVI and Victoria guys/girls. I would much rather see a May to Sept opening as this is the time of the year when most Canadians will access the fishery. (pretty sure I’ll catch some heat for that one).

3. Slot limit and size restrictions – If a slot limit was to be employed then I truly believe that an UPPER slot limit is appropriate. However I do not believe that this 60# limit is good enough. I would like to see it be somewhere in the 100# area. I do not want to see a lower slot limit. The one major problem with the slot limit is releasing large halibut ie greater than 50# can be a little bit challenging. First off being able to determine a halibuts overall length in rough ocean conditions is hard. On a big fish you are going to be plus or minus 3” with an over the side of the boat measurement. So you kill this fish that looks under the slot in the water and then when you get it aboard you get a real accurate measurement and **** you are 1” over……what to do now? Deep six it?

I used to guide at the Outpost which is part of the West Coast Fishing Club, located on the west side of the Gwaii just 8 miles north of Hippa Island. I am pretty sure this is the BEST location on the BC coast to catch huge halibut……LOTS of them,, like multiple fish over 100# on a tide. In 2010 we implemented a 100#+ release rule. There was no budging on this from a management side, if it looked over 100 it was going back………no discussion. During the 2010 and 2011 there were probably a 200 halibut over 100# shaken by 6 guides. It was the right thing to do but man it is hard and can be dangerous if you don’t want to leave the hook in them. Over those two seasons I got really good at eyeballing fish size and letting them go but this was seeing lots of fish and fishing every day. So where am I going with all this? The average joe is going to have a hard time determining if a fish is going to be within the slot limit for the 60#+ limit. Fish of that size cannot be handled like a ping pong paddle 15#.

4. Final thoughts – I think we would get the most bang for our buck with a shorter season and 1/day 2 possession with a total of 6 for the season. I think trying to get people to grade halibut on the ocean is a bad call especially with the larger animals. I for one will continue to shake fish over 100# weather it is law or not.

 

[GLG]

Come on Area 14 is not going to save the halibut fishery as much we would all like to. Let alone change much of any thing the DFO wants to do. So attacking each other about it won't solve it either. But if there was something we could fight, there are many members on this board and rec. fishermen that I think could help make a difference in other ways then the SFAB. That is my opinion.

Total agree with you on this one,
And for the record I counted the sign in sheet for the numbers and yes I included the members of the SFAC board.

 

[chris73]

I feel MOST sports fishermen will have no problem with 6 halibut per season.
The over 60 pound release policy will be tough if not impossible if you want to release and expect survival when your bait is 10" down the gullet....but hopefully it will mean the end to big halibut derbies targeting the biggest of halibut, as they are the female spawners!!!!
The problem is the number of halibut fishermen has increased so drastically in the last 10 to 20 years, something must be done!
Even if they increased the sport quota by 10 to 20%, their would still be too much pressure on the stock on the West Coast of VI thru to Sidney, given the number of guides and sports fishermen on the water.

Too much pressure by the rec sector? What are you smoking, dude? Area2B is in great shape and the rec sector takes tiny 15% and you honestly want to sell us your tale about pressure? Go in shame and spout off your commie slogans somewhere else. I tell you what MUST be done and that is slipper skippers stripped off their quota to be handed back to the public.

 

[Red Monster]

I agree entirely with mikep's four points. He nailed it.

I was going to book a hali charter, but now I'm not so sure I want to. Just sayin'.

 

[newfie boy]

Now were talking Chris.A little passion is so nice to see. The gifting of a Canadian resourse is the real problem especially when most of that resourse is shipped elsewhere.It is criminal and until that is resolved we will continue to beg for the crumbs and roll over and accept them. One unified front from all factions to reverse that travesity is the only thing that will really make a difference. Keep up the fight.

 

[blink2u4i]

"to much pressure by the REC sector" are the words Jimmy P and the slipper skip lobbiests whisper in the ears of senior DFO and Federal polititians,as they grease their palms,and wine and dine!How do ya fight that!not by verbally beating up local SFAC volunteers,a bigger voice in Ottawa,a better lobbiest for the rec sector is the only way to salvage the rec fishery by getting a better cut of the TAC!just my thoughts

 

[phishbonk]

Too much pressure by the rec sector? What are you smoking, dude? Area2B is in great shape and the rec sector takes tiny 15% and you honestly want to sell us your tale about pressure? Go in shame and spout off your commie slogans somewhere else. I tell you what MUST be done and that is slipper skippers stripped off their quota to be handed back to the public.[/QUOTE What about the guys that in good faith played by the rules and invested their whole life into the halibut fishery cae it wasn't missmanaged by DFO just to find out that they can expropriate yor investment at will.Give me bck my invement of 2.3 mill of which i still have payments and i will gladly buy a few boats and go to the oth side.just sayin.

 

[scott craven]

"What about the guys that in good faith played by the rules and invested their whole life into the halibut fishery cae it wasn't missmanaged by DFO just to find out that they can expropriate yor investment at will.Give me bck my invement of 2.3 mill of which i still have payments and i will gladly buy a few boats and go to the oth side.just sayin. "

You won't get a whole lot of support here, remember this is a "SPORT FISHING" forum!

 

[GDW]

.[/QUOTE What about the guys that in good faith played by the rules and invested their whole life into the halibut fishery cae it wasn't missmanaged by DFO just to find out that they can expropriate yor investment at will.Give me bck my invement of 2.3 mill of which i still have payments and i will gladly buy a few boats and go to the oth side.just sayin.[/QUOTE]

Many guys in good faith have put everything into rec fishing too - as a job - as a hobby - as a passion.

But for your case when you make an investment there is risk. If you invested 2.3 mil in a bad stock and now they crash nobody would think the government owed you a dime. What's the difference here? Maybe you made a bad investment - sorry about that pick better next time you've got 2.3 mil to play with.

 

[richmake]

I remember when the first slot limit was talked about last year and all I heard was based on the research info with regards to size, 83cm was the choice.
It wasn't just a size we picked to stay under a cap, but also was a size restriction that worked to prevent a large impact to the overall biomass.
I want to see the science/study that reflects the impact of this new rule.
Seems absolutely criminal that DFO can accept a rule of max size when we all know that it has nothing to do with concervation and future impact to a resource.
It's like saying that there is so much halibut out there that it doesn't matter how many fish we kill getting to a number that was chosen by a retarded system.
A max size limit has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard.
Ethically you allow two user groups (aboriginal and commercial the opportunity to harvest a larger fish but the tax paying guys/girls across Canada get screwed again.

 

[chris73]

What bothers me with this max size is that it takes an important thrill away from sportfishing. Despite what some may think or say, it is for many the opportunity to maybe catch the fish of a life time on that day that makes them get up before sunrise and jeopardize their marriages. We all like to hook into one of these monsters one day. I have never caught any fish over 100# and this new rule really spoils my motivation. Of all the sporties on this coast, or in the world for that matter, how few have ever caught an over 100# hali? Very few. But when you talk to fishermen over a beer, the topics are not how delicious the 30# last month was but how exciting and thrilling it was or were to hunt down the big one, to trick it into biting and then defeat it with gear and muscle. That's what we talk about at the bar. And even if this only remains talk and dreams for most, the little chance of experiencing this feeling maybe some day ourselves keeps us going and hoping. Would you buy a fishing magazine that shows only average fish? Why do tourists come from all over the world here - to catch average fish? To take home meat? I don't think so. They dream about a fish of a lifetime. And you know what, many would release - if possible - a large fish anyways - because what's a tourist going to do with a 200# fish? But imposing this max size pretty much eliminates the opportunity because very few will try for a large fish that may be fatally hooked and can't be released to live. And rightfully any ethical guide and lodge will not take this chance. This rule will indeed turn this once exciting fishery into a meaningless meat hunt for average fish - that it never was for most. And that is sad because this fishery was so much more than just a meat hunt.

 

[tofinofish]

Ethically you allow two user groups (aboriginal and commercial the opportunity to harvest a larger fish but the tax paying guys/girls across Canada get screwed again.

There are obviously some pros and cons to the new proposed regs, but I agree with the comment above, which is very hard to chew on....

 

[mikep]

Yup you defiantly have to kill the trophy for it to count. Its all about the grip and grin at the scale then cut it into small portions for the freezer. I do agree that it sucks the commercial guys get to kill any size they want but that being said many commercial guys will release fish over 150#. I have talked to lots of them and seen lots of big halibut that have been shaken from the gear.

 

[bcboy]

With the new yearly possession of 6 and the max size of 60lbs is DFO doing away with the experimental licence( for leasing commercial quota) as part of the changes for 2013?

 

[Fish Assassin]

With the new yearly possession of 6 and the max size of 60lbs is DFO doing away with the experimental licence( for leasing commercial quota) as part of the changes for 2013?

Ya right.... Thanks for the morning laugh

 

[steel_dreamin]

everyone on here is writing like the 60lb limit has been passed... not so.

 

[mikep]

I sure as hell hope the 60# rule has not been passed......that would be a joke.....75# fish taste great too....

 

[Last Chance]

Look at the A, B, C, D,-- those are the options.. Sorry, I dont know how to get the table with this info to post in a more readable form.

Thank you for posting that. Now we saw what our options were.

 

[GDW]

The funny thing is with all the big fish released BC might actually one day be the place to come catch a fish of a lifetime, you just can't keep it. It's not all bad 60# seems low but read the proposal they considered as low as 40#!

I wish all salmon over 30 had to be released if that was done going back decades imagine how good the fishing could be. Of course it's all for nothing if the natives just take those big fish from the river.

It's too bad it's so hard (impossible) to get a good picture with a 150# halibut your about to release. If you could get some good pictures beside it to help you brag I think it would be easier to handle. From reading this people are not upset about the lost meat they are upset about the missing trophy. It's all about greed (me included). It's about greed for the tourists who choose to go to Alaska too because they can't keep big ones here. It's the fishermen way we always want to catch the biggest most powerful fish out there no matter the cost.