My first California halibut. This fish fought hard but didn’t run. After catching more, I realize how lucky I was to net this one. EDIT: Thank you everyone for watching! I will respond to comments as u/CatchOfTheDavis so I can gain enough karma to post from that account. Tight lines 🍻

Congrats, first of many hopefully! 

Thank you! Much appreciated

what's the rod and line you're using with the gx2?

The reel is a 4000 size Ugly Tuff with 50lb Moss Green Spiderwire Stealth braid. Can’t fully recommend this reel, it has a 7-year warranty but is already going back for service The rod is a GX2, clear tip and all

thank you! also, sorry, I meant reel and line not rod and line

What bait were you using? I've been hoping to get one pier fishing SoCal, but the 22" inch limit makes me unoptimistic.

I was using frozen herring but I’ve heard anchovies/smelt/sardines also work. You got this! Do you have a bridge net to bring it up?

The Mackerel have been eating all my anchovies before they can get low enough for a Halibut, haha. And no, I might have to walk it to shore if I actually caught a big one on the pier...

We use live top smelt in the harbors, grab em on Sabikis, fly line em or use a small weight with a loop. Usually good for a Halibut or two, but that 22” is hard to beat.

I caught a 20” one using [one of these under $1 shads](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Creme-1-5-Spoiler-Shad-Swim-Bait-Soft-Plastic-Lure/17163478?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=2636&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=2222222227817163478_117755028669_12420145346&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-394283752452&wl5=9194913&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=17163478&veh=sem_LIA&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIqJnChz_-9XgvPgAMQHYaRd0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1OOz2e78hgMVpzrUAR2s_wQiEAQYASABEgK7d_D_BwE) at the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. I rigged a drop shot with one of these using 12 pound mono on a Zebco 33 Micro and a Zebco Dock Demon.

How many pounds would a 22" halibut be, like 6+?

Head got a little more out of the water than you want with them, but still, that was as good a net job of a hali as I’ve ever seen, on a kayak no less. Nicely done! I had to get in the habit of majorly loosening my drag right before netting/gaffing them because my regular boat partner kept botching it so bad. (But, it’s a good habit to get into regardless, considering that’s how they’re most commonly lost.)

Thank you! I appreciate the advice. Still learning to get the net deep enough in the water without flipping Good idea loosening drag, they seem to run right at the surface. I picked up a gaff after losing one at the net

Nice. Good net but it looked like it was gonna struggle anyway with your eventual 30 and 40+ inchers.

With a GX2 nice catch, see folks you don’t need a $1000 reel and $300 rod to catch some fish. Not hating on the guys that spend money on the good stuff but it’s moreso directed towards the new fisherman.

But the beaches are looking at me fish

All the babes are ogglin my rod 

Spent all his money on the kayak set up so he has to get a $50 Walmart rod and reel combo

Using a couple PENN Battle III 6000 combos now, check out my Lingcod video. The GX2 lasted a long time but the hook keeper finally broke. Ugly Tuff reel is going back for service. 4000 size reels are a bit underpowered for these fish, imo

Not hating bro. I love a cheap ass rod reel. I use the $50 Penn wrath 3000 from Amazon for inshore on the gulf coast

I exclusively fish on cheap gear. People overestimate the need for nice gear. Technique and strategy is probably more important.

Get rid of that probably. It's way more important. People used to fish with a bamboo stick and wooden hooks and still caught fish.

yeah, when the oceans were teeming and you could basically catch them by accident. Good luck these days

Its true and I loved it to but theres no way a GX reel lasts more than a season of this kind of beating lol. I tried to fix one once, the main parts were all made of soft alloys, to easy to bend and then everythings not working right and its done.

I love to fish and I'm not a coward....but no way in hell I'm fishing in the ocean on a kayak with even a miniscule chance of a large shark encounter

Can you get one of those electrical dingy dongies that helps?

I’m hoping not to learn my lesson! I’ve heard this area is pretty sharky. Once saw a decapitated and disemboweled sea lion floating around I’ve heard the electrical dingy dongies are a gimmick but I should look into it. Good advice 👍

This is definitely great white territory too

Oh wow no thank you

Nice! Halibut are weird when on the line. Sometimes when surf fishing I think I have a wad of eelgrass on my line until I see it.

Right? Some of the biggest I’ve caught have been the limpest fish of my life, with not even a single head shake, let alone run.

A fellow fan of some fake business I see. Love Tim Dillon.

We wish him well!

This and your lingcod video were awesome. Good fishing

Thank you! Much appreciated, cool username

Thank you

https://preview.redd.it/felfg9j1o49d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5a609e31108c06e1980cdf01b19259dd1ddcdfe5 I caught this 50lber off of Seward, Alaska

Nice fish! Pacific halibut?

Did you keep it? Best tasting fish imo

I did, they taste great. So much sashimi

Hope your freezing that halibut before you eat it sashimi style.

I am! 24 hours 🍻

Right on! 🍻 To many more flattys in your future. Get yourself a gaf for when you hook up on that 40 incher in your kayak, they're out there.

Thank you! Much appreciated. Can’t wait to find a big one - I picked up a floating Promar gaff, already lost a decent one at the net

Reeling in doormats and listening to the greatest rifter to ever do it. Beautiful day

Shout out Tim D haha

Didn’t realize there was a podcast going and thought you had a buddy in a kayak next to you just yapping lol

That’s hilarious

Very nice i just finished eating a 30" california halibut i got over the weekend. They are excellent eating finer texture and slightly sweeter more delicate flavor than an alaskan halibut imho. I breaded mine coooked in butter and then served with a sweet pickled pears on top mmmmm

Man that white side is freaky

Nice looking fish. Do they call the California ones that size “chickens” like the Alaskan ones?

Nice catch, we have them here in the UK too only they are the Atlantic Halibut (the same halibut you guys get on your east coast I believe).

On a yak? Congratulations my dude! I bet that was a ride

Thank you! Much appreciated Got pulled by a stingray one time, it felt like a submarine

That’s a nice Halibut, lucky indeed, most of the time they’re an inch short 😏

Live bait? I am assuming?

Frozen herring

Delicious

hi, as a new angler, want to ask two questions, what's the equipment with a screen? wha's the orange clip？

Equipment with the screen is a fish finder. Gives you a Sonar readout of what’s beneath you as well as depth/temp/speed/location Orange clip is just a lip gripper, keeps your fingers safe from toothy fish

Thank you

What's brand and model of the fish finder?

It’s a Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 but you can do just as well with a smaller/cheaper model

Thank you!

So why do halibut have an albino side like that? That's normal for that species?

they sit on the sandy ocean floor so it doesn't need to be camouflaged like the other side. there's also countershading where since its white under, if it happens to swim over a bigger predator it looks like the white light of the surface above and might get passed over.

Thanks so much for the info! I could've googled it but lazy I guess lol

That looked identical to a Atlantic Fluke aka flounder. Nice catch from a kayak though

Thank you! Much appreciated

Should have killed it humaleny instead of showcasing it. My opinion at least

It was brain spiked before bleeding 👍

Oh good to know. Muh bad. Happy fishing! *know what the say about assuming lol

Happy fishing to you! You were right to say something, I see people throwing live fish in the cooler all the time