The Unthinkable Just Happened: Huge Halibut Caught From the Beach!

Winter is always a slow season for surf anglers across the nation. But, the potential for a once in a lifetime fish is always there. This past week, the unthinkable happened as I was out for a causal winter session targeting perch and halibut.

Conditions

The tide was outgoing to a low of 1.6 feet at 8:16 am. From there, it was rising to a high of 2.8 feet at 1:50 pm. Surf height was a predicted 2-3 feet and I’d call it accurate with the occasional 4-footer. The current was relatively mild with an average southern pull and it was cold.

The water temp was listed at 57-59 degrees Fahrenheit and lucky for us, the skies were clear so the sun warmed things up pretty early on. The one downside to the conditions… seaweed. I’d call it moderate, but by the looks of the shoreline, we were lucky it wasn’t heavy/unfishable.

A Slow Start

We began fishing at about 6:10 am and I started on the Lucky Craft. For the next hour or so, we both (Kyle and I) fished LC’s with no success. The weeds were okay and we could get some clean runs, but literally no action. As I worked my way up the beach, casting along the way, I saw a couple fish break the water surface. One was fully out of the water, and to me, it looked like a smelt. Nothing exciting, but if a fisherman sees a fish jumping out of the water, you can bet he/she will be casting in that area at least a couple times.

I casted, but nothing. After I convinced myself that whatever fish I saw was gone, I turned to my instincts. About a hundred yards north of me, I spotted some structure out a little deeper. I made my way over and got set to try my luck. Casted once on the left edge, casted again a little closer to the center, and then once more in the center. Each cast was placed far beyond the trough, and I’d work my lure in and over it.

Stuck on a Rock

On that third cast, something interesting happened. I knew there were rocks at the beach I was fishing, but I was almost certain there weren’t any where I was casting. Just before my lure crossed over the trough, ‘thump’… I’m stuck. It felt like I ran my lure into a weed or barnacle-covered rock, only, when I applied mild and steady pressure, I felt a subtle head shake.

Just as I felt the head shake, he took off! Drag begins to tick amd line eeks off the reel as he swims side-to-side! One run, a little bit of a rest, another run, another rest, and one more run. This run was the biggest and most powerful of the three. The first two runs convinced me I had a halibut, and I was fairly certain it was of the legal mark. But, it didn’t feel huge. I mean, it felt like a 24-incher or so but nothing outrageous. That was until this last run.

Seeing Without Believing

Just before it takes off for the third run, I see what looks to be a brown tail the size of my head flop out of the water. My stomach immediately drops and my heart begins to pound. It’s at this moment when I realize the nature of the beast in which I hooked into. It’s also at this moment when I realize my drag is set too tight.

I take my left hand off the reel to adjust the drag setting but the adrenaline is literally too much for me to function properly. Something within me just wouldn’t let me turn the drag-knob and my hand immediately found its way back to the reel-handle. As the tail re-enters the water, the fish commits to it’s third and final run. Instead of adjusting my drag, I’m forced to chase the fish as it still takes line like my drag is set normally.

I manage to match the power of the fish (well enough) with my chasing and I feel it’s head turn. This is my chance.

An Attempt to Beach It

[It’s funny. The fight is what every fishermen looks forward to and looks back upon. But, in the moment, we want so badly for it be over as quickly as possible for fear of another lost fish. This thought crossed my mind as I had an opportunity to attempt a beaching. But a thought is all it was. After seeing the tail, if this fight lasted any longer, either my heart was going to explode, or my stomach was going to turn upside-down.]

I took the opportunity and gently directed the fish to the shoreline. He seemingly accepted the gesture and followed me all the way back to the sand… Then he began flopping around. There’s something about halibut when you play the fight lightly. If you turn them subtly and bring them in with the current, they’ll almost let you beach them. Whether it’s that they’re so comfortable in such shallow water, given their anatomy, or something else, it’s worth noting. At the same time, you know they have more energy so one wrong move could result in a thrown hook or worse, a snap.

Halibut Surf Fishing
California Halibut Caught From Shore: 31.5-inches | 11-pounds

Letting It Set In

After it was on the sand, I placed my hand on it’s tail, grabbed it and the adrenaline just kept flowing. I must have looked so stupid running 200 yards down the beach back to Kyle with a doormat in one hand, my rod and reel in the other, and the dumbest, most exuberant and content smile on my face. But hey, who wouldn’t?

I made it back to our stuff and we got the measurement. He taped in at 31.5-inches and weighed in at 11-pounds. By far my personal best halibut and another fish I simply won’t ever forget.

Biggest California Halibut Caught From Surf
Caught on a Lucky Craft Flash Minnow 110- Zebra Sardine

Gear and Tackle I Recommend

Note: for lures, it’s just tied directly to your main line and that’s it.

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