Halibut question

[LItoAK]

I have seen smaller halibut follow a hooked halibut up just below the surface. We have caught that following halibut too, usually about 20 to 30 ft down. My question is why are they following the hooked halibut? I have been thinking of bringing along a fly rod and setting it up just in case i run into that situation again. maybe i will get lucky.

[DRIFTER_016]

I have had lake trout do the same thing. They follow because a lot of the time the hooked fish puke up what they have been eating and the follower gets an easy meal. I have also had them try and steal the bait right out of the hooked fishes mouth.

[pike_palace]

We caught a small halibut this last summer and a big lingcod followed it all the way to the boat. We tried to gaff him but he stayed just out of reach

[profishguide]

Can't gaff any fish you might have let go!

Quote: "We caught a small halibut this last summer and a big lingcod followed it all the way to the boat. We tried to gaff him but he stayed just out of reach".

Good thing he got away as Gaffing a fish with a minmum size requirement is Illegal... Oops

[Paul H]

Yup, pukers. I was on a charter a few years back, and we had a good bite going on a chicken patch. At one point we had about 1/2 dozen unhooked buts circkling the hooked buts, and picking up the puked candle fish.

[DRIFTER_016]

You want to have fun when that happens, just grab a light rod and drop a 1/4" white jig down and hang on!!!!

[akriverrat]

i remember catching herring and filling 5 gallon buckets as a kid and when one herring got hooked the whole school got exited and started chasing the non occupied jigs on the string. even though i was only about eight i remebered thinking it was the irratic action that exited them. a herring jig consisited of 5 small flylike hooks tied to a single line with a bell sinker tied to the end. we would pull up mulitiples many times on a jig of this sort. it would take some doins to get one to bite sometimes but once we got one on and went crazy the others went crazy. they were not looking for herring puke :eek:. halibut are fairly stupid and i imagine if one jumped off a cliff then another would think there was a good reason for it. as for the ling cod it was apparent he was following a meal and not what the hooked fish puked up.

[akriverrat]

We caught a small halibut this last summer and a big lingcod followed it all the way to the boat. We tried to gaff him but he stayed just out of reach

drop a lead headed jig in front of him next time or give the caught fish some slack and let him take it. pretty common lings coming to the surface to pick up a meal.

[pike_palace]

drop a lead headed jig in front of him next time or give the caught fish some slack and let him take it. pretty common lings coming to the surface to pick up a meal.

In 1998 my dad was fishing out of Sitka for kings when a a ling hit their gear. It was a tiny one but as they reeled it up a bigger one was following it and then swam off so he free spooled the little one down a ways and jigged it to the surface. When it got about 3 feet from the surface the big one came up and clamped down on the little ones' head and my grandpa netted them both. The big one weighed 56#.

[HainesAKFisherman]

Thats a great story about the ling... I remember firshing for dolphin (the fish) in Florida and if you kept one hooked fish in the water the whole school would stay there right by your boat.

We caught a lot of fish that way and it was amazing how as soon as we pulled in 2 fish at once (leaving none in the water) the whole school disappeared. Its amazing what happens out in Blue water.

[FishSean]

>>>-------->

I have seen smaller halibut follow a hooked halibut up just below the surface. We have caught that following halibut too, usually about 20 to 30 ft down. My question is why are they following the hooked halibut? I have been thinking of bringing along a fly rod and setting it up just in case i run into that situation again. maybe i will get lucky.

"The baby sea kittens were trying to save their Mama!"

PETA

[SnagQueen]

*snort*
LOL

[ocnfish]

Ling followers

The lead headed jig with a white tail works great. Got these two that way, the ling were part of a school of rockfish and the ling would start chomping on the rocks that were on the line.