Halibut Fishing in Homer Alaska

You don’t have to be an expert fisherman to have a great day catching halibut on the Winter King. We will walk you through the basics before fishing and coach you as you reel in that monster.

Halibut are the Rodney Dangerfields of the fish world, so ugly, they are beautiful. They can be found in either deep water or shallow kelp beds. One style of fishing may be more productive than the other, depending on the daily tides. Deep water fishing is best done during smaller tides, the halibut are usually plentiful and provide lots of action on deck. Larger tides favor shallow water fishing, where the fish tend to be larger, but not as numerous.

We jig for halibut using short, stiff rods with level wind reels spooled with 80 pound test line. Weight ranging from 6 ounces to 3 pounds is used to get the bait down close to the bottom, where the flatties lurk in waiting. Bait is usually a chunk of herring on a giant circle hook, but we also use salmon heads, octopus legs, or large jigs. Occasionally, we even get to fly fish for them! Get ready for some arm and back exercise!

Monsters weighing up to 400 pounds are possible in the kelp, as well as in deep water. The Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby runs from May 1 through Labor Day and the first place fish stands to win big. Last year's winner weighed 345.4 pounds and was good for $46,302!!! If you are targeting monster fish, please buy a Derby Ticket and let us know your intent. See www.homerhalibutderby.com for details.

If your primary goal is harvesting prime eating quality halibut, then keep the smaller fish, 20 to 80 pounds, and release the big ones. Fish over 100 pounds are usually breeding size females and are a critical component in the perpetuation of this abundant fishery. A 100 pound halibut can easily yield 50 to 60 pounds of filets. While catching your fish, please be aware of the cost of processing and shipping, and if you aren't interested in the meat, please release your fish.

Halibut are in season from February through December and the limit is 2 per day.

Private boat trips

Large or small groups can charter the entire boat. Closing the boat to a single group allows greater flexibility in your trip activities. We can customize your trip to include whale or bird watching, clamming, hiking, or perhaps a lunch ashore in Seldovia or Halibut Cove.