# Alaska Halibut Jigging Questions



## Rode Warrior (Apr 25, 2006)

I have a few questions for anyone who has jigged for Halibut before in AK. I have fished for Halibut twice before, one time I caught a decent fish on a jigging rod supplied by the boat. I am trying to determine if it is worth it to travel with my own jigging rod and jigs.


Have you had better success with jigs or bait supplied by the charter?
Were the fish you caught on a jig bigger?
What jig worked for you?
Thanks!

Jim


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Those are good questions for the charter boat captain. Generally, you would want to fish the way they fish...or choose a different charter. For me, fresh bait from the charter has worked best and using their tackle which is very specialized for Halibut.


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## akacaster (Dec 30, 2021)

Definitely, call ahead & ask the charter you will be on. My best was a #165 caught on a 3lb wt with an entire salmon carcass. No way, I was gonna jig that. As you've experienced, some charters will have a couple jiggin rods usually with 1 to 1 1/2 lb jig heads. If you show up with "lighter" gear and start tangling lines, the capt won't be too pleased. However, if you coordinate ahead of time, the capt may be willing to let you use your own gear or take you to a spot with a less snaggy bottom structure. Even better, if you buy out the entire boat, the capt will do pretty much whatever you want because he won't have to worry about the other clients. We've caught halibut on salmon rods before ... what a hoot. But, the entire boat had to clear all the lines whenever there was a hook-up.


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## Retired (May 12, 2014)

I have used the boat’s gear for halibut. Where we were fishing both times, the current was screaming at 10-12 knots, and we were down 250+ feet, so the weight was between 3 and 4 pounds. Even hauling up an “empty” hook after nibble and miss was a chore after awhile, and a ~50 lb halibut was a workout. Due to the weight and depth, the rods, reels, and terminal tackle were pretty stout, and I would be reluctant to try it on lighter tackle than the boat was using.


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