San Diego Halibut Fishing Charters
San Diego Halibut Fishing Charters
Best Halibut Fishing Charters in San Diego
Best Halibut Fishing Charters in San Diego
Halibut Fishing in San Diego
Halibut Fishing in San Diego
(Hippoglossus stenolepis / hippoglossus)
The Halibut fishing San Diego offers is off the charts! Any angler worth their salt will have fishing for California Halibut at the top of their list when booking a charter in San Diego. The California Halibut is a tasty and challenging species to target, but don’t confuse them with their Pacific cousins found further north – they look and act completely different. The ones found in Southern California look more like Flounder than Pacific Halibut and are commonly between 4–10 pounds. They can reach 40 pounds and over when the stars align and the conditions are perfect.
What can I expect on my Halibut charter?
Halibut like to hang out around structures in depths varying for 30–80 feet. Your captain will take you out to fish the rock piles and along the edges of eelgrass beds. Live bait is the most effective but artificial lures can also work well.
You’ll mostly be drifting. You can come to San Diego and target Halibut with no previous fishing experience, great for beginners and children.
Where to Fish for Halibut in San Diego
The best trips to go on for Halibut are inshore trips and charters in the bay. The bay is well-protected from the elements with calmer waters than inshore, making it ideal for first time anglers and children.
How to Fish for Halibut
You’ll need a sinker attached to your lure to get it all the way down to the bottom. Once there, keep it moving – if you keep the lure still the Halibut is more likely to ignore it, even if it’s within striking distance. Once the Halibut bites, go easy before pulling up the line – Halibut will mouth the lure, so if you start reeling in immediately you’ll lose the fish. The skill in catching Halibut is in getting it to bite in the first place, rather than the fish reeling it in. However, they can put up a bit of a fight when coming up to the boat, so be prepared.
When to Fish for Halibut
Although you can fish year round for Halibut, peak fishing is in April, May, October, and November. It’s also great in January and February, and pretty good the rest of the year.
Book a trip today with a local who can take you to the best spots for Halibut fishing in San Diego. You’ll have an unforgettable day out and catch a very tasty dinner, too!