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Forum nameSaltwater Fishing in California
Topic subjectWhat Colors Are Best For Halibut.
Topic URLhttp://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=3629
3629, What Colors Are Best For Halibut.
Posted by , Thu Oct-25-01 01:39 PM
What I'm looking for is what colors/combinations work best for halibut. I want to duplicate them for flies for fly fishing. Right now I use a red marabou with cactus chenille. I've also tried a rootbeer chenille with brown marabou to no success. I've gotten fish, just not in the numbers I'd like. So help a fella out............
3630, RE: What Colors Are Best For Halibut.
Posted by swimbait, Thu Oct-25-01 01:49 PM
I would basically try to match the hatch :)
Inshore halibut, the kind you stand a chance of catching on a fly rod, are feeding mostly on smelt and grunion, less on anchovies and sardines, and some on miscellaneous forage like small perch.

So to imitate the smelt/grunion a white sparkle belly with green or light grey back is good.

For the miscellaneous forage you might try a mix of olive and sparkle belly and a brown back or something like that.

Just go to goleta beach and look in the water on a clear day. You'll see the smelt on the surface in small schools, and the little perch sitting on top of the grass beds. That's what you want to imitate.