Going out of Cayucos this friday in a yak in 8 ft seas, I fought to keep my breakfast down and fished hard for a few dink rockfish. I came in and went to morro bay to see if I could get anything on an outgoing tide. Anyway, I used 17 lb test halibut rigs and managed to hook into 5 sharks/batrays over a couple of hours. I quickly found that I was using self releasing tackle, as they would chew through the monofilament if I didn't land them in the first five minutes. Do you folks use wire leaders for these creatures?? Thanks in advance!

Andy

Hey Andy, thanks for the report. My friend and I were wondering if the sharks and rays have started biting over there yet! Looks like we will have to take a night trip out there. Yesterday i rigged a rod holder on my kayak, and was wondering if you ever go out of Port San Luis. I think that when the halibut move it, we could seriously put a hurt on them because not too many people fish for them shallow. I know for a fact that the exxon pier has some halibuts, but what have you heard? Thanks again!

Till Later,
Joel

To fish, or not to fish, what a stupid question!!

My last halibut was a 17 lber out of san simeon- on a rootbeer scampi of all things. I also caught em inside of Morro Bay over the summer, when the sardines move into the bay. There's nothing like having pelicans slamming the water 5 feet from your kayak, and your fishfinder reading a 10 foot bottom over a 40 foot hole-the sardines can run that thick at times. Halibut run pretty good out of Cayucos and I've heard that they run in San Luis bay also, but I'm waiting to hear when this fishery heats up. E-mail me if you want to hook up sometime- needlesa@hotmail.com. I'm in the hills above Cayucos/Cambria

Again, What terminal tackle do you reccomend so that you don't get bit off by sharks/rays?

Andy

Andy
I fished with some guys one night at Morro who did the shark/ray thing quite a bit. They used 60lb mono leaders with heavy hooks. The leaders they used were 5 to 6 feet to account for the long tails of the leopards and the wings of the bat rays. The didn't break any off out of about a half dozen hook ups that night. Thanks for posting the report.

-Rob

Andy I've been fishing for sharks and batrays in Morro Bay
for years now and I've always used steel leaders but, swimbaits post about using 60 lb mono is a good idea i'll have to try that.
Although you would probably blow any chances for a halibut with either one.I wonder if fluorocarbon would fix that? Anyway i'm new at halibut fishing and i've been trying for the last couple weeks in my kayak inside the bay but,I get skunked every time.What do you look for as far as depth,channels and location etc.. when targeting halibut?
PHIL

To catch halibut in morro bay, you should do the following-

I guess the fish are cagey, being in 15 feet or less of water. I 've successfully drifted live sardines or smelt (5 in long ideally) using a sliding sinker rig so that they feel no weight. I have my reel in freespool, with my thumb on the reel. You just bump it along until you feel a bite. Then you let them run with it, but not too long. I like to use a trap hook in the tail of the sardine. They tend to be in the edges of the channels, from around the museum and further back up in the bay. Look for the eelgrass beds that line the channels, and fish 20 feet or so out from them. Wait until you see lots of bird life in the bay. The birds follow the sardines, and so do the halibut.

Best of luck-

Andy

I normally dispise(sp?) spiderwire, but for leaders for bay type sharks and rays the 80# cant be beat. 5-6' with a double snell like the old salmon mooching rigs and a squid for bait has accounted for several batrays up to 52#-6oz. and many Leopards up to 58". I've used this in SF Bay, Moss Landing/Elkhorn Slough, and a little in San Pablo.
If you trade the Squid for an egg-laden Herring it can get some BIG Sturgeon too.
Drifting from a Yak I'd use 1/2-1oz egg sinkers in a slider rig with your 17# line.
Usually I use this rig from the shore and have to go with a 3-6oz Pyramid on a slider with 30-40# main line.
Retie after every fish and be awed at what a tail can do to 80#.

Tight lines,
Wade

Tight lines,
Wade