Hi JimFly many thanks for watching and I'm glad to hear you liked this underwater halibut footage! I really appreciate your kind words! Getting clear footage of halibut is challenging for a number of reasons (depth, camera angle, lighting, fish cooperating, etc.) so I was fortunate that the stars aligned for this session. I'll try to get more underwater footage in the future to help shed some light on these mysterious creatures! I was quite surprised at how many halibut I actually missed without ever feeling - crazy! It looks like you do some surf fishing in Alaska - very cool! Where in Alaska do you surf fish? All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Tony many thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you enjoyed this underwater halibut footage! You guys have lots of cool underwater footage as well! Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Will thanks for watching and I'm glad you are enjoying the underwater footage! I may have a little more underwater footage from last season that I've yet to publish and will definitely make it a priority to get more underwater footage next season! Thanks for the feedback and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Kent many thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut action! Yes indeed - as usual, Mary was putting on a halibut clinic this day! That's awesome your trip is coming up soon - I bet you are PUMPED!!! Cohos are already starting to show up around here so your timing should be spot on. Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac , Brandon and I will be using your jigs on Prince of Wales and hopefully catching halibut at Mary's level. We'll keep you posted.

@@kentgoodman4016 Haha the "Mary bar" for halibut fishing is set quite high - nonstop limits with a 197lb mixed in to keep things interesting! Her go-to remains the 7oz jig with only one piece of herring while I'm a tinkerer w/ grubs, various pieces of herring, tipped with salmon/squid, etc... You guys are going to have a blast - I'm sure you'll get right on them!

Hi JT thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! Yes indeed the Fire Eye Glow Jigs were in rare form this day - the halibut showed up almost immediately! Thanks again and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Steve thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! You're exactly right - with all these little halibut around hopefully that'll translate to good fishing for years to come! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi FishingBulldog many thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! Seeing the underwater footage makes me realize how many fish I miss and never even know about - just crazy! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Carlos thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this underwater halibut footage! Geeze - sorry to hear the halibut are so few and far between down in your neck of the woods. Hopefully the fishing will turn around soon! Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Peeling Line many thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you enjoyed this underwater halibut action! Yes indeed - those little chickens were short striking me something fierce! Time to break out the 1oz chicken slayer!!! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi An Alaska Homestead thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! Hopefully this showed the camera setup a little more clearly. It is fun when all the stars align and a nice fish bites while the camera is rolling! Thanks again and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Thanks for watching Steven and I'm glad to hear you guys had a great trip! Sounds like you had some really solid action all around between the halibut, salmon and cod - you (and your friends) will be eating well for months! Did the jigs produce for you? Were there any dungies around? Tight lines! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac yes we had dungeons in some the areas some people got crabs we ended up not crabbing them this time we were try had to get my son a keeper king but we only caught one king 26 inches long!

Hi Piscatorian many thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you enjoyed this underwater halibut footage! Haha yes indeed I'm a huge fan of these jigs - they absolutely crush the halis! Hopefully the halibut fishing will pick up in WA - I've been hearing the halibut fishing overall has been off this year down there. Thanks again and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Scoopeddad Drone thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! Haha I'm sure your boat will arrive soon and there will be plenty of halibut and salmon waiting to welcome your new boat to the area! Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hey Jimmy thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut devouring my GoPro! I appreciate the positive comment. Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi David thanks for watching and welcome to Juneau! The seas are supposed to be pretty calm now through Wednesday so your Tuesday slot is looking good. Plus you have a high tide turn at 11:07am which should setup great for a morning charter! Best of luck getting after the halibut!!! Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Jorg thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! Yes indeed I enjoy using a large spinning setup for jigging halibut also. I use a Penn Slammer III 8500 series spooled with 80lb PowerPro on a Penn Carnage II jigging rod (rated for 80-200lb braid). Sounds like you've got a sweet setup that hasn't let you down yet and probably provides way more fun while fighting a fish than the traditional conventional "pool queue" setup. Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Ratracer many thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this footage! I appreciate the kind words about my videos and my Fire Eye Glow Jigs! Definitely let me know when you'll be back up here in Alaska. I have an underwater case for the go-pro and also rig it up on a spreader bar... definitely a lot of trial and error before the camera angle was perfected! All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac I hope to be up in 2022 at least for a few days. Not sure how fast your schedule fills up but I will be looking around the end of July most likely. P.S. Is your wife coming? She seams to be really good luck lol I have many questions for you yet to come. tight lines Captain and a very Merry Christmas to you all!

Hi Terry many thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! Yes indeed it was pretty cool how many little halis raced to the jig within seconds of it hitting the bottom. This footage was taken in about 80-90ft of water on a sunny day. It is definitely hard to get all the variables to align (depth, visibility, camera angle, fish cooperating, etc.) so I'm fortunate that it all came together for this strike from a nice fish. I've caught some huge halibut in 30ft or less before so it may be possible to get even clearer footage at some point in the future. Thanks again and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi A to the K many thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! There have been a lot of salmon around - some kings still available in the terminal area, lots of pinks and chums, and a few cohos moving in. Have you tried any salmon fishing from your kayak lately? Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac my go to fish are sockeye . And most bottom fish. Love the kings , (I subsistence sockeye)not big on the silvers. Was thinking of trying for a silver on the kayak . Dungies are very scarce these days.

Hi Brian thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut action! Actually I've started a series of "KZfaq Shorts" that focuses on quick and simple seafood recipes. There should be a section on my channel called "shorts" at the bottom where these will show up. kzfaq.info/love/skWt56rNdaSUPpIfSN_eLA You can't go wrong with butter and garlic! Many of my recipes (a lot more to be uploaded in the coming weeks/months) use those two ingredients. What is your favorite way to prepare halibut? Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac Thanks. Years ago, I went halibut fishing out of Kodiak. I kept the largest (70 lbs) and sent it home to California. I learned that the smaller halibut are more tender and better eating. It was pretty tough. Halibut are hard to come by here, but your recipes look great.

Hi John thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this underwater halibut footage! I was fishing about 70-90 feet deep here on a sunny day, which helped with visibility. All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac Thx. I was thinking about trying the go pro with butts here in Oregon. Fishing from 200 to 600 ft deep. Curious to see what's going on. Probably too deep

Hi Dave thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! In Southeast Alaska, sport fishermen (unguided) are allowed 2 halibut per person per day any size. The regulations are more restrictive for guided anglers. All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi John many thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut action! Many thanks for the kind words. I've always had the 225 Honda on this boat - I bought the boat and motor new in 2019 so this is the third season running this setup. I opted for the 225 to give a little extra power and speed to escape bad weather which can sometimes crop up in Southeast Alaska. I typically cruise around 30mph (~4600 rpms) - which is very comfortable and fuel efficient. Are you researching a potential boat purchase? All the best and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac Hi Zac, my mistake! Yes, I’ve been researching the very same boat that you have, but a 2021. They’re almost impossible to find used, (which I take as a good sign), in fact, mine should be delivered by mid-Aug. I’m stoked and you were an instrumental part in my decision, not just your tour video of the Searunner, but the many fun and happy times spent out on her with your wife and friends. Thanks again, my friend.

@@johnmartin2597 Hi John many thanks for the kind reply and I'm thrilled to hear that my video and our experiences positively influenced your boat decision! We've certainly found that having this vessel has enabled some unforgettable experiences with family and friends on the water and in the Alaskan wilderness. How cool that your boat should be arriving in less than a month - plenty of time to get it on the water this season! I'd love to hear how you like it - please keep me posted! Calm seas and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Tim thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut action! While I do have (and use) conventional gear sometimes, we enjoy using spinning gear for the ease of jigging and fun battle when fighting the fish. I find that when jigging, the position of a spinning reel makes it more comfortable to jig for extended sessions (the reel seamlessly following underneath each jigging stroke vs. a top-heavy conventional). Also, most conventional rods are basically "pool sticks" that prohibit anglers from feeling / playing a fish. Since we catch enough halibut around here, one of the reasons we continue to fish for halibut (and often catch and release) is the thrill of battling the halibut on a lighter rod with enough feel to detect the bite, have rod-bending and drag-screaming runs, etc. Plus, over the years we've proven that this gear is capable of catching halibut from 2 - 200 lbs, so we don't feel like there is any disadvantage here. Have you ever tried using spinning gear for halibut? Thanks again for stopping by and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Haha hi Randy many thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this underwater halibut footage! Long story short - trial and error! After many shaky and/or total darkness attempts, I finally used a metal spreader bar to create a gap and then MacGyvered a series of connections with zip ties super-braid fishing line to position the camera. I couldn't believe how many fish I missed without ever feeling a bite - crazy! Thanks again and tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi nelson2907 thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this video! I enjoy using a spinning setup for halibut jigging - I find it more comfortable for longer jigging sessions (reel sits under the jigging motion vs. balance on top) and the rod provides way more action than the conventional "pool stick" most folks use. I use a Penn Slammer III 8500 spooled with 80lb PowerPro on a Penn Carnage II Jigging Rod (rated for 80-200lb braid). I ordered these outfits but I've seen similar gear in stock locally (for instance, Western Auto had some Penn Rampage Jigging rods last year - which is similar with a slightly different grip). By your question, I assume you typically use conventional setups for halibut? Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac

Hi Charles thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut footage! I'm using a Penn Slammer III 8500 reel with 80lb PowerPro and Penn Carnage jigging rod. This setup is sensitive enough to feel the smaller bites but also strong enough to handle "barn doors." All the best and tight lines! Captain Zac

@@CaptainZac thanks for the help. I enjoy all your stuff. Time for a podcast?

Hi JunkyarddogFishing thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed this halibut action! Sure I'll swing over and check our your halibut. Tight lines! Captain Zac

Thanks for watching!

Hi Bradley thanks for watching. A "chicken" halibut is a nickname for a small halibut. Similar to how a "barn door" is the nickname for a halibut over 100lbs. These are common nicknames here in Alaska. Tight lines my friend! Captain Zac