Halibut Fishing Alaska

At Crazy Rays Adventures we offer long range combo trips for Alaska halibut fishing, or better known on the Crazy Ray as ,”The PUPU Platter.”

We travel out of both Whittier and Seward to the outer reaches of Prince William Sound and into the Gulf of Alaska most days, when weather permits, to seek out area’s with less fishing pressure resulting in better catches. We specialize in true combo fishing charters and time is allotted every day to specifically target multiple species of Alaskan fish.

This means that we move the boat to different area’s to target these other species such as Lingcod, Rockfish, Pacific Cod, and various species of Salmon.

Whats the Best Time for Halibut Fishing Alaska?

People often ask when is the best time to come for Halibut fishing Alaska? The short answer is, our season runs from May-September and we have excellent success all through the season while Halibut fishing Alaska waters.

Typically Halibut begin migrating in from the Aleutian trench early in the spring headed for the rich feeding grounds inside Prince William Sound and then begin migrating back out in the fall as the feed begins to disperse. Pivot seasons or shoulder seasons as they are sometimes called, can be a little slower, but we still have had great success at achieving limits on a regular basis.

Alaska’s halibut is a highly sought after fish by recreational and commercial fishermen. The halibut is a flat fish with a diamond shaped body, a wide broom shaped tail, and they have both eyes on the dark, or top side of their body. The dark coloring of the halibut varies with the coloration of the ocean bottom and sometimes when halibut spend a great deal of time in the shallow rocky area’s they will become almost a black color to blend in with their surroundings.

The mouth of the halibut is actually sideways on their face and it gives them an incredibly odd look. They can be found in waters as shallow as 30’ and our personal deepest catch came from just over 1500’ while targeting the elusive but treasured black cod.

Tactics For Halibut Fishing Alaska

Handling Monster Halibut

Boating a big Alaskan halibut usually requires the use of a harpoon attached to a buoy ball, line, and stainless steel tip. We harpoon all of our larger fish so that if the hook pulls free or the line breaks we are still able to retrieve the fish because it is still attached to the buoy. After the fish is harpooned, we then utilize a bang stick to shoot the halibut before bringing it aboard the vessel. Failure to do so could cause injury to the fishermen, as these fish are extremely powerful.

At Crazy Rays we specialize in halibut fishing Alaska as well as combo charters and, as mentioned before, we take the needed time it takes to travel to the outer reaches of Prince William Sound and beyond into the Gulf of Alaska.

Fishing in the Gulf of Alaska is our preferred choice to target large fish however several fish in excess of 100lbs are caught closer to Whittier inside Prince William Sound.

Our personal biggest halibut ever boated on a Crazy Rays Adventures charter was a whopping 340lb monster and it stretched out at 7’3”. Although these fish aren’t an everyday catch, you never know what you will hook into when halibut fishing  Alaska. In the 2015 season our boat F/V Crazy Ray hauled in 3 massive sized halibut that weighed in at 205lb, 250lb, and 311lb. The 311lb fish was actually caught by the captain’s mother on her birthday!!!!

Halibut… The Chicken of the Sea

Not only do Pacific Halibut frequently grow to barn door sizes; these bottom dwellers are also prized for their delicious white meat. Halibut can be prepared in numerous ways and we often describe it as being the other chicken of the sea because it is much like chicken in that it tastes a lot like whatever you’re cooking it with.

It’s mild oil content and rich flaky white meat has a taste and texture that to some is unmatched in the fish category.

Come and Join us with your family and friends for a Crazy Rays Adventures Alaska Halibut Fishing trip!!!! BOOYAH!!!!