What size brand of rods and reels are you guys using for halibut. I'll be getting a couple soon but would like some advice.

For Halibut I have Penns mainly. GTI 330, 340s, 345s, and a big Penn Line Counter 895. I also have clear down to an old Penn 309. All work but I don't use the old 309 any more. Shimano and all of the others make a lot of really good reels too. I would suggest a shorter stout halibut rod. I like the 5'6 length. I have numerous ones of these from Lamiglas, Shakespeare, Diawa, Penn Stand up slammer rods and on and on. Some are up to 6'6 long. Longer rods means more leverage against you. The shorter rods are easier to pump. The main thing is to have a fairly stout 20-50 or 50-80, or even a 50-100 pound rod. you can get the roller type rod but I don't think it is necessary. Almost all of mine have at least the roller tips and the first guide roller. I fish with friends that don't have this type and see no difference. If you get one with rollers be sure to keep the bearings oiled. Especially at the end of the season. I would recommend some good line. It is not cheap. Get at least a good grade of Spectra or braided type line. Make sure it is the really thin like the Tuff Line Plus or XP or Power Pro small diameter. When you are fishing 200-300' + it really makes a difference on line drag in the water. The monroe sportsman show will probably be a good place to pick some of this up for a great deal. Be sure not to buy the cheap stuff that is regular diameter. It will fill your reel way to fast. The good line will cost around $30.00 for 300 yds of 80 pound. I use the 80 but it is not necessary. Make sure to get a good gaff and harpoon while you are at it. Another good investment is a fighting belt to set your rod in for that lengthy rod jigging. It really helps when bringing up fish that are really deep. I am sure others will fill in the blanks after me. Good Luck, Ron

I like to use my gas powered shrimp pot puller....1/4" nylon line and a string of shark hooks....I can fish to depths of 1400ft and haul in those big 300# females without breaking a sweat.

I was at the Monroe Sportsman show yesterday and saw that Jerry's Surplus looked like they had the Lamiglas halibut rods on sale again there-probably about $70.00 each. Might be worth the time for you to go out there.

GP2...

Our charter rods are GL pelagic series 6 footers with the 40-60lb line rating (ours have 4 coustom guides in the tip section). These have 340 gti's (with 65lb PP) mounted on them, but I think I'd prefer reels w/o the levelwind. No roller guides. We use these for all the deep water spots off on Neah/LaPush. The are great for working multi-pound pipe jigs or fishing a slider rig with plastics. They'd be good bait rods, but I don't fish with it for halibut out deep.
Roller guides (tip-top and stripper) are nice, but thin diameter lines can work their way between the roller and guide frame.
I'm more of a fan of the Penn Senetors than I am of the GTIs, 3/0 or 4/0.
Stongly suggest finding a rod with a long foregrip and a shorter aft (Stand up style). Better leverage than normal styled heavy boat rods.
We'll be doing a halibut seminar at the Lynwood GI Joe's on March 27th. If you'd like some suggestions on hali tackle etc, I'd be happy to help.

J.D.

I am pretty sure the newer roller guided rods have better rollers and probably won't let the thinner hi tech lines get in. All of my newer rods actually have the rollers set either really tight or inset into the plate so the line cannot get in. Be sure to look at this if you buy a roller rod. Most people don't halibut fish enough to make the rollers a consideration. Make sure to clean and oil your reel before putting it away for the season also. We will have the real halibut guy, Terry Rudnick, at our PSA meeting May 11th at the Edmonds Yacht club. He is the author or coauthor of the Secrets of catching big halibut.

Man, you guys using those gti's and senators must have arms the size of logs from all that cranking! I like to use reels with higher ratios when fishing those 300+ depths. I usually give my buddies a head start and still beat them in when its time to crank them up. I have settled on the daiwa sealine series of reels cause they're moderatly priced but more importantly they have much higher ratios than those penns

Chaser, I am more concerned about pulling the gear up with the halibut on it instead of with nothing on it. I am sure the Diawas are great reels too. I have pulled 50# halibut up in water 650'+ deep. I don't think I would have wanted a higher gear ratio for that. In fact one of my reels has the great big crank winch handle to slow it down even more. No matter how you look at it it is all work but fun work. I catch quite a bit of halibut every year and am going to really look forward to my new electric reel.

In fact if I am halibut fishing and happen to run across a hump that is not marked I will stop and try to fish it. Never know what might come up out there. Damn I love Neah Bay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next Halibut rod I'm going to buy is a G-Loomis PSR72-50CTR 6' 40-60# or a PSR72-80RSU 6' 60-100# I cant decide.

You have the rod in your garage. Get that broom, cut in half and put a reel on it. I wouldn't spend much on a 'but rod unless you are fishing them alot.