Tide looked mediocre, but wanted to try c-rigging a fluke on a neap tide for halibut. Conditions were okay. Water was as sh!t stained as when I last saw it on Saturday inside. Wind in my face. Swell was little. Some kelp in the wash but bearable.
Started with a c-rig grub. New hooks arrived. Matzuo sickle baitholders in #6. Heavier gauge than I'm used to but sticky sharp and seem good quality. Isolating the one I used today in my tackle box to see if/when the finish corrodes from one trip. The sickle shape did seem to hold the grub in place a lot better.
Got a bite early. Slight nibble on the grub. Set the hook and whole rig gone, continuing from last week. Didn't get too worked up about it, but it's the nail in the coffin for at least my 10# spool of red label.
Kept it moving and wasn't getting bit on the grub. Tide was getting near peak so switched to the fluke. Within a few casts, I got a tentative bite as if I was fishing a perch grub. Gave it room, it took the room, missed the hook set. Brought it in and there was a little bite mark on the plastic inside the hook shank. Well, they like it. Don't know how I missed that fish though.
Every cast it felt like I was either catching onto kelp or dragging my hook through the sand. Maybe 15 casts in I felt like I hooked kelp and brought it in at a moderate pace. Got to the wash and a pancake lit up in the shallows and hopped off the fluke for a long distance release. Not the quality I was looking for but good sign!
Another 200 yards down the beach I walked by an older asian man with a Team Daiwa hat on. I was wearing my new Team Shimano vest. We made eye contact and wrestled each other to the ground. No no, I told him about the halibut, I wanted to ensure good diplomacy.
Checked my fluke hook after so many casts and found it had dulled out, presumably burying itself in the sand. It was a bass plastic worm hook, straight shank maybe 3/0. Switched to a 1/0 baitholder and the dragging feeling on the retrieve instantly went away.
No more bites. No more break offs! Retiring all the red label and using some 15 and 12 laying around, probably order some Shimano Mastiff 8# from work soon.