The best gear to catch halibut with will depend on the size of the halibut and where you are fishing them. If you’re fishing California halibut, you can get away with lighter gear than if you’re fishing heavier Alaska halibut. Here we will review some of the best halibut rods on the market today.
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Best Fishing Rod for Halibut
1. Okuma Fishing Tackle CE-C-561Ha Celilo Graphite Halibut Rods
Product Features
Brand Name: Okuma
Length: 5’6″
Power: Heavy
The best halibut fishing rod is the Okuma Celilo Halibut Rod. This one is an excellent bottom fishing rod at a great price.
The rod itself is made from a graphite composite blank with aluminum oxide guide inserts and stainless steel real seats. It’s built from one-piece with a line rating of 50-100 lbs.
Overall this one performs great for jigging bottom dwellers like halibut. It’s short, strong, and flexible, which is exactly what you want to pull big fish from the deep. It’s also extremely budget-friendly.
How to Fish It
It is designed for vertical jigging, which it performs greatly at. However, some anglers also use it for trolling as well, which does work.
2. Fiblink Saltwater Offshore Heavy Trolling Fishing Rod
Product Features
Brand Name: Fiblink
Length: 5’1″
Power: Heavy
The Fiblink Saltwater Offshore Heavy Trolling Fishing Rod is our second spot. This is another cheap halibut pole that performs exactly how you need it to for offshore fishing.
They have a few different options, but for halibut, we recommend choosing the 50-80 line weight option. It’s short with heavy action measuring only 5.1″. This option is made from an E-Glass graphite composite blank with an aluminum butt and alloy real seats. It also has stainless steel roller guides which help to reduce the strain on your line when trolling big saltwater fish.
Overall this is an excellent option at a fraction of the price you would expect for one that performs so well.
How to Fish It
This one is best suited for offshore trolling halibut and other saltwater fish. It has roller guides so you are limited with the other kinds of fishing you can do with it.
3. SHIMANO Trevala 6’6 MH Saltwater Jigging Casting Rod
Product Features
Brand Name: Shimano
Length: 6’6″
Power: Medium Heavy
The number three spot on our list goes to the Shimano Trevala Casting Rod.
This jigging rod is made from a carbon fiber butt combined with a TC4 tip that makes for a lighter rod with great sensitivity. It also has fuji aluminum oxide guides and EVA foam rubber grips that provide comfort and gripping strength even in weight conditions. The handle is a split grip which makes it great for offshore applications.
Overall this is excellent for bottom fishing. It’s lightweight, sensitive, comfortable to hold, and easy to use.
How to Fish It
This one is excellent for jigging. It’s made for pulling fish off the bottom. Rig it with your favorite halibut jig and work it along the bottom to get the fish biting.
4. G. Loomis E6X Inshore Inshore Fishing Rod
Product Features
Brand Name: G. Loomis
Length: 7′
Power: Medium Heavy
The G. Loomis E6X Inshore Fishing Rod is our next spot on the list. For halibut, we recommend the Medium-heavy fast-action model.
This one has a tapered design with micro-tapers throughout that are made to help increase sensitivity while reducing weight. It’s designed to be durable with great power for fighting inshore fish.
The fast action along with the 7′ length gives you pretty good casting distances when you need to get past the waves, making this a solid rod for those looking to fish California halibut in the surf.
How to Fish It
This is good for inshore fishing that works well for fishing California halibut. Use this one with spoons, soft plastics, or a good twitch bait.
Cast from the beach looking for areas with foaming water or rip tides. You can also try and cast out just offshore in the troughs below the waves. These are all areas you are likely to find halibut.
5. Penn Squall 30 Level Wind Fishing Rod and Trolling Reel Combo
Product Features
Brand Name: PENN
Length: 6’6″
Power: Medium Heavy
Our fifth recommendation is the PENN Squall Level Wind Reel & Rod Fishing Combo.
This is made for trolling big game in saltwater. It is made from a strong and sturdy graphite frame and side plates that make it lightweight without sacrificing toughness.
The reel has a carbon fiber drag with 2 stainless steel bearings that give you smooth action when lifting heavy fish out of the water.
Overall this is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a rod and reel combo that’s ready to go out of the box. It handles well under pressure and you can crank with ease even when pulling up halibut from deep waters.
How to Fish It
Use this one for trolling. Start your boat in shallow areas and work your way into lower depth areas until you find where the halibut are feeding. You can troll with a shallow running plug, deep diver, or with live bait like herring.
6. Okuma Fishing Tackle Okuma Cedros Jigging Rods
Product Features
Brand Name: Okuma
Length: 6′
Power: Medium Heavy
The final spot on our list goes to the Okuma Cedros E-Glass Jigging Rod. For halibut, we like the 6′ medium heavy casting rod though they do have other options that will work well too.
This pole is made from an E-glass blank that has good power for pulling fish while reducing shock. The anodized aluminum rel seat is made to give you more control and comfort with its ergonomic design.
It also features stainless steel guide frames with inserts designed to reduce friction when using braided lines.
Overall this is a good option with plenty of backbone and good sensitivity that will come in handy when fishing offshore.
How to Fish It
This one is great for jigging offshore for halibut. Rig it with your favorite deep water jig and get ready to work along the bottom.
Halibut Rod Buying Guide
There are a few things you want to consider when purchasing a pole for halibut fishing.
- Type
- Length
- Power
- Action
- Roller Guides
Type
The type of rod you use will depend on where you are fishing. Most halibut rods are built for bottom fishing. So what you will be using if you want to fish off the bottom is a jigging/casting rod that can reach deep for pulling up your fish. These kinds of rods are best for Alaska halibut.
Trolling rods are also used often for halibut. These can be used to troll shallower waters when the halibut are in waters from 60 to 300 ft deep or even deeper when there around 400 to 600 feet deep.
Lastly, in some places, you can catch halibut from the surf (like in California). Here a good inshore fishing rod is ideal if you plan to do most of your fishing from the beach or pier.
Length
The best size rod for halibut is between 5 to 7 feet. Some prefer shorter sticks because it’s easier to jig up and down when you have less to move to lift your lure. Something around 6′ would be good for all-around use.
Power
Stick with a pole right around the medium-heavy range for halibut. Halibut are known to put up a fight so you need something that can withstand their jerks and handle the power.
Action
Something around a moderate to fast action would be ideal as well. You need a little bit of flex to help you handle the explosive bursts of halibut, but you don’t want too much.
Roller Guides
Some anglers also love to have roller guides on their halibut sticks. These can be useful for reducing line friction. If you’re going to be trolling for most of your fishing you will want to make sure your rod has good roller guides that will keep your line flowing smoothly.
Rod and Reel Combo
You may also consider buying a halibut rod and reel combo so you’re ready to start fishing out of the box. Otherwise, if you want to customize your gear make sure your reel has a strong drag with an easy to crank handle. Penn 330’s, Penn International VI, or the Shimano Tyrnos are all good reels you may want to consider.
Closing Thoughts
Whether you’re jigging deep waters, trolling offshore, or inshore fishing for halibut, a good rod is a must. We’re confident that wherever your fishing your halibut, one of the choices on the list will do you good. If you have another brand that you think should make the list be sure to send us a message and we’ll look into adding it.
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