While the town of Avalon pays tribute this weekend to the magic of its flying fish, next week it’s time to go fishing for halibut and help the kids of Avalon.
On Sunday, June 9, the 25th annual “Just for the Halibut, Just for the Kids” fishing tournament will be held in the waters off of Catalina. The event will continue the efforts made over the last quarter century to provide a healthy and active environment for the children of the tourist town.
While the town of Avalon pays tribute this weekend to the magic of its flying fish, next week it’s time to go fishing for halibut and help the kids of Avalon.
On Sunday, June 9, the 25th annual “Just for the Halibut, Just for the Kids” fishing tournament will be held in the waters off of Catalina. The event will continue the efforts made over the last quarter century to provide a healthy and active environment for the children of the tourist town.
The event’s organizers, including the Costello family (Mark, Lellie, and Erin), Judy Rios, Mary Boyd and Kim Felix say they know that times are tough, but their cause is true.
All of the proceeds from the tournament go directly to a handful of youth programs in Avalon. Past tournaments have raised a total of more than $265,000 that has been plowed back into such organizations as Catalina Kid Ventures, Kids At PLAY, Cornerstone Teen Center, Avalon Kids Baseball, Avalon Junior Golf, Special Kids of Catalina, Pee Wee Basketball, the Piper Cameron Scholarship, and Avalon Schools.
The entry fee is $60 and the tournament is limited to only 120 anglers.
To register, pick up a sign-up sheet at Abe’s Liquor at122 Sumner Ave., in Avalon. All anglers competing in the tournament must be signed up by midnight, Saturday, June 8.
The event includes a day of competitive fishing followed right afterward by a banquet at the Casino Dock Café. There will be monetary prizes for the top three tournament winners. Meanwhile, a raffle will be held with various prizes during the lunch affair.
Organizers of Just for the Halibut, Just for the Kids are seeking sponsors. Those who supply gifts of $500 or more will have the opportunity to have their business’ name and logo included on all the T-shirts and marketing literature for the event. Contributions are tax deductible.
For more information, call (310) 510-0656.
Now, a little information about the curious flat fish that spawned the tournament’s title.
The Southern California Halibut are fun to catch. Anglers love them, and why not? They’re delicious!
Halibut start out their lives swimming more or less like other fish, vertically in the water with one eye on each side of their heads. As they pass from this juvenile stage into adulthood, one eye migrates from its original position around the nose of the fish and ends up on the other side.
The blind side then turns white and the fish begins swimming horizontally over the bottom with the white, blind side down. Halibut are members of the left-eyed flat fishes, however 40% of them are actually right eyed (the left eye migrates to the right side.)
California Halibut can grow to five feet long and 60 lbs, but most are far smaller. During the last 30 years or so, it’s been hard to catch keeper sized Halibut (22 inches.) However, thanks to conservation efforts and restrictions on commercial net fishing, the Halibut population is growing.
Catching Halibut
Halibut usually prefer live bait. Once thought to be scavengers, they are now known to be aggressive predators. They eat sardines, anchovies, squid and any other smaller bait fish.
To catch Halibut, drift over a sandy bottom with a live anchovy, sardine, herring or other baitfish such as grunion. Keep it close to the bottom and just barely moving to cover more ground. Use just enough weight so that the bait stays on the bottom. When Halibut hit, if you set the hook too soon, you’ll pull the bait right out of the Halibut’s mouth. Give it line and when you’re fairly sure it’s got the bait, go ahead and set the hook and reel it in.
