Halibut weight can be accurately estimated from measure of its length thanks to research completed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. You can download the halibut weight length table in inches or centimeters at the following links:
Halibut Length Weight Chart – Centimeters
Halibut Length Weight Chart – Inches
Halibut Weight – The Big Ones are Females
Halibut research confirms that the majority of large halibut are female. It is important to release the larger breeding halibut since the larger the fish, the more eggs. A female halibut could lay up to 4 million eggs, depending on the size of the fish. For the purpose of catch and release fishing for these larger breeders, the halibut weight length table is useful to get a reliable estimate of the halibut weight for bragging rights, before release.
Halibut Weight Survey
We’d like to know about your boat record halibut. Our boat record has been 104lbs since 2012, in 2018 we caught a 125lb halibut while fishing in Alaska. Use the comments below to let us know the weight of your largest and if you were able to weight the halibut on a scale let us know if the actual weight was similar to the weight based from the halibut length weight table.
Halibut Regulations
In British Columbia starting with the 2013 season, the regulators have restricted the harvest with a specified maximum size limits for halibut. The size limits are intended to reduce the overall weight halibut caught in the sport fishery. The size limit will also lead to retention of smaller halibut of shorter lengths and lower weights. This forces sport anglers to release larger halibut ensuring that the largest breeding halibut stocks are released. DFO has provided some recommendations for measuring halibut length for the purpose of catch and release. Once the length is known use the halibut weight table to determine exactly how much it weighs.
Good luck on your halibut fishing trips, tight lines!
How much edible halibut can you get from a 28 inch halibut and a 33 inch halibut
its all fine and dandy getting an exact measurement by laying the fish of the deck of your boat and measuring tip to tail – but you can bet your bottom dollar that fish is not going to swim away after been man handled over the side of the boat – most likely gaffed into the boat – how is there any conservation throwing dead fish back in the water when it measures out as to big to keep according to the regulations –
Thanks for the comment Mike. These are challenging regulations, and there are pros and cons to any limit system. Since this is the hand the DFO has give out, there are ways that an angler should try their best to handle a halibut carefully. Reckless handling such as gaffing a halibut and bringing into the boat to measure seems unnecessary to me although I would agree it could be happening out there. A better technique is to mark a line on a something like the handle of a gaff or a broomstick or the side of the boat (use electrical tape) and that will allow you to roughly size up the halibut in the water. A lot of the time your halibut will be clearly over or under the legal limit and then you can just cut off your circle hook while the halibut is still in the water, if need be. If it is close to the BC size limit, this is often not a heavy halibut either so if you have a circle hook with 200lb leader then you can grab onto the leader and quickly lift that halibut into the boat, measure and do a quick release if needed.
What is the formula for weighing a 6 foot halibut? What is the difference between the formula for females vs males?
Can you tell me the correct way in which to use a tape measure when weighting a halibut. I have seen the tape used along the top as well as along the white belly. Does it make a difference? Many thanks.
Hi John it should not make a significant difference if you lay the tape from tail to nose along the dark side, from tail to nose along the white side, or, if you have the tape on the deck of your boat and put the fish on top. I lay a flexible tape measure from the center of the tail to the tip of the nose and that is how I measure the halibut. Cheers.
Ryan,
Many thanks for your response to my question. I have been using a flex tape along the dark side, but was never sure if that was correct. You reply tells me I am within correct procedures. I have been looking at many web sites and they all give weight charts, but none bother to explain the best way to actually measure a halibut. Again thank you for your response and I will do as you suggest.
John