This thread is being created for the FAQ's. Please feel free to add any insight you may have. There is more than one way to skin a Butt! 

Halibut Trolling

Set Up:      Three way swivel with 18” to dropper, 24” to dodger, 30” to bait.
Line:      60 lb. Braid to 30lb. Maxima Green or 40lb Fluoro (30 lb. Maxima on Party Boats)
Drag setting:      Light to Mod, You want a 5 count take before setting hook. Some guys free spool for the count of 5 and then engage reel.
Hooks:      Double sliding Snell, 2/0 Gami Octopus and 1/0 trebles or 2/0 Octopus and 1/0 Octopus slider. (They are not hook shy)
Swivels:      3 way swivels.
Leader:            30” 30lb. Maxima Green leader to hook
Dropper:            18” dropper to weight
Spreader:            Use 3’ leader to dodger
Hoochies:            White Glow, Chart Glo or Green Glo
Bait:      Live Chovies, Mid April availability. Frozen Chovies work for trolling and hold up better. Anchovies, Sardines Shiners and Jack smelt will all work. A small rubber band is used to keep the gills closed when trolling. With live bait you need to check your bait often for scratch bites and weeds. Fish with the bait that is available in the harbor. RSK’s and FBR’s are used for action.
Lures:      Broken Back Rebels without Dodger.
Trolling Sinkers:      8, 12, 16, 24, oz Torpedo Sinkers, pull through grass easier. Cannon balls are common as well.
Mooching Sinkers:      3 to 8 oz for Mooching on drift, just enough to tap the bottom. You need less weight for drifting/mooching. They run heavier weights out the sides and lighter ones out the back to mooch multiple rods.
Dodgers:            Chart or Silver Dodgers size 0 or 00
Flashers:            Flashers and Cow Bells work well.
Trolling Speed:      1.8 to 2.4 mph
Hook Set:      Wait 5 seconds and dip rod tip so fish will swallow before setting the hook! Trolling gets bait generally gets a harder bite than drifted/mooched bait does.
Depth:      Maintain contact with the bottom! Depth varies from 8ft to 12ft near Berkeley flats and oyster point up to 30 ft near Treasure Island and other various locations. 
Landing:      Keep Butts head 6” below water surface.
Size Limit:      22” Have net handy!
Location:      Depends on time of year. Early on they fish Oyster point, the Rock Wall, Alcatraz, and Berkeley flats. Later on about mid summer they start fishing Treasure Island and between Treasure Island and Alcatraz. During the right time of the year they'll venture out to Bonita cove and seal rocks or along the Marin coast, but usually not till mid August or later.
Season:      April thru September

MM has got the info down,except for one thing that i would dispute and your opinions i would like to hear. wait 5 pulls to set the hook..... i Never set the hook, they have very soft mouths and you can loose them that way, infact i caught one the other day with someone else ripped lip on it.  also for flashers i been using those triangle shaped fish flashes, they work killer, give the bait a good roll

I also preferre to gaff my fish that i know are legal, if you gaff the fish and pull it up into the boat, if you leave it hanging in the air on the gaff instead of putting it on the boat floor, they will not flip around on you as long as they are in the air on that gaff.   I have also seen the spray bottle of vodka sprayed on the gills to calm them down...

from my experience, if you try to set the hook when you see a bite, you'll miss it. butts are an attack fish, if you have a stinger hook you will usually catch them on the first bite and dont really need to 'set the hook', if you dont have a stinger, and the fish dont get the whole bait you need to give it some slack so he will get the the hook, if you try to set it or if it slips out you will generally end up with a bait that looks like someone took a razor to it, if you get a bite drop the end of the pole so the bait will stay with the fish.
bill

Great ideas!! see ya out there with my spray bottle!! BOL  CJ