LING FISHIN !

[Fishplay]

Can anyone say LINGCOD! It's that time of year again. Just have to hold out for better ocean conditions. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif The leads been poured and the weather is being monitored. Finally got off my wallet and we're GPS equiped this year. Cant wait! http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif Next year we'll have exact locations to return to.

And no maximum size limit this year....YEA HAWWWW!!

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FISH!........GET IN THE BOAT!!!!!

[Pitch Pocket]

Would love to learn how to catch the Ling thing. Batter fried, nothing is better, except maybe sturgeon. How about listing some techiques for a novice with a sled?

[Catchn not fishn]

Would love to hear more about techniques and when and were to catch some lings, how to rig up? What tackle to use.
Along with Batter mix and how to prepare lings and Sturgeon.
Sturgeon always comes out tough when I cook it???? What am I doing wrong?
Thanks for any help

[Osprey]

Grew up catching Lings on ther coast,he my input for technic.Drop a jig or bait down till you hook a RedRock fish or BlackBass then filet that sucker and drop the carcuss down hooked thru the jips or back and hang on.....Os
works good you end up a cooler of filets and some big Lings http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Pilar]

Roger that OSPREY! We like the kelp greenling filet for bait. You get the occasional Halibut to boot.

The other thing to do is let a small rockfish swim around down there after you hook up on him. Lings are ambush predators. When they see the helpless rockfish they go all mushy inside and bite down on it. A lot of times we reel up 1/2 a rockfish.

Then you have to quickly net the ling when he gets to the boat before he lets go! Most of the time the ling is not even hooked, he's just too mean to let go of his prize.

The bend is your friend!

[This message has been edited by Pilar (edited 02-05-2001).]

[Salmonator]

We had a ling follow a hooked seabass up in 100 ft of water. Never bit it, just watched the whole way. Hung out just long enough to get a gaff in his belly.

High hopes, your sturgeon will be tender no matter how it's cooked if you bonk and bleed it quickly. My first sturgeon experience was with two keepers that had been roped alive and not bled for 6-8 hours. They were literally too tough eat cooked with any method. Now I bonk 'em, rope 'em and cut a gill immediately. Never had a tough sturgeon since... Joe

[Hammer Bob]

Other than the usual bottom-bouncing of jigs here is a method which works real well for me. Catch a rockfish or use a large sardine or mackeral. Cut the filet on each side of the fish up to the gills...leave filets attached to the body. Now take the backbone out and attach a two hook rig...thread the rear hook through the mouth and hook the front hook through the lips and leave the rear hook fluttering in between the side pieces (filets). For more action you can split the filets lengthwise. When this rig is slow jigged or drifted it is deadly. You can also cut off the dorsal spines of the rockfish if you would like...makes handling a little easier. If you are good when you filet the sides you can leave the tail on one of the filets...gives a nice fluttering lopsided bait which really looks alive and injured. If there is a ling around they won't resist this kind of bait!

[Nanook]

Son of an Okie - you payin' attention
to where. I KNOW you know how!

http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Nanook]

To HIGH HOPES et al':

Next time you filet your sturgeon, let
the filets sit on a cooler of ice for
a couple of days. Will suck ALL the
junk out of the meat and you won't
believe the overall difference in
taste and texture of the filets.

Rick

[Fishplay]

All good advice OS,Pilar,and Hammer. I prefer the method Pilar described. We use shrimp to catch a mess of kelp greenling and toss them in the livewell then head off to some the inner reefs for the 'reel action. Rig your live offering using a heavy dacron leader about 3ft in length. Snell a hook to one end then slip a second hook on to the leader as a slider, use at least 5/0 hooks, then tie off to a livebait swivel. The slider goes through the lips and the trail hook through the flesh at the top of the backbone near the tail. Add a slido to your mainline and tie on a McMahon swivel. This makes for a quick change if your bait becomes lethargic before hooking up. Use just enough lead to Get your offering to the bottom yet still allow the bugger to swim. This tech gives you a better chance of actually hooking the fish. Nothing is more heartbreaking than having a 35lb+ ling release the bait just out of reach of the net. Once you feel something big at the other end remember to reel slowly and have the net ready. Dont bring the fish clear to the surface.
Now is the time (weather permitting) and any of the inner reefs close to all ports will produce. I like Newport because it's one of the safer improved bars and there is ample oppertunity close by. South towards Seal Rock there are many rock outcroppings and these fish are moving in to set up house for the spawn. Have fun and catch lots of fish but pay close attention to the weather; it changes fast this time of year.

HighHopes: As far as deepfried fish goes I prefer Pride of the West batter made with beer. Just poor one in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. It will go flat in no time. I've never ate a bad peice of fish but bleeding is important and you'll want to bleed all large gamefish. I dont kill them I let them bleed out. Just lift the gill plate and cut the flesh behind the gills in a half moon circle just as you would if you were removing the gills completely apon cleaning. Most peoples mistake with fish is overcooking. Thats what causes it to be tough. Use a thermometer and keep your oil temp between 350-375, only cook till lightly brown. The fish continues to cook some after being removed from the oil. Enjoy!

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FISH!........GET IN THE BOAT!!!!!

[bait boy]

Ling fishing at its best can be a vast and furious day on the water....

There are a few keys to bottom fish of any west coast sort, and a few different places to get at what you want. Here is what I have learned by going on the charter boats out of westport. A friend of mine had this Charter captain that he found through trial and error out of Westport. this is what I have learned just from watching him work his boat.

while it is true that a ling is an opportunity and sneaky feeder I feel that there is a more productive and easier way to get those pesky lings to bite. I am from the east coast originally NH and most of the bottom fishing is done not with bait but with jigs, big jigs 16-18 Oz(we got most of that from the Norwegians and Nova Scotia. I have modified this tech(with help from buddy)to work on lings,(usually)big yellow eye and when I get a sea bass it is a beauty.

I hate to lose gear so when I fish lings I use my oversize sturgeon gear 50-80lb ugly stick and penn 330 with 80 lb tuffline. with this setup I can feel the bottom composition from 250 ft and usually not lose my gear from snags because of the direct contact with my jig.

I know most folks like to fish inshore around Kelp beds and shallow reefs but to target the biggest and best Lings and others start searching around the 100-200 ft line for submerged humps some of these humps may be a rise in 20 ft,and some may just be a bump on your fish finder but if your electronics and GPS/loran are up to par when you go searching for these spots you should be able to get back and find them over and over again. these "humps" are magnets in the open ocean and tend to gather bait and therefore keepers. the trick in all of this is getting your drift right. note current direction and try to get up current of hump and drift over. it should be like someone tells the fish to bite and when you get pushed off the hump it will turn off.

use charts and if necessary go on a charter that specializes in deeper water trips to learn the technique. you may even be able to get a gps coordinate or 2(I always wanted to bring my hand held but it feels like I am ripping off the skipper).

Any way There are many types of jigs out there and most will work. I/we make our own out of conduit or copper or stainless pipe and fill with lead(NOTE if you try this make sure it is in a WELL ventilated area). the basic concept is to get A hook with some type of hoochie skirt on one end and a swivel/snap ring /loop or some way for you to easily get it on and off your line. I use mcmahon snaps just due to their strength. I get some of the color flashy tape at the tackle store,maybe get some glow paint and make up a dozen different colors. Make 2 of everything(if you lose the super topsecret jig and thats the only one you'll be kicking yourself). We have found a white jig with a green and glow hoochie skirt, has been the ticket the last few times out.

the jig is approx 6-8" long 1/2 to 3/4' Dia. in the past we have cut up coat hangers and bent in a U for the top and bottom loops and used split rings for attaching the hook and swivel 4/0 or 5/0 salt water trebles.

If you really want to use shrimp flys do not tie them onto your tuffline. Due to the fact that it cuts its self you will lose those perty jigs that go on the bottom. if you want to use shrimp flys tie a heavy mono leader and put the jig on the bottom as your weight.


IF you know where some offshore spots like this are I can show you the technique of which I speak. wink wink hint hint I even have access to a boat with a Furuno color fish finder / gps plotter

Hope this is of help to someone that does ocean bottom fish. I think that useing this technique we put most everyones lings on the Charter in the boat.

[Pitch Pocket]

Sounds like most lings are caught in the ocean. However, my 19' VS is not a real sea farin vessel. My dream is a 26' Sea Sport, but maybe my next million!

Can this fishery be accomplished near the jettys? I've seen lings taken off the north Tillamook jetty. How can these techniques be used from my sled close in? Should I just sit on the jetty and fish?

[Pilar]

Don't be discouraged. The Newport fishery is very accessible. The reef goes on for days and starts about a 1/3 of a mile from the south jetty tip and goes south 6 miles or so. Newport has the easiest bar on the coast. If your boat can make a 20 mile round trip with ease, you are in. If you want to verify your range, make a Columbia river trip from St John to Camas or some similar distance.

The last time I fished Seal rock at Newport we put about 18 miles on the boat.

Pick your day based on minimal waves and low wind. See above posts for more good advice. If you use common sense and watch the weather you will kill the bottom fish and have a safe trip. Good luck and happy hunting.

The bend is your friend!

[Joe]

I am not sure, but I think it is illegal to fillet fish (and keep the fillet's) while you are still on the water. Something along the lines of " unlawful to disguise species". I just read about it the other day when I was checking to see if it was legal to use live fish for bait. Which is legal as long as they are from the same estuary or ocean.

Is Newport better Ling Fishing than Depoe Bay? I have been having more and more trouble finding keepers out of Depoe.

[Hammer Bob]

You should be able to fillet fish as long as you keep the skin (or at least 1 sq. inch) on the fillets for ID. Also the fillets will probably have a minimum size limit as well. At least that is how Ca. regs read.

[Pilar]

Does this mean I can't jig up herring and fly line them for salmon mooching. How about jigging up fresh herring and using them as cut bait for bottom fish, is that OK?

Are we splitting hairs here or what? I follow the rules for possession and size on the fish I use for bait, so my conscience is clear.

The bend is your friend!

[StreamSide]

SjP,

I have a 19.5 Willie P. sled. Fishes great on the N. jetty of Tillamook Bay. 2 weeks ago we hooked 5 lings and kept a 25" male. I was using a 3 oz. lead jig with 1/2"dia. 6" long grub in blue. We fish the incomming tide from the coast guard tower up to the parking area at the park. Cast into the rocks and pull back, letting it drop down to the bottom. Hang on! they will smack it hard. Make sure to hold back or drift past the folks fishing from the rocks. I find it's better to avoid any conflict being I can cover a lot more water then they can. Don't forget the crab pots! we picked up a dozen crab to round out a great day on the water.

John

[This message has been edited by StreamSide (edited 02-06-2001).]

[fisheromen]

If you don't have a boat -
You can still fish for lings. Same drill, catch some greenling, bass, whatever (we've even used 1-2 lb perch. We usually fillet them 'cause we want the meat. Then hook a 1 oz jig through the lips and a trailer hook through the tail. We use a heavy dacron leader. Take a big rod with you and lob cast this whole thing out, let it sink a little and jig it in. If the lings are there you'll get one. The only problem is landing it. From the jetty it's hard to get down near enough to the things for effective gaffing and netting. I remember the first time we did this the first ling we got in had two of our baits in his belly cause we were using light mono.

[Pitch Pocket]

Thanks Streamside! Just the answer I was looking for. What rod size are you using. Would a synthetic on a salmon pole work or possibly a steelhead rod?

[Joe]

I picked up the new regs this morning since I was not real clear on this stuff. Sounds like as long as size and species can be identified it's ok to fillet fish out on the water.

I have been checked twice (in the past two years) by OSP while bottom fishing and had them look in coolers. This is great by me, it just makes me extra cautious. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Fishplay]

SJP,
You would be best served with the heaviest rods you own. When jetty fishing your catching fish that have denned up in the rocks. They dart out, slam the gear and return to the nest. While you wouldn't have any trouble with a light rod on 25" fish you will with 36"+ fish and I've seen lings caught off the jetties that were 4ft and better. The leadheads with grubs work fine in this instance because the fish are hitting out of aggression, rather than feeding. When Streamside says hang on he means it and with a heavy rod you can apply the imeadiate presure needed to deny their retreat. If they get back to the den they'll break you off in the rocks.



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FISH!........GET IN THE BOAT!!!!!

[StreamSide]

SjP,
I was using a 9' bobber rod (heavy salmon) with 30lb tuff line for main and 40# mono leader ~ about 4' long.
Fishplay, I would have to say they were also feeding! one on the fish I cought had 3 candle fish in it's gullet.

[Fishplay]

I did not mean to say it was impossible that they would feed on blue grubs....just improbable. Lingcod are meat eaters with a keen sence of smell and definately prefer fresh fish to rubber worms if feeding. I also doubt that your male ling mistook your offering as a candlefish but that does bring up another excellent offering. Lead baitfish shaped jigs such as zingers, nordics, crippled herring ect. can be good producers also and are really fun to fish.

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FISH!........GET IN THE BOAT!!!!!

[Pitch Pocket]

Thanks for the tips. I think I'll leave my ugly stick sturgeon rods at home though. My salmon rods with 30lb tuff should fit the bill. Can you put a herring on a 3oz jig head? Is it worth the effort or will they hit the rubber thing? Maybe rigging a trailing hook for the short bite? How far away from the jetty do you drift? Nordics and Buzz bombs are kind of expensive to lose in the rocks aren't they? I'm rigging my sled today!

[Fishplay]

Your salmon rods will do fine provided they have a strong backbone plus they are more castable. The distance off the jetty will very because of depth changes due to the non-uniformity underwater. You want to stay in fishable water. Yes the zingers are expensive and yes the fish will hit the rubber as Streamside can attest to. These fish will hit anything when it gets too close for comfort. The males are the protector of the spawn. The females lay the eggs in clusters which attach to the rocks - as much as half their body weight in eggs. The male oxigenates the water with a sweeping of their tails and takes care of preditors. The only sad part to this is when you catch a male off the nest you put the spawn at grave risk. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif Always a downside eh!
Good Luck. Let us know how you do.

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FISH!........GET IN THE BOAT!!!!!