Lingcod Fishing. ( HOW-TO?)

[myco-mike]

I'v been trying o catch a 'Ling' from shore for a month now. No success. Can anyone give me advice how to catch a 'Ling' from shore? I don't have a boat yet... hopefully soooon!

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jiggin@home...

[rcl187]

I'm not sure what kind of areas your fishing but up here if your fishing by land (boat or not) we use spinning rods with a good non-abrassive line 12#-14#. Then use a 3/4 ounce jig head-usually ours aren't painted since they are cheaper and you may go through 15-20 in a day. On this you add either a plastic worm or plastic fish just like bass fishing. Best colors for lings are 6" with a white body and red tail (for the worms) or rainbow trout for the fish shapes. If that doesn't work try black or orange. If there's alot of kelp consider using weedless bass hooks and just cast right into. Usually lings are on the bottom but in the kelp I've had them wait till there 2 feet away from you to bite. Hope that helps.

[myco-mike]

rcl187, Thanks. Where do you fish for 'lings'? In Astoria or Tillamook?

[rcl187]

I actually do most of my fishing up in the san juans. Lots of big fish around here and its easy to find an area with little pressure.

[firetiger]

Try plunking sand shrimp as a second option. My friend caught one today doing this.

[willierower]

jjiggin,
I have done real well on the south jetty at Newport using big purple label herring with very little wieght. The trick is using just enough weight to get the bat to sink and drift with the tide without hanging in the rocks all the time.
Here is how I rig for Lingcod. I use a heavy salmon rod (rated for 15-30lb test) I use 20 to 25lb test mono. You also need surgical tubing. a spool of 1/4 inch pencil lead and some 5/0 to 8/0 hooks. To rig up, first you need to slide a piece of tubing up your line about a 1inch piece. Next you use a snell knot to tie the hook directly to the mainline. In the tubing you insert your lead, anywhere from 2 to 5 inches depending on depth and flow. Make sure the lead is about 24 inches from the hook. Grab a herring and run the hook through the eyes, passing completly through. Next run the through the body under the dorsal fin but above the lateral line, Making sure to go completly trough again. Then you run the through the herring again half way between the dorsal and the tail, run the hook completly through and let it dangle. The herring should have a slight bend so it wil roll when pulled through the water.
I fish the incoming tide, I cast the herring uptide and let it drift. As it is drifting I give it a little action by slowly raising the rod tip and lowering it again keeping a semei tight line. I get most of the hits when the bait is falling. This method has been very effective for me. I hope this helps

[myco-mike]

Thanks for all of the advice. I'll try it this weekend. Can you fish the Jetty at Astoria? When I looked at it, it looks like you can't walk out on it.

Anyways, Thanks for your post.

[Scaup]

I have fished the south jetty at Astoria numerous times but it's not real user friendly. You have to hop the rocks. There is no smooth walking surface as you noted.

I usually park at the south jetty parking lot next to the observation tower. Then I walk along the north side of the jetty in the sand until I reach water. The reduces the amount of rocks I have to hop. Then you can climb the jetty and hop rocks for as long as you want since it's a very long jetty.

It's a lot of work and I wouldn't recommend it if you're not fairly nimble and in decent shape. The plus side is I've never encountered anyone else fishing out much past the first few hundred yards of the jetyy. When the conditions are right I have caught rockfish on every cast using jigs. Newport is probably better for lings, but you can catch them at Astoria as well.

One warning, make sure you check the ocean conditions before you go and pay attention to them while you're there. Only go when the seas are calm. If the swells are out of the south or southeast, don't even try as they can wash over the jetty. Swells from this direction can also make it too hard to fish anyway.

I'd also recommend you take a buddy with you and tell people where you're going. If you fall and twist and ankle, no one else is going wander by since so few people fish this jetty. The buddy can also help you carry the fish back!

Wearing a backpack to carry all of your gear also makes it easier.