Jigging for Lings

Nahee27

Member
Hey Guys,
I have done a lot of trolling for Salmon and try to Jig up a few Lingcod every now and then but never with any consistency. I'm looking for some tips on technique and also which Jigs you find work best?
Maybe there's already a good thread on this but I couldn't find it.
Thanks.
 
I have done best so far with big white scampi tails. Lingcod love the hunt & a passively jigged lure wont keep many of the fishes attention. Think of a dog & a rabbit,,, a dog will sit & watch the rabbit, but as soon as that rabbit runs they are after it. That said be very aggressive with your jigging & that will help a reactionary bite. This is why jigging technics such as speed jigging &/or flat fall jigs can be so affective.

I have had times were I am fishing for lings shallow (40-50') along the kelp where they were full of small bait fish (needle fish) & hard to get to bite no matter what I did. I ended up just using a anchovy and mooched it with a traditional mooching weight & limited out in 5 min.
 
If not looking for a “mixed bag” ie fishing only for Lings, I always use a powerbait or similar 10-12” curly tail (white or glow) on an 8 to 16 ounce jig head. Key for me is to locate reefs and pinnacles that top out at 40-60 ft and drop off, preferably in steps, to 100ft +. Ideal scenario is 10-20ft drops onto ledges before the next drop. Jig on top and drift over the edge dropping to the bottom every 3-5 jigs of the rod. I find they hammer it as your jig drops over a good ledge - classic ambush predator behaviour!

Cheers!

Ukee
 
I'm a total newbie and only been cod jigging once last year but I was with a vet who was amazing. He used crappy jigs with weaker hooks because he would get snagged on the rocks and the hook would bend and he would get it back. If he didn't get it loose he lost a dollar jig;-)
But the real secret was if he didn't get a bite in 3 drops he would move down 6 feet and we moved a lot that day. He said they don't stray far from thier den and wait for food to get close so if no bite they ain't there. He must have pulled 20 cod up in an hour and never kept one, I liked that. I got to keep two ;-) with one on his licence.
 

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Have had a lot of success with the Lighthouse mega bites. White Russian is dynamite. Tip it with a little salmon belly or scent. 8"-10" Hali haws do well in whites, browns or greens with anywhere from a 8,12,16oz lead head works. I tried adding a trailer hook but found it would snag bottom a lot more or get tangled up in the tail. Depends on depth/currents. Sometimes they like the 4 legged or 2 tailed jig as well. No idea what it's called but it's got two bigger arms, and a little tail. Keep checking for bottom and keep it 5-10' above it. Like people have said, it's a lot easier to jig down hill than up. If there's lingcod down there, they'll jump on pretty quick. If not, change jigs or move on. Once you've hooked up, keep their heads in the water as best as you can otherwise they freak out. Keep them in the swim then gaff'em. My old mans nets them because well, he's old. But they'll trash a net quick.

Look for kelp beds or pinnacles. Kelp beds seem to always hold a linger or two. They feed on anything, especially rockfish, so where there's little fish, there's bigger fish. Have found some areas up north of Quadra with some fast water, always seem to produce. Back troll to keep lines vertical, keep moving a bit and hunting for them. I prefer eating ling over halibut any day. Anything under 15lbs is great eating. If you do catch a big one, let it go and let the big females keep breading. They're very resilient fish but keep'em wet as best as you can.
 
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Live bait is king when it comes to lings, nothing beats it. Anything live from 8" - 18" usually is latched onto before anything else. Big single through lip and a big treble trailer hook. 6 - 12 oz bank sinker rubber banded 8' from bait makes for less snags we find and when you do snag you retain your swivel , leader and hooks, just have to rubber band on another sinker .
 
I rig up my own spreaders with 80 lb mono. I hang a 16 oz ball off the bottom with a short break away leader and clip a 2' leader on the other end with two big circle hooks. I rig the biggest herring I can find, tail towards the main line, with one hook in the mouth and one in the back. Both hooks stick up through the top of the fish. It's a lot of fun to feel the bait get taken and to sloooooowly crank up your drag and set the hook.

PS I never snag
 
Great info shared. Check out Fishing with Rods YouTube channel, some good vids shot in Kyuquot targeting lings.
 
The last few years all of our bigger lings have come on 200 - 250 Butterfly Flat Fall Jigs. In May we are going to Experanza/Kyuquot for 5 days and are going to test the paddle tails hard against them and will give you guys a good review after. We have Mega-Bite, Savage and Gibb's swimbaits ready to go. Last year I can tell you unequivocally that we caught 4 or. 5:1 more fish than a fella using the standard 24oz cod jigs and large curly tails. I think it comes down to the action of the lures and the reaction bite that they create.

Happy hunting!

WW
 
The last few years all of our bigger lings have come on 200 - 250 Butterfly Flat Fall Jigs. In May we are going to Experanza/Kyuquot for 5 days and are going to test the paddle tails hard against them and will give you guys a good review after. We have Mega-Bite, Savage and Gibb's swimbaits ready to go. Last year I can tell you unequivocally that we caught 4 or. 5:1 more fish than a fella using the standard 24oz cod jigs and large curly tails. I think it comes down to the action of the lures and the reaction bite that they create.

Happy hunting!

WW

Sounds like a lot of fun!
 
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