Big Lings at Thrasher

[Sentinel]

In the Inland waters of Wa including the San Jauns you can keep 1 ling a day between 26" and 36". It used to be 40" on the upper end but changed to 36" a few years back. It is also only open May 1st through June 15th. This approach seems to be working well and helps protect the female population. It may be a bit overkill for the Straits of Georgia as the pressure on them is not near as great, but I am surprised DFO is not at least implementing a slot limit to protect the bigger females. Let the big ones swim!

 

[Clint r]

What's the limit in area 20-1? I'm not clear on that. All the other 20-? Areas are a single ling limit. But area 20-1 has no specific limit mentioned. Regs say 3? Or am I reading it wrong?

 

[Wiseguy]

DFO is monitoring Ling Cod stocks off Thrasher? That may be true and there may be sufficient stocks there now. But now that every Tom, Dick and Harry and his dog knowing about it causing a huge increase in angling pressure and we all know what happens next, an Epic Fail is on the horizon.

 

[Aces]

DFO is monitoring Ling Cod stocks off Thrasher? That may be true and there may be sufficient stocks there now. But now that every Tom, Dick and Harry and his dog knowing about it causing a huge increase in angling pressure and we all know what happens next, an Epic Fail is on the horizon.

Come one.......anyone who knew anything knew there were Lings there. In fact there are better areas than Thrasher that i used to hit with great results although not as good as here

 

[fogged in]

Come one.......anyone who knew anything knew there were Lings there. In fact there are better areas than Thrasher that i used to hit with great results although not as good as here

I assume that catch is legal...have you any idea how long it takes those lings and rock fish to grow to maturity?
Was that a one day catch for your three guests?
How much meat does anyone fisherman need?
a classic case of takem cause you can.
Not my idea of SPORT fishing.

 

[Aces]

Yes i know how old they are....harvestable size after 3 years. Where does the fish come from when you have fish and chips?? Off a commercial boat that brings in 10,000 lbs at a time

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingcod

 

[fogged in]

Yes i know how old they are....harvestable size after 3 years. Where does the fish come from when you have fish and chips?? Off a commercial boat that brings in 10,000 lbs at a time

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingcod

"harvestable size after 3 years "that would be a ling under 10 pounds
The big moma's you show in the photo would be anywhere between 15 and 20 years old and they are the key to future stocks.
Your rock cod, likely Yelloweye's could be 20 years old as well.
As for "Where does the fish come from when you have fish and chips?? Off a commercial boat that brings in 10,000 lbs at a time"
We are SPORTS FISHERMEN, not MEAT fishermen.

 

[Bloodbuggy]

Come one.......anyone who knew anything knew there were Lings there. In fact there are better areas than Thrasher that i used to hit with great results although not as good as here

Im sure that catch is legal.... however seems like a blatant display of why the sustainability of these fish is hurting.

 

[jeffywestcoast]

There is big Ling at thrasher that's forsure , watched my buddy murrs rod explode (literally in his hands, left holding his beloved peetz reel with broken 40lb test) a couple years ago in front of thrasher... Never seen anything like it...


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[scott craven]

The big Lings are all but wiped out on the south island.
the spots that might hold a few are now closed RCA's.
an example of what overfishing an area has done.

 

[Tidal Chaos]

I don't know if there all but wiped out in a lot of areas; any chances they are just getting smarter? I know a few divers that say there are still a lot of big ones around Nanaimo and the biomass is big compared to ten years ago. Just because we don't catch them doesn't mean they aren't down there, especially the big females as they tend to tuck themselves into and under rocks, and unless that lure gets right in front of there face they aren't going to grab it.

 

[finaddict]

I don't know if there all but wiped out in a lot of areas; any chances they are just getting smarter? I know a few divers that say there are still a lot of big ones around Nanaimo and the biomass is big compared to ten years ago. Just because we don't catch them doesn't mean they aren't down there, especially the big females as they tend to tuck themselves into and under rocks, and unless that lure gets right in front of there face they aren't going to grab it.

Probably not smarter. It would be very difficult to expand the knowledge base of a pea sized instinctual brain. But I suspect that the many RCA's may be operating as nursing grounds from which the population can expand

 

[Rum Buddies]

Im sure that catch is legal.... however seems like a blatant display of why the sustainability of these fish is hurting.

agreed, gross. How much of that fish ends up freezer burnt at the bottom of those guys freezers.

You guys on the west coast and north of the island need to get your heads out of your arse and start training your guests to take less and enjoy the experience more.


SVI guys used to bury giant lings in their gardens there was many, thought they would never get wiped out. Think it won't happen on the WCVI? It will.

 

[Derby]

Come one.......anyone who knew anything knew there were Lings there. In fact there are better areas than Thrasher that i used to hit with great results although not as good as here

hahha.. nice cast.. I think your float is down...

 

[Tidal Chaos]

Probably not smarter. It would be very difficult to expand the knowledge base of a pea sized instinctual brain. But I suspect that the many RCA's may be operating as nursing grounds from which the population can expand

Oh I don't know, a fish that has survived beyond 20 years in the strait and not been caught can't be all that stupid! With all the sports pressure out there now and from past years, the old jig boats especially, the odd large female has seen more than its fair share of lures, and if it hasn't used those pea brain instincts up to now, it obviously has learned something from years gone by! Talk to some of the old time divers and ask them what they see out there, they won't tell you where they saw it, but they will tell you how many and how big they were, and a lot of them may have pictures as proof. But heh, it is probably just a fishing story!

 

[Aces]

Of course it was a legal catch! And for 4 guys. It was the last day of a 3 day trip and they wanted some white meat. It was all professionally vacuum packed and i doubt it got freezer burnt knowing those guys all had families that liked eating fish. We eat Ling once a week, it's one of our favorites

 

[finaddict]

Oh I don't know, a fish that has survived beyond 20 years in the strait and not been caught can't be all that stupid! With all the sports pressure out there now and from past years, the old jig boats especially, the odd large female has seen more than its fair share of lures, and if it hasn't used those pea brain instincts up to now, it obviously has learned something from years gone by! Talk to some of the old time divers and ask them what they see out there, they won't tell you where they saw it, but they will tell you how many and how big they were, and a lot of them may have pictures as proof. But heh, it is probably just a fishing story!

Would you have me talk to myself? I AM an old time diver... heh heh heh Been diving this coast for 40 years.

They are not smart and do not learn. They are instinctual creatures acting on impulse and reaction.

 

[fogged in]

Of course it was a legal catch! And for 4 guys. It was the last day of a 3 day trip and they wanted some white meat. It was all professionally vacuum packed and i doubt it got freezer burnt knowing those guys all had families that liked eating fish. We eat Ling once a week, it's one of our favorites

http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=18251&stc=1&d=1432231817
I think I saw 3 guests and a guide in your photo...I assume the guide would be you.
Do you always take your limit when out with a party of 3 guests and keep the fish, as I understand it, you can NOT give your catch to your guests.
Most I think would agree the catch in your photo post was excessive!
Really nothing to brag about.
Was this the total catch for 3 days?
I doubt it as there is no indication the fish had been gutted.
Just how many fish did you guys take in 3 days?
Did you get my post regarding the Yelloweye Rock Fish and big lings would likely have been 20 years old.
Such a shame to take them...the big lings are generally so wormy I doubt your guests would eat them.
Really don't want to rag on you, but I think you need to be more aware of conservation of our resource.

 

[Tidal Chaos]

They are not smart and do not learn. They are instinctual creatures acting on impulse and reaction.[/QUOTE]

If that were the case then almost, if not every lure on the market should have a ling attached to it every time I go jigging where I know there are big ones hiding. I know the big ones are there but they don't seem to bite. I guess they must have been asleep or too full to go with their instincts and impulses.

I can see the stupider juveniles acting on instinct and impulse but the majority of the larger fish seem to not so much! But that is my opinion and I only take 3-4 a year for my family, and will bonk a bigger fish if so presented with the opportunity as I too am a diver with 30+ years sport and commercial and see what there is for biomass around the strait Where I tend to take the kids fishing.

 

[Califbill]

Lings are not like a lot of the Rockfish. We had a limit here for years of 5. Cut it to 2 for a few years. Raised to 3 this year. They are now everywhere. Hard to get a limit of rockfish sometimes as you keep catching lings. Some legal, some a little short. Lings are great breeders and according to my reading do not live long lives like China Cod and Yellow Eye. Here we can not keep Canaries or Yellow Eye. They are going to allow 1 canary as they seem to have come back. We can not fish deeper than 180' to avoid said fish, but canaries seem to want to come in the 30 meter depths these days. Last year in a kayak fishing derby, we could weigh in one fish of several different species. I did not weigh in as I did not catch enough variety. Probably 35 lings. Different baits and jigs. Our reduction of limits for a few years seemed to do the job. I do not keep big lings as they are females. A lot of the other locals seem to do the same thing. Are biggest problem was the Asian live fish market. Is a cash business, and the suppliers like the small rockfish for the restaurant and market trade. They under report as it saves the poundage tax as well as not counting against their quota. They are known as stick fisherman. Used to long line and they cut the long line up in 25 meter lengths and attach a piece of repar to the bottom and 3 hooks and a PVC float. One guy might fish 100+ sticks. Can clean out a reef. They have busted a bunch of the poachers, but still some.