Live rock cod as lingcod bait
- Thread starter Danfab
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Tinny
Well-Known Member
You are not allowed to use live rock fish as bait - they are fit for human consumption.
However- Ling cod are bat **** crazy fish. A jig that is worked properly is just as good as live bait. With live bait you just have to work less so some think it works better. But a properly worked jig is just as effective. Most people though do not work the jig properly all the time. Take a rest and the ling swims away.
In the past I occasionally fished with live walleye pollock when I would get some while trolling salmon. But one incident made me realize it wasn’t worth the effort. I had a ling on and broughy it to the surface only to see that the ling grabbed my lead weight instead of the pollock. I was able to gaff the ling as it held onto the lead weight. I then released the pollock and said to myself I’m not doing that again.
However- Ling cod are bat **** crazy fish. A jig that is worked properly is just as good as live bait. With live bait you just have to work less so some think it works better. But a properly worked jig is just as effective. Most people though do not work the jig properly all the time. Take a rest and the ling swims away.
In the past I occasionally fished with live walleye pollock when I would get some while trolling salmon. But one incident made me realize it wasn’t worth the effort. I had a ling on and broughy it to the surface only to see that the ling grabbed my lead weight instead of the pollock. I was able to gaff the ling as it held onto the lead weight. I then released the pollock and said to myself I’m not doing that again.
Clint r
Well-Known Member
Am I breaking the law? Not a question about ling cod but one about rockfish. When I fish the area I go to on the island, I typically hit my rockfish spot first and catch a couple small black ones. Fillet them on the boat and bag them on ice for later eating. Circle back to my crab fishing spot and hang the carcass by the jaw in my traps and over they go. Always do well but if this is against the law, someone let me know so I don’t do it again.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Go fishing guys Jesus.
ILHG
Crew Member
happy hooker
Crew Member
Back in the day we used Kelp Greenling, favourite of Lings, no spines. Rubber Mullets are the ticket nowadays though.
trophywife
Crew Member
proper use of fish.
ILHG
Crew Member
I had amazing luck with Sanddabs this year. I just used a lead jighead and put th hook through the mouth and out the gill plate. Its ling candy
bgillard
Member
I would simply charge for "fail to release in the least harmful manner". With the status of rock fish in the gulf why would recreational fishermen risk wasting rock fish? It's just simply inviting expansions of closures. DFO manages by "precautionary approach". If the Rock fish are being used as bait, they aren't being accounted for during inspections, therefore resource managers will simply increase the conversion factor in bi-catch. The result, shorter seasons, expanded closures. I agree with the first responded...use a jig.
SerengetiGuide
Well-Known Member
That's good to hear, they work fairly well from our experience! What was our wastage of YE charged by DFO? If they're mandatory on board (honestly with all the hoops that always seem to be around I'll believe when it is law) and obviously wastage charged to sector would be nothing, why not make a 1/1 season?
aheny
Well-Known Member
If any of you are considering using a rock fish for bait, keep in mind that the Link Cod do very little damage to it.
You're not choosing between a rockfish and lingcod, you're choosing between a rock fish and two fish.
I'm not saying it's the right thing to do and I'm definitely not saying something that I do, but I remember years ago when we did it we always ended up with two fish
You're not choosing between a rockfish and lingcod, you're choosing between a rock fish and two fish.
I'm not saying it's the right thing to do and I'm definitely not saying something that I do, but I remember years ago when we did it we always ended up with two fish
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I've jigged for bottomfish off Haida Gwaii for 40 years, and I'd say about 1/3 of the biggest lingcod I've caught have been on rockfish. I've never intentionally put one on for bait (who wants to handle those spines on purpose?), but on many occasions, when the black or dusky rockfish at the edge of a dropoff are so thick and aggressive that you can't get a jig down through them, I've finally just let the weight of my 6 or 8 ounce jig carry a hooked rockfish over the dropoff, and had a big ling take it.
If you've ever gutted a big lingcod and seen a rockfish in its stomach, you'll know that the lingcod first chomps down on the rockfish to subdue it, then swallows it headfirst. Any other position would mean trying to get the rockfish down its throat with the dorsal spines standing up and digging in, making a case of human strep throat look like a walk in the park with a cheerful grandma.
As a result, large lings clamp down hard on your hooked rockfish, and they're very reluctant to let go, meaning you can steadily haul the ling to the surface, and gaff him without ever having hooked him. It's also not at all uncommon to bring up a big ling this way, and have another big ling swimming up beside her, in which case you can let the first ling hang just below the surface, gaff the follower, and then gaff the one that's holding the rockfish. It's a way to score a double-header without hooking either fish.
Since I've learned the wisdom of releasing any lingcod I catch that weigh more than about 20 pounds, I've taken to tapping the bigger ones lightly with the gaff handle to make them let go of the rockfish. It's often amazing how hard it is to get them to give up, although possibly their rows of fangs are set in so tightly that they can't easily release their grip.
My biggest kept lingcod, caught in the 1980's, weighed 62 pounds, and after seeing its coarse, parasite-laden meat, I vowed never to kill another big breeder. It really irritates me to see charter operators advertising "trophy lingcod"! Who would hang one on the wall, and who would choose it as food?
If you've ever gutted a big lingcod and seen a rockfish in its stomach, you'll know that the lingcod first chomps down on the rockfish to subdue it, then swallows it headfirst. Any other position would mean trying to get the rockfish down its throat with the dorsal spines standing up and digging in, making a case of human strep throat look like a walk in the park with a cheerful grandma.
As a result, large lings clamp down hard on your hooked rockfish, and they're very reluctant to let go, meaning you can steadily haul the ling to the surface, and gaff him without ever having hooked him. It's also not at all uncommon to bring up a big ling this way, and have another big ling swimming up beside her, in which case you can let the first ling hang just below the surface, gaff the follower, and then gaff the one that's holding the rockfish. It's a way to score a double-header without hooking either fish.
Since I've learned the wisdom of releasing any lingcod I catch that weigh more than about 20 pounds, I've taken to tapping the bigger ones lightly with the gaff handle to make them let go of the rockfish. It's often amazing how hard it is to get them to give up, although possibly their rows of fangs are set in so tightly that they can't easily release their grip.
My biggest kept lingcod, caught in the 1980's, weighed 62 pounds, and after seeing its coarse, parasite-laden meat, I vowed never to kill another big breeder. It really irritates me to see charter operators advertising "trophy lingcod"! Who would hang one on the wall, and who would choose it as food?
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