Winter Harbour Lings

[Nugget]

I fished Winter Harbour towards the end of July last summer for 3 days. We had a great time enjoying the little community and met some great folks.

Our favorite fish to eat are ling cod so we spent a long time targeting them. We fished 12oz swim jigs primarily tipped with salmon bellies and did not have much success. Hooked rockfish and the odd yellow eye but only 2 lings in close to 10-14 hours of bottom fishing.
We were fishing rocky areas in 50-125ft of water. Tried a bunch of different spots around Kains Island, Kwakiutl Point, Rowley Reef. Guys said ling fishing is usually lights out but we had a hell of a time finding any.

Was I just looking in the wrong areas? Not looking for coordinates or anything but can anyone lend some advice? I want to return back next summer! Feel free to PM me if you prefer.
Cheers!


Nugget

 

[salmonkiller01]

I fished Winter Harbour towards the end of July last summer for 3 days. We had a great time enjoying the little community and met some great folks.

Our favorite fish to eat are ling cod so we spent a long time targeting them. We fished 12oz swim jigs primarily tipped with salmon bellies and did not have much success. Hooked rockfish and the odd yellow eye but only 2 lings in close to 10-14 hours of bottom fishing.
We were fishing rocky areas in 50-125ft of water. Tried a bunch of different spots around Kains Island, Kwakiutl Point, Rowley Reef. Guys said ling fishing is usually lights out but we had a hell of a time finding any.

Was I just looking in the wrong areas? Not looking for coordinates or anything but can anyone lend some advice? I want to return back next summer! Feel free to PM me if you prefer.
Cheers!


Nugget

try steep drop offs. We troll for Lings lots but end up spending a lot of time decending cod.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

You need to go further, down towards lawn point, and Brooks and you need to go to deeper water. I pull 90% of my lings at 300ft

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

I also found that they are weather sensitive. If there is big change in atmospheric pressure the bite goes off for a day or so.

 

[N2013]

As others have said, it’s worth making a run north or south. If you’re staying around the mouth, you’ll be bouncing around bump to bump, grabbing one or two at a time. I prefer the offshore specials of 10-15lbs. A lot of my bigger breeders have come in shallower water. Use a White Russian swimbait.

 

[Capt. Red]

They get hit pretty hard in close, as others have said. We use Pipe Jigs mostly, and do well, but sometimes a grub tail kicks the Pipe Jigs butt. Also, you don’t always need a rock pile or drop off. A small hump will often kick out nice Lingers..

 

[Nugget]

Nice work gents! I will try some deeper water next year. Maybe just an off trip also, as it looks like guys do well shallow also.

 

[salmonkiller01]

Nice work gents! I will try some deeper water next year. Maybe just an off trip also, as it looks like guys do well shallow also.

We go to the same spot off Nootka and sometimes lights and sometimes not so much. If it is slow we troll bottom and pick them up

 

[sly_karma]

Big rockpiles scattered offshore from Lawn Pt down toward Brooks deliver big lings. Usually drift jigging with a copper pipe jig.

But we've also done well at times picking up lings inside at Cliffe and Macallister sort of as bycatch of jigging for salmon. Once a tack hasn't yielded a salmon from the mid and top water we do a couple of drops to bottom and often pick up 10-15 lb lings that way.

 

[the force]

Coming from the perspective of never targeting them via trolling, is there preferred gear or speed or just the typical salmon gear? Flasher and assortment of spoons/plugs/hoochies/bait? Someone actively working riggers I assume to keep relatively close to bottom.

 

[Dogbreath]

For trolling Lings I like a big old Pike spoon-any gaudy wobbler is something Lings will take behind a flasher.

That's why Ling fishing can be cheap no real need to thrown down large for new tackle the old stuff works fine.

 

[the force]

For trolling Lings I like a big old Pike spoon-any gaudy wobbler is something Lings will take behind a flasher.

That's why Ling fishing can be cheap no real need to thrown down large for new tackle the old stuff works fine.

Lol, excellent… I grew up in SK an have lots of gaudy old pike tackle. I should use it more as have caught a lot of fish on the good old Len Thompson.

 

[sly_karma]

Come if from the perspective of never targeting them via trolling, is there preferred gear or speed or just the typical salmon gear? Flasher and assortment of spoons/plugs/hoochies/bait? Someone actively working riggers I assume to keep relatively close to bottom.

Lower troll speed than for chinooks. Scent on the lure. Run close to bottom, look on charts for rock piles and pinnacles.

 

[salmonkiller01]

Come if from the perspective of never targeting them via trolling, is there preferred gear or speed or just the typical salmon gear? Flasher and assortment of spoons/plugs/hoochies/bait? Someone actively working riggers I assume to keep relatively close to bottom.

We use white hootchies and flashers. Drop ball to bottom come up ten feet and wait. Usually get something every 5 min.

 

[the force]

We use white hootchies and flashers. Drop ball to bottom come up ten feet and wait. Usually get something every 5 min.

Lol, that is about how it goes in my brain in anticipation of a trip… on the water is often a different story. Alas, one can dream

 

[Saskasomebody]

Come if from the perspective of never targeting them via trolling, is there preferred gear or speed or just the typical salmon gear? Flasher and assortment of spoons/plugs/hoochies/bait? Someone actively working riggers I assume to keep relatively close to bottom.

Can use larger swimbaits off the riggers as well. They run a fair bit deeper than the ball so it works well, you can keep the riggers up higher and just the baits are running close to the bottom.

 

[the force]

Can use larger swimbaits off the riggers as well. They run a fair bit deeper than the ball so it works well, you can keep the riggers up higher and just the baits are running close to the bottom.

Nice strategy, would you do like a 30-40’ setback?

 

[Aces]

Lings like Tomic plugs on downriggers as they dive down nicely

 

[Saskasomebody]

Nice strategy, would you do like a 30-40’ setback?

Yep. Depends on the swimbait. The big lighthouse ones run deep so 30' is plenty. Definitely works with a bit of fine tuning.

 

[ship happens]

Can use larger swimbaits off the riggers as well. They run a fair bit deeper than the ball so it works well, you can keep the riggers up higher and just the baits are running close to the bottom.

I tried that with the medium size burbot once. Absolutely slayed the wing wods. It's heavy so you have to send it down real slow. Slow troll. Deadly