Anyone make it out for the opener today or planning to soon? Post up some flies you're using, gear, technique tips, pictures of fish you caught, etc here. I have yet to target lings on the fly, but I'd love to go if anyone ever has an open seat!
Rockfish eats the flounder, lingcod eats the rockfish. It's a tough world down there!
My guess regarding lings and rockfish is they probably don't dine on them regularly but when a rockfish is hooked and starts thrashing around it probably attracts the lings attention and they just can't resist. Just a guess though.
My guess regarding lings and rockfish is they probably don't dine on them regularly but when a rockfish is hooked and starts thrashing around it probably attracts the lings attention and they just can't resist. Just a guess though.
That is a bottomfish slam! Could the ling be trying to eat the flounder hanging out of the rockfish's mouth? Do you get more hitchhikers on bait than lures? Are the ling's stomachs empty when they take rockfish versus greenling implying more hungry when they hit rockfish?
Quick question for you Lingcod folks - any suggestions on an intermediate running line? Plan is to set up my 10 wt. Have 30' of rio T-14 sink tip. What would be a good line to attach that to? Thanks!
In spite of my dislike of most Rio products these days I've had very good luck with the Rio Coldwater Intermediate running line for my deep saltwater setups.
Thanks Nick. Maybe this is a dumb question, but could I attach the 30' T-14 sink tip to my Airflo 40+ line that I use on my 8wt and just fish that? Keep in mind I'd likely be fishing some of the shallower more accessible ling cod spots from self-propelled water craft.
Fished a secret spot in area 10 yesterday, and my fishing buddy (who catches all the big fish) got the biggest lingcod I have ever seen! Comfortably over 4 feet, 40 pounds+.
We were surprised to say the least!
Not on fly, but on a medium weight 7' bass rod, on a swim bait.
So there are a few fish left in the central sound, but overall it has really sucked down here this season.
Fished a secret spot in area 10 yesterday, and my fishing buddy (who catches all the big fish) got the biggest lingcod I have ever seen! Comfortably over 4 feet, 40 pounds+.
We were surprised to say the least!
Not on fly, but on a medium weight 7' bass rod, on a swim bait.
So there are a few fish left in the central sound, but overall it has really sucked down here this season.
Casting 30' of T-14 on the end of a 40+ while sitting down won't be pretty.
If you do that, you might want to consider dumping your line rather then casting it since you'll be fishing such shallow water anyway.
While not as easy to strip in as a intermediate line, looping your T-14 head to 50 yards or so of decent lb test mono would get you by and be super inexpensive.
SF
Report: First time ever out for Lings yesterday evening. Finally got the gear I need (some T14) and couldn't wait to get out to try to target them at least once before the season ends. It was an absolute clusterf*ck. I was fishing from my paddleboard which is challenging enough, then a metal bolt on my anchor broke so I was basically just a large piece of flotsam in the heavy wind and current. To top it all off, I forgot the saltwater flies I wanted to use, so I was reduced to using the biggest nastiest fly I could find in my freshwater box which was a big black dolly llama.
With all that said, I did actually manage to get a few decent casts out there and I landed a fish...was not a ling though, wasn't quite sure what it was but after doing some research I believe it was a brown rockfish about 15-18 inches. I actually thought I was snagged on a rock, it wasn't moving, so I grabbed the line and was pulling at it with my hands when it gave. Pretty impressive strength in that little guy, can't imagine now what a big ling would feel like. I immediately released it once I got it to the board as I know they're not legal to fish for. Had a second hookup as well but wasn't able to get the fish up to the board as it got off, didn't feel too heavy though and suspect it might have been another rockfish.
I didn't end up catching what I was looking for, but between this being my first experience chasing lings and the poor conditions, that fish was one of the most fulfilling fish I've ever caught. Thanks to the folks on this forum for answering questions and just providing good, helpful info in general.
I do have another question - what type of knot do you use to attach the T14 to the running line (per a suggestion on here, just 40 lb mono) and then also the T14 to the leader?
Nice job getting out there and giving it a go. For my T-whatever head, I made loops in both ends. Just fold it over and double nail knot. Then loop to loop to running line and loop to loop to leader. The T# head loop only goes through the guides OK (not super smooth), but it's livable for that type of fishing. You could also add a braided mono loop to your T14 head on each end.
Nice jog getting out there and giving it a go. For my T-whatever head, I made loops in both ends. Just fold it over and double nail knot. Then loop to loop to running line and loop to loop to leader. The T# head loop only goes through the guides OK (not super smooth), but it's livable for that type of fishing. You could also add a braided mono loop to your T14 head on each end.
Fished a secret spot in area 10 yesterday, and my fishing buddy (who catches all the big fish) got the biggest lingcod I have ever seen! Comfortably over 4 feet, 40 pounds+.
We were surprised to say the least!
Not on fly, but on a medium weight 7' bass rod, on a swim bait.
So there are a few fish left in the central sound, but overall it has really sucked down here this season.
Didn't get a decent picture. We didn't want to risk injuring a fish that big by lifting it out of the water. Besides, it was scary!
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