A beautiful specimen caught near Baranof Island, Alaska on a plastic jig.
Lingcod
Ophiodon elongatus
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Lingcod Description
Lingcod are a gnarly-looking bottom fish with a wicked set of teeth. They have huge mouths and basically hang out in the rocks on the bottom and eat whatever swims by. For this reason they are relatively easy to catch. They don’t put up that much of a fight but they are pretty tasty.
Lingcod are found from Northern Baja up to Alaska. They are caught in the same areas as the Rockfish. Their unique and fierce appearance makes them one of my favorite bottom fish to catch. Lingcod do not have a swim bladder, so they do not blow up if reeled up from deep water. This makes them very easy to release if you are not keeping them to eat. I encourage everyone to release them when possible, especially the big females.
Lingcod Tackle
Any medium weight conventional set up should work fine. I recommend braided line (at least 30lb) for almost all bottom fishing because it doesn’t stretch and so you can make a much more effective hookset. It also decreases the chances you will get stuck in the rocks where Lingcod live. Unfortunately you will inevitably get hung up sometimes (if you don’t you are probably not fishing close enough to the bottom) so you may not want to go with super-heavy line as it will be tough to break off. An Accurate BX 400 is a good choice for these but a much cheaper reel will work fine. Click here for some tackle recommendations.
Lingcod Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 4 out of 10 on the Saltwater Scale
Lingcod make an initial lunge to strike and then head for the rocks when hooked. They are not incredibly powerful for their size, but you do need to pull hard initially to keep them from breaking you off. Once you get them off the bottom, they are yours.
Lingcod Culinary Rating - High
Lingcod are very tasty. Their flesh is usually white, but on occasion can take on an odd green tinge. However, it turns white when cooked and tastes just fine.
Lingcod Techniques
Lingcod are caught on both lures and live or dead bait. Interestingly, they often latch on to smaller Rockfish that you hook and if you don’t lift their head out of the water you can sometimes net or gaff them without them even being hooked.
Lingcod Lures
Many Lingcod are caught on metal jigs. The jigs don’t even have to have much inherent action; you can just bounce them up and down near the bottom. Personally I have had more success with shiny silver jigs. You don't need anything that fancy. Once you hook one you have to pull hard initially to get them out of the rocks. I like to use jigs with stinger hooks on the top of the lure rather than treble hooks on the bottom. This helps you snag less.
Lingcod will also eat large plastic grubs or swimbaits. These are harder to keep on the bottom especially when there is strong current. However, they work great with a heavy leadhead like the one below. Don't be afraid to go big; these things can fit a lot in their big mouths.
Ophiodon elongatus
Home
Other Species
Lingcod Description
Lingcod are a gnarly-looking bottom fish with a wicked set of teeth. They have huge mouths and basically hang out in the rocks on the bottom and eat whatever swims by. For this reason they are relatively easy to catch. They don’t put up that much of a fight but they are pretty tasty.
Lingcod are found from Northern Baja up to Alaska. They are caught in the same areas as the Rockfish. Their unique and fierce appearance makes them one of my favorite bottom fish to catch. Lingcod do not have a swim bladder, so they do not blow up if reeled up from deep water. This makes them very easy to release if you are not keeping them to eat. I encourage everyone to release them when possible, especially the big females.
Lingcod Tackle
Any medium weight conventional set up should work fine. I recommend braided line (at least 30lb) for almost all bottom fishing because it doesn’t stretch and so you can make a much more effective hookset. It also decreases the chances you will get stuck in the rocks where Lingcod live. Unfortunately you will inevitably get hung up sometimes (if you don’t you are probably not fishing close enough to the bottom) so you may not want to go with super-heavy line as it will be tough to break off. An Accurate BX 400 is a good choice for these but a much cheaper reel will work fine. Click here for some tackle recommendations.
Lingcod Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 4 out of 10 on the Saltwater Scale
Lingcod make an initial lunge to strike and then head for the rocks when hooked. They are not incredibly powerful for their size, but you do need to pull hard initially to keep them from breaking you off. Once you get them off the bottom, they are yours.
Lingcod Culinary Rating - High
Lingcod are very tasty. Their flesh is usually white, but on occasion can take on an odd green tinge. However, it turns white when cooked and tastes just fine.
Lingcod Techniques
Lingcod are caught on both lures and live or dead bait. Interestingly, they often latch on to smaller Rockfish that you hook and if you don’t lift their head out of the water you can sometimes net or gaff them without them even being hooked.
Lingcod Lures
Many Lingcod are caught on metal jigs. The jigs don’t even have to have much inherent action; you can just bounce them up and down near the bottom. Personally I have had more success with shiny silver jigs. You don't need anything that fancy. Once you hook one you have to pull hard initially to get them out of the rocks. I like to use jigs with stinger hooks on the top of the lure rather than treble hooks on the bottom. This helps you snag less.
Lingcod will also eat large plastic grubs or swimbaits. These are harder to keep on the bottom especially when there is strong current. However, they work great with a heavy leadhead like the one below. Don't be afraid to go big; these things can fit a lot in their big mouths.
Big fish want big jigs like this one.
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47-inch Lingcod caught on the jig at left
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A 49-inch beast of a Lingcod caught near Admiralty Island, Alaska on a plastic jig.
Lingcod Baits
Lingcod eat live or dead baits but obviously live usually works better. In So Cal or Baja it’s hard to beat a large live mackerel. Just fish a one or two hook dropper loop and put it one crank off the bottom. Most of the time this results in a bite within 5 mins if there are any Lingcod around.
Where to get the big Lingcod
In general the farther north you go, the bigger these get. The real monsters can be caught in Alaska. Great action can be had in Northern Baja, but you have no shot at the 70lb+ fish they have in Alaska.
Other Lingcod Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Lingcod. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
This is a whole site dedicated to Lingcod: http://www.lingcodfishing.net/index.htm
Ronnie Kovach's book Saltwater Fishing in California is also a good resource.
Lingcod eat live or dead baits but obviously live usually works better. In So Cal or Baja it’s hard to beat a large live mackerel. Just fish a one or two hook dropper loop and put it one crank off the bottom. Most of the time this results in a bite within 5 mins if there are any Lingcod around.
Where to get the big Lingcod
In general the farther north you go, the bigger these get. The real monsters can be caught in Alaska. Great action can be had in Northern Baja, but you have no shot at the 70lb+ fish they have in Alaska.
Other Lingcod Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch Lingcod. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
This is a whole site dedicated to Lingcod: http://www.lingcodfishing.net/index.htm
Ronnie Kovach's book Saltwater Fishing in California is also a good resource.
A 47-incher caught on a plastic jig near Baranof Island, Alaska
Lingcod caught in Big Sur, California back in the day
Lingcod, San Quintin, Baja Norte, Mexico
A solid fish caught in the rain in Alaska
Lingcod and Rockfish double caught on a butterfly jig. This is not uncommon.
Lingcod caught in Ensenada, Mexico back in the day