Fishing for rock cod/ling cod

[mfish]

Hey guys,

I'm from Vancouver and usually we go fishing for rock cod around sunshine coast but I believe the season doesn't open until June 15th there, are there any other places within 2-3 hr from Vancouver where I could go for rock fish before June 15th?

Thanks!
m

 

[Hoochiebob]

Straight of Georgia is closed to all rockfish or cod.Dfo is "anticipating" they may end the closure June 1.
Keep an Eye on Fisheries and oceans website to confirm this.

 

[mfish]

Cool, do you know where exactly I go on the Fisheries and Oceans website? So was I wrong about the June 15th date? It still may be open on June 1st?

Thanks!

 

[scott craven]

http://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/x...cfm?pg=fishery_search&lang=en&ID=recreational

here ya go !

 

[mfish]

Awesome! I hope it's June 1st then I can head over to Sechelt to do some fishing and relaxing!

 

[SIR]

Hey, since when do "fishing" and "relaxing" go together - it's a serious hard core sport

 

[mfish]

Haha good point, realllly hard core! While we're talking about this, is there something that needs to be done differently to look for ling cods as opposed to rock cods? In the times I've gone, I've only ever caught rock cods and I'm not really sure why! I thought they hung out in similar areas? I usually jig for these fish.

 

[Pablo2079]

Make sure you check the maps.... area 29 makes it all the way up to Sechelt on the Strait side.

Enjoy the coast!

 

[Deewar25]

most big lings I've caught have been attached to a rockcod on the hook! You are better off fishing up a cod/greenling...hook it up and add a stinger hook and just let him swim around at the bottom. If you get something heavy tugging, bring it in very slowly as they often are just chewing on it and not hooked at all...if it gets off, drop the cod back down 15-20 feet and cross your fingers (I have caught a few again doing that)...

 

[mfish]

Hello again!
Maybe a stupid question...but what is a stinger hook? How deep are lings usually hanging out?

Good call on checking area 29! I think I'm safe though as I usually head to near Madiera Park, which does appear to be in Area 16! These maps are a bit confusing!

 

[Hoochiebob]

Well DFO does seem to be a confused lot

 

[Haze]

mfish - stinger hook instructions here:
http://www.lyndenhuggins.com/Fishing/Stinger Hook/How To Make a Stinger Hook Rig.htm
Lings hang out at all sorts of depths, but if you're going to target them look for areas that there is a good amount of water movement that'll bring feed. Then look for for pinacles in deep zones, they often hang around the pinacles and can be found near the top on slack tides.
Otherwise just fish bottom. As for depth I have rarely caught a keeper in anything less than 100 feet of water, but it really depends where you are fishing and how abundant they are in the area.
Oh and pertaining to the stinger hook, be careful in some areas it isn't legal to use cod as bait fish. But if you can run a hook through the nose and a trailer hook (stinger style) along the body long enough that it sits near the mid-back close to the tail.