Lings

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Dayto

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What method have you been using for lings? Rod/Tackel and Bait rigs , also what depth are you getting them at .. I have been all over the Sannich Inlet /Narrows/Satalite but still not success(Just the odd small one)

Cheers and tight lines.
 
Lings can be found anywhere really from 30ft to 300ft. Rocky area from what I have found. Live bait works a bit better than jigs, but macdeeps , etc work well.
 
Theres not much in Saanich Inlet, aka the Dead Sea. That could be why your not getting anything there.
 
Was fishing for them up around Jervis Inlet area on a recent trip.

We have always been successful with chucking any sort of big heavy cod jig down. Buzz bombs etc. There was a guy on Saturna who used to make basically a heavy minnow shaped shiny jig which came with some reflective strips that you would just stick on them to add a bit more reflection. These things were the best I have ever used.

Now....I had recently tried a heavy weight with a live minnow/shiner/perch on it in Jervis and it worked well on getting some big guys. The big guys were also likely because this is not a heavily fished area as we never saw anyone in the area at all.
 
Just about any jigs will work for ling but usually the bigger the better. Delta Tackle makes the 'jumbo anchovy' (6 oz)that's reasonably priced and has taken a lot of ling for me. Try green!
http://www.deltatacklecompany.com/f/2007_Catalogue.pdf
Bait (big herring) works the best but lots of dogfish out there right now. If you're really cruising for the monsters then stick with live caught greenling or rockfish. These big ones are the females though so I'd rather leave them be.
Most people think that tackle is unimportant but I tend to disagree. Your regular downrigger rods work but are usually way too soft in the butt section and (usually being fiberglass) don't have the sensitivity you require when fishing 100' plus. This results in dragging your lure across bottom and losing a lot more gear.
Mooching reels too are inadaquate. Slow to lower your gear down and slow on the uptake when trying to set the hook on a bite.
Mono line contibutes to the whole deal by stretching up to 30%.
Your best bet if your serious about ling (like I am :D) is to buy a very fast action rod (7-8')and pair it up with a levelwind reel loaded with 30-50 lb braid. I'm just north of you and fish the Chemainus to Porlier areas and have done well this year so there is lots out there.
I've just touched upon this subject so if your have any other specific questions feel free to ask. Just don't ask for specific spots!:D:D
 
Thats all the Info I needed thanks alot man , what channell do you use in Chemanus?

Whats the salmon fishing like over there I was thinking about giving it a try.
 
I keep my radio on Channel 16 then usually switch to 68 on contact.

Fishing for ling has been only been fair lately for me. Of course, everything else (ie, chinook) is closed on the inside.
 
Hi, Dayto.

I second what Dr. Hook said regarding gear. I usually use my Hali gear with a 6 to 7 1/2 ft rod, Penn 330 gti level wind reel with 80 lb spectra. Maybe a little overkill for smaller lings, but there's lots of 10-20 lb Lings in the Gulf Islands. I usually use a spreader bar with as much weight as necessary to get to bottom in the current. Large 6- 8 inch Hoochies on about a one foot leader sweetened with bait can be used off the spreader bar. The most effective bait for Lings from the spreader bar is the biggest herring you can find. As mentioned live greenling will catch the largest lings, but I've never enjoyed using live greenling for bait. If you fish areas such as points with a steep drop off you shouldn't be too bothered by dogfish. You want to try areas with a strong tidal flow, but you want to hit it around the slack tide. Dogfish generally stay in areas with less current, so you should hopefully avoid them.

This gear may not seem too sporting for smaller fish. However, at 7-10 dollars for each jigging lure it gets pretty expensive prospecting reefs, especially with inexperienced bottom fishers. If you insist on using lighter rods with mono, I'd switch the treble hooks for singles. You will probably catch almost as many fish but you will loose a lot less gear to bottom snags. The rod, level wind reel and spectra line is a fairly sizable investment, but you will more than get it back in the savings on lost gear. Just make sure you use 40 - 50 lb mono for leader, and a dropper line for the weight, off the spreader bar. That way if either hangs up all you loose is a hook or weight. You don't want to break off a big chunk of expensive spectra on a bottom hangup.

That about sums up my experiences fishing for Ling in the Gulf Islands. I always found the southern end of Saltspring brutal for dogfish. It will cost a little more in fuel, but I'd concentrate on the reefs and passes around Galiano, Mayne and Pender if you want more success. Hope that helps, I can't get more specific for locations as you'll have to figure those out yourself. I'm heading out to Vancouver Island for a months fishing, so I will be unable to reply. No internet for a month, that's gonna kill me. Maybe some awesome fishing will make up for it, I guess I'll just have to tough it.
 
Thanks for all the info guys:D

Rigged up 7 1/2 Rod tonight with my Penn and 40pnd test line , going out saturday to see what happens
 
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