LINGCOD Thread - 2008 Season Only

[kutthroatkilla]

I'll start the thread off with my experience and urge everyone just to keep adding to this thread. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS TO SUBMIT A REPORT. USE THE SUBMIT REPORT FUNCTION PLEASE. It's intended for you to upload pictures and share your fishing experience for Lingcod 2008 May 1 - June 15.

Lingcod Fishing -- May 1st, 2008 -- Edmonds Marina & Possession Bar 4:45 AM to 3:00 PM

Well it finally arrived - Lingcod season in Puget Sound. Woke up to the sound my annoying alarm clock (set previously 3:15 AM the night before). I was off and running by 3:50 AM and launching the boat at Edmonds by 4:20 AM. First fish hit hard at 4:45 AM on the Gulp rootbeer red worm, so need I say - FISH ON! Smacked hard right off the Edmonds Marina in 20 feet of water. After a 2 minute fight, the fish measured 28" and was safely released. Then I sent my same setup right back down as quickly as I could and wouldn't you know it -- FISH ON! This time it was pulling a little harder than the first linger and took out some of my power pro. I finally got the ling to the top after 4 minutes of battle and was able to do a quick measure - came in around 30" - a nice ling for Puget Sound. So that was two fish from 4:45 AM to 5:00 AM. Then it went really cold until 7:00 AM. It was at 6:45 AM that I moved out to Possession. After my Mudraker hit the bottom and no longer than within 3 minutes - BAM, FISH ON! This fish meant business. It struck hard on my lucky Mudraker in light blue/glo and was only on for about 2 minutes before comming unbuttoned well below my boat. This fish might have been closer to that 32" mark, I'm not quite sure. It did pull hard when it hit that Mudraker jig so who knows. Mudrakers seems to just irritate the heck out of lings but I lose some fish this way. I fished Possession from that 7:00 AM until 3:00 PM time frame without another hit. Saw all the charters and everything and it was sloppy with some 3 footers but not too bad. South wind on my hand held came in around S13G17. The weather seemed to improve as the day went on but I fished for 7 some hours and couldn't manage another fish from 7:10 AM until 3:00 PM, not even a nibble. That morning tide was the ticket I guess. Get out there really early -- like 3:45 AM and don't stay out too late. I'm going to do this from now on, rather than staying out there for so long. So to recap, 3 lings today, one 28" that was released safely, another 30" that was released safely also, and one nice hard pullin ling that I had on for around 2 minutes and knew it was over surely over 30." I still prefer lings up around Telegraph Cove where 4-6 footers are quite common if you know where to fish (gotta love Green Rock -Pt. Hardy). That is ling territory galore up there by Port Hardy and Telegraph Cove. Anyways, back at home today, it was a fun day and a long day as well. I managed to snap a couple shots before I let them go. I was thinking about keeping one, but heck, it's Puget Sound, not B.C. and they are hard to come by here so I say C&R, enjoy the fight, and keep the stocks healthy. It's a fun fishery. Hope you all enjoyed the opener as well. Many spots are already being picked over pretty good, as there were a good amount of boats off Edmonds; but moreso on the top of Possession to the east of the green can.

Fish on!
KTK

[fishingmachine]

Kutt why did u not keep one of them dont u like eating them

[The Quadfather]

Sweet photos! thanks for the report. I hope others will chime in as it happens. Nice looking chop on the waves.. I liked the fact that your quote from Jesus re: bringing the sword came under the wave photo... that was kinda fitting and cool.
But good grief, dude... you were out there biteless from 7:00 am til 3:00 pm. ( I guess you wanted to work your way through that mess uh tackle you pictured. LOL It's all good!

[kutthroatkilla]

Sweet photos! thanks for the report. I hope others will chime in as it happens. Nice looking chop on the waves...But good grief, dude... you were out there biteless from 7:00 am til 3:00 pm!

To answer your question FM, the stocks are pretty low and the fish don't get a chance to grow that large so I say let them go and keep the ones in British Columbia around areas I fish in QCS (Queen Charolette Sound). Plus, heck, I'm already full of PCB's from those LW cutties

Quad (Chris) - what up man! Just sent ya that PM. The waves were 3-4 at times...good little chop going on - nice to have the big boat to myself (grin). I was biteless from 7AM to 3PM but I had 3 between 4:45 and 7:00 AM, so go figure?! It was slower than normal, but it was fast paced real, real early.

[A9]

Thats home water man. Can almost see my place there in the 2nd photo...

Sweet stuff Kutt, looks like it was a good day out there for ya....

[Mike Carey]

Great report and great pictures, however, I would ask that people use the report forms to post reports. The reason being - the report forms become part of the searchable database of this site and will be available for as long as the site exists. Also, with the new upgrades these reports will be even more dynamically available via special reports, alerts, etc members will be able to request.

On the other hand, posting a report on the Forum page means it is NOT part of the report database and will fade from view, never to be seen again. A real shame for a nice report with nice pictures like the one above.

So I'm going to ask that we not use the Forum for reports, but for discussions about fishing topics. There is a method to Aaron and my madness!

Thanks.

[A9]

Mike,
I believe he did post a report. I'm just curious, is it not ok to post a report and a forum thread about it? I'm not trying to spark a flame, just curious because it's always been a gray area and I'm trying to clear it up so I don't do the wrong thing....

This summer I'm intending to do some writeups/reports via the forum about salmon fishing this summer. They are going to be basically picture essays that also have a report in them, and I will submit a report as well, but am I cool to also do the forum writeup/report as well?

[kutthroatkilla]

On the other hand, posting a report on the Forum page means it is NOT part of the report database and will fade from view, never to be seen again. A real shame for a nice report with nice pictures like the one above.

So I'm going to ask that we not use the Forum for reports, but for discussions about fishing topics.

*Editor's note: please, lets submit fishing reports wth the fishing report forms. It's fine to start threads like this BUT we want those fishing reports in the database, not in the forum. (see my post below) Thanks, Mike

The fishing report was submitted within the fishing report forms. See my post below:

This thread is and was intended to *ONLY* supplement the report submitted. As you will see, I have submitted a "Saltwater Report" and it is posted under saltwater reports...never to be lost so don't worry. This thread is for people to upload more than just 2 pictures, say 6 or 12, or what have you. The report page limits you to only TWO photos, which to me, is a downer cause I could have added about 8 more to this. Anyways, I agree, members need to SUBMIT a report via the report function, but also use this thread to hopefully share other photos/rig-ups/gear/tactics/little articles, etc. DO NOT POST JUST A REPORT IN HERE. DO AS MIKE SAYS - just use this as a supplement to the main report function. That's my intent, hope it works out! Alright, we're good! KTK

[kayak chris]

Early Morning is the ticket! Get'm before they have a 1000 jigs to choose from.

Nothing better than getting pumped for lings. Doing the research and getting more pumped. Picking out your arsenal of irresistible ling baits and getting even more pumped. Launch the boat and :bom: , FISH ON!

Good job, man! Way to get pumped and way to get us pumped!

So, I guess currently your the "Ling King."

30 inches is the mark to beat.

[Jerome]

Kutt i was one of the other boats bouncing around out there. Actually alot more boats that i thought there would be due to it opening on a thursday and the weather. We caught lots of fish but none hit the 26 inch mark.

[eenakok]

Great job one the fishing. It looks like i need to get out there and try for those fish. That would be a ton of fun.

[A9]

We caught lots of fish but none hit the 26 inch mark.

That ain't a good thing. There's a lot of guys out there who will begin to retain sub-legal fish if they can't find anything in that 26-40 inch mark....

[kutthroatkilla]

Early Morning is the ticket! Get'm before they have a 1000 jigs to choose from.
Good job, man! Way to get pumped and way to get us pumped!
So, I guess currently your the "Ling King."
30 inches is the mark to beat.

What up Kayak Chris?! I heard yesterday was just SLOW for everyone I guess. It's strange that it's so hard to get one over that 30" mark. I wonder if the stocks are declining in the Sound, or perhaps it's the tides and they are finicky biters. The tides this weekend are horrible...11 and 13 footers respectively. It was like 2 fish for 70 anglers or something yesterday. You're right on...it's that 3AM to 7AM fishing window and that's it...they are early morning biters in the Puget Sound. Up north you can catch them anytime, but around here not so much. I bet after this weekend there will be few around. You're right...getting "pumped up" is so much fun! That's why I love that one thread where we had all our gear uploaded -- that was so sweet to see everyone's tackle and since this site lacks major saltwater info, that was cool to see. Glad you hooked one too, even though it was on the smaller side -- you'll get a keeper this year if you keep doing it! Sometimes the big ones will come in there and fill a vacant hole in late May early June and it can be a blast pullin them out of that hole. A new 2008 goal for me is to hook a 30+" or better in the Sound. KTK

[Jerome]

When we got checked by the fish and game they had some undersized lings on their boat that they took from anglers. So i see what you mean.
We need to get a few of us out to possesion for a lingathon.

[kutthroatkilla]

Kutt i was one of the other boats bouncing around out there. Actually alot more boats that i thought there would be due to it opening on a thursday and the weather. We caught lots of fish but none hit the 26 inch mark.

What up Jerome -- I know man...what's with these small lings? Heck even 30" is small in my book. Do you think it's the tides and what not, or that the stocks are low? Something to think about for sure. It's odd to keep hooking 26 and 27" fish and not getting anything over 30." Strange. KTK

[kutthroatkilla]

When we got checked by the fish and game they had some undersized lings on their boat that they took from anglers.
We need to get a few of us out to possesion for a lingathon.

Really?! People have the nerve to do that? That's pathetic! Heck, I let both my two legals go and the larger one would have been released too if I'd even had seen the fish. What the heck? That's horrible if people are keeping fish below 26." IF that's the case, this fishery will be shut down again and the stocks will need to rebound. That's tough to hear. Did they get a major ticket? What is the fine do you know? I know they can take your boat. I have a simple wooden stick with the 22" and 26" and 40" mark on it so I can do a quick assessment without taking the fish way out of the water. Also, Possession was SLOW...much slower than the marinas. Talked to a few charter guys and they were still poundin it hard at 3PM...very odd KTK

[Jerome]

Last year the same thing happened. Lots of smaller fish but i would manage to gather up keepers. It wasnt until June when i started to land bigger fish. (35 inch range). Yesterday was the slowest afternoon i have ever had out there though. We hit one drift and boated 4 undersized lings, then after that it was dead. Only picked up one rockfish.

I didnt even ask questions about the fish so i dont know what the fines, etc were.

[A9]

When we got checked by the fish and game they had some undersized lings on their boat that they took from anglers.
We need to get a few of us out to possesion for a lingathon.

Really?! People have the nerve to do that? That's pathetic! Heck, I let both my two legals go and the larger one would have been released too if I'd even had seen the fish. What the heck? That's horrible if people are keeping fish below 26." IF that's the case, this fishery will be shut down again and the stocks will need to rebound. That's tough to hear. Did they get a major ticket? What is the fine do you know? I know they can take your boat. I have a simple wooden stick with the 22" and 26" and 40" mark on it so I can do a quick assessment without taking the fish way out of the water. Also, Possession was SLOW...much slower than the marinas. Talked to a few charter guys and they were still poundin it hard at 3PM...very odd KTK

LOTS of people retain smaller fish or even fish that are illegal to take...If they don't go back to boat launches, they are pretty much in the clear and don't get caught....

Area 9 king fishery for example. Lots of big, native fish rolling through area 9 in July/August. I saw some near 30 lbs caught. Wild fish mind you. Very few hatchery fish reach that size...You think people were honest enough to put back some of the big kings they caught? Heck no. Lots of native fish during that fishery were illegally retained. Same goes with the Ling fishery. People out at their honey hole, catching 40+ inch lings...Lots of guys probably stick em in the cooler...

[kutthroatkilla]

LOTS of people retain smaller fish or even fish that are illegal to take...

Area 9 king fishery for example. Lots of big, native fish rolling through area 9 in July/August. I saw some near 30 lbs caught. Wild fish mind you. Very few hatchery fish reach that size...You think people were honest enough to put back some of the big kings they caught? Heck no. Lots of native fish during that fishery were illegally retained. Same goes with the Ling fishery. People out at their honey hole, catching 40+ inch lings...Lots of guys probably stick em in the cooler...

Wow, I never knew this was such an issue/problem. Amazing. You would know too cause you fish those waters all the time and have a cabin right up in around there near Possession. I really wonder why people do this? Is it just greed? Do you know the fine Sam if someone gets caught with a native chinook when it is closed for them or a lingcod under 26?" and got checked? I'd like to know. I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm fishing and see if I see any of that, because it's not legal, nor ethical. I wonder what happened to the people that checked in with lings shorter than 26" yesterday.

[A9]

Wow, I never knew this was such an issue/problem. Amazing. You would know too cause you fish those waters all the time and have a cabin right up in around there near Possession. I really wonder why people do this? Is it just greed? Do you know the fine Sam if someone gets caught with a native chinook when it is closed for them or a lingcod under 26?" and got checked? I'd like to know. I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm fishing and see if I see any of that, because it's not legal, nor ethical. I wonder what happened to the people that checked in with lings shorter than 26" yesterday.

I wish it wasn't an issue. It's sad, and doesn't help our declining stocks...

A big reason for it is that a LOT of people don't have to go back to the launch and worry about getting checked by the WDFW when they are loading the boat. I NEVER seee WDFW boats out in Area 9. The only time I've seen them on the water in the last few years was during the last Sockeye season...And I was out there about 6 of the days and saw them way off ONE TIME....

So the issue is that people who live on the water or use small launches get away with it all the time. Obviously those who are going back to launches with WDFW presence are pretty smart about keeping within the law. Some aren't, of course, which is ridiculous...It's like going into robbing a bank, knowing a cop is likely to be there...

Crab, Lingcod, salmon, all get poached. Anything could actually. Halibut, whatever people want. Why? Cause many never get checked...I'm not saying it's the WDFW's fault. They just don't have the resources to have a few dozen boats on the water all the time to get to all the spots and check people on the water. But a lot of people who live on the water turn a blind eye to the rules and keep any male crab despite the size, keep a salmon no matter if it's a native or wild, or keep a ling that is over 40+ inches. Lots of people who only have to just drive a few short minutes back to their place on the water have a difficult time putting back a 40+ inch ling, 20lb native king, or 7 or 8 dungies that made it in their pots but are a tad bit under the 6 1/4inch limits....Why, because it's easy to get away with it...Fillet the king and throw the carcass in the water. Clean the crab and throw the shells back into the sound. Fillet a ling and throw it back into the water, keeping the meat of course. It's just a lot bigger issue then people think...

The area 9/10 king fishery quota for last summer was 7,000 fish, hatchery, fin clipped. Now in July, there are a LOT of big kings running down the West side of Whidbey Island, and a LOT of native fish too, returning to the rivers to spawn...Like I said, I've seen fish in the 20-30lb range taken during that fishery. Of course, many had to be released because they weren't fin clipped. Now I saw people doing the honest thing, and returning the fish back to the water, especially fishing in crowded areas like Point No Point. But do you think a guy out there trolling around with not another boat in site is going to release a nice 25lb native king? I'm sure many do, but A LOT will just scoop it into the net and throw it right into the fish box/cooler....I'd be willing to bet that around 1,500 native fish were (illegaly) taken during that period and the weeks after...

The penalties? I've heard stories from people who see a boat return to the launch with a few poached kings and end up getting their boat taken by the WDFW when they get their coolers checked...That wouldn't be how you want your 30k boat stripped form your hands because of your greed to retain illegal fish...Now I'm sure most people don't get this. Most probably get a stiff lecture and fine from a WDFW officer.

BTW does anyone have the poaching hotline number? I could use it. With this summers king fishery coming, lots of people will be tempted to keep a native fish. I'm going to be more proactive and report them this year....