Lingcod, also known as Cultus cod, Blue cod, Bluefish, Green cod, Buffalo cod, Greenling, and White cod, are a highly sought after game fish. Lingcod are dark gray, brown, or greenish on the back with some copper colored mottling or spotting along their back. They have a large head and mouth, full of large sharp teeth. Their bodes are long, and they narrow towards the tail. Their meat is light blueish in color. They are highly aggressive and will strike at anything you can get in front of them to get them off the bottom. Lingcod grow very quickly and can grow up to five feet long and reach weights of eighty pounds. Check the fishing regulations for your area before you fish! There are strict regulations like size requirements that we must adhere to.
Lingcod Fishing Guides and Charter Boats
There are many different fishing guides that offer guided fishing trips for lingcod, and pretty much any other fish that you may want to target. FishingBooker is a service of local guides that you can choose from and schedule your next guided fishing trip. Book A Lingcod Fishing Guide Today!
World Record Lingcod
The world record sized Lingcod ever caught, as per the International Game Fish Association, was caught in 2007 and it weighed in at 82 lb 9 oz. It was caught in the Gulf of Alaska, in Homer, Alaska in the USA. Weight - 82 lb 9 oz
Types of Lingcod Fishing
•Fishing for Lingcod from the Shore •Fishing for Lingcod from a Boat
Lingcod Fishing from the Shore
Catching Lingcod from shore can be challenging due to the typical terrain you will encounter while walking along the bank where these fish are hiding. You will want to cast along rocky bottoms, along the edges of rocks, as they are hiding up on the bottom in these areas. From the shore I like to use a large jig, large swimbait, a whole squid, or half of a squid sliced in half through the length of the squid. Then cast it up along the rocks where the lingcod are hiding. Reel it in fast enough to not hit the bottom, but slow enough to not bring the lure up into the shallow. You want to be close to the bottom, where the fish are hiding. Mix it up with some up and down rod movements to entice a bite as you continue to reel in. With the squid I will typically have a 4 ounce disc weight that will bounce off the bottom as I perform the same jig type action but leaving my line in place long enough each time to wait for a bite. The great thing about the ocean is that you never know what you are going to catch. Using these same techniques you may pull in a cabezon or other rockfish too.
Lingcod Fishing from a Boat
The same goes for the open water out on a boat, you will want to find underwater areas that have rocky bottoms, and good places for these fish to hide up against. They hug the bottom tight so you need to get down to them. While on a boat, I usually use a ling bar or a heavy jig, that is about ten to twelve ounces, to push my line through all the smaller fish that are schooling up at various depths on your way down to the Lingcod. Then let it hit the bottom, jigging it up and off the bottom, then back down. You will lose gear as you will hook the bottom, so make sure you don’t use such heavy pound test that you can’t break your line when you need to.
Lingcod Lures and Bait
Action Lures: 2 to 10 Ounce Jig or Swim Bait - 5 to 9 inch Non-Action Lures: From a Boat - Lingcod Jig, Ling Bar, Large Swimbait Frozen Bait: Whole Squid or Half squid sliced in half through the length of the squid•Lingcod Fatty Swimbait Lure•Lingcod Swimming Mullet Lure•Lingcod Cutbait Herring LureCalifornia Fish and Wildlife has created the California Coast Near Shore Rockfish Identification document that has images of each type of fish. This is a great resource to help you identify the different types of rockfish you may catch while you are out fishing for Lingcod. About The Author Mike Mendenhall is the the founder of Mendenhall Outdoors. This website is an extension of the Mendenhall family’s lifestyle and passion for the great outdoors. Everything that they learn, and experience, along the way that they find may be valuable to our website visitors is on the site for you to enjoy. We highlight products and services that you might find interesting. We frequently receive free products from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. If you click a link on this page, then go on to make a purchase, we might receive a commission – at no extra cost to you, and does not impact the purchase price of any products that you may purchase. The Best Lingcod Fishing Experience Awaits!