Home Forums Fishing Saltwater Lings in the spring

'bout that time again.

Just waiting for the ocean to lay down. Males should be on their nests, and ready to rumble. Don't even need to waste any hard-earned herring that I jigged up and vac-packed last weekend. Just bang a piece of lead on the bottom.

The only thing I love more than the take-down of a pissed off ling is a formerly pissed off ling rolled in Panko and gently bathed in smokin' hot oil.

Bring it!

Been getting the boat ready! Got into them last year with spinning gear and jigs. It was a blast!

They are still not legal to keep up here for a while. Caught a lot of them this time of the year fishing for halibut though......some real monsters. They aren't hard to catch.

Living in eastern Oregon, a slight change of subject for you costal folks. Given our limited halibut seasons, when's the best fishing? Early, mid, or late seasons (May, June, July)? Wanting to get to the coast and hope to pickup a couple, and will likely need to make reservations now.

Gooch - what's your home port?

We typically can't retain them (lings) on halibut days, especially the deep water monsters. It's a bummer to reel up a big one from 100 fa, and have to cut it loose.

Smaller ones are better eating anyway though.

1M, I'll try to boil it down without getting too lengthy.

Our spring all-depth season was just announced a week or so ago. (Central Oregon)

The spring derby days are so hard to predict weather-wise for us sport boats. Some days can be decent ocean conditions, but the majority of spring season days can be pretty snotty. Charters will get out one way or the other, and they can really chew through the alloted quota pretty quick.

Unfortunately they will keep just about anything that gets hooked, since it's beneficial for them to come back to port with a halibut for every angler on the boat. Chickens, ping pong paddles, whatever you want to call them. Very few charters will let you release a smallish fish, and try for a bigger one. It's just the way it is. There might be some smaller 6-pack boats that will let you high grade. I can send you a PM with some names of some out of Newport or Depoe Bay that you could check with.

A bonus this year is the change to the regs allowing us to do a long-leader fishery for deepwater rockfish on the same trip as halibut. You have to pay close attention to the details to stay legal, but it will be nice to be able to justify the fuel expense of an all-depth halibut trip when you can retain 10 big rockfish per angler on the same trip. (Canary, yellowtail, widow, bocaccio, etc.).

Summer all-depth can be much nicer ocean conditions to fish in - if there is quota left.

Nearshore seasons run from May 1st through October 31st, 7 days a week. I don't have much experience with that fishery, but I intend to do more of it this season hopefully.

I'd always have an open seat on my own boat for 24HCF guys, if the logistics could work out.

You would probably want to go out of Coos Bay, which honestly I haven't fished but further south, early is better...BUT, there is the wind during the early periods, and there is nothing worse than driving all that way, motels, meals...and then getting blown out. If you talk to the charter lady, just ask her what are the chances of unfishable weather. Charter operators by and large want happy customers. The very few that just want to fill places on the boat, don't last long. Well over 2/3 of customers are from word of mouth or repeat business. You should also set up a favorite on your computer or phone to show the NOAA marine forecast for the area you want to book. National Buoy Data Center is great, with real time sea conditions. And for halibut only, consider the inshore shallow water fishery. Small boats, safe water, big fun. Research it.

Great advice.

Troops:

Thanks for the advice. Likely we'll book out of Newport or Depoe. Called the charter folks asking about variability across the seasons with a response that they don't tend to see any early vs late seasonal effects. Just a comment that weather tends to iron out a bit more as we progress through spring. That being, we'll likely do an early to mid-June booking. Might tow the travel trailer over in case we do get some postponing weather and extending the stay would be no big deal.

Thanks again for your suggestions and comments. Wish we were a bit closer, and such was not such a significant event. The price one pays though for living in eastern Oregon. Aired out several of our ground squirrels today for 3 or 4 hours.

Lastly, Tide Change: Do you run a commercial boat or are you just one of those that can exploit the neighborhood resources.

Have a good one, and lets get back onto Lings. Does anyone pick up some substantial fish anymore? First came to Oregon in 74, and we used to reel in some serious whoppers. Lately, it seems it's hard to find one with keeper dimensions.

Have a good one,

Tide change is more qualified than I to comment on ling size, but charter skippers have a tendency to repeat what has filled the boat last time...and they go back, and they go back and eventually overfish the ground, fish get smaller as the season goes on. People that have their own boats will take the time and fuel to explore, take their lumps on days when the exploring doesn't work out well, but that's who wins the derby's...so I'd say they are down 'there', but 'there' may not be under a charter hull. The biggest ling I've ever seen in my life was taken out of a Dolosse jetty by a young man poke-poling, dangerous, but he didn't need no stinking boat.

Minimum size in Oregon is 22 inches. I keep 26” to 34”, bigger than 34” and back they go. Big ones aren’t as good eating and tend to be females anyway, toss them back to help the fishery.

I had ling cod fish and chips for dinner tonight. Delicious.



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1minute,
I'm just a sport guy, but I keep in touch with a few guys within the commercial fishing community.
I'll drop you a PM.

Westport, WA. I also fish out of Garibaldi when visiting family.

Bastard! I had Progresso Soup, a PB&J, and some apple pie.

Did put down a Guinness Stout though before bed time.

Have a good one,

Lings fish with an attitude love Jigging for them in under 100ft!

...with a salmon rod.

That's the kind of take-down I was referring to. Yeah baby! Put up your dukes!

Light tempura batter (cut with beer, of course), homemade fries (thick cut) and a margarita or three.

I worked on the boat yesterday, prepping for the May splashdown. Gonna buy an electric pot puller for all those huge Dungeness crab. Come on over to Newport some time, I’ll take you fishing.



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Troops:

Thanks for tolerating the diversion and advice. Booked a halibut run for June 3 from Depoe.

Envious of you west side locals.

Good luck to all and tight lines,