Ling fishing Puget Sound

[MotoBoat]

As it were. These fish were fizzed (rockfish) and kept alive in a onboard live well while fishing. One particular species of rockfish could be sold, and the best price was for a live fish! So, all fish went in the standing live well and kept alive.

Once back to port, all fish were transported from live well to a big bag, and immediately filleted at the pier cleaning station. Zip lock bagged. Transported home buried in a ice chest half full of ice. Once home the fish fillet's were kept, submerged in ice, in the cooler. Fillets were eaten during the next 3 days until gone.

The person I fished with, fishes a lot and refuses to freeze fish. Due to the flavor and texture change once thawed. I would have to admit that frozen fish is just not the same as fresh. With exception to battered, deep fried fish. Deep fried fish is hard to tell it has been frozen. But for this household, that style of eating is 1 or 2 times a year, at a neighborhood gathering.

We three thought the same thing of the ling, as compared to rockfish, in side by side tasting. We thought it due to the food the fish may have consumed. Dirty may be a incorrect description. Rockfish had a milder flavor than the ling. Which, the three of us agreed, better suited our taste buds. Maybe it is common for lings to have a stronger flavor than rockfish? The stronger flavor is what I am describing as a dirty taste.

[Dustin07]

Goodtimefishing is putting on a seminar here in this thread it looks like, nice season!

I agree about the flavor of Ling being pretty near my favorite.

[jordanpaulmiller]

Have had pretty good luck with the Lings, but now that I've got a bunch in my freezer, I'd rather let them grow up for next year. Any suggestions on catching cabs?

[goodtimesfishing]

Got to go out fishing on Wednesday after not fishing for a few days due to other family plans then Mothers day and poor weather the beginning of the week. Should have been out Tuesday but figured weather was going to be bad...boy was I wrong.

After missing out on Tuesday, I made plans with a buddy to fish Wednesday rain or shine. Headed out early in hopes of catching our fish and being off the water before the rain came. Headed over to our bait catching hole and made quick work of catching some bait.

Made run over to ling hole and started off catching huge rock fish right off the get go. I am noticing the rock fish are getting huge now that there has been no retention on them for a while now. I also notice that I am hooking them more frequetly with live bait then in the past. May be due to how large they are getting, again due to no retention of rock fish.

After having a few baits chewed up without hooks sticking, my buddy sends down a fresh bait and immediately believes he is stock on bottom. As he tries to free his hook from the bottom....the bottom starts ripping line from his pole.....clearly not bottom but a mad ling. Mike finally wins the battle as I net the HUGE lingcod. I was sure it would be over the legel limit of 36 inchs, but it sqeeked by at 36.

I was getting worried if I was going to get a ling today as it was totally dead for more then an hour with no bites, rockfish, nothing what so ever. Then I hook one with lots of head shakes, so I feel it is hooked good. after nice fight to the boat Mike slips the net under it and lifts it out of the water. The ling let go of the bait and my hooks and bait come right out of it's mouth....glad it was already in the net. Fish was just over 30 inches but looked like a small 30 inch ling(smaller head then usual)

That finished my 7th ling trip this season with my 7th lingcod. Gotta like it!

May 15th 2013 lingcod 2r.jpg (113.5 KiB) Viewed 980 times

Mikes lingcod 5-15-13 008rr.jpg (218.72 KiB) Viewed 980 times

[MotoBoat]

goodtimes you are definitely living up to your name. That is some serious catching going on. That friend of yours has a huge fish. He also had the spiced rum guy pose down! Captain Morgan, that was the name of the pose I was fishing for.......LOL!

[RiverChromeGS]

Im just wondering if your ever gonna have a tough day Marc! Nice fish!

[Matt]

Fishing has been great in the Islands as usual. Haven't managed a day without a limit yet this year, and the Cab's have been ever cooperative.

Box from Sunday in Rosario: