A Lingcod Trip
December 12, 2008
In today’s information age, new ideas and developments are constantly emerging in all industries. Fishing is no exception. Companies continue to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on research and development of new products. I am constantly testing new techniques for catching more fish.
This past weekend I was able to treat myself to a fishing trip on the Oregon coast. I went out with Captain’s Reel Deep Sea Fishing, out of Newport, Oregon. We were bottom fishing. I have been bottom fishing in Southern California previously, but this was different. I am used to locating the fish, anchoring and jigging for the fish. The skipper of the boat located the fish, stopped the boat and then drifted over the fish. We made a number of drifts over various schools of fish. Some of the fish must have been taking an exam, because they simply were not hungry. We did not do the fast jerking I was use to, but rather we were instructed to reel slowly to the surface. If you did not catch a fish, drop it back down and do it again.
I was a little skeptical of the new method, so I decided to try my old method first. I jerked it off the bottom and bounced it on the rocks below, to no avail. After about five minuets I tried the new technique. I started to reel slowly towards the surface. It didn’t take long for a hungry Lingcod to attack my jig. It was great to see the rod bend in half as the Ling started to strip off some line. The deck hand came over and told me not to pump the fish up. Apparently Lingcod have soft mouths. If I fought it like a bass, the hook could tear through the mouth of the Ling. I just needed to keep constant pressure on the fish, while continuing to reel slowly.
It didn’t take long to see the ugly sea monster, but this one was too small. It needed to measure 28” or more. We sent this one back to grow up. I ended up keeping one Lingcod and four Sea Bass.
It was a wonderful trip. It was nice to not need to run the boat, or net the fish. I could have taken my boat out, but I don’t know the holes, or productive lures. It was much better to go on a charter with seasoned professionals. It’s always good to fish with a knowledgeable pro!
Ken Bear Cole
