Ling Cod and other big fish on the Southern Oregon Coast

[macklb]

I am new to the forum, but had to share my excitement and success this week.  Out on the ocean with my wife yesterday, we boated a limit of large black rockfish and Ling Cod.  On a 3 oz. flutter jig I caught a gorgeous 9-10 lb. Vermillion Rockfish that was released to spawn another day.  I think the flutter jig is one of the deadliest lures ever made.  Nearly all. of my fish are caught on do-it made lures.  Today I caught a 25 lb. Ling Cod on a silly-looking, but deadly combination.  It is a 1 1/4 oz. football swing head attached to an 8/0 Mustad hook which has also got 7/16 oz of lead molded onto it with the large weighted hook mold. This allows me to fish it in deep water and to be very snag resistant.  To that I attached (with a hitch hiker a 7 inch Wutzit that I laminated in dark green and white/pearl.  I bounced it over the bottom in about 50 feet of water.  The Ling Cod was one of those with the turquoise colored mouth (and meat).  She put up a terrific fight.  I released her also as a valuable brood fish.  She was my biggest Ling Cod ever, and I was excited that my combination of inventions worked.  Isn't it fun to make your own lures, and then catch the fish of your dreams on them?

[Denny Welch]

Welcome to the forum, Mac.  This was a great post and I sense there will be more to come.  I have fished on several salmon charters in your neck of the woods.  Unfortunately, I'm usually the one at the back of the boat feeding fish last night's dinner.  Southern Oregon is some beautiful country.  It's attached to the Northern California coast...think Smith River steelhead.  Welcome.

[Jerry V]

Welcome to the forum Mack and nice reportage on your outing.  The Flutter Lure is a fish catcher no doubt.  That's an interesting set up with the Football Swing Jig like that.  Sometimes we just do what we gotta do and if it works, as it sounds it did, then that's all the better.  Good on Ya for releasing "valuable brood fish".   

[2XL]

Right on ! There is nothing better than catching a personal best fish on something you made yourself. Any pics ?

[ctom]

Way to go!, put'm back and let'm grow as they say.

[Kasilofchrisn]

Nice Job!
The one with the Turquois was most likely not a ling cod at all but most likely a Greenling or a Kelp Greenling.
I hear they are great eating.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/bottomfish/identification/greenling/
One of the best jigs for Ling Cod are bullet head jigs with a curl tail grub on them.
I have been making jigs lately from my Shawn collins molds in a lite blue color I made mixing Super Glow Blue and Super Glow White. I top coat with UV blast.
A customer told me the other day that his quickest rockfish ever came on one of these colored jigs. 24 seconds from when his line first hit the water to a fish on deck.

[macklb]

Greenling seldom go above 4 lbs.  About 20% of Lingcod in this area have that bluish color meat.  You can read all about it in the book " Certainly More than you want to know about the fishes of the Pacific Coast"  by Milton S. Love, page 298.  It is a great book by a very funny professor.  I highly recommend it.  The fish I caught was about 25 lbs.  I have caught hundreds of them (Lingcod), and hundreds of Greenling, both for sport and commercially.  Thanks to you all for your kind remarks.