Lingcod Season Is Here!
May 06, 2023 Nanaimo 1 photo
Lingcod
Lingcod

Trip Summary

Over the past week, we've managed to get out on the water half a dozen times in search for the ultimate prize, Lingcod. With the exception of one trip, we've hooked lings on every outing. Most of our success has been trolling large squid patterns or swim baits close to the bottom or along ridges. Lingcod can be finicky and the bite can often be very subtle. But once hooked, they don't usually let go of the bait. These fish are scary looking but very tasty. Their meat color can also vary from a light tinge of blue or even green. But don't let that worry you. Once cooked, the meat turns white. And many prefer their meat over any other type of bottom fish. The fight from these fish is somewhat comparable to that of a halibut. When hooked, if often feels as if you are simply pulling in dead weight. Larger fish however, do take runs putting up a fairly impressive fight. Looking for some delicious fish-n-chips. Book a trip with us during the month of May, the season of the Lingcod. Five percent of every trip goes back into salmon restoration projects through the Pacific Salmon Foundation. As we say at Reel Time, Experience the Wonder, Invest in its Future.
Andrew Turkstra
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
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Reel Time Fishing Charters offers a range of affordable trip options, a captain with more than 2 decades of experience on the water, a stable fishing platform, convenient moorage, and secure parking. Captain Turk’s friendly personality, extensive kn...

Other reports from this captain

May is the Month for Lingcod
May is the Month for Lingcod
May 1, 2025
May is the Month for Lingcod They may be scary looking, but they sure are tasty. In fact, if I had to choose between halibut or lingcod, I’d pick lingcod any day of the week. Problem is, I have always found them to be a little tricky to catch. So, when I do fish for them, I check tides and tide tables religiously. Once fishing, I work ledges and drop-offs keeping my bait as close to the bottom as possible. The preferred method by many is jigging for lingcod. I like trolling for them using 4 to 8 oz swimbaits. It’s a lot of work and you must be on your toes since you are constantly bringing gear up and/or dropping it back down. But it can be a very effective way of hooking these “bucket heads” as they are sometimes called. On opening day this year, my group of two and I were greeted by a beautiful sunny morning. Knowing I just missed the tide change on an ebb tide, I choose to fish the northwest side of Gabriola. Trolling two of my favorite 4 oz swimbaits, I watched my depth as I began to work an edge. Once alongside of Gabriola Island near the old Cannery, we finally started having some action. Unfortunately, our customers where Quillback, Cooper Rock Fish, and a very nice Yellow Eye and an undersized Lingcod. We still hadn’t found our prize fish. With about an hour left in the trip, I was bringing up the gear as the depth changed from 160 to 90 feet when I noticed a slight bounce on the portside rod. I grabbed the rod yanking the line off the clip. I quickly handed the rod over to my guest and asked, “feel any better this time?” “Oh yes” was the reply. Five minutes later, we had our first nice lingcod aboard. Oh yeah! If you enjoy eating white meat from the ocean, Lingcod is the way to go. And, with salmon closed until the beginning of June, it is all we’ll be fishing for. As I tell my guests, May is the month for Lingcod.
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