alaska LingCod fishing
Sport
Fishing For Alaska LingCod
Lingcod are a very aggressive fish and are usually
caught as a by catch when targeting halibut. You can
usually tell when a lingcod is biting because the rod
will slowly bend over like something heavy is just hanging
on the end of your rod.
Once you start reeling up on one, that's when
they know they are caught and now the fight begins…even
when the ling gets tired it is still a pain to reel in
because they come up with their very large mouths wide
open like a five gallon bucket. They do this to try and
regurgitate whatever they ate and spit the hook.
Sometimes you will see a little nibble at the tip of
your rod and start reeling it in…when all of
the sudden the rod will get really heavy and bend almost
in half. This can only be one thing: a hitchhiker.
That is what we call lingcod that grab onto your rock
fish or salmon that you already have hooked. The lin
cod will actually hold onto the rock fish all the way
to the surface as you are reeling in. You can even sometimes
grab the line and lift the ling cod out of the water
and he still won't let go of the fish. Now that's
one determined fish.
Ophiodon Elongatus - LingCod Biology
Alaska Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) belong to the Hexagrammids,
a family of fish unique to the west coast of North America.
Unlike their name implies, they are not true cods, but
are greenlings. They can be found from the Alaska Peninsula/Aleutian
Islands south to Baja California. They are common throughout
Southeast Alaska, the outer Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak,
and Prince William Sound. While found to depths of 1,000
feet (300 m), lingcod more typically inhabit nearshore
rocky reefs from 30 to 330 feet (10–100 m). Lingcod
are voracious predators and can grow to weigh over 80
pounds (35 kg) and measure 60 inches (150 cm) in length.
They are characterized by a large mouth with 18 sharp
teeth. Their color is variable, usually with dark brown
or copper blotches arranged in clusters.
Reproduction:
Male and female lingcod mature
at different lengths and ages. Female lingcod begin to
mature at 3 to 5 years of age at an average length of
24 to 30 inches (60-75 cm). Males begin to mature at
age 2 at a length of 20 inches (50 cm). Fecundity (the
number of eggs per mature female) increases with both
size and age. Along the Alaska coast, lingcod begin spawning
in early December, with peak spawning occurring from
mid-January to mid-March. During spawning, male and female
lingcod gather along rocky reefs affected by wave action
or strong tidal currents. After the eggs are deposited
and fertilized in nests in crevices along the reefs,
the female lingcod disperse to other areas and leave
the male lingcod to guard the egg nests until the eggs
hatch. It takes from 5 to 11 weeks for eggs to hatch.
Thus, while most egg masses hatch between mid-March and
mid-May, some hatching occurs into June. Factors influencing
egg development include temperature and degree of aeration
of the egg masses. Spawning success of lingcod is highly
variable from year to year.
Early Life History:
Larval
lingcod are a total length of 1/4 to 1/2 inch (6–10
mm) when they hatch. After hatching, the larval lingcod
are pelagic. As a result, they are at the mercy of
the surface current. During this period, the larval
lingcod grow rapidly as they feed primarily on copepods
and other larval fish. By mid-summer, at lengths of
about 3 inches (80 mm), the larval lingcod settle on
the bottom in kelp or eelgrass beds and begin feeding
on juvenile herring or other small fish. By age 2,
the juvenile lingcod begin to use habitats similar
to those used by adult lingcod, though in shallower
water. Their diet begins to resemble that of adult
lingcod.
Adult Life History:
Size increases
rapidly during the first years of life. Throughout this
period, both sexes display similar growth patterns. However,
by about age 4, female lingcod begin to grow faster than
the males. The maximum age of lingcod reported is 25
years. The largest reported fish ever caught was 60 inches
long (150 cm) and weighed 85 pounds (32 kg). Adult lingcod
are voracious predators and eat almost anything, including
other lingcod. They appear to remain relatively sedentary
and do not appear to wander far from their home reef.
Natural
Predators:
Lingcod are most vulnerable to predation
during the egg and larval life stages. Egg nests, if
left unguarded, are generally decimated within 48 hours
by rockfish, starfish, sculpins, kelp greenling, and
cod. The presence of a male to guard the nest from
these predators appears essential for successful spawning.
Unfortunately, nest-guarding males are extremely aggressive
and vulnerable to predation by seals, sea lions, and
fishers. Removal of a male during the nest-guarding
period not only results in removal of the fish from
the adult spawning population but also results in the
likely loss of that male's
nest, thereby affecting future recruitment. Larval
and juvenile lingcod are preyed upon by fishes such
as salmon, rockfish, and other lingcod.
Human Use:
Lingcod are extremely
aggressive and provide an excellent fight. Once landed,
they provide a tasty meal. Because of these characteristics,
lingcod are highly sought by recreational anglers throughout
their range. Both recreational and commercial fishers
target this species.
Management:
Lingcod are highly susceptible
to overfishing. In some areas along the Pacific Northwest
coast (including Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia,
and near Resurrection Bay) lingcod have been overharvested.
Once overharvested, lingcod require long periods to recover.
To
protect this species from overharvest, fisheries are
conservatively managed. The current management approach
is to assure sufficient fish are present in the spawning
population to ensure future recruitment. This is done
in three ways. 1) Protect spawning and nest-guarding
fish. In many areas, sport and commercial fisheries are
closed during the spawning and nest-guarding periods.
2) Allow fish to spawn at least once before being subject
to harvest. Minimum size limits are established for both
sport and commercial fisheries. 3) Restrict catch limits.
In many areas, the sport fishery is restricted by daily
bag and possession limits. Commercial fisheries are restricted
by catch and bycatch quotas. To assure for the long-term
health of lingcod stocks, we ask that you abide by these
regulations and take only what is needed.
Text: Doug Vincent-Lang
Alaska Rock Fish and Yellow Eye Snapper
There are over 30 different types of rockfish found
in Alaska waters but only a few are targeted by sport
fishermen. Rockfish are divided up into two groups, pelagic
rockfish and non-pelagic rockfish.
Pelagic Rockfish:
Pelagic Rockfish are found more in the
open mid-water range in the ocean hanging out near rocky
structures. You can even see them feeding at the surface
sometimes. The most commonly known Pelagic is the black
rockfish or (black bass). These rockfish are incidentally
caught when fishing for salmon too close to rocks or
other structures.
Non-pelagic Rockfish:
Non-pelagic rockfish are bottom
dwellers and are more territorial so they don't
move around very much. The most commonly known non-pelagic
Rockfish is the yellow rockfish or (red snapper). Red
snappers can be easily over harvested because of their
low survival rate when released at the surface because
of their swim bladder. They also don't reach
sexual maturity until (7 to 20 years) which gives them
a very slow reproduction rate. Snappers are usually
an incidental catch when fishing for halibut. The meat
is white and flaky and very, very tasty.
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