Here in Pacific City we’re fortunate to have incredible reefs just offshore that different species of Rockfish, Lingcod and Cabezon call home. I’ve discussed previously how close these reefs are to the beach and how the relatively shallow depth makes them ideal for us to target multiple species with fly rods.
Rockfish can be found at shallow depths throughout the summer months and the early season is the best time to find Lingcod on the shallower grounds. Many of the flies we use for this fishery are not ones that you’re going to want to false cast, but they are deadly and make easy work of getting down where the Lings live. We use 8 and 9 wt rods lined with 500+ grain 30’ sinking heads to further assist with the task.
Lingcod or buckethead as many call them, are cool predators, working rocky reefs and looking to ambush prey that can sometimes rival them in size. Their natural camo making it easy for them to hide from predators and prey within the rocky structure. While the average size we catch is 24-30” they can grow up to 5’ and 80 lbs. It’s not uncommon for us to hook a good size rockfish and have it come to the surface with a Lings jaws wrapped around the fish. They are a toothy critter, with 18 large and very sharp teeth. This is not a fish you want fingers or hands close to their mouths. Other primary food sources for Lingcod include squid, octupi and crab. Presenting the fly into the zone (within 5’ of the bottom) can be the most difficult task with the extremely rocky bottoms, but doing so effectively reaps immediate rewards as these fish look to destroy your fly. To learn more about these impressive fish click here.
While the fly fishing method is unconventional, the reward is undeniable. Lingcod are an impressive fish that aggressively grab flies and pull hard. While we primarily target these fish from the dory over reefs that are 40-60′ deep around a mile offshore, there are opportunities to chase these fish from the bank or jetties in Oregon and Washington. Just keep in mind jetties can be very slick and ocean conditions are unpredictable so caution is necessary. Either on foot or boat Lingcod are a must in the Pacific Northwest.