Big Lings

In the Elk/Greenwood museum they had a photo of a stack of lings taken many decades ago from that area, and they looked at least as big as that one.

that makes me think that the RF and the LINGS were bigger everywhere back then, and now they get targeted and taken and will only get smaller and less abundant in the future. 

Regarding the reaction to commie fisherwomen up north:  Wendy told me that everyone was real friendly to them up in AK.  I don't think adventurous folks are all that unusual up there, and all those lonely fishermen aren't too bugged about seeing cute girls around.

Regarding big lings in CA:  It was only 30 - 40 years ago that big guys like that were reasonably common in NorCal.  Bottom fish were rarely commercially targeted in CA before then.

Too bad, i was born too early.....then i wouldn't be on a kayak fishing in the ocean.  I'll take what I've got then......but it would be nice to hook a few of those big things off my yak, definitely!

How old would a ling that size be?

Eric B, talk to Allen (Pole Pole) or ScottThornley.  I believe both have caught lings like that from a kayak.

I didn't think the fight of these lings went up linearly with the size.  Don't get me wrong, you definitely could feel the power of what you had on the other end of the line.  But if you've caught a 20# ling in CA, you have a good idea what it's like.

Also, I didn't have any issues at the yak.  In fact, they were unusually calm.  I lip gripped a couple and left them hanging on the leash in the water while I cleared things up to take a pic and they barely tugged while laying there.

I don't know if it was the colder water up there, or if it was the fact that most of the lings I caught were stuffed with salmon.

-Allen

Looks like it would fit in the giant net...   

Biggest for me was 17lbs 6oz and it fought like crazy.  I was scared so I played it out pretty good first, then it was calm when gaffed, like you said.  I don't carry a club anymore, in fact.  

Eric B, talk to Allen (Pole Pole) or ScottThornley.  I believe both have caught lings like that from a kayak.

The two mid-sized (estimated 25-30) lb lings I caught from the yak were easy to deal with. I brought them up nice and gentle, was prepared for one last run or two when they saw the kayak, kept their heads underwater, and used a gripper attached to a buoy.  Once they were on the buoy, I let them chill out for a minute or two. I then  cut the gills on one, and released the second (larger of the two) fish.

I caught the good sized 50+ lb ling from a powerboat using the same tackle I use down here for big baits - 7' musky rod and a Penn 525. You could tell it was a larger fish from the way it took line even with the drags set full tight, and the sensation of weight when reeling it up. But I certainly didn't feel that it stressed the tackle, nor would it have been that much of a chore to subdue the fish from a kayak.

We only targeted halibut for a couple hours one day from the powerboat. I only stuck one, and it did a long distance release. But I did see a 100+ lb fish come up and get lost due to operator error on the part of the skipper (he stuck it with a gaff, as the harpoon wasn't ready. Dealing with a fish like this from a kayak is what makes me nervous... I'm pretty sure that you'd want to approach this as a team, unless you were catching a bunch of them every year, a'la Howard McKim.

Regards,
Scott

 

Seems to me that for large halibut a short harpoon would be the best option, maybe something like a 2-3 foot pole spear. I think the trickiest thing (assuming relatively calm conditions for the actual impalement) would be keeping clear of the running line once the fish is stuck? Just getting that close to a 70-100lb pacific halibut on a kayak woudl be kinda spooky.
I sure am keen to try someday though.
Interesting thread....

Guys on powerboats use flying gaffs for large fish, I think kayakers should use flying gaffs for smaller fish.  Stick a halibut with a flying gaff tied to a foam spearfishing float and it's yours eventually.

In the Elk/Greenwood museum they had a photo of a stack of lings taken many decades ago from that area, and they looked at least as big as that one.

that makes me think that the RF and the LINGS were bigger everywhere back then, and now they get targeted and taken and will only get smaller and less abundant in the future. 

that's why you should keep those gophers, to counteract all those guys keeping only big reds,   

Guys on powerboats use flying gaffs for large fish, I think kayakers should use flying gaffs for smaller fish.  Stick a halibut with a flying gaff tied to a foam spearfishing float and it's yours eventually.

I'd prefer a harpoon with detachable head over a flying gaff.  But same principal ...

-Allen