Rigging for rockfish

Beautiful work! Those are sure to slay

Kinda off subject, but I will bring it back around, I promise.

Last night I watched Cal Kellogg's video on trolling flies for trout.  He seems to believe, and he catches a lot of trout, so I'm probably gonna try them at some point. He had theories on color and size, and he even has a jointed fly. His theory was that smaller flies were more "finesse" than larger flies, and are more likely to get bit when the bite is slow.

I wonder if his theory on fly size translates to rockfish too? I've only tried basically the normal size shrimp flies for rockfish, but I wonder if some a little bigger or smaller might encourage bigger/different species of fish to bite?

I can tell you I lost the biggest lingcod I have ever hooked while fishing on a black shrimp fly with a tip of squid.

I can tell you I lost the biggest lingcod I have ever hooked while fishing on a black shrimp fly with a tip of squid.

Interesting.  I've never had a lingcod take a shrimp fly, but I don't fish them that often anymore. We used to use them a lot when I was a kid - two shrimp flies and a big lead lead head jig with a grub.  Lings would usually take the grub, or hitchhike with a rockfish on a fly.  I did catch a nice cabezon a couple years ago on a green and yellow shrimp fly.

Do you jig them up and down a lot, or more just let the swell provide the action for you?

Lawn chair webbing works great for shrimp flies.

But I’ll take a herring over any lure/fly.  I use these as backup when I run out of bait.

I'm a firm believer that when the bite it tough to downsize your presentation. I usually start with the big bait big fish mentality but if nothing is happening downsizing your presentation usually produces results. Good luck!

Cheers,
Brad

I'm a firm believer that when the bite it tough to downsize your presentation. I usually start with the big bait big fish mentality but if nothing is happening downsizing your presentation usually produces results. Good luck!

Cheers,
Brad

This is what I'm coming around to also.

I like the glowing googlie eyes on those flies!

But I’ll take a herring over any lure/fly.  I use these as backup when I run out of bait.

yes. nice

I'm a firm believer that when the bite it tough to downsize your presentation. I usually start with the big bait big fish mentality but if nothing is happening downsizing your presentation usually produces results. Good luck!

Cheers,
Brad

And the opposite works too!  Catching small fish, try up sizing to avoid dinks is common strategy.

Lawn chair webbing works great for shrimp flies.

But I’ll take a herring over any lure/fly.  I use these as backup when I run out of bait.

thanks for the pointer, I'll get some.  Need to get some thicker/stronger thread too.

If I can make bait, I like to do that, else, I'd prefer bring a lure

Thank you for sharing your great rigging.

Paul

I check out the craft section of Dollar Tree occasionally for inspiration when making my own shrimp flies or sabiki rigs. Sometimes they have shiny patch material that I can cut into a triangle pattern that looks a lot like pectoral fins. I have also used glitter and crazy glue for the head of the hook.

Interesting.  I've never had a lingcod take a shrimp fly…

Is there anything that a lingcod won’t try to devour? I caught one on a sabiki once, and it was no fun trying to release it after it rolled a few times. Another time, one bit ahold of a 10 oz sinker (ignoring the tasty lure behind the sinker), and didn’t let go until I pulled its head out of the water.

Interesting.  I've never had a lingcod take a shrimp fly…

Is there anything that a lingcod won’t try to devour? I caught one on a sabiki once, and it was no fun trying to release it after it rolled a few times. Another time, one bit ahold of a 10 oz sinker (ignoring the tasty lure behind the sinker), and didn’t let go until I pulled its head out of the water.

This reminds me of something from Sunday on the skiff. My buddy was trying to adapt his surf fishing techniques to the boat with limited success. At one point he had a slider on the main line that he didn’t bother taking off when he changed rigs. He had left the slider clip open and wound up catching a blue rockfish on the slider clip. It was hilarious

Interesting.  I've never had a lingcod take a shrimp fly…

Is there anything that a lingcod won’t try to devour? I caught one on a sabiki once, and it was no fun trying to release it after it rolled a few times. Another time, one bit ahold of a 10 oz sinker (ignoring the tasty lure behind the sinker), and didn’t let go until I pulled its head out of the water.

This reminds me of something from Sunday on the skiff. My buddy was trying to adapt his surf fishing techniques to the boat with limited success. At one point he had a slider on the main line that he didn’t bother taking off when he changed rigs. He had left the slider clip open and wound up catching a blue rockfish on the slider clip. It was hilarious

Ha, I leave those on all the time when switching configurations but never had a fish take one!

I haven't fished shrimp flies much since I was a kid.  Back then, with different regs, we would tie on a big swim bait as the weight, and that would catch the ling cods, aside from an occasional hitch hiker.

Nowadays, I usually fish with bait or a jig. Sometimes I will tie a shrimp fly on as a teaser, but not all that often.

I do believe that a ling cod will eat pretty much anything that moves in front of it, but also that they will take the tastier/bigger looking option if given a choice.