Rockfish

I caught several rockfish (black) in the 5-6 pound range last year but I'd like to increase my chances of a big ling cod. I'd still like to catch rockfish so, I'd like to know... how big a bait is too big for large rockfish? How big do they get?

You can catch big lings on small bait but you are less likely to cause your bait is getting pounded by the little guys. The smallest plastic I use is 7".  If you go for iron dress it up with a shrimp fly in place of the hook. Big bait = big fish but less action.

Big bait = big fish but less action.

Bill's right on.  I run with just a 6 oz. leadhead with 8" split tail, swim-bait, or single tail plastic much of the time to keep from getting so many hookups with blacks and blues out at my best rockfishing reefs.  There will be days when mostly or only lings will hit that setup, and then there will be days where big reds, blacks, cabs...etc. hit it, and I've even had a mini-black hit the big jig (or get impaled by it...).  So, generally, bigger bait like a 6 oz. leadhead with an 8" plastic will get less hits from small fish, and that gives you more chances at a bigger fish.   

When you catch a small rockie (4-6") side hook it through the nose on the same jig you were using and send it back down and wait....big ling on the way.

Bigger baits tend to yield bigger fish. But you can also catch lings on 4" swimbaits with 2oz heads if a ling sees it and feels like hitting it. So its a matter of "place+time" just as much as "what" you're using.

I still send small blues back down every now-and-then. But then you have to count that baby blue towards your daily bag limit. Thats why I'm getting away from that (not that I ever keep 10 RF). But if I happen to get a dab or a mac or a smelt...oh its ON!

This is all you need....................

I often use a whole squid on a trap rig, below a sliding sinker.....Standard halibut drifting rig.  For lingcod, I have also tried putting a glow kajiki strung on the line above the squid....kinda looks like two squids mating.  This rig will catch rockfish as well as lings or cabezones, but you have to be careful about snagging the hooks on rocks.  I used the kajiki/combo at last year's HMB derby and did OK with it for lingcod.

Allen