How to land the BIG lings

I need some help here.  On too many occasions this last season, I lost some big fish right at my boat due to novice bungling.  What's the best way to land those big lings?  I have a big net, a combination club/gaff, & a lip-gripper.  How and when do I gaff one of those lings I know is legal-size, if I even should?  What can I expect when I do gaff it?  Should I ever try to club it while it's still in the water?  Any and all information or opinion would be welcome.
Thanks, MJ

You just need to tighten your squeeze when you apply the double leg ling head crunch.   

Just depends, I grabbed some with my plastic lip grippers, sometimes I net em and other times I gaff em.  Depending on how they are hooked, they will react more and thrash more.  If you net em beware of the crociodile roll as they will twist up in your net making a tangled mess sometimes.  Try not to lift there head above the water cause thats when the thrashing will begin.  Dont swing the gaff, just descend it next to the jaw and pull it in your lap.  The only time you may swing at it would be when they come off the hook and its your last chance at securing the ling for it heads down to the bottom.  <This happened to me once at Cape Mendo and I luckily caught that ling right in the mouth right as it was taking off.  Good luck and get em next time.

Big net is my best advice.   

NICE pic, Eric!!

+1 on BIG net.

I think a guy can get good with either but I keep seeing video & hearing stories of missed gaff shots. Seems like I don't hear or see as many missed net jobs. My theory is the guys using BIG nets, & getting really good at it, aren't loosing as many fish & that the #'s are in favor of the net.

I have used several methods but the most consistant for me now is bringing a big ling up slowly and never
loosen the tension on the line.  Once I get the bugger off the bottom, I lighten the drag so I won't bust my line and if the fish wants to run, I let it.  To me the thrill is feeling the fish run and showing it's might.   If I have done it right, the ling will rise slowly without any head shakes or running.  I place my net under the water and then slowly raise the tip of my pole and "slide" the ling directly over the net.  Then making sure I get the entire ling in the net, I raise it.  It is at this point usually that Mr. Ling realizes he is in trouble, and he goes berserk.  If your net is large enough, the fighting and rolling will only entwine him more in the net.  I usually don't lift him into my kayak, but rather find an opening in the net and put the game clip on him.  As you are aware, once you get a large ling in the kayak untethered there are many ways for him extricate himself.

Good luck and see you otw.
 

+1 one on the net. I lost two nice lings last year just using just my grippers, one during the RTM, damn it!
If you know your going to keep it, net'em, lip grip'em in the net (this way you can turn the head and if they thrash and get off the gripper they're still in the net), smack'm in the net, pull 'em out and throw'em on the clip. Works for me.

Make sure you smack'em good before you pull 'em out of the net with the grippers. Sometimes they can thrash hard and there goes the fish and the gripper. 

Mike

Mike, try a retractable 'gear keeper' for your lipgripper tethered to your kayak. Even if the ling falls back down with gripper attached it will just spin around in the water. Works really good. jim

If I'm gonna keep it, I like to gaff em in the upper jaw. But try to clip em with the ling hanging before bringing it onto the deck. Netting works great if you guide em in head-first and have a deep net. Then just hoist it aboard and apply the Lingcod Leglock.
The key is to be patient and use a light drag when they're near the surface because they can make some strong runs if they get pointed back down.

NICE pic, Eric!!

Thx!   

Here's video stillshots from 3 months back:

here's what I do....

when fighting a big fish, I always point my rod tip to the bow and let the fish tow me around (+you have better stability) and when the fish gets played out, I simply reel in and slowly guide the fish parallel to the kayak and towards my net (it also helps to straddle the kayak for even better stability) Once the fish is in the net (I keep the fish/net in the water), I give out some slack line while I stick the rod in the rod holder. Then I use the plastic floating lip gripper to keep the fish in control. I club it then grab my pliers to pull out the lure/hook. Then I grab my game clip (which I leave open so I dont have deal with trying to open it while Im dealing with the fish- By the way, my game clip is leashed with a 3 foot bungee cord) When the fish is secured to my game clip, I toss it over on to my tankwell. I put a burlap bag over the fish and douse it water using my paddle every 15 to 20 minutes to keep the fish moist. Game over.

I don't own a net, gaff, or lip gripper. I bring the ling up slowly and fight him properly and when he gets to the surface I reach over and put my had in his gills and lift him aboard. Only the small ones thrash, the big ones are just lazy and dont shake at all when I grab em in the gills.  Haven't lost one yet doing it this way, plus I enjoy the ling gill battle scars on my hands after a day of fishing..shows you can do it right! Just like calico bass thumb after a long day of calico fishing!

Steady tension. Keep the lings head in the water when you get it to the kayak. Pulling the head out of the water makes the ling want to get back into the water asap. Keeping the head under keeps it a little calmer.
Usually I can grab the jig and hoist the ling onboard or shake it loose if I want to release it.
A big net works great if you want to keep it.

Same as above,
I grew up in a large family and my dad taught me that if I wanted to fish, I had to learn how to handle a fish properly.
I rarely use a net or gaff ...... too much room for error.
Most fish can be handled safely by either their lip, gill plate, tail, or collar.
For lings, the gill plate works best after playing him out, also helps to turn him upside down.