rigging for lings/cabs

What is your favorite go to lure/rigging setup for cabs and lings? I have had luck with swim baits on shrimp fly rigs but curious what everyone Uses.

This is my go-to rig for Ling/Cab/Rock.

Farallon Feather rig, cut off one of the hooks. Tie on a 4oz jighead with a 8" swimbait (pictured is a Branson Bait). I add squid to the feather. It's served me very well.

Metal jig with a hand tied treble Or teaser and 831tackle swim bait

Figure out what they are chomping and use that.

Iron, plastic of many varieties, and bait will all work.  Hell, I've caught rockfish on rattle traps before.  If what you are using isn't working, either present it differently, switch your terminal rigging, switch bait, or any and all of the above.

Figure out what they are chomping and use that.

Iron, plastic of many varieties, and bait will all work.  Hell, I've caught rockfish on rattle traps before.  If what you are using isn't working, either present it differently, switch your terminal rigging, switch bait, or any and all of the above.

+1

Figure out what they are chomping and use that.

Iron, plastic of many varieties, and bait will all work.  Hell, I've caught rockfish on rattle traps before.  If what you are using isn't working, either present it differently, switch your terminal rigging, switch bait, or any and all of the above.

+1

+2

Ling - mooch a whole herring or some other large bait.  It works almost everytime.

All my big lings have come on swimbaits. Using a 4oz shad head. Stay close to the bottom over rocky structure banging the bottom entices strikes. Be quick on the lift as you touch bottom.  Proven.  6.5 and 7 inch baits. Mostly red orange colors. Big Hammer

I only use artificials and never use bait (unless there is NO other alternative).

My 42 years as a glassblower and inshore fisherman have released my imagination.  I now only use hand formed glass jigs.

Here's a poor picture of a ling stuck on one of my hand made glass lures.



Here's a second one of a local cabby;



My Lures are called Zodi Lures and they are hand formed from molten glass.

No lead lost to the ocean. Beach glass is jewel!

Mark the date of this post. Copyright in progress/patent pending

I Zod Out

I use main line to a three way swivel pre tied 3/0 snelled hook gets a small plastic worm or swimbait. the bottom is 2 feet of mono to a large swim bail on a jig head. when it hits bottom rip it up and it looks like the jig head is chasing a small bait fish. I almost always get RD on the small top bait and lings and cabs on the bottom. it's all I use

Recent luck using a 2oz diamond bar jig. Hitting bottom and jigging up about a fullrod swing.

I make butterknife jigs and a shrimp fly, tip both with squid. Switch to swimbait when the drift gets too fast.

All my big lings have come on swimbaits. Using a 4oz shad head. Stay close to the bottom over rocky structure banging the bottom entices strikes. Be quick on the lift as you touch bottom.  Proven.  6.5 and 7 inch baits. Mostly red orange colors. Big Hammer

100% agree.

I only use artificials and never use bait (unless there is NO other alternative).

My 42 years as a glassblower and inshore fisherman have released my imagination.  I now only use hand formed glass jigs.

Here's a poor picture of a ling stuck on one of my hand made glass

My Lures are called Zodi Lures and they are hand formed from molten glass.

No lead lost to the ocean. Beach glass is jewel!

Mark the date of this post. Copyright in progress/patent pending

I Zod Out

  nice!! I want to try!! awesome idea!!

All of the techniques listed pretty much cover it. My experience is that if their are lings in the area they will usually hit on the first drop or 2. If not, its best to try fan casting to locate the fish or move to a new spot.

I usually rig up 3 rods. One with a metal jig, one with a swimbait, and one with a swimbait on the bottom with a dropper loop about 2 feet up either with a swimbait on a single hook or live bait on the loop. That last rig is also what I caught my new years eve halibut on, using a live mack.

I think another technique that gets somewhat overlooked for lings is the troll. While they are a bottom fish they do feed throughout the water column and will attack bait on the surface at times. The biggest ling I have caught was hooked while trolling a large chrome kroc. While not something I spend time doing for targeting lings I will do it if I am going to cover some ground just in case, you never know.