Ling Cod Fishing:( What went wrong?

Hi, I was fishing ling cod in Santa Cruz over the weekend but I failed to catch any when I was there.  I would like to know how people catch them.

I setup a live mackerel with mooching rig, 3/0 hook and a treble - I saw the ling cod hit my bait - Then I tried to reel it in - but the hooks didn't hook it.  What did I do wrong?  Do I  immediately set hook or wait for a little bit (how long?) for it swallowed before set hook?  Or I shouldn't set hook at all?

I would appreciated if you would share are thought on this. 

thanks

Nothing wrong if that was the only thing that happened. Sometimes the hooks just don't set. I have literally ripped my hook right out of a lingcods mouth by yanking too hard. I've had them let go of the bait because I didn't set it hard enough. I don't think anyone has a 100% landing rate. Just drop it back down and try again!

lings are good at spitting a bait (lures too)
mackerel are tough baits so it can be difficult to get a good hookset. You wait long enough for the fish to swallow the bait and by that time the ling has figured it out and spit the bait.
nothing to do but keep trying!

I've found that when I'm fishing live bait (in the sweet anyways, have never used live bait in the salt) how you hook them makes the difference in first, getting target fish to take the sacrificial lamb, and second, getting that solid hookset.

You should shout out a hookup here next time and you'll probably get in touch with an old salty pro who might be able to give you a few pointers while you guys are drifting live bait around down there.

Maybe add a 'Stinger Hook' to the setup?  Live bait can be tricky & sometimes allowing them to chew/swallow it will increase hookup.

I normally use a large circle hook just below the dorsal fin. I leave the reel on free spool or clicker. Once the bait get's hit I count to 5 one thousand or longer and start reeling, don't set the hook although you'll really want too. As the rod loads up I raise my rod tip and reel a bit faster to keep some good pressure on the fish. The circle hook will do it's job.

Mike

I put a treble hook trailer hook near tail to get the hook set, in case the ling misses the first hook. 

The mackerel got bite marks behind the head/stomach  but no set hook,  I put the 'Stinger Hook' near the tail of the bait.

You said you did or did not have a stinger hook?

i rigged with a live bait 3/0 and a treble hook,  does the stinger hook also call treble hook?

i rigged with a live bait 3/0 and a treble hook,  does the stinger hook also call treble hook?

A stinger in simply a hook(treble or single) trailing the main hook. In your case, the 3/0 is you main hook and the treble would be the stinger. It just helps hook fish that may hit the bait but miss the main hook. How big was the treble ? Sounds like you did everything right. Chalk it up to the fish gods being particularly fickle that day.

I wouldn't think of you doing something wrong... You targeted and hit your target, but lost it.  The only thing to do when they get off is drop back down immediately.  Often I've had the same ling hook up 2-3 times after they first let go.  They aren't very bright...

Thanks for your inputs, I will set free spool (or light rag) for 5 seconds and then reel it in method, if it still fails, I will switch over the circle hooks (mooching rig) and report it next week.

Maybe try using a larger hook. like 6/0 or 7/0. 

Treble hook trailer works good.