Working on a cookbook for inshore anglers and here's an update on lingcod.
Lingcod and Greenling — Greenling Family – Hexagrammidae
The members of the greenling family in California is small, containing only four species, but they are some of my favorite fish. The lingcod is the king and will be discussed in more depth. The kelp greenling and rock greenling are small but very pretty fish, decent eating and always fun to catch. The smallest greenling, the painted greenling, is pretty and very hard to catch. Luckily I finally figured out where they are and how to catch them—which took some time
As said, the lingcod is king. They reach a good size, put up a good fight, and are DELICIOUS to eat.
Jackpot lingcod I caught on "The Pathfinder" in 1978 out of the old San Simeon Landing at the San Simeon Pier
I asked a question once on Pier Fishing In California, what’s your favorite fish to eat? The anglers were mainly pier fishermen and those who fished from rocks and surf. The winner was lingcod while halibut and cabezon finished tied for second. It simply showed the popularity of lingcod but the results were a little surprising given that inshore lingcod are mainly only taken in central and northern California whereas halibut are taken from all parts of the state.
Another tribute to the popularity of lingcod was the winning submission in the Pier Fishing In California poetry contest in 2006. The winner was a poem about lingcod:
It’s interesting that though lingcod rank high today among all California anglers (including near shore anglers), they are a species that is only considered an inshore species in waters north of Point Conception (the traditional dividing line for many SoCal warm water and CenCal cold-water fish). North of Point Conception offshore and inshore waters are fairly cool/cold. At Point Conception the cold water moves offshore while warmer water is encountered inshore. Given lingcod prefer cold water they tend to move offshore south of the point and become deep-water fish.
Having said that I must admit that I did catch one lingcod from a SoCal pier, the Goleta Pier just north of Santa Barbara; a pier that sits just 43 miles southeast of Point Conception. In CenCal I have caught them at the Port San Luis Pier, the Morro Bay North and South T-Piers, and the San Simeon Pier. In NorCal I have caught them from the Point Arena Pier, the Del Norte Pier in Eureka, and from the Citizen’s Dock in Crescent City (near the border with Oregon).
Lingcod caught by bigunindaboat in 2014
Rock and jetty fishermen in CenCal and NorCal also hook up with lingcod, especially during the fall months when they seem to move even closer to shore. During the ‘80s and ‘90s while living in Mendocino County my favorite fishing haunts were the rocks in Sea Lion Cove by the Point Arena Lighthouse and the coast between Little River and Mendocino. The goal on those trips was perch, rockfish, and the two premier fish for rock fishermen—cabezon and lingcod. Luckily both species frequented those rocks and I caught my fair share. Lingcod became my favorite from those rocks and it was the same among the other shore-bound anglers I knew.
Of course most adult lingcod frequent deeper water offshore. As a result they are the favorite fish on rock cod boats in CenCal and NorCal. The rockcod trips almost always produce a few lingcod and they are typically the largest fish on the boat. Good fish and a chance to catch a big fish, maybe one large enough to win a jackpot. One of my first offshore lingcod was a jackpot fish caught in 1978 on the Pathfinder, a Sportfishing boat that operated from the end of the San Simeon Pier (back when the “San Simeon Landing” operated from that pier). That lingcod would be joined by many other lings from boats in CenCal and NorCal ports—Santa Cruz, Monterey, the Bay Area (fishing the Farallon Islands), Point Arena and Fort Bragg. On almost every rockcod boat the prize fish on the boat will be lingcod.
A lingcod caught from a Stagnaro boat in Santa Cruz in 2006. The guy fished 20 minutes, told me was hooked on the bottom, I told him no he had a fish, and I helped him bring it to the surface where I netted it for him. He immediately threw up, and headed inside to lay down because he was seasick.
One interesting lesson I learned early on while fishing from the Stagnaro fleet out of Santa Cruz was to never lift the head of the lingcod out of the water. Often a lingcod would not even be hooked. Many were “hitchhiker fish” that grabbed a hooked fish on its way up and they would hang on all the way to the surface. Keep them in the water and you had a chance to hook the “hitchhiker” with the gaff.
A lingcod caught in Alaska by calaznfisher in 2014
Lingcod
Species: Ophidon elongatus (Girard, 1854); from the Greek words ophis (snake) and odons (tooth), and the Latin word elongatus (elongate shaped).
Alternate Names: Ling, Pacific cultus, cultus cod, leopard cod, blue cod, gator, greenlinger, green cod and my favorites—slinky linky, lingasaur, and dragon of the deep. Early-day names included buffalo cod, bocalao, card and testoni. Called molva in Mexico.
Identification: Elongate shaped with a single lateral line, a long dorsal fin, large pectoral fins, and a wide mouth full of 18 sharp canine-like teeth. That large mouth with the upper jaw extending rearward past the eyes and their huge head gives them a dangerous, fearsome appearance and another nickname: buckethead. Their coloring is variable, gray-brown to bluish, or black. Some fish are a bright green and some older fish are a fairly bright yellow. They have dark, yellow or orange spotting and mottling on the back and sides.
Size: Confirmed to a length of 60 inches and weight of 85 pounds. (Unconfirmed reports of fish weighing 105, 110 and 130 pounds). The females reach a larger size than males; the males reach 22 pounds while larger fish are all females.
Most lingcod caught from piers and rocks are less than ten pounds in weight. The California angling record fish weighed 56 lb. 0 oz. It was caught at Crescent City in 1992. The diving record fish weighed 37 Lbs. 0 oz. and was taken near Mendocino in 2012. The IGFA World Record fish is listed at 82 Lbs. 9 oz. and 55 inches long. It was caught in Homer, Alaska in 2007.
Range: From Punta San Carlos, southern Baja California, Isla Natividad, central Baja California, to California and north to the Shumagin Islands, southwestern Gulf of Alaska, and perhaps the eastern Bering Sea as far north as Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Common from Punta San Antonio, central Baja California, to Kodiak Island, Gulf of Alaska.
A lingcod from the Point Arena Pier by Dan in 2006
Habitat: South of Point Conception lingcod are typically a deep-water fish; north of Point Conception lingcod will be found from inter-tidal areas out to deep water. The bigger the ling the deeper they tend to live and they’ve been recorded to a depth of 1,558 feet. Small juvenile lingcod settle into sandy areas at about three inches in length and stay there until they are about 14-inches long. The fish then move out into rocky areas, progressively moving into deeper areas as they age (with the majority found at rocky reefs from 30 to 330 feet deep). Once established in a “home” reef, they tend to lead a somewhat sedentary life rarely wandering from their home. Nevertheless, many, but not all, migrate into shallower water to spawn during the late fall and winter months. Lings are bottom-dwellers classified as ambush predators whose cryptic (i.e. camouflage) coloration allows them to blend into the background. Ferocious in nature, they will eat almost anything that fits in their mouth including shrimp, crabs, salmon, hake, herring, rockcod (a favorite) and even smaller lingcod. A favorite is smaller octopus. When prey comes close, they will dart out using the power of their pectoral fins and grab the unsuspecting victim with their large mouth and long, pointed teeth. They are able to surprise and capture fairly mobile prey.
A lingcod caught at the Monterey Coast Guard Pier (Jetty) in 2010
Females lay the eggs and males guard the nests until the juveniles hatch. Milton Love reports that “prior to spawning, males migrate to nesting areas and begin to defend territory... Nests are often in crevices or under overhangs, but some are on exposed surfaces. Lingcod may live in caves with wolf-eels and the males create nests inside these caves. A particular male may return to the same nesting area year after year. One fish (nicknamed “Bob”) came back at least 4 years to the same path at the Edmunds Underwater Park in Puget Sound.” Unfortunately, the males guarding the nests tend to be a little too aggressive at time, which leaves them vulnerable to predation by larger fish such as sharks and non-fish such as sea lions, seals, and anglers intently dangling bait and lures from up above. Given that large fish are all females, and that they lay the eggs necessary for reproduction, some criticize keeping the larger lingcod. Lingcod can live for 25 years.
Food Value: Excellent, mild-flavored fillets that are slightly sweet, firm textured, large flaked, and moderate in fat content. An added plus is that the meat is high in protein, minerals, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. (Who needs pills? Just a steady diet of good flavored fish like lingcod.) Lingcod meat can be prepared in almost any manner but I prefer to fillet it and fry it. Many people like to steak it and broil it, or cook it on a bar-b-cue, but the low fat content means it can dry out somewhat. Remember, low fat content means to add oil as in frying. High fat content means to remove the oil by methods such as broiling.
Often the flesh will be green-blue in color—but don’t worry, be happy. The condition is simply caused by biliverdin in the system, a component of hemoglobin and a natural phenomenon that is not harmful. The color is heat-sensitive and will turn a beautiful white after cooking.
A lingcod caught by Shawny
Comments: Lingcod are voracious in nature as well as being truculent, pugnacious fighters, one of the most prized fish a pier angler will encounter. Remember to watch out for those large, sharp, canine teeth. Lings live to at least 20 years of age.
Bonus information: Although found from California to Alaska the majority of really big lingcod are found in Alaska. The state is also the main center for commercial fishing for lingcod—both longline fishing and dinglebar fishing. Dinglebar? It’s a 75 pound steel bar that is attached to a troll wire and has a single horizontal spread of about 10 jigs that are secured about 3 feet above the dinglebar. The trolling wire runs directly off the block and into the water allowing the fisher to keep a hand on the wire and get an actual feel for biting lingcod or to feel if the dinglebar is hitting bottom. Apparently it produces some of the largest lingcod. Of course this would be a totally illegal way for recreational anglers to fish for lingcod.
Lingcod I caught at the Citizens Dock in Crescent City
Lingcod and Greenling — Greenling Family – Hexagrammidae
The members of the greenling family in California is small, containing only four species, but they are some of my favorite fish. The lingcod is the king and will be discussed in more depth. The kelp greenling and rock greenling are small but very pretty fish, decent eating and always fun to catch. The smallest greenling, the painted greenling, is pretty and very hard to catch. Luckily I finally figured out where they are and how to catch them—which took some time
As said, the lingcod is king. They reach a good size, put up a good fight, and are DELICIOUS to eat.
Jackpot lingcod I caught on "The Pathfinder" in 1978 out of the old San Simeon Landing at the San Simeon Pier
I asked a question once on Pier Fishing In California, what’s your favorite fish to eat? The anglers were mainly pier fishermen and those who fished from rocks and surf. The winner was lingcod while halibut and cabezon finished tied for second. It simply showed the popularity of lingcod but the results were a little surprising given that inshore lingcod are mainly only taken in central and northern California whereas halibut are taken from all parts of the state.
Another tribute to the popularity of lingcod was the winning submission in the Pier Fishing In California poetry contest in 2006. The winner was a poem about lingcod:
The King by Daniel P. Neal/Orkspace — 1st Place Winner
Beneath the swirling tides there waits a king.
His palace gardens filled with kelp of green.
Supplicants prostrate and fill waiting wings
To bring tribute, else meet his teeth so keen.
At a signal, his honor-beggars bring
Tithes forward, or with his hunger be seen.
Leading the masses, batray’s stabbing sting,
Barr’d perch from the waves, with bronze armor sheen,
Anemones on rocks tremble and cling,
Then parades of rockfish entered the scene.
Drums of the croakers, through his halls did ring,
Maiden cabezon, offer’d as his queen.
Gold hooks through his lips, King Lingcod awaits
For your offering, be it lure or bait.
Beneath the swirling tides there waits a king.
His palace gardens filled with kelp of green.
Supplicants prostrate and fill waiting wings
To bring tribute, else meet his teeth so keen.
At a signal, his honor-beggars bring
Tithes forward, or with his hunger be seen.
Leading the masses, batray’s stabbing sting,
Barr’d perch from the waves, with bronze armor sheen,
Anemones on rocks tremble and cling,
Then parades of rockfish entered the scene.
Drums of the croakers, through his halls did ring,
Maiden cabezon, offer’d as his queen.
Gold hooks through his lips, King Lingcod awaits
For your offering, be it lure or bait.
A lingcod caught by friend David Shigematsu at the Kids Fishing Derby at the Trinidad Pier in 2018
This popularity is somewhat new. Milton Love, director of the Love Lab at UC Santa Barbara, and the man to whom I turn whenever I can’t identify a fish, makes an interesting observation in his encyclopedic book Certainly More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes of The Pacific Coast. He says a common name used in the 19th and early 20th century was “cultus cod.” By the 1930s the name had been changed to “Pacific cultus.” So what? “Cultus” means “of little worth” in Chinook. “Bastard cod” was a popular name in Washington in the 1800s while they were simply called “green rock cod” in San Francisco. They certainly were not given the respect they are given today. Another sign of that popularity pops up when studying the commercial catch in the state in 2024. Of all the various fish species caught by commercial fishermen lingcod show the 10th highest catch—236,696 fish. Perhaps people have become more enlightened?
It’s interesting that though lingcod rank high today among all California anglers (including near shore anglers), they are a species that is only considered an inshore species in waters north of Point Conception (the traditional dividing line for many SoCal warm water and CenCal cold-water fish). North of Point Conception offshore and inshore waters are fairly cool/cold. At Point Conception the cold water moves offshore while warmer water is encountered inshore. Given lingcod prefer cold water they tend to move offshore south of the point and become deep-water fish.
Having said that I must admit that I did catch one lingcod from a SoCal pier, the Goleta Pier just north of Santa Barbara; a pier that sits just 43 miles southeast of Point Conception. In CenCal I have caught them at the Port San Luis Pier, the Morro Bay North and South T-Piers, and the San Simeon Pier. In NorCal I have caught them from the Point Arena Pier, the Del Norte Pier in Eureka, and from the Citizen’s Dock in Crescent City (near the border with Oregon).
Lingcod caught by bigunindaboat in 2014
Rock and jetty fishermen in CenCal and NorCal also hook up with lingcod, especially during the fall months when they seem to move even closer to shore. During the ‘80s and ‘90s while living in Mendocino County my favorite fishing haunts were the rocks in Sea Lion Cove by the Point Arena Lighthouse and the coast between Little River and Mendocino. The goal on those trips was perch, rockfish, and the two premier fish for rock fishermen—cabezon and lingcod. Luckily both species frequented those rocks and I caught my fair share. Lingcod became my favorite from those rocks and it was the same among the other shore-bound anglers I knew.
A lingcod caught by Boyd Grant at the Goleta Pier in 2003
Of course most adult lingcod frequent deeper water offshore. As a result they are the favorite fish on rock cod boats in CenCal and NorCal. The rockcod trips almost always produce a few lingcod and they are typically the largest fish on the boat. Good fish and a chance to catch a big fish, maybe one large enough to win a jackpot. One of my first offshore lingcod was a jackpot fish caught in 1978 on the Pathfinder, a Sportfishing boat that operated from the end of the San Simeon Pier (back when the “San Simeon Landing” operated from that pier). That lingcod would be joined by many other lings from boats in CenCal and NorCal ports—Santa Cruz, Monterey, the Bay Area (fishing the Farallon Islands), Point Arena and Fort Bragg. On almost every rockcod boat the prize fish on the boat will be lingcod.
A lingcod caught from a Stagnaro boat in Santa Cruz in 2006. The guy fished 20 minutes, told me was hooked on the bottom, I told him no he had a fish, and I helped him bring it to the surface where I netted it for him. He immediately threw up, and headed inside to lay down because he was seasick.
One interesting lesson I learned early on while fishing from the Stagnaro fleet out of Santa Cruz was to never lift the head of the lingcod out of the water. Often a lingcod would not even be hooked. Many were “hitchhiker fish” that grabbed a hooked fish on its way up and they would hang on all the way to the surface. Keep them in the water and you had a chance to hook the “hitchhiker” with the gaff.
A lingcod caught in Alaska by calaznfisher in 2014
Lingcod
Species: Ophidon elongatus (Girard, 1854); from the Greek words ophis (snake) and odons (tooth), and the Latin word elongatus (elongate shaped).
Alternate Names: Ling, Pacific cultus, cultus cod, leopard cod, blue cod, gator, greenlinger, green cod and my favorites—slinky linky, lingasaur, and dragon of the deep. Early-day names included buffalo cod, bocalao, card and testoni. Called molva in Mexico.
Identification: Elongate shaped with a single lateral line, a long dorsal fin, large pectoral fins, and a wide mouth full of 18 sharp canine-like teeth. That large mouth with the upper jaw extending rearward past the eyes and their huge head gives them a dangerous, fearsome appearance and another nickname: buckethead. Their coloring is variable, gray-brown to bluish, or black. Some fish are a bright green and some older fish are a fairly bright yellow. They have dark, yellow or orange spotting and mottling on the back and sides.
Size: Confirmed to a length of 60 inches and weight of 85 pounds. (Unconfirmed reports of fish weighing 105, 110 and 130 pounds). The females reach a larger size than males; the males reach 22 pounds while larger fish are all females.
Most lingcod caught from piers and rocks are less than ten pounds in weight. The California angling record fish weighed 56 lb. 0 oz. It was caught at Crescent City in 1992. The diving record fish weighed 37 Lbs. 0 oz. and was taken near Mendocino in 2012. The IGFA World Record fish is listed at 82 Lbs. 9 oz. and 55 inches long. It was caught in Homer, Alaska in 2007.
Range: From Punta San Carlos, southern Baja California, Isla Natividad, central Baja California, to California and north to the Shumagin Islands, southwestern Gulf of Alaska, and perhaps the eastern Bering Sea as far north as Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Common from Punta San Antonio, central Baja California, to Kodiak Island, Gulf of Alaska.
A lingcod from the Point Arena Pier by Dan in 2006
Habitat: South of Point Conception lingcod are typically a deep-water fish; north of Point Conception lingcod will be found from inter-tidal areas out to deep water. The bigger the ling the deeper they tend to live and they’ve been recorded to a depth of 1,558 feet. Small juvenile lingcod settle into sandy areas at about three inches in length and stay there until they are about 14-inches long. The fish then move out into rocky areas, progressively moving into deeper areas as they age (with the majority found at rocky reefs from 30 to 330 feet deep). Once established in a “home” reef, they tend to lead a somewhat sedentary life rarely wandering from their home. Nevertheless, many, but not all, migrate into shallower water to spawn during the late fall and winter months. Lings are bottom-dwellers classified as ambush predators whose cryptic (i.e. camouflage) coloration allows them to blend into the background. Ferocious in nature, they will eat almost anything that fits in their mouth including shrimp, crabs, salmon, hake, herring, rockcod (a favorite) and even smaller lingcod. A favorite is smaller octopus. When prey comes close, they will dart out using the power of their pectoral fins and grab the unsuspecting victim with their large mouth and long, pointed teeth. They are able to surprise and capture fairly mobile prey.
A lingcod caught at the Monterey Coast Guard Pier (Jetty) in 2010
Females lay the eggs and males guard the nests until the juveniles hatch. Milton Love reports that “prior to spawning, males migrate to nesting areas and begin to defend territory... Nests are often in crevices or under overhangs, but some are on exposed surfaces. Lingcod may live in caves with wolf-eels and the males create nests inside these caves. A particular male may return to the same nesting area year after year. One fish (nicknamed “Bob”) came back at least 4 years to the same path at the Edmunds Underwater Park in Puget Sound.” Unfortunately, the males guarding the nests tend to be a little too aggressive at time, which leaves them vulnerable to predation by larger fish such as sharks and non-fish such as sea lions, seals, and anglers intently dangling bait and lures from up above. Given that large fish are all females, and that they lay the eggs necessary for reproduction, some criticize keeping the larger lingcod. Lingcod can live for 25 years.
Food Value: Excellent, mild-flavored fillets that are slightly sweet, firm textured, large flaked, and moderate in fat content. An added plus is that the meat is high in protein, minerals, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. (Who needs pills? Just a steady diet of good flavored fish like lingcod.) Lingcod meat can be prepared in almost any manner but I prefer to fillet it and fry it. Many people like to steak it and broil it, or cook it on a bar-b-cue, but the low fat content means it can dry out somewhat. Remember, low fat content means to add oil as in frying. High fat content means to remove the oil by methods such as broiling.
Often the flesh will be green-blue in color—but don’t worry, be happy. The condition is simply caused by biliverdin in the system, a component of hemoglobin and a natural phenomenon that is not harmful. The color is heat-sensitive and will turn a beautiful white after cooking.
A lingcod caught by Shawny
Bonus information: Although found from California to Alaska the majority of really big lingcod are found in Alaska. The state is also the main center for commercial fishing for lingcod—both longline fishing and dinglebar fishing. Dinglebar? It’s a 75 pound steel bar that is attached to a troll wire and has a single horizontal spread of about 10 jigs that are secured about 3 feet above the dinglebar. The trolling wire runs directly off the block and into the water allowing the fisher to keep a hand on the wire and get an actual feel for biting lingcod or to feel if the dinglebar is hitting bottom. Apparently it produces some of the largest lingcod. Of course this would be a totally illegal way for recreational anglers to fish for lingcod.
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