Area 11 or 13 lings

[Duckhunter]

I've never fished for lings in the Sound, is there good fishing in the south sound or is it all up north? If anyone could point me in the general direction or where to get more info (maps) I would appreciate it. What size jigs and colors? Thanks.

[Nelly]

They catch lings in the Narrows but only (obviously) during smaller tides.
Get some six-ounce swim dabs and get after it!
You owe us a report if you score!!!

[USMC]

Looking for some spots to try and pull in some ling cod in areas 11 and 13. I know people say under the narrows, but this only works during slack tide I'm hearing because of current. Also hear near fox island , but where? Im not getting anymore information or help from that point though.

I'm new to this area and new to this species so looking for help please. I have the gear down I believe for the most part but am lost on spots to fish. Buddy has a small boat we can launch anywhere around tacoma area. Any info is very much appreciated. Feel free to PM me if you prefer not to post on thread. Thanks in advance for all your expertise guys/girls!

[Hawke]

USMC,

You are in the same jam that all the rest of us are. Puget Sound had phenomenal bottom fishing. When I was a kid we would go mooching for salmon and always brought home Pollock, ling cod, rockfish, etc. that grabbed our mooched herring. Then in the late 1970's the state of Washington allowed the commercial fisherman with bottom draggers to come into area 11 and 13 with their bottom dragging nets. The commercial fisherman not only removed all of the fish but destroyed all of the structure (rockpiles, etc) that the fish lived in. They left a pristine flat sandy bottom where fish could not live, only crabs, sole, and ratfish could exist in this ecosystem.

When you ask for spots.... there are really only 2 spots in area 13. the toliva shoal and the Tacoma narrows bridge. When you ask for information about area 11 it gets even tougher to give an answer. The bottom draggers destroyed all of the structure.

The best answer I can give is to do a search for dive sights in Puget Sound, then read all of the posts the divers leave telling about the type of fish they spotted during the dives. I do this and found out about the fox island bridge. Most of the dive sites that hold fish can only be fished effectively during slack tide. The big problem is the divers sometimes show up at that time to spear fish for the lings and they think they own the spot. They move in on top of you. I have told them I would stop fishing so they can dive if they help me get a ling cod, and they have once.

If you want to make sure you get a ling cod you need to fish the Edmonds jetty, possession bar, the jettys or rock piles in Elliot bay, etc. Area's 9, 10, and farther north are the spots to get ling cod. If you have a trailer boat available launch at Alki and head to Anthonys and look for boats and divers. You should get a ling.

Regards,

Hawke

[Hawke]

To fish for Lings in the south sound and area 11 the best bait is 5" - 8" sand dabs. Use a crappie jig on your trout rod in 30 - 80 ft. of water. the next best is live herring from the narrows marina. If this isn't possible use a 4, 6, 8, 10 oz lead head jig. The weight depends on the current under the narrows bridge. Remember you are fishing in about 50 - 120 ft. of water. It is illegal to fish deeper than that, and shallower is a flat sandy bottom with no fish until you get up next to shore. Their are lings along the shoreline in the rocks, but they are tough to tease out of the rocks.

Jig color isn't important but most people use large double tails with a small single tail stuck between them. This makes the presentation look bigger. Try black, white, motor oil, and root beer. I have had success with all of these.

Bring about 10 or 15 jigs per person, if you are not getting snagged and losing them you are not fishing in the right spot. Use a 30 lb main line, use a 1' or 2' foot section of 15 or 20 lb tied to it, then use a 1' or 2' ft. 40 or 50 lb monofilament leader with the jig tied to it. Tie up a lot of these in advance. The only time your going to get lings in the narrows is right before slack tide and right after slack tide. You probably have two 10 minute windows so you don't have time to be tying leaders.

When you get snagged up the 15 - 20 lb leader will break and you will lose your jig, but you will not lose 50' - 100' ft of your line, or stretch your line out and weaken it. You can spool your reel in a couple of minutes if your leader is heavier than your main line, and if your leader is lighter the abrasion on the rocks while jigging and the sharp teeth of the ling will cut it.

I hope this helps,

Hawke