How to Catch Lingcod

Captain Cody Wabiszewski

Lingcod are massive fish that are frequently caught while halibut fishing. This is because the fishing tactics and location are very similar for both types of fish. Lingcod looks like a cross between the eel-like fish called a ling and a pacific cod. This is likely how it got its name however it is actually not in the ling or cod family. This article will talk about the different types of cod as many people confuse lingcod with pacific cod or Alaskan pollock which are frequently used for fish sandwiches.
captain cody with a lingcod caught in sitka alaska

I have caught lots of lingcod in Alaska when fishing for halibut and salmon. The large ones are often called sea dragons since they are so huge and have a dragon-like appearance. These fish have large teeth and massive mouths. It is not uncommon to catch a large rockfish and then have a lingcod bite and hold onto it the entire way to the surface even though it is not actually hooked.

Lingcod Baits

Octopus and Squid

lingcod bait on a large hook

Octopus and squid are great baits for lingcod. The best bait for lingcod is octopus but this is not a bait that is typically used because it is expensive and difficult to get. In the picture, I am using a piece of octopus tentacle and herring as bait on the hooks. We actually caught a huge lingcod that spit up a pacific octopus tentacle. I decided to use it as bait and caught a bunch more fish with it including some large halibut.

The lingcod was caught using herring and pollock. You can catch lingcod on most fresh dead baits. The real key to catching lingcod is location. Some spots I anchor at have lingcod and others do not. It seems very structure-specific in my experience. In this case, it was on the edge of a sand flat and rocky structured bottom. This was a unique spot because it was good for lingcod, halibut, king salmon, and yelloweye rockfish.

Pink Salmon and Salmon Guts

lingcod cut bait pink salmon and salmon guts

Pink salmon and salmon guts are great bottom baits. This is typically used for halibut but lingcod will certainly bite with fresh salmon or salmon guts. Salmon fillets are not typically allowed to use for bait. However, you are allowed to use pink salmon for bait in Alaska. This is nice cause they are affordable to buy and plentiful to catch in many areas. If you start out trolling for salmon and have success then the guts end up being very useful for bottom fishing the second half of the day.

Herring and Pollock

lingcod baits herring pollock and octopus

Herring and pollock are typically the baits used early in the season for halibut and lingcod fishing. This bait is sent down while anchored up so that a scent trail can be established. Halibut will follow the scent trail from miles away and lingcod will follow a scent trail to some degree as well. For example, the baits can be reeled 10-15 feet off the bottom and not affect the catch rates of lingcod according to Alaska Fish and Game.

This is nice as baits that are right on the bottom are more likely to catch rockfish and skates. For this reason, once that bait hits the bottom it is a good idea to reel it up about 5 cranks. This will also help the rig from getting snagged as the boat rocks in the waves.

Lingcod Fishing Rigs

Large Circle Hook Rig

large circle hook for lingcod fishing

Using a large circle hook with fresh bait is the best way to catch lingcod. Jigs will work as well but fishing with bait is much easier. Lingcod are typically on the bottom of the ocean in rocks or structures where they wait to ambush rockfish, pollock, octopus, squid, flounder, sand lance, herring, prawns, or any other fish that are in the area. A circle hook works well with the bait off the bottom because as it swims back down the hook sets in the corner of the mouth. In the video below I show a great way to secure the hook to the line with a loop knot.

In the video above I show how to make halibut rigs which are the same as lingcod rigs. Using a loop knot to secure the hooks allows for a good hookset. Lingcod get hooked much easier than halibut cause their huge mouths can chomp down easily on large baits.

fishing rig setup for lingcod

The picture above shows the rig being used. This bait here is almost gone and needs to be swapped out. A 2-pound weight is attached to the rig using a large swivel. The top of the rig is made with a 150-pound braided tuna leader.  A 100-pound monofilament line is used to attach the hook using a loop knot. The other side has a barrel swivel which connects to the top leader with a ball bearing snap swivel.

Line Types

lingcod at the surface of the water

In the picture above you can see a large lingcod at the surface of the water. It is always exciting to see the large open mouth of the fish. Here you can see all three line types. The mainline on the conventional reel is 100-pound white power pro braided line. The next leader is a green 150-pound Ashaway tuna leader. This is often referred to as gangen line and other braided nylon lines will work as well. Finally, a one-foot section of a 100-pound monofilament line is used. This rig can be dropped quickly to depth and still not get tangled. This rig is way easier to use than halibut spreader bars.

Weights and Jigs

weights and jigs for lingcod

Weights for lingcod fishing depend on the depth and strength of the current. In water, less than 100 feet deep with a low current an 8-ounce weight may be all that is needed. Typically though I am fishing in water over 200 feet deep and I like to use round 2-pound lead weights. This keeps the rig near the bottom and is easy enough to reel in. Sometimes a 3-pound weight is needed but this makes it much more difficult to reel in even when a fish is not hooked. Jigs that weigh between 8-24 ounces can also be used. However, jigging near the bottom requires more work and can result in getting snagged on the bottom.

Mooching Rigs

mooching for lingcod

Mooching rigs can catch lingcod. However, if you are targeting lingcod the rig should stay be near the bottom. This can be done at a depth of less than 150 feet when the current is not very strong. Once you feel the rig hit the bottom reel up slowly for about 20 feet and then send it back down. This is best to do when anchored as the rig will be less likely to get snagged. When drifting try and keep the rig 5-10 feet from the bottom so the fish can see it but still not get snagged. The main problem with this style of fishing is you will catch tons of rockfish and small halibut as well. If you just want lingcod larger baits are typically a better option.

In the video above I show how to mooch. This is typically done for salmon from the surface to mid-depths of the water column. If you let the bait go all the way to the bottom it is very likely you will also catch lingcod, rockfish, and halibut. If you are on a sand or gravel flat fishing near the bottom it is also a good way to catch king salmon.

Types of Cod

Lingcod

captain cody wabiszewski holding a huge lingcod in sitka alaska

Lingcod is the largest fish in the greenling family and has a giant mouth and huge teeth. It is actually not related to cod or a ling fish. The IGFA world record is 82 pounds 9 ounces and was caught out of Homer Alaska. The fish had a length of 55 inches. Running fishing charters in Sitka Alaska it was not uncommon for clients to catch monster-sized lingcod.

Due to their large mouth full of teeth, long dorsal fin, and tail, large lingcod are often called seadragons. Lingcod do not have a swimbladder. This makes it so the fish can be released without a fish descender. The fish can be brought on the boat for a quick picture and then swim away strong. Rockfish have a swimbladder and suffer much more from barotrauma when brought up from deep depths. These fish are required to be released with a fish descender.

When catching a lingcod at deep depths over 200 feet the fish still show little to no signs of barotrauma. This is good as lingcod are typically regulated as a slot fish where most of them have to be released.

In the video above I am fishing out of Sitka Alaska. We catch king salmon, halibut, and lingcod. While fishing we also see sea lions, and orcas which are called killer whales.

Pacific Cod

pacific cod

Pacific cod can be caught on a fishing rod and reel. It can also be caught on a long line by commercial fishing boats. Most of the catch that is brought to market is done by the trawl fishery by dragging nets deep along the ocean floor. According to NOAA fisheries stock smart data, in 2020 there were over 185,000 metric tons of Pacific cod caught in Alaska. This was 14,249 tons in the Aleutian Islands, 155,629 tons in the Bering Sea, and 15,723 tons in the Gulf of Alaska.

Pacific cod can be recognized by its front whiskers, white lateral line, and light brown mixed with a gray checkered patterned on its back. Sometimes Pacific cod is called grey cod or greyfish. The IGFA world record for Pacific cod is 38 pounds 9 ounces and was caught off the coast of Japan. In the picture above is a small Pacific cod I caught while fishing in Juneau Alaska.

Alaskan Pollock

pollock caught in Alaska

Alaskan pollock is a species of cod. In the picture above is a small pollock that was caught on a zabiki rig in a harbor in Juneau Alaska. This one was caught so it could be used as fresh halibut bait. Most pollock is commercially caught by trawlers using large nets.

Pollock from Alaska is actually the most widely used fish for fish sandwiches and fish sticks. According to NOAA fisheries stock smart data in 2020, there were over 1.5 million metric tons of pollock harvested in Alaska. This was 1,409, 230 tons in the Bearing Sea and 107,471 tons in the West Yakutat Gulf of Alaska.

The IGFA world record for Alaskan pollock is 8 pounds and was caught in Kachemak Bay Alaska. The largest type of pollock is just called pollock and has a world record catch size of 50 pounds. It was caught off the coast of Norway. European pollock has a world record catch size of 27 pounds 6 ounces and was caught off the coast of the United Kingdom.

Black Cod, Sablefish

Black cod has a common name of sablefish. However, most anglers and commercial fishermen just refer to it as black cod. The world record black cod was 35 pounds 3 ounces and was caught out of Elfin Cove Alaska. A more common size of black cod to catch is 5-10 pounds.

long line set of hooks in a tub for black cod commercial fishing

In the photo is a set of hooks for black cod commercial long line fishing. Black cod is typically caught by lone liners making sets with thousands of hooks in deep water. Each set consists of around 20 metal tubs worth of line which can be over 3 miles long. Typical fishing depths are between 275 and 350 fathoms. Which is a depth range of 1,650 to 2,100 feet.  Black cod can also be caught in slinky pots or crab pots which act like a huge minnow trap.

In 2020 around 19,000 metric tons of black cod were caught in the Bearing Sea and around 3,800 metric tons were caught along the Pacific coast. Black cod can also be caught by sport fishing anglers and this is typically done with electric reels because the fish are caught in waters over 600 feet deep.

Atlantic Cod

According to NOAA fisheries stock smart data Atlantic cod was historically a great fishery, however, the biomass estimates are currently really low. In 2020 less than 1,300 metric tons were caught total in the Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine. In previous years for example in 1984, over 105,000 metric tons were harvested just in the Eastern Georges Bank. What is not good is that the 2021 biomass estimate of Atlantic cod for the Eastern Georges Bank is only 4,640 metric tons.

The IGFA world record for Atlantic Cod is 103 pounds 10 ounces and was caught off the coast of Norway. This makes it the largest certified catch using a rod and reel of all the cod species. However, most cod are caught in nets rather than line and reel.

Lingcod Teeth

captain cody showing the teeth of a large lingcod

In the photo, I am holding a large lingcod with its mouth open. This is a fun photo to take is it looks like we are both smiling. Also with the fish’s large pectoral fins, it looks like the fish is waving hi.

Also, it shows that its mouth is about the size of my head. In the photo, you can see the top and bottom teeth as well as the upper teeth in the pharyngeal jaw. This fish was safely released after the picture was taken.

large mouth of a lingcod

The photo above shows the large mouth and teeth of this 45-inch lingcod. Lingcod can be picked up by grabbing the lower jaws in front of the gills. Just make sure not to apply pressure to the gills as this is a sensitive area for fish.

teeth of a lingcod

Lingcod have a giant mouth like bass and have fanglike teeth similar to a barracuda. This allows them to catch and swallow very large fish. The top of the jaw has over ten large fang-like teeth. The bottom jaw has over 25 fang-like teeth. Overall an adult lingcod has over 500 teeth. These teeth are primarily along the front and lower jaw lines. However, there is actually a second set of pharyngeal jaws. This set of jaws is deeper in the throat and behind the eyes of the lingcod.

A lingcod tooth research study showed that the fish lose about 3.6 percent of their teeth each day. This means a lingcod will lose 18 or more teeth per day. These are mostly the smaller teeth within the mouth. Lingcod do not grow multiple rows of teeth for replacement like shark teeth. The study also showed that each tooth is grown at a specific location and does not migrate. An interesting finding is that the teeth will fall out regardless of whether the fish is feeding. I would have thought the teeth would only grow new teeth as needed.

Size of Lingcod

giant lingcod

In the video above I show lots of things to do in Sitka Alaska including fishing for lingcod. Other activities include whale watching, the fortress of the bears, the raptor center, camping, and going hiking.

keeper size lingcod caught

In the photo above I am holding a keeper-size lingcod in Sitka Alaska. It is actually pretty lucky when you catch a lingcod within the slot limit of 30-40 inches. The slot limit use to be 30-35 inches in Sitka which made it pretty difficult to catch a fish within the slot. This lingcod was caught while trolling for king salmon on a downrigger.

Trolling for Lingcod

Lingcod are typically caught by sportfishing anglers by anchoring the boat and setting down large baits. However, it is also common to catch smaller lingcod under 40 inches when trolling with herring near the bottom with a downrigger. Metal spoons, jigs, hoochies, and tube baits will also catch lingcod but I prefer to use fresh bait.

In the video, I show how to use downriggers for trolling. I was using Scotty electric downrigger with 15-pound lead weights. When targeting bottom fish it is important to keep the bait within 10 feet of the bottom. This is done by knowing the depth of the water with a fish finder sonar. Then the downrigger line depth can be set at the depth or even 10-20 feet deeper depending on the depth and troll speed. This is because the line blowback causes it to be at an angle that requires more line to reach the bottom. Just make sure to bring up the riggers before slowing down the boat. If this is not done the downrigger balls can hit the bottom and break off.

Food Quality of Lingcod

When many people think of lingcod they think of the cod that is used in Mcdonald’s fish sandwiches or fish sticks. However, fish sandwiches and fish sticks today are most likely made with pacific cod or Alaskan pollock. A much smaller percentage of these types of meals are made with Atlantic cod, haddock, or lingcod. For comparison around 800 metric tons of lingcod were commercially caught in Alaska in 2021 compared to 1.5 million, metric tons of Alaskan pollock. That means that not even 0.1 percent of fish sandwiches are lingcod.

This is a white flaky fish that is most similar to halibut or large pelagic rockfish. It can be fried for fish and chips or it can be baked, grilled, or broiled. Some lingcod had a blue tint or green tint to the fish and fillets. Most people say as it cooks it will turn white and is safe to eat. I have seen a green lingcod before and it defiantly looked strange to me. Lingcod can have worms so this is something to look out for especially on larger fish.

Lingcod Fishing Regulations

Around 40 percent of lingcod harvested was done by recreational and sportfishing anglers. The fishing regulations vary by state and regulations even vary by fishing area within the state.

In California, for 2022 the daily limit is 2 fish per day over 22-inches. The fish can not be kept if it is caught seward of the rockfish conservation area boundary line. This is around 50 fathoms or 30o feet. This means that the fish can not be kept if is caught deeper than 300 feet. This is to discourage people from fishing at deep depths where rockfish that are accidentally caught will likely die.

Oregon, lingcod season for 2022 is from July 1 to August 31. The daily limit is 2 fish over 22 inches. In order to keep the fish, it must be caught inside the 40-fathom line which is 240 feet.

For Washington state in 2022, the season is from March 12 to October 15th. Two lingcod can be caught per person with no size limit. There are restricted areas though so look into the regulations exactly where you will be going fishing.

In Alaska the regulations depend on the area and whether the angler is a resident or non-resident. For Alaska, residents 1 fish of any size can be caught per day. There is also a restriction that a person can only be in possession of 2 fish.

For non-residents, 1 fish can be caught per day and 2 fish can be caught per year. Only one of the fish can be over 55 inches. The other fish has to be between a slot of 30-35, 30-40, or 30-45 inches depending on the area being fished.

As the world record lingcod was 55 inches it is unlikely to catch a lingcod over 55 inches. However, the regulations make it so if you do catch one this large it can be kept as long as it is within the open fishing season.

Other Target Species

rockfish halibut and salmon

In the picture above are fish caught and kept in one day when fishing in Sitka Alaska. There are actually no lingcod caught and kept. That is because lingcod is not typically a target species. On most charters, anglers try and catch their limit of king salmon, silver salmon, and halibut. Yelloweye and seabass are a bonus if there is time. The slot size limit on lingcod makes it so that it is not typically worth trying to target lingcod. However, catching the large seadragons is super fun, and catching slot fish is defiantly a bonus fish that is nice to catch.

How to Catch Halibut in Alaska: Fun and Effective Methods

I have fished for halibut in Juneau Alaska and Sitka Alaska. Halibut are the prized fish of the North Pacific Ocean. Halibut get huge, fight hard, and are great eating fish! Fishing for halibut can be difficult or easy depending on location, time of year, and currents. What makes fishing for halibut difficult is that they are usually very deep and like to bite in strong currents. This means that a lot of weight is needed.

Halibut and yelloweye rockfish caught in Alaska

Halibut are typically caught by anchoring the boat and using lots of bait to act as chum to attract the fish. A good scent trail can bring halibut to the boat from miles away. A good scent trail can bring halibut to the boat from miles away. The longer you wait the more likely halibut are to come and the fish tend to get larger as time passes on the same spot. About three hours is typically spent on a halibut fishing spot. Drift fishing is not typically as effective but does work to catch halibut.

Effective Halibut Fishing Methods

Halibut are typically found on gravel flats, sand flats, or located near what people in Alaska call rock piles but what I would typically refer to as a hump or underground mountain.

Halibut fishing in Sitka Alaska

Halibut Fishing Techniques

When drifting heavy jigs or mooching rigs with herring can be used to fish near the bottom. When anchoring, it is good to keep lots of scented baits down to leave a scent trail. Baits can include herring, pollock, salmon bellies, salmon guts, pink salmon, squid, and octopus. If only one or two poles are used a chum bag on the bottom is a good idea to keep a scent trail going. Having someone jigging also helps keep some action in the water, which also helps attract fish.

Mooching while anchored is a good idea as you can catch salmon on the way down and halibut once the rig is near the bottom. Listed below are the top lures and baits for halibut. Large non-pelagic rockfish and lingcod are often found in the same area as halibut and these baits also work well to catch them.

Making an Effective Halibut Rig

In my experience, having the right rig is crucial for halibut success. The best halibut rig combines a circle hook (which helps with their slow bite pattern), appropriate weight for the depth and current, and strong leader material.

Circle Hook with Halibut Bait

Circle Hook(14/0-16/0)

Halibut circle hook size 14-16

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A circle hook is a great way to catch halibut because the fish bite slowly and it can be hard to get a good hookset with a j-hook. I typically use a 16/0 hook because it can hold a lot of scented bait that acts like chum. Although a 16/0 is large it can still catch small 20-inch halibut. If you are targeting small halibut a size 14/0 circle hook is probably best.

The circle hook is just part of the rig. A lead weight and swivels are also needed. The rig is made with a 100-pound plus monofilament line and a 150-pound gangen line. This is a great rig to catch both halibut and lingcod.

Lead Weight (16-36 oz)

lead weights for halibut rigs

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A 16-ounce lead weight is good for shallow low current halibut fishing. A 32-ounce ball is what I typically use when halibut fishing in 200-400 feet of water. If the current is really strong I will switch to a 48-pound lead ball which is 3 pounds. This 3-pound weight makes it difficult to reel in even without a big halibut on the line. Fishing for halibut is done using conventional fishing reels. The rod and reel are placed in a secure rod holder while reeling. When fishing really deep some angels even use electric fishing reels.

The lead ball can be attached to the swivel on a custom halibut rig. The weight can also be attached to the bottom of a spreader bar if that is being used.

Braided Nylon Twine (#36 size)

braided nylon twine for halibut rigs

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This is a green ganyen line that is perfect for making halibut leaders.  Size 36 is a good size for halibut leaders. It does not say the exact strength but should be over a 100-pound test.

This twine is very similar to what I was using in the video above. This line is more flexible which is nice but you might need to melt the ends of the line to prevent line fray.

The exact line I was using was Ashaway tuna leader, green, which is a solid braided nylon cord with a line strength of 150 pounds. This comes in 1-pound spools for around $50.

Barrel Swivel (Size 2/0)

barrel swivels for halibut rigs

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These barrel swivels work great for the custom halibut rig. One swivel attaches the gangen to the mainline. The other barrel swivel attaches the mono leader to the snap swivel.  Size 6/0 is a large swivel which is nice for a halibut rig.  Halibut are not leader-shy so large terminal tackle can be used.

Another barrel swivel option would be a Rosco Nickle barrel swivel in the 6/0 size. These are commonly used in commercial fishing.

Snap Swivel (6/0)

snap swivels for halibut rig

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Two snap swivels are used for each custom halibut rig. The first swivel attaches the large lead weight. The snap swivel makes it so the lead weight can be easily taken off between trips. A round one-pound or two-pound weight is typically used.

The second snap swivels allow the leader with the hook and barrel swivel to be taken on and off the rig. This is nice because the rig can be baited quickly and sent back down. It is important to always have bait on the bottom to keep the scent trail going which brings the halibut toward the baits.

Monofiliment Line (100 pound)

halibut leader line for halibut rigs

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A leader line with a 100-pound test is what I use when halibut fishing. I tie a perfection loop on one end to attach the circle hook and tie the other end to a barrel swivel.

This line is a good value. There is no need to use a fluorocarbon leader because halibut are not leader shy. Jinkai Premium monofilament leader can also be used as a quality low-cost leader line for halibut bottom rigs.

Captain Cody Wabiszewski with a huge halibut

In the picture is a large halibut caught in Sitka Alaska, using pink salmon, squid, and herring for bait.

Mooching Rigs for Halibut

A mooching rig on the bottom is probably the best halibut rig out there to catch halibut that are under 38 inches in length. A hoochie can be added to the fishing rig or it can be fished with only a herring. If the current is very strong like it is in Juneau Alaska you will need to add more than the typical 6-ounce weight of a mooching rig.

Mooching Herring Leader (Double Hooks)

mooching herring Leader for halibut fishing

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This is the basic mooching leader used with dead herring to catch salmon and halibut. This is a 40-pound leader with a 4/0 and a 5/0 hook. There are three mooching leaders per back.

The rig has two hooks that are tied together with snell knots. I also use these leaders to troll with herring on downriggers. On a good day of fishing, I will use 10-20 leaders that get damaged by fish teeth.

Mooching Slider (1 1/2 inch)

mooching slider for halibut rig

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This slider for the sinker is perfect for mooching or getting bait to the bottom for halibut fishing.

A gum pucky can be placed in front of the slider if inexperienced anglers will be using the rod and might reel the slider into the tip of the fishing pole.

Six Bead Chain Swivel

six bead chain swivel for halibut mooching rig

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This is the best swivel to use with a mooching rig. The six-bead version is what I use when salmon and halibut fishing. One end goes on the line of the fishing pole the other end goes to the leader line. The mooching slider is placed above the swivel.

Round Ball Sinker Weight

lead weights for halibut rigs

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This is the weight used to get the herring to the bottom. When mooching for salmon a 6-ounce weight is typically used. For halibut, I like to use the 8-ounce weight to help it stay near the bottom when there is strong current.

Captain Cody Fishing for Halibut in Alaska

In the picture is a halibut that I caught in Sitka Alaska. The halibut is about 35 inches long and 20 pounds. It was caught on a salmon mooching rig in about 200 feet of water.

Jigs for Halibut Fishing

Mega Bite Swim Tail Jigs (14 Ounce)

mega bite swim tail halibut jigs

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The Mega Bite swim tail jig is made by Lighthouse Lures which is a big name in halibut lures. These jigs come in many great colors and come with two extra swim tails. The extra bodies come in handy because halibut love to chew on things.

Glow hurricane, purple crush, and white Russian are great color options. I would also recommend adding some bait to the hook for scent purposes. A piece of the salmon stomach, squid, or octopus would be perfect.

My Dad and I with a large halibut we just caught

In the picture is a nice halibut my dad caught while fishing in Sitka Alaska.

Mega Bite Max Halibut Swim Jig

mega bite max purple morris 6 ounce halibut jig

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Lighthouse Lures Mega Bite Max Shad Swim jigs weigh 6 ounces and are 8 inches long. These jigs are scented but additional pro-cure scent gel can be applied to the outside.

Color options are purple morris glow, perch ultraviolet, Georgia brown ultraviolet, and derby winner glow. Having two hooks within the jig is great for halibut as they can have a slow bite and be difficult to hook. Being a 6-ounce swim jig the effective fishing depth is up to around 150 feet depending on the current. This size jig also works to catch salmon, lingcod, and rockfish.   

Big Eye Glow Halibut Jig

big eye glow halibut jig

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This is a great all-around 16-ounce jig. It has a glow head and the body flutters great in the current. Bouncing a jig of the bottom can attract halibuts and help put them in feeding mode. This style jig also comes in a 24-ounce version.

Again add a scented bait to the tip of this just such as herring, a piece of salmon, or squid.

Mega Bite Halibut Deep Drop Jigs

johnson lure mega bite deep drop halibut jigs

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The Jonson Lure Mega Bite is a deep drop jig. It comes in heavy sizes of 14-ounce and 20-ounce. Color options include white savage, red herring, orange tiger, green tiger, green herring, and blue herring. Bass Pros Shops has a similar 14-ounce halibut deep drop jig.

These jigs work to catch large rockfish, lingcod, and halibut. The jig looks like a herring which is a favorite food for all large predator fish in the north pacific ocean. Both jig sizes should be able to reach bottom depths of 300 plus feet. Jigging is best done with large saltwater spinning reels or topless conventional fishing reels.

Mudraker Halibut Jigs

gibbs dela mudraker halibut jig

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Mudraker jigs come in weights of 1-pound and 1.5 pounds. Color options of the skirts are pink-white, blue-white, green-chartreuse, and red-black glow. All of the jigs have a chrome coated weight. The weight has a built-in scent chamber for gel scents.

Halibut pipe jigs are similar to Mudraker jigs. Lead-filled copper pipes with hooks that come out of various pouts are used t make halibut pipe jigs.

Octopus as Halibut Bait

Octopus is known to be one of halibut’s favorite food. The East Rain Artificial Octopus Swimbait comes in weights of .81 ounces,  6.35 ounces, and 9.88 ounces. Color options are white, yellow, purple, orange, brown, and black. 

Octopus is not an easy fresh bait to get for fishing. Sometimes when cleaning a fish octopus can be found in the stomach and used for bait. A good way to add scent to this bait is with pro-cure octopus gel.

Large Octopus Tentacle that was fond in a ling cod and used for halibut Bait

This is a giant pacific octopus tentacle that got spit up by a lingcod that we caught. We used the octopus for bait and caught a huge halibut with it. Octopus is one of the best baits for halibut.

Glow Squid Halibut Bait

dr fish glow squid halibut bait

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Glow-in-the-dark squid baits are commonly used when halibut fishing. The total lure weight is 2-1/2 ounces so it needs to be sent down with extra weight. Adding pieces of actual fresh squid to the hook is a good idea. Bass Pro Shops sells an 8-ounce, 12-ounce, and 16-ounce weighted squid rig in a large variety of colors. There is a scent ball that allows the scent to be added which is important when halibut fishing.

squid for bait

The Dr fish lure version has a glow-in-the-dark body material and a built-in water-activated LED that flashes. Good color options for halibut are white and green. It also comes in red and blue. This lure can be used during the day or at night.

Spreader Bar Halibut Rig

Halibut Spreader Bar

spreader bar for halibut bottom rig

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The spreader bar is used to hold the weight and have a short strong leader attached. This rig makes it less likely to tangle when fishing near the bottom. The weight connect to the bottom swivel and a short leader with a circle hook connects to the top swivel.

Circle Hook(14/0-16/0)

Halibut circle hook size 14-16

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A circle hook works well for hooking halibut and keeping them hooked.  Size 10/0 is good for small halibut and size 16/0 is good for big halibut. The large hooks are good for holding lots of scented baits.

Lead Weight (16-36 oz)

lead weights for halibut rigs

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One or two-pound cannonball sinkers can be used for the halibut spreader bar rig weight.

500 Pound Clear Leader Line

heavy leader line for spreader bar halibut rig

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This 500-pound monofilament leader line is good for keeping halibut on the line. Sometimes the 100-pound line will break when pulling on big halibut at the surface. If you know you are trying to catch big halibut then this heaver leader material is a good idea. A heavy line like this needs to be crimped not tied with a knot.

Finding Halibut Fishing Locations

The best fishing spot will depend on the halibut fishing location. At different times of the year halibut can be at various depths from 20 feet to water to 600 plus feet of water. Late spring and early summer good halibut fishing can be found in 100-250 feet of water depth. As summer move on halibut tend to move deeper but this really depends on where you are fishing.

In some locations fishing humps, rock piles, and mounds can be effective. Personally, I like to try and find sand flats or gravel flats. The large flats are marked on charts but don’t be afraid to looks for your own good spots. Anchor the boat up current of the flat so scented bait will bring any halibut sitting on the flat to the baits. Try and avoid rocky areas as their will likely be too many rockfish stealing the baits.

Keep at least one good scented bait down at all times such as herring, squid, pollock, salmon guts, or chunks of pink salmon. Each angler can only use one rod so it is nice having four angler fishing to add lots of scent. In less than 200 feet of water, halibut can also be caught with herring on mooching rigs.

Artificial lures such as heavy-jigs, swim jigs, Mudraker jigs, deep drop jigs, and pipe jigs can all be effective. It is very important to have some scent on the bottom at all times though. Bouncing lures of the bottom can send out vibrations that also attract halibut which frequently lay on the bottom.

Halibut and king salmon caught in May in Sitka Alaska

In the picture above are four halibut and two king salmon that were caught in Sitka Alaska.

Common Questions About Halibut Fishing

How do anglers pick a good halibut fishing spot?

Gravel flats are often marked on charts. The other way to find them is to use the depth finder while slowly motoring around to find an area that is flat compared to the surrounding area. If it is rocky there will not be as many halibut and you will probably catch many rockfish which will decrease the amount of scent on the bottom.

The current around rock piles can cause eddies that trap bait. On rock piles, the halibut stay near the bottom where it begins to get flat and try to ambush prey. Halibut tend to sit on one side of the rock pile, typically the up current side of a rock pile. If you find a good spot where halibut are biting on a hump it will probably only be good in that specific spot when the tide is flowing in the same direction.

How do you mooch for halibut?

Mooching for a halibut is done with a salmon mooching rig with a herring. The rig is dropped until it hits the bottom and is then brought up a few feet. In heavy currents, the rig will have to be continuously dropped back to the bottom. This works best once the large scented baits have brought halibut near the boat. Sometimes the smaller active bait gets halibut that are not biting to bite.

Are halibut a good eating fish?

Yes, halibut is a very good eating fish and typically costs between $20-30 per pound at the store. It is a tender white flaking meat that does not taste fishy. Halibut have a good fillet weight to total weight retention of around 40 percent of the round weight of the total fish. Larger fish do have higher weight retention. Smaller halibut under about 50 inches are the best eating halibut. The meat gets a bit tough and rubbery with a very large halibut.

Depending on the fishing location or halibut zone will determine the number of fish and size of fish that can be kept by commercial vessels, sportfishing boats, and recreational boats. In Sitka, Alaska the size limit for sportfishing vessels was 1 fish per angler and it had to be under 38-inches or over 80 inches. However, we did not catch a fish over 80 inches all season and would have let it go even if we did. Only a certain number of boats have sportfishing halibut permits so it can be difficult and expensive for a charter operation to get one. Recreational fishermen with their own boat just need a standard Alaska fishing license.

What is the best time of year to catch halibut?

The best time of year to fish for halibut is in the summer when halibut are in under 600 feet of water. If you are in a location with a good halibut fishery like Sitka Alaska, Homer Alaska, or Seward Alaska halibut can be consistently caught from May through September.

What depth should you fish for halibut?

In the summertime, halibut can be caught from 20 feet of water to 600 feet of water. When fishing off the Pacific coast halibut fishing can be better at certain depths from month to month. Sometimes anglers have to adjust their strategy if halibut fishing is slow. Typically though once the fish are found they can be consistently caught.

What is the best bait for halibut fishing?

The best bait for halibut is salmon guts and octopus. Since octopus is a hard bait to get salmon guts are my preferred halibut bait. Typically I will try and catch salmon in the morning and keep the guts in a 5-gallon bucket to use for halibut fishing. Other good baits include squid, pollock, herring, sole, flounder, and pink salmon. A scented gel can be applied to the outside of jigs.

Halibut fishing is similar to shark fishing with chum. The fish have a good sense of smell and can follow a scent trail from a very far distance away. Sometimes halibut bite right away and sometimes it takes up to an hour for them to start biting. The longer amount of time spent on a spot the better the chances of catching a bigger halibut.

What is the best tide for halibut fishing?

Halibut bite best with a changing tide where the current is not too fast or too slow. Generally, around 45 minutes after a tide change all the way to 45 minutes before the tide change the halibut bite will be good. In most cases, anglers just do not want to fish the slack tide. However, in inlet areas like Juneau Alaska where the tides can be very strong fishing closer to a tide change can actually be best.

The most important thing regardless of whether it is an incoming tide or outgoing tide is to properly position the boat based on the tide direction to be on the fishing spot. If the anchor drags the bottom or the boat is positioned wrong it can make for slow fishing. The best way to determine the direction of the tide is to power off the boat and wait a minute or two to see which direction that boat drifts. This method works well as long as the tide direction is not about to change.

What pound line is best for halibut fishing?

The best line for halibut is a braided line over 80 pounds. Halibut are not leader shy and many people even use a thick rope as leader material. It is common to catch smaller halibut under 38 inches or 25 pounds on a fishing line that has a 30-pound test. However, if a big halibut bites the gear will likely not be able to catch the fish. Most halibut reels are 30-50 class conventional fishing reels such as the Shimano Tyrnos. These are spooled with an 80-pound to 100-pound braided line and then a 100-pound plus ganyen or monofilament leader is used to attach the hook.

How big do halibut get?

The IGFA world record halibut was 459 pounds and was caught out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska in 1996. Halibut over 275 pounds are considered barn doors or monster halibut. There was a 515-pound halibut caught in Norway in 2017 that was 102 inches in length.

Halibut can live up to 55 years. Female halibut get much larger than male halibut. Once a male halibut reaches about 45 inches it can switch from a male halibut to a female halibut. Almost all halibut over 45 inches are female.

A 38-inch halibut is about 25 pounds, a 50-inch halibut is about 60 pounds, a 60-inch halibut is about 110 pounds, a 70-inch halibut is about 180 pounds, and an 80-inch halibut is about 275 pounds.

Should anglers keep a large halibut?

Anglers should try and not keep halibut over 50 inches in length. This will help keep the breeding female halibut around and allow for high numbers of halibut to be caught in future years. All halibut over 50 inches in length are females and are at least 8 years old and could be over 20 years old.

Female halibut do not reproduce until they are 12 years old. All halibut over 70 inches are big breeding halibut that are important to keep halibut stocks in high numbers. Also, large halibut over 50 inches in length do not taste as good as smaller halibut.

How to Catch Pacific Salmon – Trolling, Mooching, and River Fishing

There are five different types of Pacific salmon which can all be caught from a boat or from shore. The techniques and gear to use vary depending on the location and type of salmon being targeted. In this guide, I’ll share everything I’ve learned about trolling for salmon, mooching for salmon, and fishing for salmon in rivers and streams based on my years of experience.

Catching salmon is very fun because they fight hard and are great fish to keep and eat. The west coast of the United States is full of wild salmon that run from the San Joaquin river system in California near San Francisco up to the northernmost regions of Alaska.

There are five types of salmon and each type has two names. The salmon types are king or chinook, sockeye or red, coho or silver, chum or dog salmon, and pink or humpy.

Captain Cody Wabiszewski with two king salmon caught trolling in Alaska

In Sitak Alaska and Juneau Alaska, I ran salmon fishing charters where trolling and mooching techniques were used to catch salmon from a boat. I also have fished for salmon in streams in Sitka, Juneau, and the Kenia Peninsula south of Anchorage. This article will focus on catching the five species of pacific salmon. If you are fishing for freshwater salmon check out the article I wrote on catching salmon in the great lakes. The fishing techniques are very similar regardless of where salmon are being caught.

Effective Salmon Fishing Methods

Trolling for Salmon

The most consistent way to catch salmon is to troll offshore. Trolling covers the most water and the lines can be set at different depths to help cover the entire water column. Most commercially caught king and coho salmon are caught with salmon troller boats. Commercial trollers use the same lures and baits but set out about 100 lures rather than one per angler on a recreational fishing boat.

When trolling, it’s important to:

  • Use downriggers to get your bait to the proper depth
  • Set up multiple lines at different depths to locate fish
  • Employ flashers to attract salmon from a distance
  • Vary your trolling speed between 1.5-3 knots depending on the species

Trolling Rig: Flasher with a Hoochie

First, we are going to go over the best trolling lures which are used when fishing for salmon from a boat. The most widely used lure when trolling for salmon is a flasher with a hoochie. This works well even without a baitfish added to the hoochie. Baitfish like herring can be added for scent but does not need to be rigged to spin. The motion of the bait on the flasher is plenty of action. When bait ran without a flasher it should be rigged to spin.

When salmon feed they roll from side to side. The flashers rolling motion looks very similar to the salmon feeding motion and attracts fish. When salmon see this flashing motion they think that a fish is feeding and come investigate. The hoochies should be placed on a 40-60 pound leader. I set the leader length to 30 inches for both king salmon and coho salmon. This leader length is from the back swivel on the flasher to the start of the hoochie. A 30-inch leader would be considered short for king salmon. Most people say to use a leader of 36-46 inches for king salmon and 24-34 inches for coho salmon. Some people talk in overall leader lengths that go to the end of the hoochie. Add 4 inches to the lengths I provided to get overall leader lengths.

Hotspot Flasher Purple Haze UV

hotspot flasher uv purple haze
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Hotspot flashers are my favorite salmon flashers. This is an 11-inch flasher with ball-bearing swivels. Purple haze works great for king salmon and chum salmon. On bright sunny days, these have a fantastic reflection in the water. King salmon often have a purple shimmer on their upper backs. Match a purple flasher with a purple and pink hoochie and you have one of the best flasher hoochie color combos. This color works best in water depths less than 100 feet. Salmon can actually see further on the UV light spectrum than humans. This UV color that humans can not see would be another shade of purple. This may be why purple works so well at catching salmon. The ability to see light further on the UV spectrum is said to help salmon feed in dark and murky conditions.

I know commercial trollers like using this purple flasher with pink and purple 2.25-inch mini hoochies also called mini sardines for chum salmon fishing. When fishing for chum salmon the trolling speed should be slow so the flasher drifts side to side not actually making full rolling motions. A good speed is usually around 1.5 knots. The more flashers the better for chum salmon as they travel in large schools and you are trying to get the school to follow the boat.

Boone UV Salmon Hoochie

Boone pink and purple hoochie salmon lure
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This pink and purple Boone hoochie squid bait is 4 3/4 inches long and comes with a double hooked snell-tied leader. This is a great hoochie that looks like squid or sand lance baitfish. It comes pre-rigged with a double hook leader which is nice for people unsure how to make salmon leaders. Double hooks help the bite-to-catch ratio. When using downriggers the line releases from the clip and there is slack in the line. Having two hooks helps the bait stay in the fished mouth until the tension is brought back on the line.

The other way to rig a hoochie is with a barrel swivel, beads for spacing, and an open eye hook that attaches to the swivel. This single hooks leader works but having two hooks is better than having one hook.

Black Flash Flasher

lighthouse lures black salmon flasher for king salmon
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This is an 11-inch flasher with a glow black jelly color pattern. Both sides have shimmer tape. The overall flasher is black. This is my favorite king salmon flasher color patterns to run on cloudy or rainy days. I also run this flasher as the deep flasher when stacking. Typically it is set anywhere from 80-240 feet in depth. For deep flashers over 80 feet deep I typically run this color or all chrome.

Behind this flasher, I like to run a green haze hoochie or the Ultra-Violet Ace High Fly.

Boone UV Green Haze Hoochie Rig

green salmon hoochie lure for trolling
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The Green Haze UV hoochie is 4 3/4 inches in length. It comes with double snell tied hooks that come set up and ready to go fishing. The double hooks make it so the salmon is much more likely to get hooked on a short strike.

Blue and Chrome Salmon Flasher

gibbs delta blue and chrome flasher for salmon trolling
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This salmon flasher is 11 inches in length. The blue and chrome flasher is what I use for depths of 100 feet and higher. The color blue shows up deep in the water. For flasher and lures colors it is important to realize that colors disappear when traveling deeper in the water column.  Colors disappear in this order, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and then purple. All colors disappear after 100 feet so you are better off using black, chrome, or glow flasher and lure color patterns.

Goldstar Twinkle Skirt

glitter skirt for salmon mooching rig
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This twinkle skirt is 4.25 inches long. The best color is Mother-of-Pearl. A twinkle skirt serves two purposes. First, it adds thickness and flash to the hoochie. Second, the plastic head spaces the hoochie rig further up on the hooks. With this added spacing the second hook hangs just outside of the skirt. This makes it so that if a salmon short strikes that back of the bait it will still get hooked. These come in packs of ten and there are multiple color options. This twinkle skirt by itself looks like a fly and would likely catch fish but hoochies are typically placed overtop.

Silver Horde Goldstar Hoochie Squid Salmon Bait

hoochie the best salmon fishing lures for trolling
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The Goldstar hoochie comes in a 5-pack and is 4.25 inches in length. The best color is the green glow. These hoochies look awesome when placed over the Mother-of-Pearl twinkle skirt. This color works great behind any color flasher and at any depth of water. Typically I use this hoochie behind the blue and silver flashers.

The video below shows how to troll for salmon using downriggers. It may seem like basic information but little tricks can get bait and the right depth with the best presentation. These tips can help put more salmon in the boat.  Check out the best downrigger page for more information about salmon fishing with downriggers.

Trolling Rig: Flasher with Herring

The how to use downriggers video above shows the best way to run herring baits with a flasher. The flasher is attached about two feet behind the downrigger ball. The bait is placed on a release clip about two feet above the ball. The line is set about 6 feet back so it sits about three feet behind the flasher. This makes it so the flasher can attract fish and the bait has the best action. When a fish bites the line releases from the clip and fish can be reeled in without having to reel in the flasher.

herring for salmon trilling and salmon mooching

The picture shows three green-labeled herring flats. Each flat has about 12 herring. Each morning these are set out and salt is poured over the herring. This was extra -fine brine salt but any salt will work. Then spray saltwater over the flats and give them a few minutes to soak. Then place the bait in a small cooler. Some people add saltwater to the cooler but I do not. The salt helps to brine the bait which keeps it firm. Without salt, the bait turns soft and will not last as long on a hook. If the bait says cold salt is not really even needed. It does not take much effort to brine the baits so it is good to do when possible. Do not use fresh water on the bait as it might have chlorine and minerals that make the bait smell unnatural to the fish.

Herring Salmon Bait

how to hook herring for salmon fishing

The best bait for salmon is definitely herring. All-day every day herring will catch salmon. People hook up herring as plug-cut herring or whole herring. As long as the bait is spinning it will catch fish. Using the whole herring is faster and easier. In the downriggers video and the how-to mooch for salmon video, I show the best and fastest way to rig herring baits. When fishing blue water for pelagic fish like mahi-mahi and tuna if a bait spins you will not catch fish. With salmon, it is the opposite and if the bait does not spin it will not catch as many fish.

Herring is rigged the same way whether it is being used for trolling or mooching. The front hook is placed through the membrane under the mouth and then through the middle of the head on the other side. The trailing hook can hang free or be placed through the back just behind the dorsal fin.  When running bait connected to a flasher with a hoochie place the front hook in the lower jaw and out the nose then weave the trailing hook in the back and then let it come out and sit free. This makes the bait not spin as much because the flasher will be rolling and creating plenty of action.

Solid Tie Mooching Rig

salmon mooching rig leader
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A 40-pound solid tied mooching rig is perfect for herring and hoochie rigs. The hooks size will be 5/0 and 6/0. I like using both hooks in the 5/0 size but that is not how these rigs come. Do not get slip tie rigs. The bait is pulled from the front and the front hook will slide to the back before a fish bites. Maybe slip tie rigs work better for plug cut herring I am not sure but do not get slip tie rigs when using a whole herring.

Chrome Mylar Pro-Troll Flasher

hotspot chrome mylar flasher
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This is an 11-inch chrome mylar Pro-Troll flasher. When setting the deepest line, solid chrome is my go-to flasher color. This is the flasher that is attached to the downrigger ball that I try and get as close to the bottom as possible without getting snagged on the bottom. Sometimes the flasher comes back scraped up from hitting on rocks and gravel on the bottom. The Silver Horde gold star piscator metal chrome flasher is the one I was using in the downrigger video. This flasher is sometimes used by commercial fishermen.

Any large silver-colored flasher will work. Note that to get to the bottom the downrigger usually needs to be set about 10 percent further down compared to the fish finder depth. At 100 feet the downrigger line counter can typically be set to about 110 feet without touching the bottom. Only get close to the bottom when it is flat and not rocky. Otherwise, it will be difficult to track and gear might get lost.

When using bait above and independent of the flasher it can be smart to drop the bait back when a fish bites but does not get hooked. If the line comes out of the release clip and you know the fish is not then put the reel in free spool. Sometimes the salmon comes back and takes the bait. Most people are better off reeling as fast as possible though because when salmon bite they swim up toward the surface. Not reeling will lose more fish than will be caught dropping the line back. If you do it enough times and get on the reel right away you know if the salmon is there and dropping back can give a second opportunity at the fish.

Captain Cody running a salmon fishing charter in Alaksa

In the picture are silver salmon caught on a half-day charter in Sitka Alaska in early August. These were caught both trolling and mooching but mostly mooching.

Trolling Spoon: Silver Horde Coho Killer

coho killer salmon fishing spoon for silver salmon
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Coho killer spoons work great when trolling. This spoon works with a short leader. The leader should be about 30 inches from the back of a flasher to the start of the spoon. With heavier spoons running a 4-5 foot leaders behind the flasher works great because the spoon will have great independent action. Smaller flashers can be used when coho fishing which makes it faster and easier to reel fish in.

I am fishing with kids from a Disney Cruise Ship in Alaska

Trolling Spoon: Blue Coyote Salmon Lure

blue coyote spoon salmon fishing lure
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The blue Coyote spoon comes in 3.5 and 4-inch models. The 3.5-inch is similar to a coho killer size spoon and goes good on a 30-inch leader behind a blue and chrome flasher. The 4-inch model can be placed behind a flasher with a slightly longer leader around 36 inches. This spoon can also run behind the downrigger ball on a release clip.  The spoon would be about 10 feet behind the ball. Running the spoon about 10 feet past a stacker clip-on at mid-depths on the downrigger line works great as well.

Captain Cody Wabiszewski cathes a huge king salmon while running an Alaskan fishing charter

This was the biggest salmon caught on my boat last season in Sitka Alaska in late June. It was 40-inches long and likely weighed over 30 pounds. The king salmon hit while trolling near the bottom in 120 feet of water and we did not get the line tight with the fish until it was near the boat. It then took several very fast runs around the boat. The first time I netted it there was a hook in the net and the salmon rolled off the net and we almost lost the fish. Luckily the line did not break and we caught the fish on round two of netting.

Trooling Spoon: Dream Weaver Salmon Spoon

dream weaver spoon silver and black
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This silver alewife spoon is 3-3/4 inches long. Dream weaver spoons outfish all other spoons on the great lakes and work great in the ocean as well. The large honeycomb stamped steel looks fantastic. This black and silver is a great color option as it looks like herring. These spoons are set about 10 feet behind the downrigger ball without a flasher. These work good for coho but great on king salmon.

Cody Wabiszewski with two large king salmon in Sitka Alaska

These are two nice kings salmon caught last season in Sitka Alaska in mid-July. One was caught while dropping the downrigger in the middle of the water column. The other was caught near the bottom in about 150 feet of water on herring. There was a school of these jumbo kings that stuck around this area for a few days.

Trolling Upper Water Coulum:  Jointed Rapala Bright Orange

rapala orange j-9 jointed rapala silver salmon lure
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An orange J-9 or J-11 jointed Rapala works great for trolling on a flat line without weight 200 or more feet behind the boat. This lure swims about 12 feet below the surface and works great at catching coho salmon that are swimming near the surface. The trolling speed has to be over 2.4 knots for this lure to work well. When trolling with spoons for coho salmon at a higher troll speed this lure stays straight out the back and tangle-free of all the other lines and catches fish near the surface. When fishing flat lines it is nice having a line counter reel to know the distance the line is set behind the boat.

Captain Cody with a king Salmon that was eaten by a sea lion

Sea lions only took salmon from our lines a few times last year. This was one of those times and it happed when reeling in a nice king salmon. All that was left was the head. The fish was fighting hard and then starting pulling even harder. We knew it was a shark or a sea lion but saw the sea lion after. The lady reeling in the salmon was not happy with the sea lion.

Trolling Fly: Ace Hi Fly

silver horde ace hi fly for salmon trolling
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The Ace High Fly is 4-1/2 inches long and has a double glow head. The best colors are ultra-violet and cop-car. These baits look very similar to the sand lance shown below. When the salmon I am cleaning are filled with sand lance I use a flasher with a fly. The best way to rig them is to slide the fly on a sold tie mooching leader. Cut the leader 31 inches long to the front hook and tie the leader to the flasher.

sand lance bait a popular bait fish salmon eat

The sand lance baitfish above were taken from the stomach of a king salmon. Sand lance can swim in large schools and is typically found near the bottom of sand flats and gravel flats. Finding gravel flats is key to catching king salmon. In the first two months of the season, there were very few herring around and king salmon were mostly feeding on sand lance.

Captain Cody salmon catch in Alaska

This was a day of fishing in mid-July in Sitak Alaska. There were lots of pink and silver salmon around. The orange fish are yelloweye rockfish. The salmon was caught while mooching on anchor and mooching while drifting.

Trolling Hoochie: Mini Hoochie

purple and pink hoochie squid bait for king salmon silver salmon and chum salmon
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These purple and pink squid baits are 2.3 inches long. These are similar to gold star mini sardine baits that are 2.25 inches in length.  These baits go amazing with the hotspot purple haze UV flasher. These baits work well for king and silver salmon but are typically used for targeting chum salmon. As I mentioned above when fishing for chum salmon these are trolled slowly with as many flashers as possible.

Ace High Fly junior

silver horde junior ace hi fly lures purple
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This Ace High Fly Junior is 2.25 inches long and has a double glow head. Salmon often feed on small shrimp and squid. Sometimes matching the hatch is needed and small lures will catch more salmon. This is especially true for sockeye salmon that only feed on smaller baits. Occasionally sockeye salmon are caught on full-size hoochies but if you know sockeye are around try a junior fly.

Gold Star Tailwagger

gold star tailwagger kit hoochie hook for salmon lures
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The gold star hoochie squid is a 1-3/4 inch micro squid. These come with split rings and can be placed on the back of spoons. The micro squid also works well by themselves behind a flasher for coho, chum, and sockeye salmon.

The salmon and halibut were caught in early August in Sitka Alaska. The king salmon were caught and released only for a few weeks in August due to limit closure but we caught plenty of silver salmon and halibut. We caught some oversized halibut on this trip as well.

How to Mooch for Salmon

My favorite way to catch salmon is by mooching. When mooching for salmon a herring bait is sent down 100 to 200 feet with a 6-ounce weight. The line is then reeled back up. This is similar to vertical jigging and salmon bite on the way down or on the way up. When mooching for salmon it is also common to catch halibut and rockfish.

The video below shows how to mooch for salmon. If there is no current the fishing line needs to be pitched out so that when the rig sinks the leader does not wrap around the mainline. A small amount of tension needs to be kept on the spool when the line is sinking or the salmon fishing reel will get bird nested. The line is set down from 100 to 200 feet typically 150 feet and is then brought back to the surface. The saying goes ” the more you turn, the more you earn”. This points out that more fish are caught when reeling up continuously. On some trips, one person has there a limit of six silvers and a king and other people only catch one fish. It comes down to getting the bait deep and continuously reeling it back up.

If there is a strong current keeping the line at an angle it will not tangle the bait does not always have to be brought the entire way up. If all the fish are being hooked between 80 feet and 120 feet the line can be reeled up to 60 feet and then back to 150 feet. This keeps the bait where the fish are being caught. Every few drops the bait should be checked to see if it has been chewed up or stolen. When the salmon are biting the bait is usually torn up or stolen every drop.

If anything unusual is felt during the drop it is likely a bite and the slack in the line needs to be reeled in as quick as possible. Even when fish bite when retrieving line the reel speed needs to be increased. Setting the hook by lifting the rod does not work. This is because when salmon feed they swim up. A fish that bites at 100 feet may be at 60 feet in a few seconds. Lifting the rod is not going to get the slack out of the line. The reel needs to be turned as quickly as possible.

Large kings salmon swim toward the surface the fastest after biting. For most of the biggest fish of the year people felt a small bite and did not get the line tight until it was super close to the boat. Once the king salmon sees the boat and realizes it is hooked it takes off like a rocket though.

When netting the fish reel the tip of the pole all the way to the slider and lift the rod back. Once the fish is netted be careful with the swinging weight. Grab the weight with your had or reel the slider back to the tip of the pole so it is not swinging. People are always excited about the caught fish and overlook the swinging weight.

Salmon Mooching Rig

Mooching for salmon is my favorite way to catch salmon. It is also the best way to catch the most fish when there are schools of salmon in the area. Mooching is not something most people do on a half-day fishing chatter because it takes a full day with fish biting to really get the hang of it. This can be overcome by helping people cast, having clients reel continuously, and being good at untangling lines. It is worth the extra work though because most people love mooching for salmon!

This mooching rig can also be used when trolling. The line is set out 50-200 feet behind the boat. This puts the bait about 10-30 feet below the surface. One trick is that when a fish bites on the downrigger line the flatline reel can be put in the free spool mode to drop the bait deep. About 1 in 5 times this leads to another salmon being hooked.

red mooching slider for salmon mooching
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The red slider is 1-1/2 inches long and is placed before the swivel on the mainline. A 6 or 8-ounce round weight is placed on the slider clip. This slider comes in black or red and either color works well.

Six Bead Swivel

bead chain swivel for salmon mooching rig
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The six-bead swivel connects the mainline and the leader. A barrel or crane swivel would work here also but most people use a six-bead swivel.

Salmon Mooching Weight

salmon mooching weight 6 ounce or 8 ounce
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A 6-8 ounce weight is best for mooching. A 6-ounce weight is typically used because it is easier to reel in. An 8-ounce weight is needed when the current is very strong. The old-style mooching weights were banana weights with the six bead swivel on one end and a snap swivel on the other. This setup was not as easy to set up and put away each day because the leader stays with the weight.

Salmon Mooching Rig

salmon mooching rig leader
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The mooching leader comes with 5/0 and 6/0 hooks that are tied with two solid tie snell knots. These same rigs come with a sliding top hook but that is not what you want to get. Make sure the solid tie option is selected.

how to hook herring for salmon fishing

The herring bait is rigged so that it spins. The front hook is placed below the mouth and then through the side of the head on the other side. The trailing hook can hang free or be placed in the back of the herring behind the dorsal fin.

Salmon Jig: Point Wilson Dart

salmon jig candlefish point wilson dart
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The Point Wilson Dart candlefish salmon jig comes in sizes from 1 ounce to 6 ounces. The Point Wilson Dart company makes some of the most versatile salmon jigs. The candlefish jigs look very similar to a sand lace baitfish which is a favorite food of king salmon. Lifting this jig 5-feet of the bottom and back down is a great way to target king salmon. There is also a Point Wilson’s Dart anchovy that is thicker that works well when jigging in more than 100 feet.

Salmon jigs are also going to catch rockfish, halibut, and lingcod. Jigging is a very popular fishing style in the pacific northwest. Two other popular jigs are buzz bombs and crippled herring jigs. I was not a big believer in salmon jigs until I saw a boat next to me catch their limit of king salmon in about 10 minutes and were gone. Trolling along for two hours in the same area we only caught a few. That is how it goes though, somedays people jigging and mooching catch more fish than the trollers other days the trollers catch more fish.

River and Stream Fishing for Salmon

In streams, the techniques vary widely from flies to spoons and large spinners. Stream and river fishing for salmon is awesome because it is a peaceful environment with a high concentration of fish. Hiking and exploring remote areas can be as much fun as catching fish.

When fishing rivers, consider these approaches:

  • Use single-hook spinners in areas where regulations require them
  • Try trout beads placed 2 inches above the hook (secured with a toothpick)
  • Employ drift boats to access remote fishing spots
  • Select files that mimic local baitfish or salmon eggs

It is important to note there are lots of different rules and regulations about when, where, and how you are allowed to fish for salmon so make sure to read the local regulation books and notices before going fishing.

Spinners with Single Hooks: Mepps Number 5

Next, let look at the best salmon lures for rivers and streams. Spinners, spoons, and trout beads all work great at catching salmon from the shore. Getting to good fishing spots can be the most difficult part of fishing for salmon along streams and rivers. Getting a good pair of fishing waders is definitely a good idea. Hiking to remote areas is often an advantage because there will be fewer people fishing in the area. Some people use drift boats to get to good fishing spots along the river.

mepps alaska salmon spinners for rivers and streams
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Orange and pink Mepps #5 single hook spinners work amazing for catching salmon. Spinners work great at catching salmon near the mouths of streams or in deep rivers. Mepps spinners are typically had to find with single hooks which are required for most salmon streams.

Spinner: Blue Fox Nimber 5 Spinner

blue fox spinner best salmon lure for rivers
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Blue fox spinners are also known for catching salmon from the shore. Personally, I have more luck with Mepps spinners. These spinners typically come rigged with treble hooks but also come with an open-eye single hook. The treble hook can be cut off and the single hook can be put on with a pair of pliers.

Wicked Lures Blade with Hooching

wicked lures pink pink for salmon river fishing
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Wicked lures are rigged on 20-pound leaders 6 feet in length with 1/0 Gamakatsue red hooks. These are similar to spinnerbaits and are meant to be fished in rivers and streams. Weight is typically added to the end of the leader and these baits are slowly retrieved upstream. Wicked lures are new baits that have only been on the market for a few years.

Casting Spoon: Blue Fox Pixee

blue fox pink salmon lure for salmon fishing from shore
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A pink Blue Fox Pixee spoon is a great spoon for casting from the shore near the mouth of a river or into the open ocean. This is a heavy 7/8 ounce spoon and can cast further than spinners which is a huge advantage. Sometimes fish are breaking the surface just out of reach of spinnerbaits and this heavier lure can get the bait further out where the fish swim.

Salmon Fly: Dolly Llama

dolly llama fly salmon fishing in rivers

A Black and white dolly llama fly works well for coho salmon. The pink, purple, and green dolly llamas are also popular color options. Make sure that weighted flies are allowed in the area that is being fished.

alaska salmon streamer fly collection for river fishing
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This fly collection comes with 12 large flies made for catching salmon and trout in Alaska. The flies include Mr. Hankey, Morrish Mouse, Black and White Dolly Llama, Bunny Leech, Hopscotch Sculpin, Leech, Black Fish Skull Sculpin, Black S’s, Sculpin Leech, Sculpzilla, Moal Rhoid Flesh Leech, Flesh Fly, and Thundercreek. Bass Pros Shops has a similar 6-pack of salmon flies.

Salmon Fly: Russian or Coho Fly

fly for fising for silver and sockeye salmon in rivers and streams

The fly above is a Russian fly also called a coho fly. Someone I met fishing the Kenia peninsula gave me this fly and said it works great for catching sockeye salmon and silver salmon.

feeder creek fly best salmon fly for sockeye salon in rivers and streams
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The feeder creek salmon fly is similar in appearance to the coho fly. It comes in three sizes 8, 10, and 12. Four of each fly are in the set for a total of 12 flies. These flies are going to be smaller than the coho fly I showed above but should still work for catching sockeye salmon.

drift boat for salmon fishing on a river

The drift boat is fishing for salmon in the Kenia Penisula in early October. The anglers fish while drifting and stop along the way and fish from the shore. Before floating down the river a car needs to be placed downstream or a ride needs to be arranged to get back to the starting point. Luckily many rivers follow along the roadways. It was late in the season but there were still bright silver salmon around not very many people.

Trout Beads for Salmon

hold trout bead in place above the hook with toothpick for salmon fishing

The picture above shows how to set up a trout bead rig. Regulations in Alaska say that the bead must be 2 inches above the hook. The bead is held in place with a toothpick that is then broken off. This is way easier than trying to use rubber bands to hold the bead in place.  Real salmon eggs are illegal so these beads are the best option. One great thing about trout beads is they can be fished in fly-only streams, even when a spinning reel is being used. A small foam float can be used to suspend the trout bead just off the bottom.

trout beads for salmon and trout fishing in rivers
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Trout beads work great to catch rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, and salmon. Salmon eggs take from 6 to 20 weeks to hatch depending on the salmon species. The eggs are changing color and size throughout this process. It is good to have several color and size options to match the egg development present in the stream or river.  Eventually, the eggs turn into an alevin, fry, smolt, and then become an ocean swimming salmon.

Gamakatsu Octopus Salmon Hooks

gamakatsu octopus salmon hooks
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Size 6 hooks are a good hook size for salmon and trout. Hook color options include black, nickel, blue, bronze, green, red, and chartreuse. Nickel seems like a good color option. The hooks are small but very strong.

Toothpicks

toothpicks for salmon beads
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Toothpicks work to hold the trout bead in place. Rubber bands can also be used as well but toothpicks are the easier method. Each container holds 500 toothpicks for a total of 1000 toothpicks.

River Mouth Tactics

The mouths of rivers concentrate salmon as they prepare to spawn:

  • Cast heavy spoons that can reach fish-holding outside the current
  • Focus on incoming tide conditions when fish are staging
  • Watch for “rolling” salmon that indicate where schools are holding
  • Consider using snagging hooks in saltwater areas where legal

Snagging Salmon

Snagging salmon is illegal in streams. However near the mouth of small streams where hatchery salmon come back snagging is a legal and effective way to catch salmon. These salmon were released by the hatchery as fry with the intention of being caught and consumed as food. Some are used again in the hatchery to release more fry during the spring. If these hatchery fish are not caught they will die anyway and go to waste. That is why snagging these fish is legal.

Trebble Hook Snagging Rig

snagging hooks for salmon in saltwater
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This pack comes with two size 10/0 snagging treble hooks. Bass Pro Shops also sells similar weighted treble hooks. Snagging treble hooks are only legal in saltwater, not freshwater rivers and streams.

Snagging hooks are typically used near the mouth of small streams where hatchery salmon swim back and forth. The salmon around the hatchery do not have a large stream to swim up and spawn. The fish swim back in forth near the stream entrance where they are released as fry. The fish are ready to spawn and are not aggressive feeders on normal lures and baits. People use snagging hooks to catch 6 or more salmon per day to stock up on fresh fish for the winter. If the fish are not caught they are going to die anyway within a few weeks. Using a snagging hook can be a productive way to catch fish that you intend to keep and eat.

Salmon Handling and Processing

When you catch a salmon you intend to keep:

  • Dispatch it humanely with a quick blow to the head
  • Bleed the fish immediately by cutting the gills
  • Shorty after bleeding the salmon remove the guts, gills, and bloodline
  • Keep the fish cool, preferably on ice
  • Process it as soon as possible for the best quality

Fish Bat

Aftco fish bat for salmon fishing
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Black AFTCO fish bat. This is a 19-inch 1.3-pound club. When a salmon is caught it is hit on the head with a club. This may seem to be mean or cruel but it is in the best interest of the fish to be knocked out. It is also safer for the angler when removing the hooks and cleaning the salmon. There are also commercial fish gaffs that have a PVC end that works as a club. This allows the fish to be hit in the water and then gaffed.

Salmon Fishing Season

The best time of year to salmon fish varies from early spring to late fall depending on the fishing location and type of salmon being targeted. King salmon season starts first and last year we were catching limits of king salmon in Sitka Alaska in late April. This is before the season technically starts. King salmon are caught in Sitka from late April until early September with the peak season being May and June.

Silver salmon, chum salmon, and pink salmon season start in early July and go until early September, and peaks in early August. Sockeye season is in July and August as well. Each year the fish show up at different times based on water temperatures and the amount of rain. Alaska fish and game has guide charts to show typical salmon season times based on species and geographic location.  If you plan to fish in streams, show up in mid-July through August and there will be tons for fish to catch. I personally like fishing earlier when the fish are still bright silver. From a boat, we definitely caught the most salmon in late July through August. It is fishing so catches vary from day to day.

Catching kings in the spring is my favorite time to fish for salmon but most people do not realize is that on a four-hour charter the average number of king salmon caught is typically one or two per boat. On an all-day trip, the limit of one fish per person can usually be caught. During July and August, each person can catch one king salmon and six silver salmon each. However, there are typically fewer king salmon around, and some years it is caught and released only for kings later in the Summer, which varies based on catch rates. Halibut fishing is good all spring and summer.

Salmon Fishing Destinations

The best salmon fishing in Alaska. It may seem far away but it is less than a four-hour flight from Seattle to Anchorage. From Anchorage, it is about a three-hour drive to some of the world’s best salmon fishing in the Kenai River, Russian River, Kasilof River, and Copper River systems on the Kenai Penisula. Literally millions of salmon run up these rivers in July and August. There are not many places on the Alaska coast that is not loaded with salmon. Many people prefer going to small towns or fishing lodges where there are fewer people to deal with and can fish in the most scenic parts of the United States.

Other popular places to salmon fish in Alaska include Ship Creek in Anchorage, Kodiak Island, Homer, Seward, Cordova, Elfin Cove, Juneau, Sitka, Haines, and Ketchikan. Some of these locations have great rivers to fish. Other areas mostly fish in the open ocean. For example, Sitka only has a few streams that mostly have pink salmon. However, the open ocean outside of Sitka is where all the salmon traveling to streams south of Sitka in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California feed before going upstream.

Some fish stay in Sitka and feed for a day and some stay for a year. Salmon are the second fastest growing fish in the world, second only the mahi-mahi. That means when the salmon are feeding the bite can be very good. Once salmon enter the stream they do not feed much. There are just too many fish and not enough food.  That is why trolling for salmon in boats can be so effective. Also, the fish caught from boats are bright silver and are the best to eat.

When salmon first enter the stream they are bright silver and great to eat as well. After a few weeks, they start to turn as they spawn and the flesh eventually starts to rot. If it is just a little turned it is still great to eat. If it is bright red, black, or white it is no longer good to eat.

Eating Quality of Different Salmon Species

King salmon are the best-tasting salmon to eat. White king salmon are especially good because of the high oil content. Many people think that all salmon is the same but that is far from the truth. Most salmon that people buy at the store is Atlantic farm-raised salmon. For many reasons, this is the worst salmon to eat. Many bumper stickers in Alaska say”Friends don’t let friends eat farmed-raised fish”.

For Pacific wild-caught salmon king salmon is generally recognized as the best salmon and costs about $40 a pound to purchase at the store. The next best is sockeye salmon also called red salmon which costs about $30 a pound at the store. Silver salmon which is coho salmon is the third-best eating salmon. This is still a great tasking fish and cost about $20 a pound. The bigger the silver salmon the better it usually tastes as well.

The fourth best is chum or dog salmon. This is not a common fish sold commercially but if you catch one it is worth keeping to eat. The fifth and worst-eating salmon is a pink salmon also called a humpy salmon. These fish sell commercially for about 50 cents per fish. This is the salmon that is used in cat and dog food. They do sell cans and pouches of pink salmon for humans to eat. It has so much salt it tastes alright. Pink salmon actually tastes good if they are eaten the same day they are caught. There is an enzyme in the meat that releases and turns the meat to mush and does not taste good after a few days.

The video below shows the best way to fillet salmon. In the video, several monster 30+ pound king salmon are filleted.  Filleting techniques for Coho salmon and pink salmon are also shown. The process of cleaning salmon is also discussed.

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