Lingcod vs. Salmon vs. Rockfish

[Wis visitor]

Myself, brother, and parents are planning on a chartering a boat for a day to fish halibut (location not yet determined) in late August. I see info on fishing for Rockfish, Salmon, and Lingcod in addition with some charters.

Any recommendations? Input on what is fun to fish, ease of finding 'em, taste, etc. would be appreciated. Also, recommendations on port or charter name would also be great.

Thanks

[ripndrag]

charter 4 u

if u go 2 homer u can fish a half day halibut charter on rainbo tours for 95 bucks not big fish but lots of em i played catch and release 2 years ago i caught about 30 of them before i found 2 that i liked 30/40 pounds was what i was looking for .,.4 the money its a good trip good luck 2 you and good fishing.. if u want 2 fish all day try the firefox

[Brian M]

I can't be of much help on which particular charters, but here are some thoughts on the other points. If you hit Seward in August, you'll be able to do a great combo charter for halibut and silver salmon - the best of both worlds, in my opinion. Additionally, while fishing for halibut it is entirely possible that you'll get into ling cod and rockfish out of Seward. The weather can be unpredictable, but the good thing about fishing out of Seward in late August is that the silvers will be close in to the harbor. If the charter boats can't get out to the halibut grounds, at least you can still slay the salmon. I believe that the individual limit in that arear is pretty generous for the silvers, and you're allowed 2 halibut a day in addition to ling cod or rockfish. Yep, that's the way I'd go.

As for the best eating, I'd say all of the above! I'm sure you've had salmon before, but unless you've had it straight out of the ocean I promise you that this will be the best you've ever had. Halibut is wonderful, especially for people who don't like that "fishy" taste, as is ling cod. Rockfish is my favorite for deep-frying, though I don't think it's very good baked. Pan seared, grilled, or deep-fried is the way to go with rockfish - anything where it's cooked very quickly.

Have a great trip!

-Brian

[stevesch]

Myself, brother, and parents are planning on a chartering a boat for a day to fish halibut (location not yet determined) in late August. I see info on fishing for Rockfish, Salmon, and Lingcod in addition with some charters.

Any recommendations? Input on what is fun to fish, ease of finding 'em, taste, etc. would be appreciated. Also, recommendations on port or charter name would also be great.

Thanks

all different tackle setups, this is my opinion:

halibut - keeps best frozen, fished on bottom, not very interesting fight.

salmon - best fresh or smoked, limited shelf life frozen, long shelf life smoked (you cannot really smoke the others), more interesting to fish for - can be good fight.

lingcod/rockfish- more fun to fish and fight for, great taste fresh, limited shelf life frozen. colorful fish. Lings taste great - fight alot.