Halibut / Ling Cod

[MTguy]

I want to fly fish Ling and Halibut this summer. I am asking for any suggestions from anyone who has tried it. I know there is a huge amount of experience on here so please let me know your thoughts.
Fly line, Shock Tippet size, fly size / color. I appreciate your help.

 

[ak_powder_monkey]

Fly line- as much T 17 and you can cast
Tippet Size - 60 maybe
fly size - as big as you can cast
color - white and glow

 

[Wyo2AK]

I plan to try fly fishing for lings as well this summer.

AKPM - what are you using for running line behind the T17?

 

[MTguy]

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks guys for your suggestions - I am on the right track so far. My rig is exactly what AKPM suggests. 60# flourocarbon will work for the shock tippet?

 

[hap]

We catch lots of lingcod and halibut on flies... SOme of the better tricks are staying ready with a fly rod when other fish are being brought up on regular gear... The other fish (including kings and silvers) follow their puking buddies to fight over the pieces.

Running a heavy fly down while the other fish are being brought up will produce lots of fish you would never have seen.

Patterns make very little difference. I do not see lingcod or halibut passing on flies dropped in front of them. Bunny makes a great big profile and they have really big mouths. If you use marabou, reinforce it with wire counterwraps.

SS hooks are worth the extra money, but are never sharp enough out of the package and do not stay that way once sharpened... Wash in several changes of clear water to keep them from rusting away between trips.

Good backing is cheap... I have seen quite a few lines left on the bottom because the backing was bad. You will see the backing every time you hook up with these fish, guaranteed, and those loops/knots/splices need to be solid.

A few thoughts about fly to fly line: The fly line and fly need to sink at about the same rate. Otherwise there will be a kink in the line at the leader butt and the strikes will be missed. The heaviest fly will not drag the line down that much faster if it is a reasonable thing at all. I believe in Maxima for a lot of reasons and in a "lights out" environment I do not think Maxima will be much more visible than fluro. Maxima is tougher in my experience when teeth enter the picture.

My standard gear is a pair of two-handed 12wt Penn Int'l rods with Hardy Husky reels and a superfast sinking shooting head, a short sinking running line and several hundred yards of 30# dacron. They have been bent right over double many times...
art

 

[ak_powder_monkey]

I plan to try fly fishing for lings as well this summer.

AKPM - what are you using for running line behind the T17?

SA running line I throw the T 17 on my spey reel instead of a skagit head. Make sure to use a section of light mono in the leader so you don't loose your line

oh and listen to Hap

 

[MTguy]

Running line

Running line

I am going to put a Rio cold water running line behind a T14. Weighted flies. I really appreciate your input. Thanks guys very much

 

[BrownBear]

Do yourself a favor and tie all your flies weedless, with a 40-pound mono loop from the bend up to the eye and reaching beyond the point. Won't cost you a strike and saves a bunch of lost flies and lost time with snags as you snake the fly along the bottom or among obstructions for lings.

KISS principle is fine on patterns. I like Decievers because they give a big profile, yet are easy to tie and cast.

Fuggeddaboud hooks larger than about 3/0 unless you're using a 14-weight and no bigger than 5/0 if you're tossing a 14. There's a reason tarpon and bluewater flies are tied on 3/0. Anything bigger is really hard to set well with a flyrod, especially with lots of line out and sinking lines.

You don't need fluoro leaders either. My favorite tippet is the Ande 60-pound that comes on those large, oversize tippet spools. It comes off straight and is stiff enough to do a good job. Leader stretchers are a good idea for holding prerigged leaders with flies, simply to avoid coils and snarls when casting.

On that subject, fuggeddaboud Albrights for joining your class tippet to the shock. Waaaaaay too flexible or dangly, leading to more chances for snarls. Fuggeddaboud Apt knots or similar to allow the fly to swing on the shock tippet. Yet another opportunity for snarls and tangles.

I use back-to-back nail knots for joining the class tippet to the shock tippet, then I tie my flies with long heads so I can do a nail knot right on the head of the fly to join the class tippet to the fly. That all ends up with a really stiff unit from the class tippet forward to the fly, a real godsend on windy days and long casts. It's what we've done for years for tarpon, tuna and billfish, and the attention to that little bit of detailed knot-craft will pay off sooner or later. Usually sooner.

My favorite lines for both lings and halibut are RIO Leviathins. Uniform sink, and really fast too. Do yourself a favor and bring along a 5-gallon bucket for a stripping basket too. Much easier than trying to avoid all the casting snags possible on boats, especially in rough water or on windy days.

 

[hap]

How do the Leviathin lines cast in lower temps? I have found saltwater lines to be too stiff in cold water to perform like they do in warm...

Cannot say I agree on weedless flies not losing fish. We do not lose many flies to the bottom at all and I know we have a harder time piercing lips with weedless flies, especially when salmon come into the mix at surface.
art

 

[BrownBear]

I can't say about lighter Leviathins, but in 12- and 14-weight they're a dream. In fact I like them better in cold water than I do in 80+ degree blue water. If anything, the rap on them would be that they're too limp in hot water, especially when the wind is blowing and you've stripped in a lot of line.


Probably a difference in bottom types on the snagging. Most places we fish you get one cast per fly, if it's not weedless and you're truly getting to the bottom.

Tie in your weedless loop at the back of the bend so it doesn't interfere with the short shank between the barb and bend (I do it with fly tying thread, then a thin layer of epoxy). When you bring mono forward to the head to form the loop, adjust it so the loop only extends slightly past the point. 20# is too light, and 30# is barely enough for big flies. And 60# is definitely too heavy. Brand of line affects stiffness, obviously. I'm talking about Maxima here. If using Ande I'd probably drop to 30#.

BTW, I even tie weedless flies when the humpies, silvers or chums are dense around river mouths and snagging is a problem. For typical #4 salmon flies 15# or 12# Maxima is just about right. I know "weedless" salmon flies sound weird, but when snagging is a problem, you'll be really proud that you keep a few in a dark corner of your box.