Recommendations are needed for line for deepwater lingcod
fishing with swimbaits.  I will be doing much lingcod fishing
in norcal in water up to 120 to 180'  (depending on the
regulations at the time).  I have done very well with jigs in
the past there but I want to switch to Big Hammer swimbaits
that have been very effective for lings for me in much
shallower water there.  The conditions are:

1.  Strong current and wind that have required about 8 oz.
jigs to get straight down in the past, so using thinner line
would enable me to use lighter leadheads (suitable for 4 and
5' Big Hammers) than 8 oz.

2.  Fishing on the bottom in very snaggy rocky areas, and
going straight down produces fewer snags than does an angled
presentation.

3.  I want to use 30 lb. test line because I have found that
with such line I have a better chance of pulling free from a
snag, and can have some line strength to spare if some line
strength is lost to abraision during the day or lower knot
strength.  

4.  The line should have good abraision resistance.

5.  The line should have low stretch so that I can immediately
get the hooked ling's head up before it tries to head for the
nearest rocky crevice.  30 lb test also permits horsing a
large ling up out of the rocky bottom (lings are larger in
norcal)

Would braid be the best choice (with a mono leader), or is
there a mono line that can do the job? I know that one
solution is to ignore the criterion of looking for a thinner
line and instead use a line that fits the other criteria and
then use an appropriately light leadhead with a sufficiently
heavy egg sinker above it.  This is not my preferred method.

Thanks.

Bob




  

It sounds like what you want is a braid or spectra line with a
good length of flouro leader. PowerPro (or any spectra line)
will sink fast and have zero stretch when you set the hook.
I'm always amazed at how sensitive it is. 

The problem I see is that if you're all up in some rocky areas
and get that spectra snagged you're never, ever, ever, ever
going to break it free. You can pop off the mono easy enough
(15# and less) so if you use this method you should consider a
braid->mono inline knot of some kind to allow yourself the
ability to slip out of a sticky situation without leaving 30
yards of the razor-like braid floating in the water. 

We don't have the current that you do here in La Jolla and
I've had good success with 15# PLine and a 2oz leadhead for
near-vertical jigging. When the tide rips, though, I feel your
pain.

Good luck!

-Drew

I would use spectra with 30lb mono leader(6-8 feet long).
Make sure you have a nice barrel swivel to attach the lines
together.  There is a special swivel made just for this.
  As long as your spectra is stronger then the mono, you dont
have to worry about littering the ocean with it.  It will
break at the weakest point (mono) every time.

 6 oz. leadheads will do the trick to about 120 max (my
opinion)
Deeper than 120?   Use a metal jig

Any deeper than that and I start to loose control(the touch)

I have found that the swimbait can be fished effectively at
this depth by throwing up current as far as possible, letting
it sink as free as possible, and then reel down until you feel
the swimbait and it is just off the bottom.  Here I just hold
the rod straight out and do the tuna shuffle when you see the
current moving your line reeling in slightly to recover line. 
A basic yo yo method will work here too.  These lures (Big
Hammer) have such a great action, with all that water preasure
on them, they swim just fine all by themselves.
     As far as colors........I like to see some white in it
somewhere.


Good luck, you should try fishing here in SB after 3/1/04

I would use spectra with 30lb mono leader(6-8 feet long).
Make sure you have a nice barrel swivel to attach the lines
together.  There is a special swivel made just for this.
  As long as your spectra is stronger then the mono, you dont
have to worry about littering the ocean with it.  It will
break at the weakest point (mono) every time.

 6 oz. leadheads will do the trick to about 120 max (my
opinion)
Deeper than 120?   Use a metal jig

Any deeper than that and I start to loose control(the touch)

I have found that the swimbait can be fished effectively at
this depth by throwing up current as far as possible, letting
it sink as free as possible, and then reel down until you feel
the swimbait and it is just off the bottom.  Here I just hold
the rod straight out and do the tuna shuffle when you see the
current moving your line reeling in slightly to recover line. 
A basic yo yo method will work here too.  These lures (Big
Hammer) have such a great action, with all that water preasure
on them, they swim just fine all by themselves.
     As far as colors........I like to see some white in it
somewhere.


Good luck, you should try fishing here in SB after 3/1/04

Salmonoid,
Where are you thinking of heading? I like the superbraid &
mono rig with 1-4oz heads depending on conditions. Otherwise I
just use 20# big game with a 1/2-2 oz head in shallow and/or
low current conditions.
Tight lines,
Wade

I almost forgot, I hope others who read this won't be using
any of these rigs on a cattle-boat. You won't make many
freinds with superbraids deep dropping on a crowded party
boat.
Tight lines,
Wade

Thanks to all for your informative replies.

Wade, I will likely be fishing mostly in the Half Moon Bay
area where I used to live and my son still  lives and has a
small skiff (usable on the least of the many nasty days
there).

Bob

Bob,

I've fished 'em pretty deep and in current.  I don't like any
jig heads larger than 1.5 oz. so what I usually do is use a
1.5 oz. Super Shad with a 4/0 or 5/0 hook on a 5 or 6 inch
bait.  Then I put an egg sinker (I've used up to 6 oz.) on the
line above the jig head (and usually a plastic bead to keep
the sinker from rubbing on the knot).

Senorita has been a pretty hot rockfish/ling color for me.

Not sure about line.  I always used mono but I like the
spectra with the mono leader idea.

Pete

Thanks Pete.  I am going to try the senorita color.  By the
way what BH color would be closest to purple or dark purple? 
This could be very effective for lings because up north lings
love to bite live blue rockfish or black rockfish.

An alternative to the egg sinker is to use a sliding jig (in
line, hooks removed) above the bead and 1.5 oz. leadhead for
extra weight and flash as Capt. Bacon of the Wavewalker does.

It is interesting how different the standards are for leadhead
weights between socal and norcal.  My son and I have jigged up
many a ling, cabezon, and rockfish in norcal on swimbaits with
up to 8 oz. leadheads, but this is straight jigging, not the
calico 101 method.  Tackle shops there routinely stock these
sizes.

By the way, where can I buy BHs in the Santa Cruz - Half Moon
Bay - San Francisco area?

Bob