Originally posted by: fish_4_all on 2/18/2007 2:27:33 PM

I am getting ready to actually do some serious jetty fishing for lingcod and I need some advice with my rigs and hooking the bait fish.

I know how to tie the hooks and make the rigs but I alswyas have a problem with the fish curling up and not swimming very well because of hook spacing and/or a sliding top hook on a double hook rig. I also need to figure out how to hook the live bait in order to keep the hooks as exposed as possible but keep them out of the rocks.

Here is what I normally use: Bottom hook is a 5/0 treble or a 7/0 beak with the top hook a 7/0 beak. I tie both fixed and sliding second hooks. I either use stell leader, 30lb. mono or braided decron for the leader material.

The main thing I need to be bale to actually hook the lingcod becaus eI fish alone a lot and netting a fish that wil simply let go of the fish at the surface is a nightmare to try and net by yourself.

Any suggestions or ideas, a different rig, larger hooks, smaller hooks. A way to hook them up to keep them alive longer? I normally throw a 4-8 inch kelp greenling for live bait or use herring and bounce it on the bottom. All of this is shore fishing from the jetties.