Species guide · Alaska
Lingcod fishing in Alaska
Ophiodon elongatus, a nearshore species also called ling, lings and ling cod. Listed for the Alaska region. Off season, about 25 more weeks.
Right now it scores best in Clarence Strait at 62, one of 66 Alaska bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Off seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Alaska
Off season, about 25 more weeks- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Off season
- Apr: Off season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Shoulder season
- Nov: Off season
- Dec: Off season
Peak: Jul to Sep. In season (shoulder or peak): May to Oct.
Research notes, Alaska region
Males guard nests from about January through June, when they are aggressive and easy to catch, so seasons protect that window: Southcentral opens July 1 and Southeast has run roughly May 16 to Nov 30 with some mid-summer gaps. Inside Resurrection Bay lingcod fishing is closed year round. Best fishing is offshore reefs from Cape Resurrection east to Montague Island and exposed reefs near Sitka.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 66
Alaska bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's lingcod score this hour.
Best window today 6-11 PM (62) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (66) · 423 named spots
Best window today 6-8 PM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (60) · 7 named spots
Best window today 6-8 PM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 11 AM (60) · 18 named spots
Best window today 6-8 PM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 10 AM (60) · 40 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 9 AM (65) · 36 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (61) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (61) · 10 named spots
Best window today 7-8 PM (66) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (66) · 100 named spots
Best window today 6-8 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (59) · 55 named spots
Best window today 7-9 PM (64) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (64) · 130 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 10 AM (64) · 184 named spots
Best window today 7-9 PM (65) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (65) · 215 named spots
Best window today 6-8 PM (58) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 10 AM (62) · 33 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (59) · 50 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (59) · 14 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 10 AM (63) · 84 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (58) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (61) · 151 named spots
Best window today 7-8 PM (64) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (64) · 8 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (59) · 9 named spots
Best window today 6-8 PM (57) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (62) · 378 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (64) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 9 AM (65) · 3 named spots
Best window today 7-9 PM (63) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (63) · 114 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (59) · 6 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (57) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (57) · 4 named spots
Best window today 6-10 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 PM (59) · 27 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (62) · 34 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (57) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (57) · 15 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (57) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (57) · 21 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (59) · 14 named spots
Best window today 7-9 PM (63) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (63) · 5 named spots
Best window today 6-10 PM (54) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 2 PM (58) · 29 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (62) · 37 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (56) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 3 PM (58) · 40 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (61) · 23 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (61) · 108 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 2 PM (64) · 28 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (56) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 9 AM (62) · 44 named spots
Best window today 6-11 PM (53) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (60) · 81 named spots
Best window today 6-10 PM (53) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 10 AM (59) · 40 named spots
Best window today 8-10 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 PM (59) · 25 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (49) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 11 AM (50) · 21 named spots
Best window today 8-9 PM (52) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 11 AM (55) · 5 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (48) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 1 AM (57) · 186 named spots
Best window today 8-10 PM (56) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 3 AM (57) · 112 named spots
Best window today 6-8 PM (46) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (46) · 2 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (45) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 1 AM (52) · 153 named spots
Best window today 7-10 PM (51) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 PM (51) · 42 named spots
Best window today 8-10 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 PM (59) · 203 named spots
Best window today 7-9 PM (54) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 PM (54) · 85 named spots
Best window today 8-10 PM (52) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 PM (52) · 4 named spots
Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (50) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 9 PM (50) · 10 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (40) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 PM (40) · 2 named spots
Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (45) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 10 AM (53) · 214 named spots
Best window today 12 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 12 AM (35)
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 12 AM (35)
Best window today 9-10 PM (47) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 9 PM (47) · 7 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (48) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 4 AM (58) · 29 named spots
Best window today 12-11 PM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 12 AM (35)
Best window today 4-8 PM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 12 AM (35)
Best window today 12 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 12 AM (35)
Best window today 12 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 12 AM (35)
Best window today 7-9 PM (49) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 PM (49) · 162 named spots
Best window today 5 PM-12 AM (33) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (46) · 53 named spots
Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (36) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (49) · 39 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (36) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 PM (36) · 28 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 42°F to 62°F, best between 46°F and 55°F.
- Water depth
- 10 to 330 ft of water.
- Structure
- Reef, pinnacle, ledge, kelp, jetty, point and channel, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers moving water and incoming tide, with light current.ADF&G's Sitka guide says lingcod wait on reef tops and outcrops for tidal current to bring bait past and often feed when the tide is running; at slack, fish deeper. ODFW recommends incoming tides for shore anglers on jetties. In big-tide inside waters, strong current makes it hard to keep a jig near the bottom, so the building and easing parts of the tide are the practical windows.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 20 kt of wind and 6 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
- Methods
- vertical jigging, drift fishing, bait fishing on the bottom, casting from jetties and rocky shore
- Lures
- 6 to 12 oz lead-head jigs with swimbait or grub tails, metal bar and diamond jigs, silver spoons, large curly-tail grubs
- Bait
- herring, whole squid, octopus, salmon belly strips, live small fish where legal
Regulations
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Synced with ADF&G Oct 31, 2026.
No reviewed lingcod rule for Alaska is on file yet. Check with ADF&G before you keep one.