A ling looks like a cross between a cod and a conger: a long, mottled brown body, two dorsal fins running most of its length, a single barbel on the chin and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It ranges from Iceland and Norway down to the Bay of Biscay and beyond, mostly in deep water, and waits in the holes of wrecks and reefs for pouting, small cod and anything else that passes. Hooked, it does not run far. It hangs, shakes its head and uses its length against you, and the job is to lift it clear before it backs into the steel. The firm white flesh is prized, and in Norway, Spain and Portugal ling is one of the fish dried and salted like cod.
Wreck fishing for ling out of Plymouth
Our one boat with ling on its list is Fishing with Andy, a Plymouth charter that fishes wrecks, banks and rough ground offshore as well as closer in. Days are long, a single trip of about ten hours from roughly 07:15 to 17:00, for up to 8 anglers, by the seat or as a whole boat. That suits ling, which live on the deeper ground where a short trip has little time. Ling are listed, not sold as the speciality, and the boat's recent catch report is of bass, pollock and black bream, so ask Andy what the wrecks have been giving before you plan a ling day.
Bottom fishing for ling is simple and physical: a strong rod, a heavy lead to hold the bottom over the wreck, and a big fish bait, often half a mackerel, on a stout hook. Expect to lose rigs to the wreck. Fish lifted from deep water often struggle to go back down, so ask the skipper what the boat keeps. Conger share the same wrecks and take the same baits.
Questions and answers
Short answers to what people ask before they book. Anything else, ask the captain in chat.
Is a ling the same fish as a conger eel?
No. A ling is a member of the cod family, with fins along its back and a barbel on its chin, while a conger is a true eel. They are easy to mix up at first sight because both are long, live in the same wrecks and take a big fish bait on the bottom.
Which Reelzy trip gives the best chance of a ling?
The full day with Fishing with Andy from Plymouth, out around 07:15 and back about 17:00, which leaves time for the offshore wrecks and rough ground where ling live. No trip guarantees one, so ask Andy what the wrecks have produced lately.