Method

Our lingcod are caught by using 9 - 13 large hooks, weighed down by a heavy, steel bar. Each hook is outfitted with a lead head, and a rubber "grub". Similar to trolling, we drive across pinnacles (underwater hills), hoping to spook lingcod out of their hidey-holes. 

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Management

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The Southeast Alaska dinglebar fishery is managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. All of Southeast Alaska is divvied up into small "management areas", each of which have their own quota (catch limit) that's shared by the fleet, and caught on a first come first served basis. Depending on the effort (number of boats out fishing), catch rate, and quota limit, some areas close as fast as in two days - while others may stay open all year. Dinglebar directed lingcod fishery opens on May 16th each year.

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RegioN

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Management areas are broken up all over southeast Alaska, but we prefer to fish around Yakutat, in an area called the Icy Bay Subdistrict. Many districts close in just a few days, but since we're freezing our lingcod on board, we can't keep up with the fast and furious fishermen! We try to find districts with fewer boats, that (hopefully) stay open longer, so we can take our time catching, diligently cleaning, and freezing our lingcod. 

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Sustainability

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Since our dinglebar fishery uses hook and line, any unwanted spices can be safely returned to the ocean. Most of our rockfish are caught while dinglebaring. Depending on the rockfish species, we're allowed to keep about 10% by weight (so for every 100 pounds of lingcod on board, we can retain 10 pounds of rockfish). Occasionally halibut bite the hook, and they are immediately released back to the ocean. The dinglebar fishery requires daily logbook entries, noting the latitude/longitude of where we fished, number of hours fished, number of hooks set, number of fish kept, sex of fish kept, and number of fish released. Alaska Fish and Game uses this data to closely monitor our fishery, and make management decisions accordingly.