Lingcod fishing in Yakutat Bay is steady and productive throughout the season.

These toothy predators carry a bucket mouth full of sharp teeth, wear a mottled camouflage skin, have big eyes to spot prey and big fins to propel them during an ambush. They are well designed to catch and eat rockfish and greenling and will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. 

While they are ugly to some, they are beautiful to other anglers. Most will agree that they absolutely shine on the plate. The white, juicy, firm fillets can be prepared in many ways. For a cadre of anglers, lingcod are their favorite bottomfish to eat. 

Lingcod are the largest member of the greenling family, and will usually live their whole lives on the same reef. Yakutat Lodge charter captains know where these lings are hiding and will set up at the top of a reef and drift over it. Anglers will bounce jigs off the bottom, being careful not to get hung up in the rocks that lingcod hide in, and get ready for a dogged battle. Lings will pounce on anything shiny and then try and retreat into their lair, so savvy anglers set the hook and get their quarry up off the bottom. Typical lingcod are about 20 pounds, but far larger fish are caught each year in Yakutat. Lingcod fishing is part of a typical day on the salt at Yakutat Lodge and these exotic and mildly terrifying looking fish make for awesome photos and many fine meals.