Ling are very rare to catch off Poole, and you have to go mid-channel wreck fishing to catch one. They venture out of the wrecks at slack tides and the ideal bait is a head of mackerel, although they also take a shad when Cod or Pollock fishing.
They are considered a delicacy in Iceland, and even though they are huge fish the portions in restaurants are small.
Ling, (Molva molva), in zoology, commercially valuable marine fish of the cod family (Gadidae), found in deep northern waters near Iceland, the British Isles, and Scandinavia. The ling is a slim, long-bodied fish with small scales, a long anal fin, and two dorsal fins, the second being much longer than the first. A large, mottled, brown or greenish fish, the ling may grow to a length of about 2 m (almost 7 feet)
The largest UK Boat Caught Ling weighted 67 lbs 5 oz , which was caught off the Shetland Islands.
The Ling in the picture above was caught by Skipper Bruce, fishing a mid-channel wreck at slack tide in 2020. It weighed over 20 lbs.
