Our First Lings

Submitted by: Tom Shields

We have both shot cabs, seen a wolf eel, plenty of rockfish and although she hasn’t tagged a greenling yet, conversation always drifts back to our dream; lingcod. We suit up, climb down the rocks, and jump in. Visibility is 2-4 feet; blood red in places, and poop brown in others. Not ideal. We kick out and its worse at depth. We, like many divers, have some superstitions, so we don’t bring any meat with us, believing it unlucky. We scratched around and found two 10+ inch black and yellows, not much, but dinner nonetheless. The Modelos were cold and the tacos were delicious, as always. A bonfire was lit, and much merriment was had to the sound of a booming thunderstorm.

Deciding to give up and not risk any tide-related-symptoms we sleep in. Our other dive buddy left early to run. We wake up to texts, missed calls, and a shared location. It’s on. We grab all the dive gear, and speed off. We show up to a new spot, and without speaking everyone knows exactly what the dive plan is. Our eyes are focused on a cove with a narrow mouth. There is a visible current heading into it—the high tide push.

Suit up.
Climb down.
Kick out.

We have found good fish in holes that we chase smaller fish into; “if a fish is gonna swim in there, then it may be a tunnel, and not an empty hole”. She takes first drop, chasing a smaller greenling under a ledge, drops her gun, ascends. I head up the ledge toward the cove mouth. I don’t see much on my drop. Her second drop, she barely touches her gun and immediately ascends. She smiles, and tells me, “I think I see something can you check it out? Bring your gun, though.”

Confused why I need my gun to size check a greenling, I listen. A lingcod is no less than 6 inches from the tip of her shaft. Having only seen them out and about and flighty, my hear trate spikes. I turn up to her and she signs the thumbs up. Dumbfounded, I stone it, and bring it up. “Why?” I ask. She has not shot one either. “I know you wanted one, and like you said, team dive” She references me teaching her some free diving principles I’ve learned about, “So it’s our first ling”. This means the world to me. I cannot believe she passed on one to include me. She truly is my soulmate, and I’m still blown away she passed on the fish.

Soon I realize a personal need to return the favor as our buddy makes fun of me. This whole team thing may not look so team-y if I don’t contribute, after all. I locate a school of blacks and think of a tactic I’ve tried, but had been scared since a seal aggro’d me once. I shoot one and string it on my gun. On her next drop she brings up a 20” black. I had never see a black that size, and only a few rockfish total, mostly vermillion online. She’s incredible.

We’ve kicked out to the zone now. I have silently decided no matter what, I will spend the rest of this dive making sure my wife gets a ling!!! I find a promising ledge and place my gun there. Thinking about how I’ve never gotten this to work on my ascent, I can’t believe it. A 26 inch ling swims up to check out my black, but not from under the ledge! It came from out and about.
I pull on her float line, yelling her name over and over. She, having gone to look for cab’s, immediately knows it’s on, and fins faster than she ever has the 30 or so feet over. I regain the location of the ling, worrying its not there anymore. She also says she can’t see it, so I take a quick drop. I realize its super obvious once your down there, so I relax. I point my finger not 2 inches from it’s head in her line of sight. My wife gains the location, and kicks down while I’m ascending. She lays her gun next to it, checking legality. She’s happy with it, and takes the shot.

And that’s how we found each of the other’s first lingcod.