Ling

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

A fish that can live for about 30 years and reach around 2 m and 88lb (40 kg) is a regular catch on UK wrecks. That fish is the ling.

The ling fish (Molva molva) is a long, eel-shaped member of the cod family found all round the UK coast, most commonly in the north and west. It lives on rocky ground, reefs and wrecks, mostly in 20 to 300 m. Boat anglers take most of them, and smaller fish come within reach of rough, deep shore marks.

This guide covers identification, where and when to fish, rigs and baits, the 63 cm minimum size, records and handling. For other species, see our UK sea fish species hub.

How to Identify a Ling (and Tell It From Conger, Cod and Pollack)

Three checks identify a ling on deck: a single barbel under the chin, a lower jaw that does not jut out past the upper, and two dorsal fins, the second one long and matched underneath by an equally long anal fin.

The body is long and eel-like, brownish green on the back with darker marbling and pale on the belly. The short first dorsal fin carries a dark spot. The mouth is big and lined with sharp teeth, which matters when you come to unhook one.

Fish	Body	Chin barbel	Jaw	Dorsal fins	Minimum size
Ling	Long, eel-like, marbled brown-green	Yes, one	Lower jaw does not project	2 (second very long)	63 cm
Conger	Long, scaleless, snake-like	No	Upper jaw slightly longer	1, running into the tail	Check GOV.UK
Cod	Deeper, heavier body	Yes, one	Upper jaw overhangs	3	Check GOV.UK
Pollack	Streamlined, bronze to green	No	Lower jaw juts out	3	Check GOV.UK
Blue ling	Slimmer, deep-water fish	Very small	Lower jaw slightly longer	2	70 cm

Of these look-alikes, a fish with no chin barbel is a conger eel or a pollack. A barbel with three dorsal fins points to a cod. For more side-by-side checks, see the fish identification guide.

A barbel plus a long, eel-like body means ling fish. Measure it before you decide anything else.

Where Ling Live in UK Waters: Wrecks, Reefs and Rough Shore Marks

Fish clean sand for ling and you will almost never see one. They live on hard, broken ground.

Adult ling hold on rocky ground, reefs and wrecks, mostly in 20 to 300 m, and the bigger fish tend to sit deeper. Young ling live in coastal water of about 15 to 20 m and move deeper at around three years old.

They are found round the whole UK coast but are more common in the north and west. Wreck fishing ling from Channel and North Sea ports is the classic approach, and both anchoring and drifting over wrecks and reefs catch fish. Our boat fishing guide covers each method.

Ling fishing in the UK from the shore is more limited. Typical shore fish weigh 2 to 5lb (about 0.9 to 2.3 kg) and come from rough rock marks with deep water close in, mainly in the north and west.

Best for: boat anglers ready for deep water and heavy tackle. Skip if: your local marks are clean, shallow sandy beaches.

Best Time of Year to Catch Ling

The months that give the most ling are not the months that give the biggest ones.

Ling are caught all year and turn up most often in summer. The larger fish tend to show from after Christmas and through the winter. That is a seasonal tendency, not a rule.

Sources differ on spawning. The Scottish Government gives April to June in 100 to 300 m of water, while Sea Angler gives March to July, with a female producing 20 to 60 million eggs.

Winter offshore trips depend on the weather, and skippers cancel when the forecast turns. Keep your dates flexible if you are booking for a winter fish.

Book summer for steady action and winter for a chance at a specimen.

Ling Fishing Tackle, Rigs and Baits

The standard wreck ling rig is a running ledger with a mackerel fillet on a 6/0 hook.

The job is to hold bottom right beside snags, then win the first few metres of the fight. Use heavy, solid gear: a 20 to 30lb class boat rod and a 7000-size multiplier, with the clutch set firm. Set the hook hard and pump the fish off the seabed fast, before it can turn back into the wreck.

How to Set Up a Running Ledger for Ling

Fit your 20 to 30lb class rod with a 7000-size multiplier.
Tie about 3ft (0.9 m) of 100lb mono trace to a 6/0 hook. The heavy trace stands up to both the teeth and wreck abrasion.
Hook a mackerel fillet once through the tail section so it hangs straight.
Drift or anchor over the wreck and hold bottom. When the bite comes, strike firmly and wind hard to lift the fish clear.

Lead weight depends on depth and tide, so ask your skipper what to use on the day.

Rig	When it suits	Drawback
Running ledger with mackerel	Simple, covers ground on the drift	Snags on rough wrecks
Flying collar with a shad or Red Gill	Lure fished just off the bottom	Needs careful depth control
Baited pirk	Fished static or lifted and dropped	Tangles easily on wrecks

Mackerel fillet is the first-choice bait. Ling feed on pouting, poor cod, whiting, flatfish, crustaceans and squid, so squid and fish strips also catch. Shore anglers use crab, squid strips and worms.

Fish the ledger when ling are hugging the bottom, and switch to a pirk when they are lifting off the wreck.

Ling Minimum Size, Records and Why Stocks Need Care

A ling is about six to eight years old before it breeds for the first time, according to the Scottish Government. Every undersized fish you keep is one that never spawned.

The minimum conservation reference size for ling in UK waters is 63 cm, and 70 cm for blue ling, according to the GOV.UK minimum conservation reference sizes table. Your local IFCA or devolved authority may set different inshore sizes, so check before you keep a fish. Our page on sea fish minimum sizes covers other species.

Ling grow slowly, live to around 30 years and mature late, which leaves stocks open to overfishing (Scottish Government). Take only what you need for the table.

Record	Weight	Angler	Location	Year
Boat	67lb 5oz (30.533 kg)	James Isbister	Muckle Flugga, Shetland	2013
Shore	21lb 13oz (9.894 kg)	Kevin Griffiths	Pemberth Cove, Cornwall	2022

Both figures come from the British Record (rod-caught) Fish Committee sea listings published by the Angling Trust in June 2026. Older pages still quote 21lb 10oz for the shore record, which has since been beaten, so check the current BRFC list if you think you have a contender.

Measure every ling, and treat the big ones as breeding stock.

Handling Ling Safely and Dealing With Barotrauma

A ling released at the surface can drift away belly-up instead of swimming down.

Ling cope badly with the pressure change as they are wound up, and the swimbladder is often damaged on the way. Never pierce the stomach or swimbladder. Many fish from deep water cannot be returned successfully, so decide early how many you want for the table and stop there.

Mind the teeth. Use a long disgorger or release tool, keep your fingers clear of the mouth, and support the fish horizontally. Any ling under 63 cm must go back, so return it as quickly as you can.

If catch and release is your priority, shallower inshore species suit it better. Bass fishing is a good place to start.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a licence to fish for ling?

Check GOV.UK before you go. The Environment Agency rod licence covers freshwater fishing in England, so it is not the rule to rely on for sea fish like ling. For the current position, check GOV.UK for England and the relevant authority in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, plus any local IFCA byelaws. Our sea fishing licence and fishing licence guides cover more.

Is ling good to eat?

Yes. Ling fish has firm white flesh and is traditionally salted and dried in Scandinavia. You can only keep a ling of 63 cm or more, and because the species grows slowly and breeds late, take only what you will actually eat.

What is the difference between ling and blue ling?

Blue ling (Molva dypterygia) is a separate, slimmer species that lives in deep water. Its minimum size is 70 cm, against 63 cm for common ling, according to GOV.UK. Rod anglers rarely catch one, so if you think you have, measure it against the 70 cm limit. See the identification section above for the other look-alikes.