Crazy looking lingcod

[O. mykiss]

With the heavens opening up and blowing out the rivers, I went to the jetty in search of fish tacos. While targeting greenling, this tank of a lingcod swallowed a 10” greenling! I’ve caught lots of green, blue, and brown lingcod but never an orange one. Has anyone else seen one like this before? This is not faded after bonking, this is fresh out of the water colors.

 

[rogerdodger]

that is totally crazy, I have never seen one even close to that color. all sorts of shades of brown, tan, teal, and green but never orange/red.

what color was the flesh?

 

[O. mykiss]

The flesh was white, just like your brown-colored lingcod.

 

[Casting Call]

Thats got to be a sick fish. I hope you didn't eat it. Report it to ODFW and save lives. Tony10%er

 

[rogerdodger]

another one

 

[jamisonace]

Very cool looking fish. Never seen anything like it.

 

[Gulfstream]

New to me

 

[O. mykiss]

Thats got to be a sick fish. I hope you didn't eat it. Report it to ODFW and save lives. Tony10%er

It was a very fat and happy fish. Had a big fat belly full of fish. It tried to eat my fish too!

 

[rogerdodger]

I saw a comment about them being more common in areas with red kelp.

then I hit this- red lingcod with blue meat.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/2hqqaj

 

[O. mykiss]

I saw a comment about them being more common in areas with red kelp.

then I hit this- red lingcod with blue meat.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/2hqqaj

There is definitely red kelp, and bullwhip kelp. That’s a rock greenling in the picture, which I’m sure the lingcod was eating. I kept one myself

 

[Casting Call]

Flesh color is flesh color(meat); I don't argue that. Skin color is another story. Green liver means mercury poisoning by way of a bottom feeder. Skin color change of a non-resident fish is a reaction (reaction as in humans also) to something that fish should never have eaten. I would blame Monsanto My2 cents worth. Tony 10%er

 

[rogerdodger]

Flesh color is flesh color(meat); I don't argue that. Skin color is another story. Green liver means mercury poisoning by way of a bottom feeder. Skin color change of a non-resident fish is a reaction (reaction as in humans also) to something that fish should never have eaten. I would blame Monsanto My2 cents worth. Tony 10%er

from what I found, red/orange is a potential but rare color for lingcod and other greenlings (noting that lingcod is in the greenling family of fish- Hexagrammidae). I don't think there is anything wrong with lingcod he caught.

Cabezon, which like lingcod can be tan/brown/green/blue/teal, can also be red, in fact reddish colorings seem more common for cabbies.

cheers, roger

 

[O. mykiss]

from what I found, red/orange is a potential but rare color for lingcod and other greenlings (noting that lingcod is in the greenling family of fish- Hexagrammidae). I don't think there is anything wrong with lingcod he caught.

Cabezon, which like lingcod can be tan/brown/green/blue/teal, can also be red, in fact reddish colorings seem more common for cabbies.

cheers, roger

Roger, when I first saw it come up I thought it was a cabezon at first because of the coloration. Rockfish coloration can vary significantly and adaptations to local environmental conditions is not uncommon. Diet can change colorations as well, as is the case with the blue or teal lingcod. The theory is that they have a diet consisting of a higher percentage of crab than the brown lingcod.

 

[Casting Call]

All points well taken guys. Crab are bottom feeders. I just think things were outside the norm that spurred my reaction and comments. All taken with a grain of salt so to speak. Tony 10%er

Green liver means mercury poisoning by way of a bottom feeder. Skin color change of a non-resident fish is a reaction (reaction as in humans also) to something that fish should never have eaten. I would blame Monsanto My2 cents worth. Tony 10%er

 

[troutdude]

Your fish just self identifies as a red snapper.

 

[O. mykiss]

Your fish just self identifies as a red snapper.

It’s currently identifying as a fish taco!

 

[Fred]

Nemo on steroids.

 

[Banjo]

I've seen where living in rusty metal wrecks has changed the color of lobster and eels. Maybe that is the case here.