Top target

Lingcod

Molva · also Lorcho

Ophiodon elongatus · Hexagrammidae

Category: Rockfish & Bottomfish
Found in: Pacific Baja
Mexico fish counts: 6,875 counted, 43 so far in 2026

About Lingcod in Mexico

How to recognize it

Despite the name, lingcod is neither a ling nor a true cod; it belongs to the greenling family. The body is long and tapered, the head large, and the mouth packed with sharp teeth. Coloring is mottled gray, brown or green with copper and dark blotches, and the flesh of some individuals is a striking blue-green before cooking. A long, continuous dorsal fin with a notch in the middle runs most of the back.

Where and when in Mexico

Officially molva, it is also called lorcho by Baja anglers. Northern Baja California is near the southern end of its range, so it is a cold-water fish of the Pacific coast, found on rocky reefs and pinnacles off Ensenada, the Islas de Todos Santos, Punta Banda, Santo Tomás and the San Quintín grounds. Winter and spring, when the water is coolest and fish come shallower, tend to be the most productive. Ensenada boats account for every lingcod in Mexico Fish Reports' counts, close to 7,000 fish since 2004.

How it's fished

Lingcod are usually taken on rockfish trips, either on dropper loops baited with squid or by fish that grab a hooked rockfish on the way up. Anglers targeting them favor heavy metal jigs and big swimbaits bounced on the bottom around high-relief structure. A live sanddab or small rockfish on a sliding sinker is another proven bait.

Good to know

Typical fish run 5 to 15 pounds, with larger females possible. The white, flaky meat is excellent. Handle with care, as the teeth and gill plates cut easily.