Releasing larger lingcod

I got my first decent sized lingcod yesterday (32", 12#) and I am aware that many people release larger lings, especially females...the really large lings being more important to reproduction and also not as good for eating.

I'm curious what people consider too big to retain?   cheers, roger

I usually don't have  a problem with a ling  being too big to retain. My favorite size fish is the 26-30 inchers. They slab out nicely and the fillets aren't so thick that they take too long to cook.
The amount of fish I take home depends on the space in my freezer and how much work in willing to spend in processing 

I agree with ling ling.  Depends on the day I've had or how much I really need to fill my freezer.

 In my opinion, there is no shortage of lingcod out there. 15-20 years ago it was more of an issue. There are plenty of studies online showing what a nice recovery they have made. Keep what you want to eat. trust the regulations. As far as taste, Ive kept several in the 37-39 inch range and they tasted fine. I do release bigger fish sometimes, and might have released others if not for AOTY points.


https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/rebuilding-fisheries-pacific.pdf

Here is a 39 incher I kept a couple years ago, and another 39 incher I released a few weeks later

Those fat 28" that are damn near as girthy at the tail as they are at the shoulders is where my minimum starts. There are lots of mid to upper 30's out there. I've only caught one over 40", and that was in the sound so it had to be released regardless. From all I've read, I agree with Merz. I'd like to believe fishermen are more conscious these days (except with salmon), and paired with stringent regulations the fishery is coming back nicely. If it's legal, follow your gut. If it feels wrong, it's wrong.

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22"-30" is my slot. However, if I were not doing well and caught that 32"er... I would keep it as well.
 I fish for pleasure before meat.
 I have always thought that the bigger the fish the more chance it will be wormy, the wife hates to see the worms.
 That being said, I have not eaten "fresh" ling for years as she makes me freeze them before she will eat them.   

thanks everyone for the input...