BY Advantage McCrea
MORRO BAY –SAN DIEGO – The rockfish season is upon us. With a gentle hand on the wheel on the Pacific Fisheries Administration Council and earlier than the Fish and Recreation Fee CDFW staffers ushered in 2025 leisure groundfish rules precisely the identical as 2024, for probably the most half. The one change is the elimination of minimal measurement limits on cabezon, greenling and sculpin.
These modifications have been made to allow the filleting of greenling and cabezon at sea lastly. Within the course of contemplating easy methods to facilitate that change it was found there was now not a conservation want for the minimal measurement limits on all three species. Less complicated is best so, no extra measurement restrict and due to this fact no want for determining if a minimal fillet size would work for cabezon and greenling and what that will be. Wardens will now not be making an attempt to measure sculpin fillets both.
Nevertheless, coming with these small modifications are new necessities to depart a full pores and skin hooked up on these three species, plus lingcod too now.
For waters south of 36 levels north close to Level Lopez we’ll once more begin our rockfish season on April 1 as “all-depth” with the one closed areas being the MPAs and the Groundfish Exclusion Areas or GEAs which are closed all yr.
Then on July 1 we transition waters shoreward of the Federal 50-fathom point-to –level strains, and beginning October 1 we’re in waters seaward of that line solely. Between October 1 and December 31 you could not have in your possession any of the “nearshore complicated” rockfish species.
When the nearshore is closed you should still transit, anchor or fish hoop nets or internet squid with rockfish on board. Anglers are restricted to 1 line every and not more than 2 hooks if rockfish or lingcod are aboard. This author nonetheless hasn’t discovered if blackcod on board retains you to simply 1 line and a pair of hooks.
For readers who just like the weedy particulars, right here they’re:
“Bag limits, hook limits. In instances and areas when the leisure season for the RCG Advanced is open, there’s a restrict of two hooks and one line when fishing for the RCG complicated.”
“Bag limits, hook limits. In instances and areas when the leisure season for lingcod is open, there’s a restrict of two hooks and 1 line when fishing for lingcod.”
However the kicker is sculpin.
“Bag limits, hook limits. South of 40°10.00′ N lat., in instances and areas the place the leisure season for California scorpionfish is open there’s a restrict of two hooks and 1 line, the bag restrict is 5 California scorpionfish per day.”
As a result of scorpions are open all yr this and it doesn’t say “when fishing for scorpionfish.” By the letter it means leisure angler might by no means fish with multiple line and two hooks.
Nevertheless, it’s fairly clear this isn’t enforced that manner and as a sensible matter solely comes into play when you might have scorpionfish, AKA sculpin on board. Leisure anglers generally use any variety of hooks fishing sand dabs, mackerel and sardines and are not any cited for fishing with multiple line and a pair of hooks.
The bag restrict on blackcod/sablefish is the default 10, with not more than 20 fish together, besides “There isn’t any restrict on the next species: anchovy, jacksmelt, topsmelt, Pacific butterfish (pompano), queenfish, sanddabs, skipjack, jack mackerel, Pacific mackerel, Pacific staghorn sculpin, spherical herring, Pacific sardine, petrale sole and starry flounder.” Blackcod are open all-year.
The rockfish sub-bag limits are 2 vermilion and 1 copper. Different associated ones embrace sheephead – 2 fish with a 12-inch minimal measurement restrict. Additionally, cowcod, yelloweye and bronze noticed rockfish are nonetheless no-retention species and should be descended again.
As well as, it’s essential to have a descending gadget aboard when fishing. “A descending gadget should be obtainable for instant use on any vessel taking or possessing groundfish.”
Right here’s the hyperlink to the California leisure regs e book. Getting it at this hyperlink and doing a phrase search is absolutely the quickest technique to discover what you’re on the lookout for, together with coordinates for closed areas.
