10/25 Deeper LJ - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

stairman · 10-27-2009, 04:34 PM

I have seen many methods of releasing rock fish brought up from the depths but this is the best method i have used.

simply use the rig you caught them with.remove the hook from their mouth and carefully barely rehook them.this means that you just hook them by a little mouth or other skin as you can and send them back down.this will recompress their swim bladder and eyes too.when the weight reaches bottom a sharp jerk on the line wil break the tiny area of skin you hooked and release them at the pressure they came from.
puncturing the stomach to let the gas out will admit bacteria to the abdominal cavity as a ruptured apendix will in humans..this is not good!

bender0240 · 10-28-2009, 11:05 AM

Seems like you can't catch fish around here without catching haters to go along with it.

Nice reds Larry. Can't wait to catch me some!!

bigbarrels · 10-28-2009, 11:53 AM

good eats!

blackcloud9 · 10-28-2009, 10:04 PM

>>>> better yet leave the poor rockfish alone!!
I agree.

Go catch the yellowtail and seabass.

-----------------------------

If you MUST fiddle with your electronics over deep water, like me, and
MUST pull on a vermillion occasionally, like me, the key may be to
minimize catching ANY little rockfish if you are targeting the bottom.

There are effective ways to accomplish that.

You may have seen the article in Pacific Coast Sportfishing, I provided a
couple tips on how to avoid catching (and subsequently trying to release)
small rockfish, as we all need to be very environmentally conscious these
days, extra especially. There are two main things to avoid.

- Avoid using any bait or scent;
- Avoid using a "jig", meaning iron like Salas or Tady or Iron Man;
The first attracts every little rockfish down there right to the hook, and,
the second snags the little ones often, especially when you "jig" it.

As many of you know, I always use a 2 to 3 ounce 5+ inch plastic or
bucktail with a good sized hook and I only "set" the hook when I feel a
strong thump. Keep it near the bottom in rocky areas. That's it. It's not
easy, and, you will not catch a ton of fish. But it's fun.

P.S. This weekend, all of what I released were sculpin, except
for one barberpole, but nothing "little". Sculpin can handle the 100 foot
release well, and even the little ones will POUND on the plastics.

I hope this was helpful.

blackcloud9 · 10-28-2009, 10:32 PM

Hobieuser - I work Monday thru Friday, 8 - 6, sorry no Mondays but I'm always out there alone on weekends.
-

Scallywag - Protecting Rockfish (aka groundfish) are a key reason for implementing the MLPA, if I'm not mistaken. Ask the guys up north where they closed all the spots.
-

dsafety - Why run the risk of killing a bunch of fish that are too small to use. Precisely.
-

TCS - I don't believe there is a size limit from DFG. Yes though there are size minimum lengths for sculpin, whitefish and sheephead, and be careful of boccacio and others.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mapregs5.asp

Rockfish enjoy a closed season for a few winter months each year, and, you cannot target them deeper than 360', and they finally squashed the commercial bottom trawlers so there is already some help for them. These poor things were trawled by the ton in the past, for decades, which stopped in 2002. Here is more information than you can possibly absorb, but basically hook and line method gets a "Good Alternative" seafood watch rating.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/c...et.aspx?gid=16

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/c...fishReport.pdf

PS If you want to save the Rockfish from people like me, donate here (they don't need the money though!):
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/o...5FSpctJjBgacBw==

dsafety · 10-29-2009, 06:08 AM

Thanks for the excellent advice Larry. Next time out, I will give your lure technique a try and, hopefuly come home with something tasty for dinner. If I find that I am unable to keep from catching and killing the small fish, I will probably give up on fishing deep for rockfish.

Bob

THE DARKHORSE · 10-29-2009, 12:16 PM

You bottom trawling SOB

.

-scallywag- · 10-29-2009, 12:27 PM

interesting reads....
map3 still leaves the delmar rockfish heaven wide open doesn't it?....mlpa advocates also claim the mpa's will somehow help the kelp regrow??

anyway...i have a question about skulpin, i have caught alot fot them in the kelp and along jetties in the bays and thier mouths (teeth) are always bass-like, sandpapery and lippable....a couple days ago i caught what looked like a very big skulpin (3-4lbs) on a heavy iron but his teeth where much narlier...little needles pointed back twards its throat...also a little blue green in the mouth area like a lingcod. What was that???

10-27-2009, 04:34 PM	#1
stairman Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 84	sending rockfish home I have seen many methods of releasing rock fish brought up from the depths but this is the best method i have used. simply use the rig you caught them with.remove the hook from their mouth and carefully barely rehook them.this means that you just hook them by a little mouth or other skin as you can and send them back down.this will recompress their swim bladder and eyes too.when the weight reaches bottom a sharp jerk on the line wil break the tiny area of skin you hooked and release them at the pressure they came from. puncturing the stomach to let the gas out will admit bacteria to the abdominal cavity as a ruptured apendix will in humans..this is not good!

10-28-2009, 10:32 PM	#5
blackcloud9 Kayaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Big Rock, WindanSea, La Jolla Posts: 413	Hobieuser - I work Monday thru Friday, 8 - 6, sorry no Mondays but I'm always out there alone on weekends. - Scallywag - Protecting Rockfish (aka groundfish) are a key reason for implementing the MLPA, if I'm not mistaken. Ask the guys up north where they closed all the spots. - dsafety - Why run the risk of killing a bunch of fish that are too small to use. Precisely. - TCS - I don't believe there is a size limit from DFG. Yes though there are size minimum lengths for sculpin, whitefish and sheephead, and be careful of boccacio and others. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mapregs5.asp Rockfish enjoy a closed season for a few winter months each year, and, you cannot target them deeper than 360', and they finally squashed the commercial bottom trawlers so there is already some help for them. These poor things were trawled by the ton in the past, for decades, which stopped in 2002. Here is more information than you can possibly absorb, but basically hook and line method gets a "Good Alternative" seafood watch rating. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/c...et.aspx?gid=16 http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/c...fishReport.pdf PS If you want to save the Rockfish from people like me, donate here (they don't need the money though!): http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/o...5FSpctJjBgacBw== Last edited by blackcloud9; 10-28-2009 at 10:49 PM.

10-29-2009, 12:16 PM	#7
THE DARKHORSE Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Seven minutes from the launch! Posts: 987	I love you, Larry. You bottom trawling SOB . __________________

10-28-2009, 11:05 AM	#2
bender0240 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 118	Seems like you can't catch fish around here without catching haters to go along with it. Nice reds Larry. Can't wait to catch me some!!

10-28-2009, 11:53 AM	#3
bigbarrels Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Vista Posts: 1,111	good eats!

10-28-2009, 10:04 PM	#4
blackcloud9 Kayaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Big Rock, WindanSea, La Jolla Posts: 413	>>>> better yet leave the poor rockfish alone!! I agree. Go catch the yellowtail and seabass. ----------------------------- If you MUST fiddle with your electronics over deep water, like me, and MUST pull on a vermillion occasionally, like me, the key may be to minimize catching ANY little rockfish if you are targeting the bottom. There are effective ways to accomplish that. You may have seen the article in Pacific Coast Sportfishing, I provided a couple tips on how to avoid catching (and subsequently trying to release) small rockfish, as we all need to be very environmentally conscious these days, extra especially. There are two main things to avoid. - Avoid using any bait or scent; - Avoid using a "jig", meaning iron like Salas or Tady or Iron Man; The first attracts every little rockfish down there right to the hook, and, the second snags the little ones often, especially when you "jig" it. As many of you know, I always use a 2 to 3 ounce 5+ inch plastic or bucktail with a good sized hook and I only "set" the hook when I feel a strong thump. Keep it near the bottom in rocky areas. That's it. It's not easy, and, you will not catch a ton of fish. But it's fun. P.S. This weekend, all of what I released were sculpin, except for one barberpole, but nothing "little". Sculpin can handle the 100 foot release well, and even the little ones will POUND on the plastics. I hope this was helpful.

10-29-2009, 06:08 AM	#6
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,122	Thanks for the excellent advice Larry. Next time out, I will give your lure technique a try and, hopefuly come home with something tasty for dinner. If I find that I am unable to keep from catching and killing the small fish, I will probably give up on fishing deep for rockfish. Bob

10-29-2009, 12:27 PM	#8
-scallywag- Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: on the road... Posts: 598	interesting reads.... map3 still leaves the delmar rockfish heaven wide open doesn't it?....mlpa advocates also claim the mpa's will somehow help the kelp regrow?? anyway...i have a question about skulpin, i have caught alot fot them in the kelp and along jetties in the bays and thier mouths (teeth) are always bass-like, sandpapery and lippable....a couple days ago i caught what looked like a very big skulpin (3-4lbs) on a heavy iron but his teeth where much narlier...little needles pointed back twards its throat...also a little blue green in the mouth area like a lingcod. What was that???