Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3819 Aug 30-Sep 13 | Page 19

MAP FEATURE VOL.38 • ISS. 19 s Drakes Bay ant ou r S Sky Camp Point Reyes Station Inverness Park Nicosio Nicasio Reservoir Reservoir Tocaloma Sculptured Beach Bear Valley Kelham Beach Glen Camp Forest Knolls Lagunitas Double Point San Geronimo Woodacre Kent Lake Alamere Falls Lucas Valley Abalone Point Sleepy Hollow Palomarin Trailhead Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory US Coast Guard a irf Fa s R ina ol B x- Bolinas Duxbury Pt.. d. Fairfax Alpine Lake San Anselmo Bon Tempe Lake Lagunitas Lake Kentfield Ross Bolinas Bay Stinson Beach Mount Panoramic Larkspur Corte Tamalpais Muir Madera Mill Woods Valley National Mon. State Gull d Rock s R ood Homestead ir W Valley Mu Park Muir Beach Tamalpias Overlook Valley Rocky Point Muir Beach Golden Pirates Cove Tennessee Cove Tennessee Pt.. Rodeo Cove Gate Marin City Fishing Notes • Rockfish action is excellent on this coast throughout the season. Blue, Black, Bonitas Brown, Point Vermilion, Gopher, China, Widow, Olive and Olive Rockfish are the main varieties caught, while cabezon and greenling also spice up the catches. Anchovies on three-way live bait set-ups are effective, as are Super Flies and other shrimp flies either fished alone or tipped with strips of squid or anchovies. Many anglers like to toss out bars ranging from 1 to 8 ounces. Among the better bars and jigs are Gibbs Minnows, Mega Baits, River2Sea lures and Horizon Pirk Minnows in a variety of colors. Berkley Gulp swimbaits, Fish Traps and plastic grubs in a range of sizes produce lots of rockfish every year. Point Reyes, Double Point, Duxbury Reef, and Point Bonita are among the many productive areas to pursue rockfish. • Lingcod roam the reefs of this coast. The top live baits are anchovies, mackerel, sardines, kingfish, sanddabs and squid, while many lingcod will "hitch hike" on hooked rockfish as they are being reeled up from the depths. The same bars and jigs used for rockfish will work for lingcod, though you may want to use these lures in larger sizes than you do for rockfish. Berkley Gulp 10 inch squid and other large swimbaits and the P-Line Ling Cod rigs are also good lures to have in your lingcod arsenal. • King Salmon fishing is traditionally best off this coast in June, July and August when the fish are fattening up with anchovies, krill and other forage as they get ready to run up the Central Valley rivers to spawn. However, the fish appear to be late this year. Trollers use anchovies, herring and a variety of lures, including Pro-Troll E-Chip lures, Apex lures and Krocodiles. Rotary Salmon Killers, Franko Bullet Rotators and hoochies are used in conjunction with bait to entice big salmon. Mooching can be great when the fish are schooled over concentrations of bait. Popular salmon spots include Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, Duxbury Reef, Double Point and Point Reyes. • Halibut can be good in both sandy and rocky areas in this area. The Marin Coast is known for producing big halibut in the 20 to 30 pound range every season at a number of locations, including Stinson Beach, Bolinas and Drakes Bay. Drifting live bait is the top method. Striped bass are often caught by anglers fishing live bait for halibut or trolling for salmon. Regardless of the species you fish for, make sure that you review the current Ocean Sport Fishing regulation booklets and suppements. Halibut to date. The white filet of Halibut is a prized and sought-after seafood option,” the CDFW concluded. On August 7, 10 days after the trip many of the same CSBA members I went with on the California Dawn trip After listening to several dozen speakers from the California Striped Bass Association, NCGASA Delta Anglers Coalition and other organizations, the California Fish and Game Commission at its meeting in Sacramento on August 7 directed staff to continue working with CDFW and stakeholders to revise a draft Delta fisheries management policy, including potential revisions to the existing striped bass policy. The policy will be again discussed at the Commission meeting on December 11, 2019, starting at 8:30 a.m at the Natural Resources Building Auditorium, First Floor, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento CA 958124. Fishermen and scientists were encour- aged that the Commission didn’t adopt the controversial change in the striped bass policy, spurred by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, an Astroturf group funded and created by Stewart and Lynda Resnick, the billionaire agribusiness tycoons that are pushing for increased water exports from the Delta for San Joaquin Valley agribusiness. Fish advocates say that the Coalition is concentrating on “predation” to divert attention from the main culprit in the dramatic decline of winter Chinook salmon, Delta smelt, longfin and other fish species — the massive export of northern California water south of the Delta. “As far as today goes, I’m glad they’re willing to bring the discussion back to Sacramento,” said David J. Ostrach Ph.D., Chief Scientist Ostrach Consulting, a leading scientific expert on striped bass Wildcat Camp Stafford Lake Nicasio Nicosio Arch Rock Jewell Jewell Point Resistance Marin County Coast Pt. Reyes National Recreation Area a ta Pe . Rd R Pt. Limantour Beach Santa Maria Beach Coast Camp s eye lum r Rd tou Liman pit San Francisco Bay area, where this has been one of the best seasons ever, continuously producing near limits for sport anglers. CDFW samplers working on the California Recreational Fisheries Survey have reported high success with anglers enthusiastic about their action- filled fishing experience inside the Bay. The catch has also been successful in the ocean, according to CDFW fishery biolo- gists. Normally the catch rate drops off in late July and August for sport anglers but catches reported by party boats have been well above average this year,” the CDFW stated. The CDFW said there are several reasons for this. Environmental condi- tions were optimal for Halibut egg and larval survival starting 5-6 years ago. Prolonged warm water periods resulted in several successful new year classes. Many of these fish have reached the minimum legal size of 22 inches, and are entering the fishery in force. The majority of the legal-sized Halibut caught are between the ages of 4 and 10 years according to ageing studies (using ear bones or otoliths) by CDFW staff. Males usually reach the minimum legal size limit between 5 and 7 years of age, while females grow more quickly and tend to reach the legal size limit between 4 and 5 years of age. Another recent warm water event has shown that fishing success for Halibut will continue in the future. Sublegal-sized fish are still being caught and released by anglers, which is a good sign for fishing success next year. Taking care in releasing these fish will ensure their survival. “Biologists monitoring the commercial catch in the Bay Area expect this to be an exceptional year based on landing reports of the pounds of commercially-taken Estero de Limantour L im To Bodega Bay Rockfish Regulations: The recreational fishery for rockfish (Sebastes sp.) is open to divers and shore-based anglers year-round. This fishery is open to boat-based anglers from April 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019. These species may only be taken or possessed in waters less than 240 feet (40 fathoms) deep. The daily bag and possession limit is 10 fish in combination of all species within the RCG Complex (includes all species of Rockfish, Cabezon and Greenlings) per person, with a sub-limit on black rockfish (4 per person), canary rockfish (3 per person) and cabezon (3 per person) also included in the 10 fish RCG Complex aggregate limit. Yelloweye rockfish bronzespotted rockfish, and cowcod may not be retained (bag limit: zero). Lingcod Regulations: The recreational fishery for lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) is open to divers and shore-based anglers year-round. This fishery is open to boat-based anglers from April 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019. Lingcod may only be taken or possessed in waters less than 240 ft (40 fm) deep. The daily bag and possession limit is 2 fish, with a minimum size limit of 22 inches total length. Other Species: Fishing for halibut, striped bass and leopard sharks is open year round in San Francisco Bay and outside of the Golden Gate. The bag limit for striped bass is two fish 18 inches or over; halibut, three fish over 22 inches; and leopard sharks, 3 fish over 36 inches. There are seasonal closures for salmon, sturgeon and soupfin sharks in San Francisco Bay. Charter boats: Sportfishing boats from throughout the Bay Area target rockfish, lingcod, halibut, striped bass and king salmon on San Francisco Bay and outside of the Golden Gate during their respective seasons. Contact Captain James Smith of the California Dawn, (510) 417-5557. Other boats booking trips out of the Berkeley Marina include the; New Easy Rider, (707) 422-2050; Pacific Dream, (510) 993-4414; Happy Hooker, ((510) 223-5388; Hook’d Up Sportfishing, (707) 655-6736; Goldeneye 2000, (510) 610-0888, or Bay Charter Boats, 510-850-2285 or cell 510-672-6913, For more information, call the Berkeley Marina Sportfishing Center, (510) 849-3333.The New Huck Finn, Sundance, Superfish, C-Gull II, New Seeker, New Salmon Queen, Sea Wolf and Wet Spot depart from the Emeryville Sportfishing Center, (510) 654-6040.The Bass Tub, (415) 456-9055, and Silver Fox Sportfishing, (415) 367-5600, depart from Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, while the Predator, (707) 342-8481, is berthed at the Vallejo Marina. Marin Coast Facts US Coast Guard Point Reyes Light Station Po int Re ye 17 Aug 30 - Sept 13, 2019 National Recreation Area Sausalito Pt. Bonita Lighthouse Pt. Bonita Point Kerby Diablo Cove Lime Pt. Fort Baker Pt. Cavallo To San Francisco and Delta fish species. “ point out that almond trees are native to Roger Mammon, President of the West the Middle East, Syria, Israel, Turkey and Delta Chapter of the California Striped Pakistan. Pistachio trees originate in the Bass Association and Board Member of Middle East and Central Asia. Why don’t Restore the Delta, exposed the fallacy we eradicate or control them? At least the behind the water contractors’ position that sport fish in the Delta are native to North the striped bass is somehow responsible America.” for the collapse in salmonid populations. The purpose of the California Striped “The Coalition for years has blamed the Bass Association (CSBA), founded by striped bass for the decline in salmon and Jay Sorenson in 1974, is the preservation, steelhead populations,” said Mammon. protection and enhancement of striped “Peer-reviewed science has debunked bass. Information: csbawestdeltachapter. this, yet they continue the assault. Trawl org/ surveys show that both salmonid and striped bass popu- lations are at historic lows. the decline over the decades coincides with increased water exports.” He quipped, “The coalition’s position that Striped Bass and Black Bass are non-na- tive species that should not be protected. I would JP Gano, California Dawn deckhand, and Gary Arroyo bring another big like to halibut over the deck. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.