Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3824 Nov 8-22 | Page 17

1 ate B each lin Sa With Marine Protected Areas Castroville e e B t ve Ri 156 Sta 183 h Mulligan Hill Neponset 1 Elkhorn Slough SMCA 101 Salinas Marina Spquel Canyon SMCA Moro Cojo SMR ac r as Monterey County Coast Moss Elkhorn Slough SMR Landing et St ian d ea h ac Be Location: The Monterey County Coast offers a variety of fishing opportunities from Monterey Bay to the Big Sur Coast and the San Luis Obispo County Line. This region includes some of the most scenic coastline found anywhere in the. This area features an array of rockfish, lingcod, king salmon, halibut, striped bass, white seabass, surfperch and other species. Seasons: There are seasonal closures for lingcod, rockfish and Chinook salmon. Fishing for striped bass, halibut, sanddabs, white seabass and other species is open year round. This region is located within the CDFW’s Central Management Area, the ocean waters between 37°11’ N. latitude (Pigeon Point) and 34°27’ N. latitude (Point Conception), This includes all of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, and parts of Santa Barbara and San Mateo Counties. Rockfish: 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. Take is prohibited seaward of the 50 fathom depth contour (300 feet), defined in Federal regulations (50 CFR Part 660, Subpart C). The daily bag and possession limit is 10 fish in combi- nation 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), cabezon (3) and canary rockfish (3) are also included in the 10 fish RCG Complex aggregate limit. The minimum size limit for cabezon is 15 inches total length and the minimum size limit for kelp and or rock greenlings is 12 inches total length. Yelloweye rockfish, bronzespotted rockfish, and cowcod may not be retained (bag limit: zero). Lingcod: 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 2through December 31, 2019. The daily bag and possession limit is 2 fish, with a minimum size limit of 22 inches total length. For Divers, Shore-based Anglers : Fishing for rockfish and lingcod is open year round. Suns Monterey Coast Fishing Regulations 15 Nov 8 - 22, 2019 MAP FEATURE VOL.38 • ISS. 24 H Ind Portuguese Ledge SMCA Seaside ns de e Gar v ro e G in ic ar e cif M fug illo br Pa tate Re Ca Lucas S Fish t in Point Pt. Po Pinos Lighthouse Asilomar State Beach Point Joe Pacific Grove Del Rey Oaks Carmel Valley New Monterey Monterey Bird Rock Carmel y alle el V arm C Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMA Lovers Point SMR Edward F. Ricketts SMCA Asilomar SMR Carmel by the 17 Mile Sea Drive Cypress Point Sunset Pt Pt ch fuge l e a e Midway Pt rm Be e R Pescadero Ca tate am Carmel Pt S r r G Arrowhead Highlands ive tte Pt R Pt O ill ll el a cle rm Se nna rve d H no nd Ca rnia Pi ese San as K Isla r o R r Pt e rd lif e Fishing Notes Vi Bi ee at Ca St nk a s Y • Rockfish offer steady action for anglers during the season from April1 bo Point Sur SMR Lo through December 31. Fish squid strips and anchovies on Super Flies t int s P o and other shrimp flies. Good lures to use include Berkley Gulp Baits, P Point Sur SMR rane Gibbs Minnows, Horizon Pirk Minnows, Diamond Bars, Fish Traps and e b So River2Sea jigs. Lingcod can be caught on the same jigs and baits, as well as on live sanddabs, squid and mackerel. • King Salmon offer spring and summer sport for moochers using anchovies and herring and trollers using bait, Pro Troll E-Chip lures, Apexes, Krocodiles, hoochies and other lures. Monterey Bay and the adjacent ocean coast is known for the large size of the fish that it produces every year. • Halibut are found throughout this area of coast off the sandy beaches. Drift live anchovies or mackerel or troll the same baits. White sea bass spice up the catches of anglers fishing for halibut and salmon every year. For a summary of ocean sportfishing regulations, go to: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/fishing_map.asp leaky 12 foot boat off Santa Cruz one August afternoon. All I had was a trout spinning rod with me. We first began fishing over sand mixed rocks not far from the harbor, but then Alvarez said we would be going over to fish the kelp beds. We began pulling up small rockfish from the shallow water. He put one of them on a trap rig set up and quickly sent it down to the bottom. Up came a tooth denizen of the deep, a lingcod, and Alvarez gaffed it. It was the first time I had ever seen a lingcod and I was impressed. I later bought a heavier rod so I could Nick Ingram of San Jose holds up a brightly colored vermilion rockfish caught on a swimbait on light tackle off the target big lingcod Big Sur coast aboard the Kahuna out of Moss Landing. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. and big rockfish, but I still brought my light spinning rod River area and south of Twin Rocks in the has used plastic swimbaits, top water lures, along when Felix and I went out fishing shallows. Tady jigs and to get down to bottom, a in his boat or on a skiff from Santa Cruz One thing that is different this year is the small 4 ounce bar. “The key is to keep Boat Rentals after his boat began leaking relative lack of abundance of lingcod in changing stuff up,” she advised. too much. the catches, compared to the previous three December 1 is the next shallow water trip We caught many lingcod, rockfish and years where sometimes the captain had to – and the last of the year. greenling – and I always had a great time move the boat so they could get away from I’m really glad that the Kahuna is catching the rockfish on my light spinning the lingcod and hook up on the abundant booking these shallow water, light tackle rod. Interestingly enough, in all my time rockfish. trips for rockfish off the majestic Big using the light gear on skiffs and party “Our thinking is that the lingcod are Sur Coast. I’ve been fishing light tackle boats, I never hooked a “hitch hiker” staying in the deep water, maybe because rockfish for 40 years – and I’m elated to see lingcod on the rockfish that I brought up of change in currents or something else,” these trips becoming popular again. on light spinning gear, although I hooked said Jones. “They are beyond the 50 fathom My first experience light tackle rock- plenty of lingcod on heavier rods. (300 feet) depth waypoint lines where we fishing was not by design. My friend and The Kahuna also books regular trips to are prohibited from fishing.” longtime fishing buddy Felix Alvarez Point Sur, where bait and heavier gear is When she fishes the shallow water, she invited me to go fishing with him on his also used to entice rockfish and lingcod, 1 Monterey Monterey - Carmel Inset Carmel Pinnacles SMR Carmel Carmel by the Sea Carmel Bay SMCA Point Lobos SMCA Point Lobos SMR t r P t sle y P Ka ock R e an ric ur Pt 1 H Point Sur SMR e us r ho Su ht int g i o L P and the special “long-range” trips to Lopez Point, where huge lingcod and vermilion rockfish are landed – and sheepshead are also occasionally caught. During the salmon season, the Kahuna also books mooching trips for salmon. From December 31 to April, when groundfish or salmon cannot be pursued from a boat, the Kahuna is also available for sanddab and halibut trips inside the bay. For more information, contact Kahuna Sportfishing, (831) 633-2564, www.kahu- nasportfishing.com This angler displays a lingcod and vermilion caught on a light tackle trip rockfish adventure aboard the Kahuna on October 12. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.