Fished the flats and the shoe on Sunday.

Started out at the flat for spotty results. Didn't see anybody else hooking up either. After about 10 fish, we headed towards the shoe.

Anchored up at one of our spots and got hooked up right away. It was pretty good on the calicos, when the anchor held. The current was odd, and it kept moving us around all day.

78 fish; 10 sandies, 2 cuda, 66 calicos. ALL calicos released.


Slow to grow, so let 'em go!

Hi, the sandies have been wide open for 2-3 days at a time then they mellow out for some reason then come back on again (new batches of fish?). Since almost all are being kept, I can see how they would be vacant after a few days. They were up by the rigs last week but lately most of the boats got them in 70 to 90 feet from the pier south to the powerplant. I guess they moved south a bit. Your calico bite sounds fun. Thanks for the report.

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Wierd. I checked the counts from some of the boats on Sunday...all seemed to have good numbers of sandies. They must have got into an afternoon bite!

On an off note:
It's pretty sad...when you hit up your favorite calico spot and all you can get are 11 3/4" bass. Don't get me wrong, I still love catching them, I just wish people would have a little more discretion. Calicos take 5-7 years to get up to 12"--slow to grow, so let 'em go!

in regards to preserving the calico population, i think maybe the partyboats may be a large contributing factor to the diminishing number of quality calicos. i've never seen a deckhand tell anyone to throw back a bull calico. in fact, being a partyboat fisherman myself, i once caught a calico and after eyeballing it, decided it was short, and threw it back in the water, was reprimanded by the deckhand. i guess these guys have a living to make and need a good "fish count" to stay in business. i guess it's a lose - lose situation and the calicos have the most to lose. hopefully the dfg will implement new regulations to better preserve these fish.

Yellowtail, you understood my last posting perfectly. That was the point I was trying to drive home. A party boat full of 40 or more anglers will pull up on a spot, and the take everything.

Don't get me wrong, I know these guys have to make a living...but if there's NO FISH LEFT, how can they make a living? Look what's happened with rockfishing. Look at the Channel Islands Closures. Just because the DFG says we can take a certain number of fish, doesn't mean we should. Look what has happened to our fishery when we follow the rules--they implement closures, and make more restrictions. It seems that we are our own worst enemy! Please don't misunderstand me--of course you should keep fish for dinner. But 10 bass? Who can really eat 10 bass for dinner? OR who can eat 3 30lb WSB? OR how many times have you kept a limit of fish, ate some, then froze the rest. How long has that fish sat in the freezer? Hey, I am guilty too. We all need to take a little more responsibility and discretion or we will no longer have anywhere to fish.

I had an experience in Feb. I RARELY go on party boats (maybe once a year). I really had "the itch" so I went out for halibut. We weren't catching anything, a couple shorts, that's it. It was so bad, we didn't have a legal fish on the boat. The skipper decides to make a stop for some bass (to settle the JP). We pull up on a spot, and I get hookep up--it's a calico. I pull the fish in, and as I reach for the fish, the deckhand grabs it, unhooks it, and ask me "what bag?". I say "it's cool. Go ahead and throw him back.". The deckhand looks at me like I am crazy. He says "This is a LEGAL calico. What bag are you?" I said, "Really, it's cool, release him". The DH then says to all the passengers "Who wants a calico?!" Now I started getting mad! I said "Look, that is my fish, and I CHOOSE to release it. I don't have to keep everything I catch! Personally, I don't keep calico bass! PLEASE release my fish!!!". After this, the DH tosses the fish over his shoulder, lets out a huge sigh, then shrugs. What a piece of work. That's the last time I will go on that boat.

geez! what boat was that??? I release all of my calicos too. it is a native species to california and I will NOT keep them.

as for the rock fishing. Grey davis had no clue what the heck he was doing. on your way to catalina, you will get all kinds of meter marks on the bottom. do you know what they are??? shallow-water rock fish. there was no shortage on the rock fish.

I am a deckhand myself and we just want everybody to be happy. that way we gain more customers. I would never keep a calico if the person didnt want it. if it was a sand bass or barracuda, well.... that is ok because they aren't native and there is an abundance of them.






joe

Sandies grow a lot faster too! It doesn't take them nearly as long to get to 12".

We all better wake up a little, or before we know it there won't be any fish left, and we won't have any place left to fish. What this means is we all need to do our share--C&R, educate ourselves, spread the word, and VOTE! AND, if there are any DFG Commission meetings, we need to attend them.

I can't tell you how many people I have talked to that have no idea what is going on. When I educate them on the current situation, they are outraged!

Here is a picture from a Bill Simon Rally/Fishing Closure Protest at 22nd St last November.

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)