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Dave2 | Mon Mar-04-02 10:26 AM |
Charter member
14 posts
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#5027, "Keepers"
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Like many, I enjoy catch and release, but there are times where I want to have something for the grill. What size fish is better to release for the good of the fishery? I usually keep a legal halibut, (don't worry, its not too many) my question relates mainly to calico bass. I want to have an idea of which calico are the prime breeders, and those that have less impact.
thanks!
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 RE: Keepers,
Randy,
Mar 04th 2002, #1
RE: Keepers,
CALICO PRO,
Mar 04th 2002, #2
 RE: Keepers,
Dave2,
Mar 04th 2002, #3
RE: Keepers,
brian,
Mar 04th 2002, #4
RE: Keepers,
MVBRUIN1,
Mar 04th 2002, #5
 RE: Keepers,
CALICO PRO,
Mar 04th 2002, #6
 RE: Keepers,
brian,
Mar 04th 2002, #8
RE: Keepers,
Outrage19,
Mar 04th 2002, #7
RE: Keepers,
MVBRUIN1,
Mar 05th 2002, #9
Good Article Outrage!,
TBrumfield,
Mar 05th 2002, #10
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Randy | Mon Mar-04-02 11:22 AM |
Charter member
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#5028, "RE: Keepers"
In response to Reply # 0
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Personally, I don't keep any Calicos, but thats my choice.
You should let the big fatns' go back to be a mom.
RD
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CALICO PRO | Mon Mar-04-02 12:09 PM |
Charter member
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#5029, "RE: Keepers"
In response to Reply # 0
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I don't bag my calico bass, but I would suggest that those fish that are best for keeping are 15" long... Every body knows that these fish grow extremely slowly, so If you really like to CATCH calicos try keeping sculpin or headin out to the market in search of something else.
I'm not trying to be a smart ass but somebody has to release calicos, because so many fairweather anglers keep them big or small, and I'm not saying that releasing every calico is something that everybody does, or should do... its just a choice myself and many other anglers choose to make...
For what it's worth
Tight Lines................
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Dave2 | Mon Mar-04-02 12:27 PM |
Charter member
14 posts
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#5030, "RE: Keepers"
In response to Reply # 2
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Another aproach. I release 95% of the fish I land, but want to be smart about the size of fish I do keep. Does anyone know, for any specific species, what is the best harvest size? I am looking to understand the thinking behind the "slot" type of regulations used in many places for other types of fish. I am assuming this type of thinking is true for all fish. Could be wrong, but curious.
thanks,
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brian | Mon Mar-04-02 12:44 PM |
Charter member
2409 posts
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#5031, "RE: Keepers"
In response to Reply # 0
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Hey Dave,
Good question. The best size calicos to kill are the ones that are <i>under</i> 15" or so. Once they get over 15", in my opinion, there is no reason to kill them and it just hurts the fishery. They oughta be turned back so that they can spawn again. Those bigger fish give off a lot of offspring and are a big part of the fishery. Plus, they taste worse when they get bigger. As for the halibut, don't even worry about that. The only reason you see guys releasing halibut on a regular basis like a couple of us around here, and on other sites, is because these guys catch so many halibut, that it's only proper to start turning em back after awhile. The fishery itself is in wonderful shape, and making a very strong comeback from where it used to be. I don't see a problem with guys keeping halibut, or filling their limits or whatever. C&R halibut fishing is more of a good gesture, or personal accountability issue rather than fisheries management. Getting back to the topic, if you must kill a calico, kill the ones that are under 15".
-Brian
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MVBRUIN1 | Mon Mar-04-02 06:04 PM |
Member since Feb 19th 2002
144 posts
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#5032, "RE: Keepers"
In response to Reply # 4
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The younger they are, the better tasting they are. In my years of fishing, whether it be party or private boat, I've tried to keep only the just legals between 12 & 14 in. for the Que. Calicos that is. Pretty much everything else is fair game to me. Nothing beats a good fillet on the barby. But Calico are a special breed. When you think of sportfishing in local So Cal waters you think of Calico bass. Besides the Yellows and Seabass, the Calico is pretty much a staple in the local sportfishing industry. I know alot of guys that will keep the big spawners just to say they caught a big one. Some of them don't even like to eat fish and God only knows what they do with 'em. The reason I bring this up is because there are alot of people that are uneducated or ignorant to the concept of releasing a mature bass. We, as educated fishermen, need to do everything we can including educating the everyday ordinary Joe about this plight to keeping only what you need to sustain you and your family or friends. Anyway, sorry about the lecture on Calico conservation there. But you get the just of it. So ya, that's it. That's the ticket. Keep the ones between 12 & 14 inches. Sparingly please. JMO.
GO BRUINS....GO RAMS....GO FISHING....!!!!
FLOWING THROUGH MY VEINS!!!!
GO BRUINS....GO RAMS....GO FISHING....!!!!
FLOWING THROUGH MY VEINS!!!!
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CALICO PRO | Mon Mar-04-02 06:30 PM |
Charter member
posts
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#5033, "RE: Keepers"
In response to Reply # 5
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Well spoken MV there has been many a day that I have released fat calico bass and received frowns from many of my fellow anglers aboard whichever party boat I may be on. Some of my most trustworthy fishing buddies keep every calico they catch that's legal, I seriously frown upon that but hey they got their way of doing things and I got mine. I'm not here to jump down anybody's throat about releasing the larger fish, but I guarantee that it feels better to release a fat female calico bass all dressed up in her bright orange summer garb, than it does to throw her in that gunny sack, try it once and I bet you'll be hooked..........
Tight Lines, not just for me, but for those who ain't here yet......
Practice it, Preach it, Live it.
I know my little diatribe is WAAAAAAAAY off of the subject but I just had to get that off of my chest.
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Outrage19 | Mon Mar-04-02 07:06 PM |
Charter member
78 posts
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#5035, "RE: Keepers"
In response to Reply # 5
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I totally agree! The younger they are the better they taste and there is really no reason to keep Calicos that are longer than 16 inches. We fish the "Barn Kelp" area frequently and the Calicos are thick there but mostly juveniles. We will keep a limit of 12-15 inch fish and they are the greatest eating fish in the sea but anything bigger gets kicked back and we only keep Calicos on rare occassions when we are specifically looking to have a Calico fish fry. That's like once a year.
Here are some excerpts taken from Dr. Milton Loves book:
"Probably More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes Of The Pacific Coast" :
DISTRIBUTION AND BIOLOGY: Kelp bass occur from the mouth of the Columbia River (Washington) to southern Baja California. Although they are most abundant from Pt. Conception southward, they are taken in some numbers as far north as Monterey Bay during warm water periods. Kelp bass love to live around structure and almost any kind of stuff will do. Kelp, rocks, sewer pipes and oil platforms, it hardly matters. The most interesting question is whether kelp bass require kelp at all. The answer seems to be a resounding "probably not". True, little kelp bass are very abundant in the kelp beds off much of southern California. However, they may also be extremely common where kelp does not grow, say along the breakwater of King Harbor, Redondo Beach, California. What seems to be happening is that larval kelp bass, drifting along in the plankton, seem to prefer to settle out where there is a lot of structure. Kelp plants, one end anchored on the bottom and the other floating on the surface, provide a lot of structure for a larval kelp bass to find. The plants probably act as giant sieves, "straining" larvae out of the water. But larval kelp bass will also settle out in bottom algae, which can be abundant in areas without any kelp at all.
You can find kelp bass as solitary individuals, morosely hanging around reefs; in small, loose aggregations, morosely hanging around reefs; or, during breeding season, in large, fairly compact schools, morosely hanging around reefs. Living from very shallow subtidal waters to depths of at least 200 feet, they are most abundant in 10-70 feet and will come out of the water when chasing food. Do kelp bass migrate? Well, it sort of depends on whom you ask. A California Department of Fish and Game tagging study, carried out in southern California in the 1950's, showed relatively little movement and concluded that the fish hang around the same area for extended periods. However, in my observations and those of my colleagues imply that fish in some locales may be more mobile than was suspected previously. There are several lines of evidence which support this statement. First, at any given time, there are about 400 kelp bass on Naples Reef, a very prominent structure just north of Santa Barbara. However, over a years time, a single sport fishing party vessel will take 5,000 bass off that reef. Unless kelp bass bud off of kelp fronds, they have to be moving in from some place. Second, skippers of sport fishing vessels in the area report that kelp bass aggregations swarm onto offshore reefs during certain periods, particularly (but not limited to) spawning season, and then disappear. I have seen pelagic schools of kelp bass miles offshore, determinedly heading some place, at a relatively rapid rate. Lastly, a recent tagging study undertaken in the Santa Barbara area showed that fish tagged during the summer, at oil platforms and local reefs, started moving away for these sites during the fall, with some moving many miles. Overall, it is likely that kelp bass behave differently in different circumstances. For instance, fish living in a food rich environment may live there for years. Ones which find themselves in an area where food comes and goes may move around more.
Kelp bass reach 28.5 inches and some live at least 33 years. They are 4 inches long at 1 year, 12 inches at 6 years and 17 inches at 9 years. Some mature at 7 inches (2-3 years), the rest when they are a little older and longer. All are mature by 10.5 inches. Spawning occurs from April to November and peaks during summer. During spawning periods, the fish form large aggregations and may move into slightly deeper water. As with many fish species, the largest females spawn the earliest in the season. Kelp bass eggs are pelagic and after fertilization drift about 1-2 days before hatching. Larval bass take about one month to metamorphose into juveniles; these fish recruit inshore to kelp and other algae (and probably to rocky bottom if nothing else is available) in late summer and fall. Small kelp bass are active during the day and shelter at night; they eat plankton and very small algal-associated invertebrates. Subadults feed mainly during the day, but are also somewhat active during the night; they eat larger invertebrates (such as amphipods, brittlestars and shrimps) and small fish. Adult kelp bass are most active at dawn and dusk; they feed on a wide variety of mid-water and bottom dwelling organisms, including fish, octopi, squids, crabs, shrimps and algae. Some research indicates that adult fish have two major feeding periods: in late spring, just before spawning season and late in late fall, just after. However, fish in breeding aggregations can be very aggressive, snapping at anything that comes near.
FISHERY: Arguably, kelp bass are the most important recreation species in the southern California party vessel fishery. From Santa Barbara to Bahia San Quintin, northern Baja California, anglers spend a lot of time and energy catching these guys. While most are caught from party and private vessels, a fair number are taken from piers, jetties and in the surf (where rocky reefs run near the shore). It's illegal to sell kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass taken in California, but 'twas not always so. Until 1947, there was a medium-sized fishery for these species, particularly for kelp bass and barred sand bass. Much of this "commercial" catch was made by recreational fishermen selling their catch.
REMARKS: My how times have changed. Today, kelp bass are a very popular recreational fish, but listen to what C.F. Holder had to say about them a while ago (The Channel Islands of California, 1910, Hodder and Stoughton): "The rock bass (kelp bass) is a poor fighter at best... no one cares for the rock bass; as game he is considered a delusion and snare. Some days at San Clemente Island when the professional (commercial) fishermen were in hard luck, and they had given us bait, we caught rock bass for them, and it was merely a question of baiting and hauling them in. We never could reduce the numbers of these pests". I don't know, C.F., sounds like some pretty strong words to me.
The longest movement of any tagged kelp bass was 282 miles, from southern California well down the Baja California coast.
Examination of Native American kitchen middens in southern California indicate that kelp bass were a part of these people's diets."
Dave(Outrage)
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MVBRUIN1 | Tue Mar-05-02 08:36 AM |
Member since Feb 19th 2002
144 posts
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#5036, "RE: Keepers"
In response to Reply # 7
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Nice excerpt Outrage, but what up with C.F Holder and his " pest " Calicos. Wow! I'd like to obtain that book of his and see if he thought the Yellows were a nuesance when targeting Tuna or if those "pesky " butts kept taking the candy bait when fishing the Seabass!?! Ha!
GO BRUINS....GO RAMS....GO FISHING....!!!!
FLOWING THROUGH MY VEINS!!!!
GO BRUINS....GO RAMS....GO FISHING....!!!!
FLOWING THROUGH MY VEINS!!!!
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TBrumfield | Tue Mar-05-02 01:22 PM |
Charter member
266 posts
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#5037, "Good Article Outrage!"
In response to Reply # 0
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Like most on this thread, I agree that the smaller legal calico's are the ones to keep if you are going to keep them. They are mature and can breed at 10.5 inches (per Outrage's article), but the smaller ones have much less eggs than the hawgs. A 5 pound female calico might have 4 times (or possibly more) as many eggs compared to a just legal 12 inch calico at breeding time. So keeping the big ones, really can adversely impact the fishery in the long run.
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© Copyright Robert Belloni 1997-2012. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without express written consent.
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