Rockfishing marks the start of the 2005 fishing season

The skies are finally clearing from the intense storms that just passed though California. March 1 marks the opening of the rockfishing season. That means red snapper, chuckleheads, boccacios and many more bottom fish are back on the menu. Adding a little twist the sculpin and ling cod are once again legal to catch and keep.

With the start of the new season just around the corner, now is a good time to review some important regulations on rockfish. Below is a quick overview of the 2005 policies, as established by the Department of Fish and Game. A link to their site has also been provided, where you can download the full list of regulations.

2005 Bottom Fishing Regulations- Point Conception to the Mexican Border

Fishing will be restricted to waters between 30 fathoms (180 feet) and 60 fathoms (360 feet) through the end of June. From July 1 through the end of the season which is Sept 30, fishing is allowed in waters less than 40 fathoms (240 feet)
The bag limit for any combination of bottom fish is 10. Within your bag of 10, you may only have 1 Boccacio or Salmon grouper (10 inches), 1 Cabezon (15 inches) and 1 kelp or rock greenling (12 inches).
October thru December 2005 marks the openiong of sculpin fihing. Minimum length of a legal catch is 10 inches.In October sculpin can only be caught in depths less than 40 fathoms and 20 fathoms in December.
April through September brings back the lingcod to the most wanted list. With the bag limit being two and the minimum length at 24 inches. The depth restrictions are the same as those applied to common rockfish.

Remember these regulations are being put on us for a reason. Whether or not we are the ones that are causing the depletion of the bottom fish we have to abide by the laws. Please limit your catch to one you can consume and not take more than you can eat or give away to friends.