10/25 Deeper LJ

[blackcloud9]

Launched by 9 am to small surf and sunny skies with no wind. A great fall day to be out on the water.

Ran across some other kayak fishers and helped them with some info, and they even caught some fish.

Caught a dozen or so reds, rockfish and sculpin on plastics, between 120' and 170' deep, most released.

A few were decent sized.

[hobieuser]

Thanks for the report. I really wanted to tag along but Sunday is not my day going out due to dedication to my church. I'm hoping you would go out some Mondays Great catch!

[dsafety]

I don't usually fish for rock fish but would like to give it a try again. My biggest concern is to how to release the fish I don't want to keep and have them survive to be caught another day.

If I remember right, a lot of fish caught deep blow up when brought to the surface with eyeballs popping out. Sometimes they are so inflated that they cannot swim. What is the best way to release these fish?

Bob

[Lets_Fish]

Originally Posted by dsafety

I don't usually fish for rock fish but would like to give it a try again. My biggest concern is to how to release the fish I don't want to keep and have them survive to be caught another day.

If I remember right, a lot of fish caught deep blow up when brought to the surface with eyeballs popping out. Sometimes they are so inflated that they cannot swim. What is the best way to release these fish?

Bob

I've heard that these work.

http://www.charkbait.com/cs/csd-TeamMarine.htm

[Siebler]

If the eyes are popped the fish are not going to make it. If just Bloated you can Fizz the fish and send them back down. Basically it is just using a needle to puncture the air bladder and then squeezing out all the air so the fish can swim down. Everybody should learn how to do this so that they can release flea cod and fish that they do not intend on keeping.

[Siebler]

Wow 40 bucks for a needle to fizz a fish. Thanks ill just use a safety pin....

[Hunter (The 80's Man)]

Originally Posted by Siebler

Basically it is just using a needle to puncture the air bladder and then squeezing out all the air so the fish can swim down. Everybody should learn how to do this so that they can release flea cod and fish that they do not intend on keeping.

You got any pics of this process, or can you explain it in a little more detail?

Thanks, Rob

[Lets_Fish]

Here's some links on venting a fish.

http://isurus.mote.org/research/cfe/...ent-a-fish.htm

http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/flsgp/flsgpg01002.pdf

[TCS]

The biggest one I caught the other day was about 8 or 9 inches long. I don't believe there is a size limit from DFG.

[-scallywag-]

first of all if ur going to target rockfish read the DFG regs!! There are alot of rules assosiated w/these fish, along with a few species that are protected.
Fizzing the fish seems to work ok although i dont like to handle them that much if im returning them to the ocean....we have always used a sabki with one barbless hook....gently reverse hook the fish and drop him back down...easy!...better yet leave the poor rockfish alone!! IMO, they are the most stressed fish population off our coast. If you wanna catch dinky fish go to the bay!!!

[dsafety]

I agree with Scallywag. I only keep fish I plan to eat and there can't much meat on a 9" rock fish. Why run the risk of killing a bunch of fish that are too small to use.

It has been many years since I have fished deep for rock fish. Unless my memory has failed me, the rock fish I used to catch were quite large, several pounds at least. Have we depleted this population to the point where the big fish are no longer around? If so, maybe we should voluntarily stop targeting rock fish.

If anyone knows something about this issue, please wade in.

Bob

[miguelitro]

I would say that is a pretty accurate statement^as well a viable solution

I do fish for them in baja but there are some lunkers down there

[-scallywag-]

I think the main reason to leave rockfish alone is that most species take a very long time (5-10years?) to reach sexual maturity, that and the survival rate of the fish we let go is obviously not that good...ohh yeh...and they will hit anything that moves...i've caught plenty of 6" rockfish on a 6xjr while jiggin structure.

On another note, i can't believe that the MLPA/seal lovin, whale killin weenies don't even seem to care about protecting the rockfish..

[-scallywag-]

but i guess there is one good reason to target them....they're delisious!!!!

[stairman]

I have seen many methods of releasing rock fish brought up from the depths but this is the best method i have used.

simply use the rig you caught them with.remove the hook from their mouth and carefully barely rehook them.this means that you just hook them by a little mouth or other skin as you can and send them back down.this will recompress their swim bladder and eyes too.when the weight reaches bottom a sharp jerk on the line wil break the tiny area of skin you hooked and release them at the pressure they came from.
puncturing the stomach to let the gas out will admit bacteria to the abdominal cavity as a ruptured apendix will in humans..this is not good!

[bender0240]

Seems like you can't catch fish around here without catching haters to go along with it.

Nice reds Larry. Can't wait to catch me some!!

[bigbarrels]

good eats!

[blackcloud9]

>>>> better yet leave the poor rockfish alone!!
I agree. Go catch the yellowtail and seabass.

-----------------------------

If you MUST fiddle with your electronics over deep water, like me, and
MUST pull on a vermillion occasionally, like me, the key may be to
minimize catching ANY little rockfish if you are targeting the bottom.

There are effective ways to accomplish that.

You may have seen the article in Pacific Coast Sportfishing, I provided a
couple tips on how to avoid catching (and subsequently trying to release)
small rockfish, as we all need to be very environmentally conscious these
days, extra especially. There are two main things to avoid.

- Avoid using any bait or scent;
- Avoid using a "jig", meaning iron like Salas or Tady or Iron Man;
The first attracts every little rockfish down there right to the hook, and,
the second snags the little ones often, especially when you "jig" it.

As many of you know, I always use a 2 to 3 ounce 5+ inch plastic or
bucktail with a good sized hook and I only "set" the hook when I feel a
strong thump. Keep it near the bottom in rocky areas. That's it. It's not
easy, and, you will not catch a ton of fish. But it's fun.

P.S. This weekend, all of what I released were sculpin, except
for one barberpole, but nothing "little". Sculpin can handle the 100 foot
release well, and even the little ones will POUND on the plastics.

I hope this was helpful.

[blackcloud9]

Hobieuser - I work Monday thru Friday, 8 - 6, sorry no Mondays but I'm always out there alone on weekends.
-

Scallywag - Protecting Rockfish (aka groundfish) are a key reason for implementing the MLPA, if I'm not mistaken. Ask the guys up north where they closed all the spots.
-

dsafety - Why run the risk of killing a bunch of fish that are too small to use. Precisely.
-

TCS - I don't believe there is a size limit from DFG. Yes though there are size minimum lengths for sculpin, whitefish and sheephead, and be careful of boccacio and others.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mapregs5.asp

Rockfish enjoy a closed season for a few winter months each year, and, you cannot target them deeper than 360', and they finally squashed the commercial bottom trawlers so there is already some help for them. These poor things were trawled by the ton in the past, for decades, which stopped in 2002. Here is more information than you can possibly absorb, but basically hook and line method gets a "Good Alternative" seafood watch rating.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/c...et.aspx?gid=16

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/c...fishReport.pdf


PS If you want to save the Rockfish from people like me, donate here (they don't need the money though!):
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/o...5FSpctJjBgacBw==

[dsafety]

Thanks for the excellent advice Larry. Next time out, I will give your lure technique a try and, hopefuly come home with something tasty for dinner. If I find that I am unable to keep from catching and killing the small fish, I will probably give up on fishing deep for rockfish.

Bob