Relentless Sportfishing

A pair of hefty vermilion rockfish caught aboard the Relentless 1.5-day rockfish trip to Mexican waters.

Dock Totals 2/19– 3/4: 684 anglers aboard 34 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past two weeks caught 1 barracuda, 22 calico bass (88 released), 21 halfmoon, 1 halibut (released), 54 lingcod, 39 perch, 61 spiny lobster (251 released), 22 rock crab, 1,168 rockfish, 206 sand bass, 71 sanddab, 461 sculpin, 32 sheephead, 2 spider crab, and 494 whitefish.

Saltwater: The series of storms that brought heavy snow to California’s mountain ranges through the latter half of February kept the sportfishing fleet in the harbor for six days over the past two weeks. On the days that were fishable, a few boats made runs for rockfish south of the border, but the majority of rockfish in the report was caught in two days; Sunday, February 19th and Saturday, March 4th during extended half-day to 1.5-day runs. Other than that, local runs have been focused on either sand bass and halibut off the Point Loma and Imperial Beach flats, or calico bass, sheephead, and whitefish off the inshore reefs and kelp beds.

The groundfish fishery regulations seem to change every year, and this year is no exception. Two changes that will affect anglers most for 2023 are the season closure extension through the end of March, and depth changes for rockfish and lingcod that will extend open areas seaward of the 50-fathom (300-feet) line. This means that although we have to wait until April to target rockfish and lingcod in California waters, we will be able to deep-drop into the depths beyond 300-feet that have been off limits since 2012. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife placed a 50-fathom limit in November of that year to protect cowcod from incidental catches.

Usually found over rocky bottoms where there are steep drop-offs, cowcod are among the largest, slowest-growing rockfish caught off our coast, but have been protected from any take since 2001. The cowcod range runs from Central California to northern Baja, and they can reach 55 years in age, while growing to nearly 40 inches in length and weighing up to 30 pounds. Once a most-prized catch on rockfish trips, only young cowcod are usually caught since the depth restrictions were enacted, because most descend to between 300 and 1500-feet in depth once they reach adulthood. Recent studies have shown a recovering cowcod population, and while they are still protected from take and management areas are still off-limits to anglers, allowing recreational access to the depths beyond 300-feet in open areas for allowed species should pose no serious consequence for the recovering cowcod population.

Here is the breakdown of the groundfish regulations for the Southern Management Area (Point Conception to the US/Mexico border) that go into effect on April 1st, 2023:

“For nearshore rockfish, cabezon and greenlings: closed Jan. 1 through March 31, open at all depths April 1 through Sept. 15, closed Sept. 16 through Dec. 31. For all other rockfish (shelf and slope species) and lingcod: closed Jan. 1 through March 31, open at all depths April 1 through Sept. 15. From Sept. 16 through Dec. 31, take of shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod is open seaward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Take is prohibited shoreward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Additional regulations still apply within the Cowcod Conservation Areas.” -CDFW

Also, due to bag and possession limit changes per species, CDFW advises the following: “Anglers will need to identify rockfish species they catch, and beginning in 2023, be able to determine if the fish is categorized as a nearshore, shelf or slope rockfish species, as different seasons and depths apply to each category depending on the Groundfish Management Area and month. The RCG bag limit will remain at 10 fish in combination of rockfish, cabezon and greenlings, with sub-bag limits of not more than four vermilion rockfish, one copper rockfish and one quillback rockfish. Take and possession of cowcod, yelloweye and bronzespotted rockfish will remain prohibited.” On this, identification charts can be found by searching ‘groundfish identification’ at the CDFW website.

Two changes for 2023 already in place are that ocean whitefish, California scorpionfish, leopard shark, soupfin shark, Dover sole, English sole, arrowtooth flounder, spiny dogfish, skates, ratfish, grenadiers, finescale codling, Pacific cod, Pacific whiting, sablefish and thornyheads are now open year-round in all depths, statewide, and boat-based fishing for California sheephead is open from March 1 through Dec. 31, statewide. The bag limit of California sheephead, regardless of fishing mode, will decrease from five fish to two fish.

Being able to target depths seaward of 50-fathoms allows access to the majority of the rockfish populations, but this will also bring about a gear change for anglers used to fishing the bottom in 300 feet or less. Line capacity on reels is more due to braided line being a lot thinner than mono or fluorocarbon line, but reel designs have adjusted with smaller spools and stronger 2-speed gearing. When fishing deep, high-speed gearing may or may not help, depending on the load. With heavy fish, a lower gear-ratio gives one power, but it is a long haul to the surface.

With smaller fish, the high-speed reels or high gear on two-speed reels will help get the fish to the surface quicker. Then again, there is the line capacity and average smaller spools of today. I can see where older 3/0 and 4/0 Penn Senators might make a comeback, given that they can hold oodles of braided line and, slow 4-1 retrieve aside, can therefore easily fish the depths well beyond 300 feet. Another change might be in the future fish reports and counts. Boats targeting deep rockfish will more than likely have more by-catch of species that live or feed deeper in the water column that we don’t normally see on rockfish trips, like oilfish and even swordfish.

While waiting for the rockfish season to open, be sure and mark your calendars for Sunday, March 19th and the return of the Day at the Docks. Postponed by covid since 2020, the favorite free outdoor fishing festival continues its four-decade tradition of bringing the fishing community together with the general public. This year’s event will feature many of the favorite activities from previous years, including the Kid’s Fishing Derby, harbor tours aboard sportfishing vessels, cooking and tackle demonstrations, and vendor booths featuring products and services from small local lure manufacturers to major brands throughout the fishing industry.

As the Waterfront between Shelter Island Drive and North Harbor Drive has expanded and been renovated over the last several years, so has the footprint of the annual sportfishing festival. One exciting change is the convenient and scenic walkway that now connects the commercial fishing fleet at Driscoll’s Wharf on North Harbor Drive to Shelter Island public parking lot, pier, and boat ramp. This new addition not only expands the Day at the Docks event area and participants, it also makes for a relaxing bayside walk past waterfront businesses — including fresh seafood vendors, restaurants, a brewery, sportfishing landings, sailing and whale watch charters, and marine retail shops any time of the year.

They’re out there, so go get ‘em!

Fish Plants: 3/9 – Lake Poway, trout (1,500), 3/10 – Santee Lakes, lakes 3&4, trout (1,500), 3/20 – Jennings, trout (2,000), 3/23 – Lake Poway, trout (1,500)