Captain Juan Cook with a double catch of vermilion rockfish on one 300-gram knife jig.

Dock Totals 9/3 – 9/9: 4185 anglers aboard 178 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 2 barracuda, 1841 bluefin tuna (up to 160 pounds), 19 bocaccio, 35 bonito, 1 cabezon, 859 calico bass, 8991 dorado, 5 halibut, 3 lingcod, 1 mako shark, 2216 rockfish, 379 sand bass, 14 sanddab, 445 sculpin, 211 sheephead, 19 skipjack tuna, 7 treefish, 258 whitefish, 4 white seabass, 2206 yellowfin tuna, and 876 yellowtail.

Saltwater: The bluefin tuna bite has been off and on this past week, with some boats scoring easy limits while others struggle to get bites. That’s kind of how it works with the oft-finicky bluefin, though the number caught did climb a little from the week previous. Yellowfin tuna have been showing better, but dorado continue to be the headliners for the fleet, with nearly 9000 caught in seven days. All three species are widely scattered, though you will find more bluefin out west near San Clemente Island and the outer banks, and more yellowfin and dorado southwest and along the Baja coast. Even so, a trip to just about any high spot off the coast of Southern California or northern Baja might result in all three species caught, and maybe even a skipjack or two, or some kelp paddy yellowtail action.

Rockfish have been biting well for those on nearshore rockfish trips, which will end midnight on the 15th of September. From September 16th on, rockfish can only be targeted in water between 300 and 600 feet until the season closure from January 1st to March 31st. This is the first year since 2012 that fishing for groundfish has been allowed beyond the fifty-fathom line, and also the first year it has been closed in less than fifty fathoms during the season. With this in mind, I am wondering how many folks will be willing to crank up those fish from that deep.

I remember days of guys toting 12-volt car batteries and large electric reels onto the boat during rockfish trips in the 1970s. Back then, a 15-hook rig was common, and it was a haul until the fish bladders popped out due to decompression. Then, once the fish became more buoyant, they would often float to the surface and carry a 16-ounce weight up with them. The angler could then just reel them across the surface to the boat with little comparative effort. Now, with a 2-hook limit, I reckon it’s going to be a grind all the way up without the fish “helping.” I’m thinking the larger knife jigs will be much handier than winding up 600 feet to rebait hooks.

The seasonal closures do not apply to shore-based anglers or those spearfishing. This is why it is important to review the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) regulations every season, as changes are common. Fishery health and impact studies guide the regulations, and license fees pay not only for a lot of those studies, but also for management and enforcement of the regulations.

The CDFW website updates information, especially when a change occurs during a season, so there is little room for excuses from anglers violating any of the regulations. True, there is a lot to know concerning protected species, Marine Protection Areas (MPAs), fish identification, size and catch limits, and so on, but it is all there at the CDFW website. Not only do they have the above information, there is also an available interactive web map for internet-capable phones to help anglers avoid breaking any of the regulations or drifting into an MPA. And really, if you love nature, fishing and hunting — or even just getting outdoors to stretch your legs and maybe get some good photos — the CDFW website has a lot of information on the natural marine and terrestrial biospheres in California, with programs and videos on everything from how to avoid bears while camping to online workshops, such as the September session on for cannabis cultivation requirements with regard to lake and stream bed use.

Because I am very involved in the fishing community, I do hear a lot of grumbling about those “fish and game cops” and the plethora of rules that seem to be ever-changing. Thing is, just as the dictionary tosses out and adds words every year, some things become obsolete, unneeded, while other things become an issue and need addressing. California has 40 million citizens and a large community of anglers and hunters; without conservation efforts and enforcement, the damage to our wildlife and fisheries would soon be massive. We should applaud the CDFW for their overall efforts at protection while still allowing access to our amazing biospheres, and their commitment to resources to help us follow the rules, even if we don’t agree with some of the rules themselves. If you’ve wondered why some regulations are in place or why there was a change, you can search their database, check the studies, or just write them an email and ask for a concise explanation. We are not all going to agree on everything, but often, not knowing the “why” for a new closure, regulation, or change is the larger issue.

Given the amount of extant pressure, specifically on the fresh and saltwater fisheries, I think we Californians enjoy a very healthy outdoor environment where we can still harvest fresh meat for the table, and that is due, at least in large part, to good management. Not all of government performs as it should, but the CDFW is a good example, overall, of a governing body that informs, manages, and enforces, and still encourages citizens to use and enjoy our vast natural resources responsibly.

They’re out there, so go get ‘em!