The rockfish season in our area — from Pigeon Point to Point Conception — began on May 1.
This year’s salmon season started great but had started to slow as of late, so the rockfish season opener was nice to have as another option.
The regulations are similar to last year, and the season will end on Dec. 31 — so there will be plenty of time to catch these tasty ground fish.
A two-hook restriction is in place and fishing is only allowed in 240 feet of water or less.
The bag limit — or “RCG complex” as it refers to the rockfish, cabezon, greenling complex — regulates the sizes of each species.
A combination of 10 species can be kept:
– Greenling must be a minimum of 12 inches in length.
– Cabezon must be at least 15 inches in length and limited to three fish.
– Boccaccio have no size limit, but there is a limit of three fish.
– Ling cod must measure at least 22 inches, and two additional ling cod may be kept along with the 10 legal rockfish.
– No canary, yellow eye, cowcod, or bronze spotted rockfish may be taken.
From the Mendocino area to the Oregon border, the rockfish season started on Thursday.
The San Francisco region’s rockfish season will start on June 1, from the Marin Coast to Bodega Bay.
Salmon season has had a steady start, and fishing seems best now. Last Sunday marked the opening of the salmon season from Horse Mountain to the Oregon border.
Commercial salmon season, which opened May 1, is set to remain open until June 30.
On a sad note in the freshwater topic, Loch Lomond will not open this year due to low water levels. This is sad news especially after trout plants had resumed in prior seasons.
Hopefully, we get the rain we need for Loch Lomond next season, and you can get out on the Bay for salmon and or rockfish.
More info on regulations can be found at www.dfg.gov.
– Mike Baxter has fished in the Monterey Bay Area since he was a boy and has been a licensed charter boat captain for more than 20 years. Contact him at ca************@ya***.com. He also hosts a fishing show on radio station KSCO (1080) from 8:06 to 9 p.m. Thursdays April through the end of August.
