NorCal Kayak Anglers

General => Fish Talk => Topic started by: bsteves on May 16, 2006, 03:07:48 PM

Title: Telling Sanddabs from Juvenile California Halibut
Post by: bsteves on May 16, 2006, 03:07:48 PM
This was brought up recently elsewhere on this board so I thought I'd repeat it here...

Sanddabs and juvenile california halibut look very similar if you don't know what to look for.  I'd hate for any of you to be caught by fish and game with a 7 inch halibut you thought was a sanddab.

1.)  Halibut have an arch in their lateral line above the pectoral fin, sanddabs have a straight lateral line.
2.)  Sanddabs are all "left-eyed".  In other words, if you hold the fish up like it was a normal fish (non-flatfish) the eyes would be on the left side of the fish.   Halibut can be either left-eyed or right-eyed.  So if it's right-eyed, it's a halibut (or a sand sole... more on that later).

Here are some pictures..

California Halibut
(http://www.dfg.ca.gov/MRD/mspc147.gif)
(http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/gifs/regulations/california_halibut_lg.gif)

Pacific Sanddab
(http://www.dfg.ca.gov/MRD/mspc149.gif)


Brian
Title: Re: Telling Sanddabs from Juvenile California Halibut
Post by: mooch on May 16, 2006, 03:22:44 PM
Brian - sole or sandab?
Title: Re: Telling Sanddabs from Juvenile California Halibut
Post by: bsteves on May 16, 2006, 03:27:02 PM
Let's see it's right-handed (right-eyed), straight lateral line.....so it's a sole.   

To be more precise... the top most eye looks like it is probably visible from the "blind side" ... therefore it's probably an English Sole.
Title: Re: Telling Sanddabs from Juvenile California Halibut
Post by: Seabreeze on May 17, 2006, 07:48:56 AM
Thanks Brian and Joel.  Seeing the photos is a big help.