Good cheat sheet for tackle rigging avail?

It would be nice to have a sheet indicating following:

1. What's in season/etc. and minimum lengths. I've heard for steelhead you need to keep a frigging logbook of catches whether you release or not!! I could prob' go to DFG for this...but navigating their website may be a nightmare. Entire DFG site and lakecounty site have ZERO mention of using submersible fishing lights at night.

2. What fish are hot in what areas

3. What kind of tackle/rigging should be used for each kind of fish being targeted. I've only fished with simple rigging for bass, gill/etc., catfish, and sandsharks while surf-fishing...never done anything specialized. On charter boat (long time ago) they always rig for you.

Any quick and dirty URLs available for above?


thanks...

As for regulations, I think you just have to get used to reading them and do so repeatedly to fully understand the minor details.  The coastside board has a forum where you can ask questions and they will likely get answered by an actual game warden.  www.coastsidefishingclub.com

A good book that brushes the basics of many of our Norcal target species is "Fishing in Northern California" by Albert.  I used it heavily when I first moved to California and it was a good place to start to understand some of the basic rigs for many species and what times of year they tend to bite.  It is widely available in tackle shops. 

As for what's hot in what areas... thats where you need to scan the message boards.  Here are the webites I scan regularly in addition to the Coastside board:

www.fishsniffer.com  They have species specific message boards... good resource.
www.pierfishing.org 
www.usafishing.com

Good luck... Erik

A good book that brushes the basics of many of our Norcal target species is "Fishing in Northern California" by Albert.  I used it heavily when I first moved to California and it was a good place to start to understand some of the basic rigs for many species and what times of year they tend to bite.  It is widely available in tackle shops. 

Awesome recommendation on book...just picked it up and am quite pleased. Thoroughly covers fresh and salt scenarios for rivers, lakes, bay, coast and ocean. Numerous rigging examples, etc, etc.