Best bait for finicky Black/Blue rockfish?

At Open Shelter this weekend, I came across a HUGE school of Blacks/Blue rockfish.  The school filled the fish finder from the top of the water column all the way down to the bottom.  I threw large and small squid-tipped shrimp flies, swim baits, scampis, and even a flutter jig, they would chase it, occasionally peck at it, but overall were disinterested in anything I presented.  Usually when I come across something like this, I can't even get my line down to the bottom to target other species. 

When blacks/blues have lockjaw, what is your go-to bait/lure that gets them to bite?

1.5-2 oz megabait or similar works well. Blacks often hit hard but don’t fully commit. More of a snap reaction type bite. Small metal jugs get inhaled and hook up whereas a swimbait will get ejected or get the tail nipped off. Try working the jig with small twitches and don’t forget to pause. They will often hammer it on the pause or right as you start to move it again.

Sometimes a dead sticked shrimp fly works better without squid.

Good luck and have fun.

-Eliot

1/4oz Castmaster Chrome 

I was just thinking about dusting off some little kastmasters and adding them to my tackle bag!

I was just thinking about dusting off some little kastmasters and adding them to my tackle bag!

Make sure bring spinner rod FUN FUN FUN!!!

This.

Lol.  That ( and anything else with a hook, and sometimes things that don't have hooks) is good enough 99/100 days.  I'm looking for the one that works even for that wonky 1%

Interesting topic...when I see big school like that I always move on. Normally, I don't keep school rockfish. But when they are not as thick, that s where I start fishing for lingcod.

I'm looking for the one that works even for that wonky 1%

Speargun shaft to the face...you know that.

#ForceFedSteel

 

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

How do you know it was a school of rockfish if you didn't catch any...Maybe they were too small or it was something else?

I usually will downsize for school fish if I'm interested in catching them.  I like carrying a ml spinning rod for those days and small swimbaits/kastmaster type of lures.  It can be a lot of fun, like fishing for bass, except without them being stupid bass.

I try to make longer casts and work it back to the boat.  The ones under your shadow might be a little wary. 

Maybe it's not the bait, but rather, the movement (presentation). Try dropping whatever it is you have to the bottom, Then start paddling fast. (I sometimes find it helps to say out loud "there's no fish here, i'm Leaving now).I've caught tons of blacks just by going on the move, even when I didn't know they were there...Kastmaster, Kokodile, bucktail, shrimp fly, whole bait.

Calico bass in Monterey are like that too.  On the move. (when they are there)

bushy

Small trout lures on light spinning tackle. 1/4oz kastmaster with bloody garlic tuna gel should do the trick.  Sry your speed, retrieve, etc til you find what they want.

Pline chartreuse minnow 3oz

How do you know it was a school of rockfish if you didn't catch any...Maybe they were too small or it was something else?

Surface viz was probably 20 ft give or take.  I could see them circling and chasing my jigs up from the depths.  I tried everything with what I had, flys with and without squid, casting and retrieving, and trolling for nada.  I don't usually target blacks and blues because they are usually the majority of what you catch up there. It was an odd weekend though, I caught (and released) some real nice sized yellow eyes, china cods,  but for whatever reason the big blacks just weren't biting.  There was also a ton of bait in the water, so perhaps they had gorged themselves already.



I'm def gonna try small kastmasters that I usually use for trout.  A trout rod and reel sound like a hoot, but it would be one more thing to pack.......