Yelloweyes & Vermilions

Last year on Labor Day weekend a bunch of us were up at Stillwater (north)  Cove and we caught a number of yelloweyes in 60-90 feet of water.  I caught one in 60 ft. of water that had its bladder inflated because I brought it up too fast, thought it was a ling.  The trick is definitely bring them up slow if you think its a bigger rockfish or you are catching and releasing.  You probably shouldn't fish deeper than 50-60 feet if you are catching and releasing.  If you are keeping and fishing up to 150 or so, just bring the rockfish up slow, although there still might be some who won't go down.

From what I learned about yellow eyes in Alaska, they just blow up.  They are not at all tough.  We got LOTS of quillbacks and they all zipped right back down.

I dunno. That pains me to damage such a fragile species on one hand but then I need to fish as well. I guess I strive to make amends and balance out the karma by my stands for preserving marine habitat and my tirades about treatement of fish. I guess we each cope in our own way. Still I try to minimize my impact where I can.

I do hope you and Randy and I can wet lines together some day in carmel Bay or somewhere down there. You and I are not as far apart as we seem I think. Paul Lebowitz just pinged me about the next round of the MPLA and asked for help. I'll give what I can given family and struggling to keep employed pressures.