How do you differentiate Blue rockfish and Black rockfish?

How do you differentiate Blue rockfish and Black rockfish?  They look mighty similar to me...

Blacks have mouths that extend past the eye.

once you start catching them it should be fairly easy to distinguish them. pictures just don't do justice

You will be able to tell after a few..

Note what Eric B said about the mouth too, you can see what he is saying in this drawing

It doesn't matter if you can tell because they have the same regs anyway. Not like Vermillion vs Canary.

Like others said the Blacks have much larger mouths and tend to run a little larger also. I like blacks because they have nice big white fillets. Blues on the other hand are not very good on the table in my opinion. Some people love em though so to each there own.

-Eliot

they look the same to me covered in beer batter and fried!

IME the best way to tell the difference is to give them the IQ test.  With a menacing demeanor and complete absence of stealth.......point your spear at them and take aim.  Black RF will be wary, blues....well... blues will try to bite the spear because its shiny.  Poke the blue until it gets out of the way and take the BlackRF, they taste better.

IME the best way to tell the difference is to give them the IQ test.  With a menacing demeanor and complete absence of stealth.......point your spear at them and take aim.  Black RF will be wary, blues....well... blues will try to bite the spear because its shiny.  Poke the blue until it gets out of the way and take the BlackRF, they taste better.

 

Funny yes, but true as well, on all counts, does that mean that smart fish generally taste better than the dumb ones??

As someone already mentioned, blues have smaller mouths than do blacks.  There are also a few other clues to look for when differentiating the two:

1) Anal fin on a blue is square-shaped, whereas a black has a rounded anal fin.
2) Dorsal fin of a black often has spots.  Blues lack spots on the dorsal fin.
3) Sometimes (but not always), blues will have a blue coloration (gasp!), particularly around their fins.

Here's a pic of a blue.  Notice the square anal fin, small mouth, and lack of spots on the dorsal.


Here's a pic of a black.  Note the rounded anal fin, spots on the dorsal, and the larger mouth.


They seem similar, but after you've caught a bunch of both, you'll be able to ID them almost immediately.

Thanks for that Clayman, and welcome!
Yup, you truly can't use color as the main ID method. Gotta check their buttfin.

As someone already mentioned, blues have smaller mouths than do blacks.  There are also a few other clues to look for when differentiating the two:

1) Anal fin on a blue is square-shaped, whereas a black has a rounded anal fin.
2) Dorsal fin of a black often has spots.  Blues lack spots on the dorsal fin.
3) Sometimes (but not always), blues will have a blue coloration (gasp!), particularly around their fins.

Here's a pic of a blue.  Notice the square anal fin, small mouth, and lack of spots on the dorsal.


Here's a pic of a black.  Note the rounded anal fin, spots on the dorsal, and the larger mouth.


They seem similar, but after you've caught a bunch of both, you'll be able to ID them almost immediately.

yup. look at the anal fin.....also Porky's pics show how the mouth  (when closed) extends under the eye on the Black.

Allen

Coloration too. Black rockfish show a mixture of black and white; blue rockfish have a bluish tint to them, as well as a mottling throughout the body.

Coloration too. Black rockfish show a mixture of black and white; blue rockfish have a bluish tint to them, as well as a mottling throughout the body.

I find that mottling, "checkering" I call it, to be very similar to the patterns on the flank of a small mouth bass, interestingly...

The two pics that Bluestar put up both look like blacks.

I agree with the others - it becomes very easy to tell the difference once you've caught several of each, but sometimes you come across a fish that seems like a cross...

Very clear now, thanks. 

I remember catching each type, in fact they are the most common type where I fish, just that I never paid attention to what is what.

Thanks for that Clayman, and welcome!
Yup, you truly can't use color as the main ID method. Gotta check their buttfin.

Sup SinCoast!  I've been kinda lurking around this board for a while since I bought my kayak last fall, so I figured I'd might as well sign up.