The Joy of Deep-Dropping into the Monterey Canyon

Nice work Marc! Patrale was huge!! And black cod too, must've been in a deep hole
Congrats on dinner!

Caught these fish not too far from the area we fished together back in April -- a magical place, anything is possible in these waters.

I guess sablefish are groundfish, and thus subject to the same depth restrictions as rockfish?

Got me curious, so I looked it up. Yes, Sablefish (aka Blackcod) are "Federal groundfish" and subject to the same limits and restrictions as the other groundfish.
Including the 50-fathom depth limit, for the Central Coast. How deep were you dropping? I thought blackcod were usually found in more than 300 feet of water, but maybe that's just up here on the north coast.

I guess sablefish are groundfish, and thus subject to the same depth restrictions as rockfish?

Got me curious, so I looked it up. Yes, Sablefish (aka Blackcod) are "Federal groundfish" and subject to the same limits and restrictions as the other groundfish.
Including the 50-fathom depth limit, for the Central Coast. How deep were you dropping? I thought blackcod were usually found in more than 300 feet of water, but maybe that's just up here on the north coast.

Hi Tim, I found them in 300 feet of water but this seems to be a rare find. Usually sablefish are much deeper, in fact I know of a commercial boat out of Fort Bragg that catches black cod in 600-800 feet of water. Whether or not it is a legal catch for us sports fishermen depends on which side of the 50 fathom boundary you're on when you hook'em.

Thnx for the report I still need to give it a shot one of these days but reeling in 250-300 feet down is making me tired just thinking about it lol

On the bottom hook there was a bigger cousin to this one (see attached picture). Not sure what this species is called, would be happy to get an id if you have it.

I think it's a sablefish aka black cod Anoplopoma fimbria? https://caseagrant.ucsd.edu/seafood-profiles/sablefish-black-cod

You've got to be kidding me! Sablefish is one of my favorite food fish. A friend of mine brings some back from Alaska on occasion (packaged and frozen) and I didn't recognize it in its full glory. Caught about 5 or 6 mixed in with the Petrale.

My style has always been that if I can't ID it then it will go back without exception. Are there any restrictions / limits around Sablefish? I've got to try this spot one more time...

Oh, also my thanks to Tez and Cast Agnola for helping out. Incredible knowledge in this forum.

There are plenty of black cod in the depths of Monterey Bay; good size ones too. Got a load of them about 30 years ago fishing in 400 feet on the edge of the canyon.