Quote from: ryang85 on May 09, 2017, 12:40:10 PM

Sculpins arnt related to rockfish

That's okay, sculpins aren't related to sculpins either.

Oh man, this threw me for a loop until i did a google search,  so sculpins  arnt scuplins, but sculpins are related to rockfish,


 sculpins are more related to lingcod and cabs than.

 Now who the f#ck decided to call a scorpion fish a sculpin and cause this mess i had no clue i was falling victim of...

Wait is this venom, similar to the venom on sculpins? Ive been poked by rockfish and it usualy hurts for a day or two but ive  heard scuplins can send you to the hospital if they get you good.  Sculpins arnt related to rockfish but there seems to be little info on the  internet with this venom and how to treat it. Im always super paraniod releasing scuplins because i have no clue what to do if i get stuck by one.

Angel sharks are the only other fish that make me paraniod and i usually cut the line, and thats a very justifiable fear haha

I have a 7mm Yazbek. LOVE IT!
On this particular suit you will not be doubling the thickness at the torso even though it is a 2 piece.
The torso portion of the torso part of the FJ is like a lycra material. Thin. Some people cut it off at the waistline, I left mine attached.
There have been a couple of times I wish I had a 5mm, but I've never been cold in my 7mm. It's a lot easier to cool down than it is to warm up in the ocean.
I totally forget how cold it is until I intentionally allow a little water into the suit...
YIKES!!!!!!
The choice between a 7mm and 5mm is a personal choice. But consider how long you plan on being in the water.
As you become a better and more relaxed diver you will be expending a lot less energy. That translates into less body heat being generated. So what may, at the beginning, feel like a 7mm is too warm, as you become a better diver and settle down in the water it may end up being perfect.

I usee to sweat and feel super hot in a 7 mil, then i relaxed  and became a decent diver and was perfect. DONT GET A 5MM.  My 7mm has turned into a 5mm  after a year of diving and its absolutely miserable after an hour.  Any expirinced diver will tell you 7mm isnt enough for the spring up here. During thr late summer when the water is over 55 you can just start to use a 5mm.  But you can always cool down in the water and cant warm up.

My worst one was on a party boat at the Farralones when I kicked someone's fish out of my way, on the deck.  Wearing sneakers and the spine went in under my toenail.  OMG.

I think black and yellows are the worst in terms of venom.  Gophers are pretty bad too.  Curiously, these are two sub-species that are favored for live rockfish, they last a long time without dying.....Wonder if there's any correlation.

Luckily, I do not get a big-time allergic reaction as described above.  Just huge aching pain for 20 minutes or so.

Bushy

Gophers and b&y rockfish both seem to lay pretty fearless inside lingcod holes and in the open compared to any other rockfish. But i know lingcod eat them because i use them for bait. 

Quote from: Malibu_Two on April 30, 2017, 10:05:01 AM

Jailing costs money. Fines bring in money. It seems like a no brainer to me to impose higher fines.

Yes jail costs money so make the criminal pay for the costs.  Doesn't matter because if you are a poacher piece of $h!? Many won't pay the fine either.  Now they can take a chance because they can poach many times before getting caught and do a cost analysis to see if it's worth getting caught and having to pay a fine. 

I know if I went 1 mile over the posted speed limit and got a fine it would suck because I technically broke the law even though it's only one MPH.  Is it worth taking a chance.  To some it is.  But if it was a mandatory jail sentence I would never speed.  I would probably go 5 under just in case.

Bigtime Ablone poachers often view fines as a business expense, take 9 abs and you will never go to jail, theres a rumor about a guy who took 9 abs nearly evry day and made 1000 dollars a day, a 10 thousand dollar fine is no big deal if he got caught once every 30 times.  repetive and purposeful poachers should get massive fines and jail time, "stupid" unknowing poachers should get a smaller ticket.  We all have mistakes especialy when new to fishing or diving,  ( like keeping a 21.75"ling or taking a scallop in finfish mlpa) .  I have seen wardens try way too hard to get the accidental mistakes while big poachers get away.  I nearly got a ticket because i reported a poacher and the warden thst showed up was concerned i only carried a 10" guage. While i was trying to tell him there was a guy with 4  barely legal abs right next to me.   Most wardens are friendly and knowladgable, i have met a few looking way to hard to get a ticket out of ethical people through.

If you get into spearfishing you can get abs, scallops, rockfish, lings,cabs, crabs, rare octopus and who knows what else.   

 Fishing you can hit the salmon if they are in, look for some sandy bottom and it has potiential for halibut.  Then the fall has plenty of mushrooms. Crab just need any sandy bottom and you can find em.

The guy ask a simple question and the answer is "yes, its legal"...

now the rest of this testosterone enriched thread, here's my sh-peel:

Lingcods are very aggressive predators, you dangle a box wrench with a hook in its face, its gonna grab it.. its all about finding there habitat/territory (aka: Honeyhole) and jiggling something with a  hook in that area....  you can go back to that spot week after week (giving it time for a new ling to take residence) and pull out lings out of that area over and over....

The main advantage of using "live bait" vs artificial, is you dont have to work the rod...

you want to do a proxy test: drift 2 rods over an area, one with live bait, one with a swimbait and let the poles sit in the rod holder.... see which one catches more Lings....

That's my take.... but who knows, I really dont fish anymore so this might be like a fart in the wind....

I have done the test many times when on my dads boat, my dad and the other guys fish bars and plastics while i use a little blue or jacksmelt, i catch less fish but always have the biggest lings by far.  They tend to catch 25 to 30 inch males, while i catch 35  to 45 inchers.  Ocasionaly they have hitchhikers on rockfish and small lings that get in the 35 inch range but the lings tend to be more interested in real fish. And i always fish in the back of the boat, so the bars and plastics pass right over the lings first before my bait gets into sight.

Just keep an eye on the forecast!

Tomales is an awesome place as you know, but it's one of those spots that can lull you into a false sense of security. Check the wind direction and make sure it's not running directly up the bay. Also, check the tides and plan to leave when there's plenty of water. A low tide can make it pretty miserable to get out of Nick's.

I always see like 50 rental kayaks out by Hog, I've been out there fishing in my dry suit, and seen couples on rented tandems in shorts and t-shirts. As the wind is picking up, I'm headed in, and some of them are headed down wind further from the launch. I'd hazard a guess that a lot of people get towed off of the bay by boats, it's just not reported.

You guys will have a blast over there! I think I may come out Saturday and sail a bit if it's nice.

The rental kayakers will make you pull your hair out, ive rescued my fair share of them on motor boat and none of them relize how quick it turns out there and the currents.   I am actauly one of the guys in a t shirt and shorts, if its cold or windy i throw on my old crabbing coast guard life jacket.  But i know the currents and i know when the wind picks up and when its time to head home. I swam in the bay for years with nothing but shorts as a kid so as long as you don't put yourself in a bad situation you dont need a suit for in there if you dont mind getting covered in fish.  The key to watching the wind is what the fog does, if the fog is hanging out on the coastline and not moving in  or out it means its gunna be fine for an hour or two.  If its coming close to land it means you better get your @$$ in because somethings pushing in. If its completely sunny stay on guard and expect the wind to pick up around 2 oclock and when it hits, it hits fast. Ive thought about charging people to move camping equipment on weekends with my zodiac, fish all morning and then when it gets windy make some money towing kayaks and crap across the bay.