2006 Regulations

DFG posted the 2006 regulations on their website today. On first look, the regs. appear unchanged from 2005 except salmon season opens Aprils 1st. thoughout our local regions.

I'm a total rookie when it comes to salmon. I've fished for them before, not in a kayak but in a friends boat.
The question is, isn't April kind of early for Salmon? or are they around Monterey/Santa Cruz year around?

Generally the salmon are south in the early season. Avila, Morro Bay, Monterey, Santa Cruz

Last year we fished out of Moss for them early but they where pretty far out (4-5 miles). Stu picked up one early and Pat picked one up earlish as well.

Looks like then chopped the extra month of RCG we had this year, July-Nov for 2006, Cabs are now 1 only 15" min. Bocaccio are 1 as well could we keep those last year?

I'm pretty sure thats how the RCG season started last year, and then they threw us Dec mid-season.  Nice gesture, but the entire month was essentially unfishable.

Bocaccio are 1 as well could we keep those last year?

Yes, in this neck of the woods we could.  But why would you?  Most people tell me who have kept them before to throw them back.
Kind of like Greenlings.  C&R, it ain't worth it.

I also heard that you need to clean Bocaccio asap.  Otherwise the worms will go into the meat.

Otherwise the worms will go into the meat.
 
 

True with many of the fish we eat.

Anisakiasis

Anisakiasis is caused by penetration of the nematode Anisakis simplex worm larvae through the lining of the stomach. This occurs when someone eats raw or undercooked fish, such as sushi. The most common carriers, which serve as intermediate hosts via sea mammals, are mackerel, Pacific herring and cod, coho salmon, hake, anchovies, squid, silvergray and yellowtail rockfish, bocaccio, and, in rare cases, tuna.
Symptoms begin within one hour of eating the fish, and include severe pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, and vomiting. The victim may appear quite ill. Occasionally, he may present the symptoms of an allergic reaction.
If the worm(s) is not removed by a physician, who must do this physically through an endoscope passed through the esophagus into the stomach, it dies within a few days. However, implantation can initiate an abscess. Some worms don't implant, but are coughed up, vomited up, or passed in the stool. If a worm crawls into the esophagus or throat, an unusual tingling feeling can develop.

A worm that passes through the stomach and implants itself in the intestine (up to seven days after ingestion) causes abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. It may penetrate completely through the bowel. Often an operation is performed for suspected appendicitis or intestinal cancer, only to discover the true cause of the victim's symptoms.

Unfortunately, there is no drug or purgative treatment that will eliminate the parasite once it has been ingested. It is either passed in the stool by the victim spontaneously or has to be physically removed, which can be as complicated as surgically removing a section of intestine.

To prevent this problem, any fish should be cooked to a temperature above 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) or frozen for 24 hours to –4 degrees Fahrenheit (–20 degrees Celsius) before it is eaten. Smoking, marinating, pickling, brining, and salting may not kill the worms. A fish should be gutted as soon as possible after it is caught to prevent migration of the worms from its internal organs into its muscle tissue. An allergic reaction may still occur from eating properly preserved or cooked, but parasitized, fish.

From Medicine For the Outdoors by Paul S. Auerbach,

Would make a great 4th of July weekend with the opener being a 3 day weekend.

-Brian G

I smell an MBF tourney 

Yes the salmon come early to Monterey Bay. I've read stuff that also claims that early season you can catch larger salmon in Monerey also. The Salmon seem to circle around from Carmel Bay to Santa Cruz and tend to feed in the edge of steep under water canyons that slope down into the dark depths of Monterey Bay.

Carmel Bay has a steep canyon that is very close to shore so it would be a good place when the fish are there. Moss landing has a canyon but you have to go at least a mile out to get to it. Then there are fishing holes off Capitola and another call Soqel Hole where Salmon are caught.

After a month or so the salmon fishing dies off and the salmon start appearing further North from Half Moon Bay to Bodega Bay. They start out about 6 or so miles out and after several weeks or a month they work their way in to shallower water, at times right off shore. This didn't happen so much last year because we didn't get the early season upwelling caused by high pressure weather systems that moves the krill and bait fish in shore. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a developing pattern.