Hitchhikers

September 22, 2011

Question: If I am using a legal shrimp fly rig to fish in California waters for rockfish and a legal-sized lingcod bites and holds onto an otherwise legal-sized rockfish, can I legally gaff and possess that legal-sized hitchhiking lingcod? I am assuming the lingcod has not been hooked in the mouth on my shrimp fly rig, but has merely bitten and held on to the rockfish all the way to the surface. Would this be legal? (James O. Peterson)

Answer: Yes. The take of “hitchhiking” lingcod with a gaff is legal as long as the fish is of legal size. Gaff hooks cannot be used to take or assist in landing any finfish shorter than the minimum sizes limit. Gaffs also cannot be used to take  salmon, steelhead, sturgeon or striped bass.

Unless they've changed the rule recently, it IS legal to gaff a legal sized chinook.

Eric, I'm posting in reverse chronological order. I tried to cull outdated info.

Unless they've changed the rule recently, it IS legal to gaff a legal sized chinook.

 that's what I thought too! Not that I have ever had the need to do so.....

Where in the regs. does it say you can not gaff a striped bass???  I sure can not find it in either salt or fresh water regs.

Where in the regs. does it say you can not gaff a striped bass???  I sure can not find it in either salt or fresh water regs.

Never seen that, either.