do you think you can rank our fish options w respect to flavor?

I dont think I can.  they are all delicious. 

I have been enjoying eating a big Blue.  super light and flaky.  (I'll always target them if I can -thankfully, they can be super numerous/easy)

I have a big Cooper thawing, and I expect the same. 

my wife can give a definitive answer.  she things a Ling is the best eating, even better than halibut. 

I have yet to net a legal ocean salmon, but I love store-bought better than other fish.
Then there is seared tuna....
So Kokanee are my favorite kayak-caught, despite the bones.
Then halibut and lingcod, depending on my mood/recipe.
I've had some amazing trout that was close to salmon, and some mediocre trout that tasted muddy/pondy.
Striped bass are also very good - they seem to stay more succulent than other fish when baked.
Whole steamed rockfish can be better than halibut and lingcod, but baked or fried, not as much.
Oh and sand dabs fried in butter taste better than the others, but you have to deal with scraping the meat off the frame. 
The one crappie I ate tasted good, but was soft.

So it's difficult to give a numbered ranking, more soft opinions.

I don't have delicate taste and they all taste similar.  However, my wife got a rank:

1.  Cabezon
2.  Black
3.  Blue

I don't have delicate taste and they all taste similar.  However, my wife got a rank:

1.  Cabezon
2.  Black
3.  Blue

.  I see where your wife is coming from. 

My top 3 favorite:  Salmon, White Seabass, and Halibut.

1. Salmon
2. I don’t know. WSB is nice but hasn’t wowed me, which is probably good because I don’t expect to catch more anytime soon. I’ve really been enjoying black and blue rockfish, and halibut is nice if you don’t overcook it (or cook it at all). The one ocean striper I caught was a crowd favorite.

... halibut is nice if you don’t overcook it (or cook it at all)

Unfortunately, I can't eat much fish, but raw CA halibut is the best way to have it, IMHO. Sushi is not supposed to be good unless flash frozen, but for some reason, just normal freezing seems to work well for halibut. You do have to avoid the stringy bits (the amount of which seems to vary from fish to fish), but those parts are fine for cooking.

Like said above, depends on application. But a few stand out staples in my household:
Steamed rock cod and steamed striper whole (if you have a big enough steamer) Chinese style, cornstarch battered sand dabs and refried Chinese salt and pepper style, baked lingcod/halibut with Lee Kum kee-based char siu sauce, crispy skin ocean salmon (only caught 1) or Kokanee (cold pan and oil with well dried fillet skin side down slow render the skin and oven finish), teriyaki marinade and grilled over low coals skin side down, whole trout skewered yakitori style and grilled with salt and olive oil, halibut for ceviche specifically and also caper/lemon/butter/shallot pan sauce, cabezon for tacos (I think best flavor for my liking), ling for deep fried, rock cod whole spatchcocked and grilled with red and green salsa on each half, catfish in 1-4lb range for cornmeal shakenbake, I could go on but I’m getting too hungry….lol. Haven’t even touched on crab or foraging…

For me and the SO, it’s less what fish were craving and more so what specific dish or style we are craving. I know it’s not exactly a ranking, but with so many variety of species and quality of meat different fferings based on location, it gets murky.

Honorable mentions are Shasta lake catfish for cleanest taste, eagle lake and almanor trout for flavor, and my ranking of “trout” being brooks>browns>rainbows>lahontans with fish coming from aforementioned lakes getting a bump. For cods, generally blues > berms> blacks > others for me.

I'll take dungeness crab first, any day of the week.  But, that's not strictly a fish... haha. 

Also - this list is strictly fish I've caught and brought home here in CA in the last few years - I have not caught salmon or steelhead here.  Back in Oregon though - those would probably be at the top of my list, or maybe tied with Ling/Cabezon.

1. Cabezon / Ling - they are very similar flavor to me and both very delicious
2. Rockfish
3. Kokanee - So good!
4. CA Halibut
5. Wild trout - any variety
6. Stocked trout

1) Salmon
2) Halibut
3) Lingcod
3.5) Black RF
4) Vermillion
5) Cabezon
6) Blue RF
7) All other RF

I'm at a picky eater when it comes to seafood. I generally don't like fishy seafood. With that said, this is my ranking.

1. Squid: I love the flavor as long as they are fresh. Raw, fermented or cooked, I LOVE IT!

2. Butt: I think this is most mild tasting and least fishy fish we catch in NorCal. I love eating it raw and cooked, even if it's over cooked and dry.

3. Ocean White Fish: These are also extremely mild fish yet better flavor than rockfish group in my opinion when cooked. Have not tried raw yet.

4. Dungeness Crab: What a tasty treat but I get crabbed out after eating 5-6 crab per season. My wife can it more than a dozen before she gets crabbed out  Then we wait until next season.

5. Salmon & Cabezon: Salmon for raw consumption but I'm not crazy about cooked salmon. Cabezon is my favorite in rockfish group when it's cooked. I see too many parasites in them for me to eat them raw 

6. Lingcod: Overall very good fish to eat it raw and cooked. I like lings a better than rockfish. I also like lingcod more because it's young fish unlike rockfish.

7. Rockfish: I'm not picky with species. I know most prefer Verm, some prefer Blue and some prefer other species. Overall good fish to eat it raw or cooked. I usually catch plenty of Butt and lingcod so I don't eat rockfish too often.

8. Kokanee: I think this is best tasting fresh water fish in NorCal. Unlike landlocked Chinook, kokanee are tasty. Landlocked Chinook are only good for crab bait and dog food 

9. Mackerel: Only fishy fish I would eat from NorCal. I love the flavor. It's it wasn't fishy, I would love it more.

10. Flatfish: I target flatfish like Sole and Sanddab sometimes. Mainly for my parents. They like flatfish more than halibut.

My top 5:

1.  King salmon - super versatile, with the perfect fat content in my opinion

2.  Ling/Cab - love these fish,  excellent flavor, and a perfect balance between flaky and firm,

3. Verms - flavor/texture superstars, our fav for broiled miso marinated prep.

4. All other rockfish. Though I’m not partial to Blacks and Blues.

5. Striped bass. Love a nice clean 20” ocean striper. On the firmer side, great for soup/hotpot/fried.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention sand dabs. I adore tiny fried whole sand dabs with a Thai style sauce/garnish.

I'm at a picky eater when it comes to seafood. I generally don't like fishy seafood. With that said, this is my ranking.

1. Squid: I love the flavor as long as they are fresh. Raw, fermented or cooked, I LOVE IT!

2. Butt: I think this is most mild tasting and least fishy fish we catch in NorCal. I love eating it raw and cooked, even if it's over cooked and dry.

3. Ocean White Fish: These are also extremely mild fish yet better flavor than rockfish group in my opinion when cooked. Have not tried raw yet.

4. Dungeness Crab: What a tasty treat but I get crabbed out after eating 5-6 crab per season. My wife can it more than a dozen before she gets crabbed out  Then we wait until next season.

5. Salmon & Cabezon: Salmon for raw consumption but I'm not crazy about cooked salmon. Cabezon is my favorite in rockfish group when it's cooked. I see too many parasites in them for me to eat them raw 

6. Lingcod: Overall very good fish to eat it raw and cooked. I like lings a better than rockfish. I also like lingcod more because it's young fish unlike rockfish.

7. Rockfish: I'm not picky with species. I know most prefer Verm, some prefer Blue and some prefer other species. Overall good fish to eat it raw or cooked. I usually catch plenty of Butt and lingcod so I don't eat rockfish too often.

8. Kokanee: I think this is best tasting fresh water fish in NorCal. Unlike landlocked Chinook, kokanee are tasty. Landlocked Chinook are only good for crab bait and dog food 

9. Mackerel: Only fishy fish I would eat from NorCal. I love the flavor. It's it wasn't fishy, I would love it more.

10. Flatfish: I target flatfish like Sole and Sanddab sometimes. Mainly for my parents. They like flatfish more than halibut.

Interesting.

Mackerel seems to me to be the fishiest fish in existence, so I'm surprised to see that one on your list. Also, I think the other flatfish far outshine CA halibut, or maybe that's my wife's influence, as she loves them. I rarely catch any of those other flatfish, but get plenty of halibut, which does not keep the wifey happy...

I'm at a picky eater when it comes to seafood. I generally don't like fishy seafood. With that said, this is my ranking.

1. Squid: I love the flavor as long as they are fresh. Raw, fermented or cooked, I LOVE IT!

2. Butt: I think this is most mild tasting and least fishy fish we catch in NorCal. I love eating it raw and cooked, even if it's over cooked and dry.

3. Ocean White Fish: These are also extremely mild fish yet better flavor than rockfish group in my opinion when cooked. Have not tried raw yet.

4. Dungeness Crab: What a tasty treat but I get crabbed out after eating 5-6 crab per season. My wife can it more than a dozen before she gets crabbed out  Then we wait until next season.

5. Salmon & Cabezon: Salmon for raw consumption but I'm not crazy about cooked salmon. Cabezon is my favorite in rockfish group when it's cooked. I see too many parasites in them for me to eat them raw 

6. Lingcod: Overall very good fish to eat it raw and cooked. I like lings a better than rockfish. I also like lingcod more because it's young fish unlike rockfish.

7. Rockfish: I'm not picky with species. I know most prefer Verm, some prefer Blue and some prefer other species. Overall good fish to eat it raw or cooked. I usually catch plenty of Butt and lingcod so I don't eat rockfish too often.

8. Kokanee: I think this is best tasting fresh water fish in NorCal. Unlike landlocked Chinook, kokanee are tasty. Landlocked Chinook are only good for crab bait and dog food 

9. Mackerel: Only fishy fish I would eat from NorCal. I love the flavor. It's it wasn't fishy, I would love it more.

10. Flatfish: I target flatfish like Sole and Sanddab sometimes. Mainly for my parents. They like flatfish more than halibut.

Interesting.

Mackerel seems to me to be the fishiest fish in existence, so I'm surprised to see that one on your list. Also, I think the other flatfish far outshine CA halibut, or maybe that's my wife's influence, as she loves them. I rarely catch any of those other flatfish, but get plenty of halibut, which does not keep the wifey happy...

We should go get some big soles next summer 5 mile offshore on our AI. Summer seem to be better for sole.

We should go get some big soles next summer 5 mile offshore on our AI. Summer seem to be better for sole.

Sign me up for an offshore AI sole hunt!