Targeting Vermilion rockfish?

Folks, I want to catch myself a Vermilion rockfish since so many of you rate them as the tastiest.

I am going to Big Sur with the aim of satisfying this goal (and if that doesn't work I'll keep trying elsewhere). I was planning on using my standard 6oz jighead with white scampi plus shrimp fly teaser.

But I thought I would ask if any of you have tips for lures etc that work particularly well for Vermilions?

Or is depth more important?

That's what i used for Vermillions, though I was targeting Lings. Use braid to get it deep and maybe even go heavier on the lead head (i've used 10oz) to get your line verticle. If you get hung up try paddling in different directions and bouncing the rod. The weight of the lead often dislodges the snag.
When you get hit, pull up hard before you get rocked.

The last time I went out with Nawm, he used a 3 oz redheaded fishtrap with a red and rootbeer tail.  He would cast out some distance then reel it slowly back along the bottom, stopping occasionally.  He caught ten this way.  Big ones too.  And yeah, they're about the best eating thing out there.

Big Sur and big reds go hand in hand... throw whatever you have and you should get into them. Good luck down there.

Freddie

I've always caught large reds on standard ling tackle.
White, rootbeer, or lime green scampis & fishtraps. Sometimes a yellow or red shad head makes a difference, but only day-to-day. I've yet to catch one on iron from my kayak, but I know folks do.

It's more about where you are than what you're using. They'll hit any proven rockfish lures or bait.

Catching vermillions is easy. But ya gotta find them, you betcha!

I know it's subjective, but they seem to have a preference for Megabaits tipped with squid in my experience. I caught these two attached to each end of a Mackeral Megabait at Big Sur this year. I thought I had a huge fish, but it was just a sweet double.

Ed

 All my verms have been caught on what I always use, big swimbaits and 3-6oz. jigs. It seems that verms,coppers,lings and the pesky gophers like the same stuff. I switch back and forth depending on what the drift is, or isn't.
 The exception was fishing on a party boat they just drug smaller 4-5" swimbaits by the kelp stalks in 50-80' of water and caught the smaller verms. I guess I perscribe to the big bait big fish theory.

In Big Sur you may want to ditch the shrimpfly.  Otherwise you may never get your swimbait or iron past the blues/blacks.  I have caught them on both swimbaits and iron, about equally.

Lets get them Northern Boy. My goal is too get out there and find them. But I think the big question here is gonna be what depth do you guys slay them at around there.

I would try 50-80' depth and look for high spots, finding the right structure is key. Use your electronics and find the bait with larger marks around it, then give it a drop.

Nice Catch there im hopeing for a weekend like that for sure. Would you say look for structure with the fishfinder more then hanging around the Kelp

Nice Catch there im hopeing for a weekend like that for sure. Would you say look for structure with the fishfinder more then hanging around the Kelp

I confess to being a electronic junkie,so yes on the looking with a FF. But check the kelp because they are anchored to something. But up north here the kelp has over grown the usual "high spots" and has made fishing a little harder. You can't drift over a kelp island, so new spots have had to be located.
 

Thanks for all the tips folks!

Big Al likes Hexbars with no bait. Yeah, I know.