How deep did you catch your biggest rockfish?

I will usually start out deep to target reds, olives, yt's, boccacio, etc (like 60-80ft). Then move in shallow in search of lings. I learned that one from sackyak! I always though the big lings were out deep (and yes, I have tried 220-240ft each of the past 4 seasons). But after seeing sackyak catch keeper lings in shallow water with such consistency...I had to try it. And it works. You just gotta get way up inside there, among the kelp and big rocks (like 30-40ft).
Of course, different areas may yield different results. I know of certain areas that are devoid of fish until you get out deeper....so results may vary haha.

The pressure affects fish differently. For example, olives and blues seem fine after brought up from 70ft. But a gopher or starry or verm will have visible issues when brought up from 70ft. Lings are not affected by barotrauma.

With apologies if the previous thread included this F&G attachment.  It is pretty interesting.  I actually did not know that thing sticking out of the fish's mouth was not the swim bladder but the stomach!  So when we vent the fish we are not popping the sb but the stomach.  We should all have fish descenders.  Last time I went PB fishing late last year, we caught so many of those canaries and it breaks your heart to see them floating there for the seagulls.  When rockfish season opens in June I will be using a Shelton descender.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/release.pdf

Yeah, we've had that conversation on here a few times too....whether or not it's OK to puncture a rockfish's protruding stomach to counter the effects of barotrauma.
If you puncture the stomach lining, the fish will return to depth (sink). But does the fish survive?
I believe that this practice decreases the fish's chance for survival. But it's just a hunch...no scientific evidence to support my theory.

The upshot of the article in the other post about barotrauma is that if you observe that the stomach is protruding out due to swim bladder expansion, the fish is already in very bad shape.  In the majority of the cases, if fish are yanked up fast from more than 60 FOW they will die no matter if you "descend" them or puncture the bladder through the stomach - or leave them floating for the gulls.

Besides the obvious giant bladder, the fish suffer from hemorrhage of the liver, heart, blood vessels, and damage to the optic nerve.  They embolize , which, if you are a SCUBA diver you know, is extremely ugly.

The bottom line:  If you C&R rockcod species from less than 60 FOW use the descender. If you fish in more than 60 FOW, you're just making yourself feel better by using any C&R technique.  These fish should be kept - or not fished.

Oh, and as Sin Coast said, some rockcod like olives and blues don't seem to be affected as much - probably because they've adapted to more pressure changes due to they don't live on the bottom.

 

Here's your (DaveW) original thread about venting & barotrauma:  http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,16430.0.html 
This thread spun off that one.

DaveW, you clearly know your stuff.  I am sure it messes them up.  But this is a rockcod, not a golden trout  .  I don't want to throw the baby (cod) out with the bathwater.  The fish has a better chance on the bottom than on the surface, and it probably makes sense to use some descender.  My buddies tell me they swim pretty vigorously off the line.  They use downrigger clips to descend the fish, and the fish yank themselves off the line almost all the time.  So clearly that is some kind of sign they are moving OK, at least.  Clearly it is better to fish in under 60 feet of water.  Remember when we used to fish in 200-300 feet (Cordell Banks etc)?  That must have meant extreme trauma for those fish that went back in.  (not as much as on the ones that got filleted though!).

 

I believe those deepwater fish are not in good shape.  Look at it another way.  If I freedive down even 10 feet and don't clear my ears, I'll be hurting.  If I went down 60 feet without clearing my ears, I'm pretty sure that I'll be injured pretty bad.

For the fish coming up from 60 feet, the reverse happens, but they can't clear their swim bladder like we can clear our ears.  And if their eyes are bugged out, forget about it.  It's fish taco time.

-Allen

My biggest reds came from 60 FOW, on the edge of the kelp.

but, Like Allen says, I fish there more often (way more often) than dep water (over 180).

Most of my RF are 20ft to maybe 90 FOW.

And, I agree with the needless canary slaughter.  party boats in particular.  If they catch 3 or 4 canaries in a rowm, I think they should move.  I hate the trail of orange specks behind the boat... Usually they are all small fish, too.

Allen

I've fished the 60-100' but get limited action&more snags. When jigging in less than 60' (mostly done) I get more action &less snag.
PB is a 32" Ling from 30-50'

My PB ling was caught at the Kitchen in ~80 fow.

And if their eyes are bugged out, forget about it.  It's fish taco time.

-Allen

This is clearly what the author of the barotrauma study was saying in his discussion.  Sorry, don't mean to beat the subject to death.

With apologies if the previous thread included this F&G attachment.  It is pretty interesting.  I actually did not know that thing sticking out of the fish's mouth was not the swim bladder but the stomach!  So when we vent the fish we are not popping the sb but the stomach.  We should all have fish descenders.  Last time I went PB fishing late last year, we caught so many of those canaries and it breaks your heart to see them floating there for the seagulls.  When rockfish season opens in June I will be using a Shelton descender.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/release.pdf

  Just to save futher harassment by the enviros, I wouldn't be posting about a massive canary rockfish kill. I think of alot of fishing posts are looked at by people who want to eliminate ocean fishing altogether.

When I first started rockfishing from a kayak, I frequently targetted structure around 100 ft deep, but my best luck so far for big lings have been in that magical 60 ft range.  However, I've seen many hogs caught much shallower.

I think up shallower, it is easier to find structure and easier to fish it.  Also there are more fish in general to keep things interesting.  More action.

Deeper ... harder to find structure, harder to fish it.  But find the right kind in the right conditions, and it's game on.  Fewer fish, but higher quality IMO.

Find a 10 foot ledge in 100 feet of water with minimal wind and current and I think you'll have a better fishing experience than a 10 foot ledge in 40 feet of water.

-Allen

Deeper ... harder to find structure, harder to fish it.  But find the right kind in the right conditions, and it's game on.  Fewer fish, but higher quality IMO.

Find a 10 foot ledge in 100 feet of water with minimal wind and current and I think you'll have a better fishing experience than a 10 foot ledge in 40 feet of water.

-Allen

I fully agree and had an epic day in close to those conditions you refer to. We were out 1mi. offshore, avg. surrouding depth is 60' and came across a row humps that would come up to 20' then rollercoaster back down to 60'......it produced many quaility and a few BIGGINS too.....i remember looking up and seeing/hearing "Fish On!!" for quit awhile there........is it time to jig yet?!