Capitola babies and Michael Jacksons Jacket

I remember deckhands on partyboats out of Monterey chewing out customers for releasing undersized fish. The boats were into the numbers game (like the SoCal partyboats). Not sure if they still are.

I'm with you Porky.  So many times I've wondered why anyone would want to keep a fish so grossly undersized.  I'm sure we've all had to do it, retain floaters or damaged fish, etc. and it certainly isn't a proud moment.

Cap Reef is kinda fished out for anything but schoolies.  I mean, its where so many of us started - NBSB was my first surf launch.  So I just avoid it unless fishing it for hallies, WSB, stripers, thresher (seen em there), and macks.  Give Cap a break!

Technically those fish are not undersized.  If they were, DFG would have a size limit. 
I would not keep them, but the person is not doing anything illegal.

no doubt about that!! Perfectly within their legal rights...

Ive released a few small ones, I've never got one that small, but i have released a few that swam strongly away, no bulging eyes or stomachs. This area is relatively shallow, got smaller fish in as shallow as 15 feet, with what appears to be a safe release. I cant be 100% sure that they survived, but i cant be 100% they wont survive either upon release. But im not fishing Cap for a numbers game, so i'd rather toss them back and hope for the best. (provided they don't appear to be clearly injured)

no doubt about that!! Perfectly within their legal rights...

Ive released a few small ones, I've never got one that small, but i have released a few that swam strongly away, no bulging eyes or stomachs. This area is relatively shallow, got smaller fish in as shallow as 15 feet, with what appears to be a safe release. I cant be 100% sure that they survived, but i cant be 100% they wont survive either upon release. But im not fishing Cap for a numbers game, so i'd rather toss them back and hope for the best. (provided they don't appear to be clearly injured)

yup, I do the same, well, i have been known to sink a small blue for lings though.   

oh, hell yeah!! Different topic there!!

Give Cap a break!

Whoa Whoa WHoa.....I kinda like the idea of having everyone at Cap and SC.....that way they aren't where the fish are 


jk....kinda 

Technically those fish are not undersized.  If they were, DFG would have a size limit. 
I would not keep them, but the person is not doing anything illegal.

I know that keeping "small" rockfish is not illegal, and I don't think I said that.  Since I stated that I begrudgingly also did that on occasion, that would be self-incrimination if it were unlawful.     The gist of the thread is about keeping fish that exceed a minimum size threshold (which obviously varies person to person).

I hope my post didn't come off all territorial.  Don't mean to shoo people away from Cap since it is a fun place to learn.  I'm just saying cut the area some slack by not slamming it hard for the lil tikes (which sometimes is all you can find at Cap)

Thriller!!

Thriller!!

 

Another aspect:  Even if you do "the right thing" and release those little guys and they manage to swim away unharmed...  they still have to run the gauntlet of diving birds, furbags, dolphins, bigger rockfish, lings, cabezone, crabs, etc while they are tired out, disoriented, on an empty stomach, (contents of which are now in your lap), exposed the whole time, only to find, after all that, that another fish has taken their cubbyhole... 

DAM!!.....yup, its a rough life out there being a little rock fish huh....

Shouldn't it then be mandatory to keep every rock fish you catch and then stop fishing for them once you reach your limit?

In some states, it is.  Unfortunately, not here in CA.

-Allen

Well, then you run into a situation such as in Prince William Sound, where you have to keep your first two non-pelagic rockfish.  This, even if they are 5" long and in perfect health. It's real easy to catch a puny Quillback while casting a buzzbomb to obvious salmon activity in relatively shallow water. Really, really easy...

Maybe something along the line of  "All non-pelagic rockfish must be kept, unless caught in 10 fathoms or less and returned using a descending device". This might drive the use of lures that aren't AS attractive to smaller fish, promote the use of descenders, and move the fishing effort shallower (thus resulting in fewer Canary and Yelloweye as incidental take).


Scott