Ft. Bragg 6/25/06

Paddled out off Noyo in my scupper pro, into the fog at 9 AM with my buddy on his scrambler. When we were heading out boats already were coming in... High hopes materialized into a SkonK. Trolled an Apex for 3 hous + for nada... never found the fleet.  To get rid of the skonk we grabbed our dive gear and paddled out to the south point. Viz was 20+ ft. plenty of fish and abs. Got a couple of blacks and blues for dinner...if can't catch'em we'll shoot'em  !
Touned out to be a great day after all. Adios !

Rock fish doesn't open until July 1. Luck you!

CHEERS!

Yeah, maybe i'll learn to dive and spear...  well, maybe after i get the hang of kayak fishing... in a few years...  But ya gotta love the year-round Rockfish season for divers!

Have shore-based anglers been catching much Rockfish up there this month? Lings?  Might be a fun road/fishing trip with a non-kayaking friend...

Thanks for the report!

Rock fish doesn't open until July 1. Luck you!

CHEERS!

rockfish doesn't open til this weekend for those on vessels but for spearfishermen they are open Year Round. soon i will be freediving with pole in hand just to see what i can catch!

Leave it to the BIRD and BUNNY cops  aka Fish and Game... YOu can spear and kill a fish year round... but guys who drop a hook in the water with the option to release the fish they catch get hosed.  Can they make a Kayak Season?

I just fish of the Rocks and get a cod or two for dinner! Shore fishermen get the same privlage!...

Leave it to the BIRD and BUNNY cops  aka Fish and Game... YOu can spear and kill a fish year round... but guys who drop a hook in the water with the option to release the fish they catch get hosed.  Can they make a Kayak Season?

Spearfishing is actually a lot more selective than hook and line fishing. Not only that it is a lot more difficult to do since the diver is now out of their own element and in the ocean.

I feel that spearfishing is completely fair and just to have open year round since it is completely selectable and bycatch is far less than by any other means of fishing.

Even when fishing with hook and line there will be bycatch. Even if the hook and line fisherman does decide to release a fish not all releases are safely done and not always is the fish hooked through the ideal part of the lip. A simple snag on an eye or body of the fish can and does lead to infections after a "release".

As for a section on kayak fishing I think that the DFG has a complete right to disqualify Kayaks for year round fishing because one may as well be on a boat and have the motor off. Its still a vessel by all means and they can still access spots that party boats can access.

The trick comes into play because spearfishing from a kayak is also legal year round. Freedivers and scuba divers are limited to depth and time underwater. If they get caught with a rod and reel onboard its all over. DFG has the complete right to bust them.

Ideally I feel recreational fishing should be open year round I feel. We take a lot less that commercial and why is it they have the right to keep even undersized fish?

Should be interesting to see what part of Carmel and Monterey Bay they close off to us for both spearfishing and fishing in general.

Have shore-based anglers been catching much Rockfish up there this month? Lings?  Might be a fun road/fishing trip with a non-kayaking friend...

I don't believe fishing for rockfish and lings from shore it's very productive using conventional fishing gear (pole, reel, hook and line). You will probably do better off poke-polling. Look for a low tide, find a rocky shore and you're in business.
 
regardless, rock fish fishing opens July 1st...so sharpen those hoohs and get ready.
Adios!