Montery Report

There is still 30-50ft viz inside Monterey. The Lings are still in with large numbers being found.

Ton of lings for sure!

Must have seen at least 20 legals on Sunday...my reports over in the Members Only Dive Reports which you can see once you have 10 posts.

 

Let me know if you ever wanna get out there together!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Nice!!!!

Wintertime in Monterey is the best! Thanks for the report.

nice fishies!

Yummy... Nice catch !

Very nice! making me hungry  Come On Spring 

Jim you may know the answer to this....how long do the ling numbers stay increased? What I mean is, I know that more fish come in to breed and the number of lings increases but how long is this bounty usually available until it returns to normal?

Jim you may know the answer to this....how long do the ling numbers stay increased? What I mean is, I know that more fish come in to breed and the number of lings increases but how long is this bounty usually available until it returns to normal?

Matt, I'm no expert and there are plenty of guys on here that have been diving around Monterey for a lot longer than me...

But my feeling is that the number of 22-28 inch males has been increasing year by year and that these males don't really seem to leave the area after spawning/breeding season is over...the big females are the ones that seem to come in during the winter months and then leave later on after spawning to return to deeper water.

Check out this report of mine from March 2012...I remember that there were Lings all over!

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=36484.0

I also have seen bigger females in close to shore much later on in the year, so maybe not all females go back out deeper and some stick around all year?

Take a look at the DOTY list...you can see that MOST have been taken during "winter" months, but there are some anomalies for sure....maybe those were early arrivals or ones that just live in our shallower waters year round??

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/speciesleaders/list_by_species/4

This big female was totally spawned out and still in shallow in April, 2012...no eggs, nothing in the belly, actively swimming around looking for a meal...actually swam right up to me while I was laying on surface.

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/133

This 36 incher was taken in September 2012 in shallow as well...maybe was an early arrival or had stayed all year?

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=41066.0

Same with this 34 incher in October, 2010...10 feet of water...given that she was in the kiddy pool (a high traffic area) I bet she was an early arriver for spawning (no eggs in her at time of kill however)

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=27165.msg289990#msg289990

On this day in May we saw many 30+ inch Lings...

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=46345.0

But when I went back in August to the exact same area a few months later couldn't find any at all? 

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=49021.0

So...not sure if that helps. 

Let me know when you want to come down and dive bro!!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I thought that groundfish season was closed except for shore based fishing?  Or is there something that I'm missing?  Would love to go out on the water and catch some lings or rockfish...

I thought that groundfish season was closed except for shore based fishing?  Or is there something that I'm missing?  Would love to go out on the water and catch some lings or rockfish...

Shorefishing AND spearfishing are open year round.   

Jump in and shoot em up!!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Oh wow, spearfishing didn't even occur to me... How deep do you need to dive?

Jim you may know the answer to this....how long do the ling numbers stay increased? What I mean is, I know that more fish come in to breed and the number of lings increases but how long is this bounty usually available until it returns to normal?

Lingcod used to be closed to everybody in Dec, Jan, Feb (including shorefishermen and spearfishermen) because that is when they are most vulnerable to being over-harvested. Recent studies showed that ling populations are stable enough to allow harvesting during winter. And from what I've seen, I agree...lings have been plentiful during the last few years. But it wasn't that long ago when the same research said lings were overfished...and the limit was 1 ling over 28" long.

The big females migrate into shallower water [in general] to find suitable spawning habitat and partners. Most studies show that male lings max out at 30 inches. I have a feeling that the majority of lings residing in shallow water are males. Lings grow relatively quickly. Regarding your question about when we should expect it to return to normal...who knows? This may in fact be the new "normal." But I would wager it's still cyclical and the abundance of big female lings (in relatively shallow water) will begin to decrease around April.

ps...I can't believe you misspelled Monterey, Adam! I expect it from tourists but you're a local...come on man! 

Oh wow, spearfishing didn't even occur to me... How deep do you need to dive?

Depends.

You can find plenty of fish in shallow...and there are plenty of fish out deep!

 

This ling was taken in 6-8 feet of water:

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/178

The fish in this vid were taken at 50+ feet:



The shallower the better in my opinion!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

ps...sorry for the monster threadjack Adam! 

Jim you may know the answer to this....how long do the ling numbers stay increased? What I mean is, I know that more fish come in to breed and the number of lings increases but how long is this bounty usually available until it returns to normal?

Lingcod used to be closed to everybody in Dec, Jan, Feb (including shorefishermen and spearfishermen) because that is when they are most vulnerable to being over-harvested. Recent studies showed that ling populations are stable enough to allow harvesting during winter. And from what I've seen, I agree...lings have been plentiful during the last few years. But it wasn't that long ago when the same research said lings were overfished...and the limit was 1 ling over 28" long.

The big females migrate into shallower water [in general] to find suitable spawning habitat and partners. Most studies show that male lings max out at 30 inches. I have a feeling that the majority of lings residing in shallow water are males. Lings grow relatively quickly. Regarding your question about when we should expect it to return to normal...who knows? This may in fact be the new "normal." But I would wager it's still cyclical and the abundance of big female lings (in relatively shallow water) will begin to decrease around April.

ps...I can't believe you misspelled Monterey, Adam! I expect it from tourists but you're a local...come on man! 

Yep.

April 1st used to be when you could start shooting Lings again.

Also....Lings are voracious rockfish eating machines!!  One could make the argument that by culling some lings spearos are helping the overall health of the reef??!!????