How Many Hooks Allowed When Fishing for Ocean Bass?

September 4, 2014

Question: I live in Ventura County and do a lot of ocean fishing. I recently saw a fishing program on TV and the captain of the sport boat was throwing an Alabama rig. This rig had five leadhead jigs on it and each one had a hook. He was fishing around kelp beds and catching calico bass with the rig. Is that type of rig legal in the ocean and how many hooks can you fish with? I know you can only use two hooks when fishing rockfish, but how many hooks can you use to fish for ocean bass? (Randy)

Answer: There is currently no limit on the number of hooks that can be used to take kelp (calico) bass. The number of hooks that can be used in the ocean is restricted when rockfish and salmon fishing (see California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 28.65), or when salmon or rockfish are aboard. If you happen to catch a rockfish, greenling, cabezon or lingcod while fishing for calico bass, it would not be legal to keep them. If you already had any of these species on board, it would also not be legal to fish with more than two hooks.