Humboldt Combo Day

Yakked with 4 good friends near Petrolia today.  What fortunate conditions for opening day of bottomfishing.  Set the crab pots at 7AM in 30'.  Hit the fishing grounds to blacks and blues breaking the surface all over the place.  Within half an hour my tally was up to 8 black rockfish and 9 blues with one lingcod.  The bite slowed a bit as the sun hit the water.  What a fantastic day out there.  At one point I saw whales inside of us about a quarter mile--saw three blow at once side by side!  I almost stopped fishing to go whale-watching, but couldn't tear myself away from the ling hunt.  Ended up fishing until about 11:30.  Final tally:  20 blacks, 11 blues, 8 lingcod to 15# (kept 11 and 13#er's), 1 red, 1 9.5# cabezon, and 1 grassy.  Kept the two lings and 4 snapper to 4#.  Tom had the big ling today at 19.2#--I got to gaff it and bag it for him.  Glenn, Tom and Brian had to go, so Brandi and I went hunting for 10" abs.  We didn't score any today, and I grabbed 8.5" for next weekend's family dinner.  We pulled the pots and picked up 12 legal dungees to wrap the day at 2:30.  After a few Sierra Nevada's and cleaning all meat and gear I BBQ'd some ling and went for a walk with the wife and kids.  I am now officially toast!  

Nice slaughter!  I need to come up.

Abking,
Damn, you guys cleaned house.
I'm imagining dinner and starting to drool.  The only thing missing is a salmon!

Stuart

As I read it, section 27.60 (1) (A) limits you to 10 rockfish total, if they fall under the RCG complex.  Blacks and blues do.  Am I wrong?

As I read it, section 27.60 (1) (A) limits you to 10 rockfish total, if they fall under the RCG complex.  Blacks and blues do.  Am I wrong?

He said he kept six fish... 2 lings and 4 other rockfish to 4#...

SO YOUR SAYING YOU CAN ONLY KEEP 4 ROCKFISH IF YOU HAVE 2 LINGS?

WATE UP I WROTE THAT WRONG.

IF YOU HAVE 2 LINGS DOES THEAT MEAN YOU CAN ONLY KEEP 8 ROCKFISH.

OR CAN YOU KEEP 10 ROCKFISH AND 2 LINGS?

The way I read it you can keep 10 in the RCG complex (Rockfish, Cabezon, Greenling), plus 2 lingcod to 24".  Please tell me if I'm wrong.  I went into the day saying "damn regs, I'm going to slaughter today!", but I really couldn't bring myself to taking more than the fish I did.  Felt great to release that 9.5# cab--they have a special place in my fishing heart!!  

PS:  we fish in 30-60' and I never have a problem with a blown fish bladder, or I wouldn't catch and release!

It is my understanding that the 2 Lings fall in to the 10 total RCG limit... so if you keep 2 lings, you can keep 8 additional rockfish... plus you have to adhere to any other species-specific limits that might apply within the RCG complex.

Ling Cod are a member of the Greenling family... that's why they fit into the RCG complex.

Erik

The 2 lings don't fall under the RCG limit, and I don't think they're in the greenling family.  When you read the regs at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/bfregs2005_north.pdf you see that they refer to sub-limits under RCG for Cabezon and Greenling.  They don't refer to the sub-limit for lingcod.

Sorry Ab, I wasn't trying to burst your bubble.  I read:  " Within half an hour my tally was up to 8 black rockfish and 9 blues with one lingcod."  Unless there are two on a double or are immediately "gifting", carrying that many will earn anyone a fine and I would hate for any of us to get fined.

Kz, I saw the number kept, it was the 30 minute tally that caught my eye.

Lings are not part of the RCG complex, just the "Lingcod and Rockfish" closures, so 10 rockies + 2 lings sounds legal to me.

I find it oddly humorous that the new rules, or changes to rules, are listed in "grey areas".  Isn't the whole damn book one big grey area?  Hell, I just found out from Kevin that I need to buy a f$#%ing stamp to fish in the bay!  What a bunch of %$^#.  I have to pay an additional 23% for the privilege of catching polluted fish?  LOL  FUCK THAT!

No problem, Jonathan!  I don't keep anything on board that I'm not taking home, so no fine-worries here!

Kz,  

Lingcod are Ophiodon elongatus and Kelp Greenlings are Hexagrammos decagrammus (Pallas).

Ling cod ARE in fact members of the Greenling family...  that I'm positive of.

Here's a reference if you don't want to take my word for it...

http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region1/finfish/grndfish/lingcod/lcprofile.php

I haven't read this year's regs... but in prior years, Lings were always included in the 10-fish limit... I see no reason why that would change this year.

Erik