Rockfish ID??

Caught and released at OC while pre fishing for Simply. I have only fished the ocean 7 or 8 times and couldn't decide if this was a yellowtail and did not know if I could keep them or not so back it went to grow up. Any advice on how to tell them apart from olive? Thanks

Oops forgot pic.lol

Olive

How can you tell the difference? Or what should I look for to tell between the two?

..

I can't easily tell between the two to be honest...

But you can keep both so no big deal really. 

I wrote down some thoughts on the two recently over here:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=74854.msg853683#msg853683

Nice fishy!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

here`s an Olive  or what I believe  to be an Olive ?

I can't easily tell between the two to be honest...

But you can keep both so no big deal really. 

I wrote down some thoughts on the two recently over here:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=74854.msg853683#msg853683

Nice fishy!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Deja Vue Jim LOL ....

Thanks guys but I still am confused  going off the chart pic I could call the one I caught a yellowtail not an olive. Am I missing something,  maybe I need new glasses.

I can't easily tell between the two to be honest...

But you can keep both so no big deal really. 

I wrote down some thoughts on the two recently over here:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=74854.msg853683#msg853683

Nice fishy!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Deja Vue Jim LOL ....

  Yep!!

Your fish looks olive to me as well Vic...all elongated...

Here is the text from that other thread:

The Olive/Yellowtail distinction is one I am not super comfy with...seems to me Olives "usually" have 9 anal fin rays, and Yellowtails "usually" have 8...LOL!!

From the DFW chart (see attached pic) the Olives seem to have a more elongated body whereas Yellowtails seem to have a more pronounced/blunter "forehead".

Based on body shape, this fish I shot on Saturday looks more like a Yellowtail than an Olive to me:

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/2396

But, for DOTY purposes we decided not to bother distinguishing between the two...and just call the category Olive, even though I am sure some of the Olives are actually Yellowtails...

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/speciesleaders/list_by_species/11

Interesting fact, the top DOTY olive taken by ccup (Chris Cupples) in 2012 is still the current DFW State record...and on that same day he also got the State Record Rubberlip Seaperch which still stands as well:

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Records

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/19

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/18

If you look at the list of DFW records you can see that there is an angling record for both Yellowtail (taken in 1991) and Olive (taken in 2014) but only an Olive category for Divers...maybe DFW decided not to bother with the Olive/Yellowtail distinction for diving records as well or ??

Anyway, here is also a link to a cool laminated folding fish ID chart that NCKA member (and great guy and supporter of a lot of our comps and fundraisers) Amadeo Bachar makes:

http://www.abachar.com/collections/tackle-box/products/pacific-northwest-fish-id-guide

 

Sincerely,

Jim

ps...full DFW description here:

Olive: The body of the olive rockfish is elongate and compressed. The upper profile of the head is almost straight, and the snout is long and pointed. The lower jaw is projecting. The olive rockfish is dark olive brown on the back, often with some light areas under the dorsal fin. The sides are a lighter olive green, and the fins are yellow. This species is very similar in appearance to the yellowtail rockfish. The olive rockfish always has nine soft rays in the anal fin; the yellowtail rockfish usually has eight.

Yellowtail:The body of the yellowtail rockfish is elongate and compressed. The head is rather long and the upper profile is steep and slightly curved. The lower jaw projects, but not beyond the upper profile of the head. The color is grayish brown above which shades to white below. The sides are finely spotted with yellow. The tail is yellow, while the other fins are dusky yellow. When the fish is fresh, reddish brown speckling is visible on some of the scales. As with many of the rockfish, identification can be somewhat difficult. Some of the distinguishing characteristics of the yellow tail rockfish include a convex (surface curves outward) space between the eyes, the absence of spines on top of the head, a projecting lower jaw, an anal fin with eight (rarely seven) soft rays and the lining of the belly is white.

Cool , I feel better thanks for the helpful words.

and they're both tasty 

 Ok Olive it looks more like going off the DFG description

Ok Olive it looks more like going off the DFG description

more importantly you released  so it can get bigger 

The other probable part of the story here is that the Olives are moving North [edit: or yellowtails are moving in from somewhere].  Nice schools of olives and large specimens showing up in Mendo, and your OC example adds to the theory.

I just looked at a bunch of pics online and now I'm really confused.  The straight head profile on the olive seems to be useful, though.  Almost all the DOTY entries have a pretty straight line from top lip back to the dorsal fin, except . . .  #1:

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/speciesleaders/list_by_species/11