Rockfish Opener Plans?

What are you guys planning for the opener up off the Sonoma coast? Ive never rockfished before but im planning on heading out to ocean cove or timber cove if anyone wants to join.

Forecast does not look so good...


SAT
NW WINDS 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. NW SWELL 7 TO
9 FT.

I'd wait for better weather conditions.  I love to fish, but not under those conditions.
It's a long season.........

Stuart

What are you guys planning for the opener up off the Sonoma coast?

Planning on staying home and waiting for better ocean conditions. This is what a no go forecast looks like:



You might be able to stay in a protected cove but that long period part of the swell even makes that an iffy proposition.

I'd wait.

TC opens April 15.
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Groundfish-Summary#sf

TC opens April 15.
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Groundfish-Summary#sf

Thanks! I had April 1 in my head but that's for way down south.

I hope the 15th has better conditions than are forecast for the first!

We don't open until May 1 up here, which is two weeks earlier than it has been in years past.

Those are pretty nasty swell expectations. I'll hit up Ocean Cove in a couple weeks. Never fished there. Give us a report if you go out!

So what would make a good swell condition?

I'm confused, Along with Fishing Addict, Everything I have read says the opener is the 15th. Where are you guys getting forecasts for the 15th? Please let me know because that is some useful information.

Look in the regs . Each management area has different opening dates.Sonoma Coast falls under the San Francisco Management Area .
 Page 14 Ocean Regs 

I'm confused, Along with Fishing Addict, Everything I have read says the opener is the 15th. Where are you guys getting forecasts for the 15th? Please let me know because that is some useful information.

Those are forecasts for the first, not the 15th. The salmon opener is the first from shelter cove and points south. The first is also the opener for the Monterey area for rockfish. The 15th is the rockfish opener for Sonoma county spots. There are no reliable forecasts for the 15th yet, it's too far out.

Notice that everything up my way is still closed. California's red headed stepchildren.

So what would make a good swell condition?

That's a call that is personal and comes with experience and depends upon location. For a thumbnail, where seas = swell + wind chop, ballpark I use:

If seas in feet <= (.5)*swell period in seconds; AND
Swell in feet + wind in knots <= 15, then

Launch

Else, stay on land and enjoy a beverage of your choice.

That's super rough, is nowhere near gospel, and will vary considerably amongst kayaker of different skill levels, location, swell and wind direction, tides, local bathymetry, etc etc.

So what would make a good swell condition?

That's a call that is personal and comes with experience and depends upon location. For a thumbnail, ballpark I use:

If seas in feet <= (.5)*swell period in seconds; AND
Swell in feet + wind in knots <= 15, then

Launch

Else, stay on land and enjoy a beverage of your choice.

That's super rough, is nowhere near gospel, and will vary considerably amongst kayaker of different skill levels, location, swell and wind direction, tides, local bathymetry, etc etc.

You have 15 knts threshold?  I can only do <=10 lol then again im paddler.

I'm confused, Along with Fishing Addict, Everything I have read says the opener is the 15th. Where are you guys getting forecasts for the 15th? Please let me know because that is some useful information.

Those are forecasts for the first, not the 15th. The salmon opener is the first from shelter cove and points south. The first is also the opener for the Monterey area for rockfish. The 15th is the rockfish opener for Sonoma county spots. There are no reliable forecasts for the 15th yet, it's too far out.

Notice that everything up my way is still closed. California's red headed stepchildren.

That's what I thought, I was confused because the original poster had mentions the Sonoma Coast. Everybody else I guess was talking about other areas. Depending on the conditions Lineside, I may join you if that's cool.

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Condition are varying at the moment. I looked up Carmel, PG, Monterey, and HMB and each one are saying something different.

Using Willy Weather:

8 am:
Carmel shows 8.5 ft at 20.3 sec  (10.7 ft at 19 sec at 2 pm) with wind at 7.4 knots (increasing up to 9.5 knots at 2 pm)

PG (Lovers PT) 7.6 ft at 20.3 sec (9.6 ft at 19 sec at 2 pm) with wind at 5.4 knots (increasing up to 8 knots at 2 pm)

Monterey shows 4.3 ft at 20.2 sec (5.5 ft at 18.8 sec at 2 pm) with wind at 6 knots (increasing up to 7.6 knots at 2 pm)

HMB at Naples Beach shows 6.3 ft at 20.2 sec (8.2 ft at 18.8 sec at 2 pm) with wind at 8.4 knots (up to 9.5 knots at 2 pm)

From the looks of it Monterey Bay seem to be the better conditon.

If condition improved, I'm looking at going out either to PG or even to HMB to drop crap pots and RF.

Backup plan will be halibut fishing in the bay