Monterey rock limit and bonus calico

With the weather report calling for fog, mixed up swells and wind in the afternoon, I was torn between driving to Monterey, hitting the surf for striper/perch at Manresa, and staying in bed a few more hours.I decided to head down to Monterey and I think I made the right call...

Launched somewhere in Monterey at around 9:00.Winds were light out of the NW and the scattered morning fog was beginning to clear.Caught and released a few small blue, grass and gopher rockfish using a 3.5oz silver and black Megabait with a shrimpfly teaser on my Seeker Inshore II 708 and Calcutta 400.I felt yet another small gopher bite and began slowly reeling in when...WHAM!My line suddenly got heavier.My first thought was ling, but the fight was different.When I brought the fish to color I realized I had hooked the elusive Monterey Calico bass on the Mega and a small gopher on my teaser.




After landing the calico I found a nice reef stacked with assorted rockies. I ended up limiting with six fat blues,two olives,a grass, and a copper.Kept five and the Calico and stoked the staff at MBK with the other five.





Back at the launch by 11:30.Another day in paradise!

I remember catching a small Calico at Davenport way back when....I had doubts that it was a calico until I saw your pic.

Nice stringer there! Can't wait to rockfish...the days are numbering 

Hey Aaron. -

WTG. Those calicos really fight hard.

Scott

Hammered 'em! Nice one Aaron!!

Z

The calico is often confused with olive and yellowtail rf and it is rare to see them this far north.Look for the red eye color and bass-like shape of the head.When I first heard about calicos being caught off Monterey I thought it was a freak thing, like the triggerfish I caught off Capitola in 2005, but I guess there is a small resident population in Monterey.This is the second largest calico I've landed (largest was 8.5 lbs off Northern Baja) and definately the farthest north I've caught them.

Good going Aaron, and thanks for the tips on ID'ing the calicos.  Were you cleaning your fish on WON?  Cool if so.....

Nice catch Arron! were you fishing over sandy bottom? when you caught the Calico.

I caught the calico over a rocky reef along the outer edge of a kelp bed.It fought hard and bulldogged it's way toward the kelp, but I turned it and brought it back to the boat.

Cool report - sounds like a fun time.  It's always exciting to see a semi-exotic species show up, and catching so many different species makes rockfishing a potential adventure every time.   

Great job aaron and fantastic pics,  .

last year I used a fly and a 3.5oz silver and black megabait until the tail of the megabait became white.
I still have that one! I hope it works this year too.

J

Aaron - Great day on the water in beautiful Monterey! I don't fish there these days but here's an old photo ( 1982 ) of me and a real nice 7 lb Calico taken off Cannery Row. i think you're right about a population in Monterey Bay. I hear that they are very slow growers and a fish this size is easily a teenager! Tom

Nice job on the calico, Aaron! That is a nice sized one too. There are a couple reefs near The Row that appear to sustain a resident population of calicos. There are a few sheepshead there too!

And that is avery cool pic, Pelican! I love seeing old photos like that one.

Thanks for the report and pics,
PK

The calico is often confused with olive and yellowtail rf and it is rare to see them this far north.Look for the red eye color and bass-like shape of the head.

NO doubt.  After seeing your photo, I belive that I have caught a few of them and probably miss identified them as Olives.  I will look at the eye color next time for a proper ID.  Nice job on the limit and impressing the MBK staff.  They have not always supported fishing as much as we would like.

The calico is often confused with olive and yellowtail rf and it is rare to see them this far north.Look for the red eye color and bass-like shape of the head.When I first heard about calicos being caught off Monterey I thought it was a freak thing, like the triggerfish I caught off Capitola in 2005, but I guess there is a small resident population in Monterey.This is the second largest calico I've landed (largest was 8.5 lbs off Northern Baja) and definately the farthest north I've caught them.

there are reefs in monterey and carmel where we see and spear calicos almost every time we go out to them freediving and spearing.

only certain reefs in certain places hold them but once you spot one, you will see others. some in as shallow as 11- 15 feet. too bad one of my favorite places is about to be off limits for fish. im bummed : (

nice haul, and thanks for the tip on IDing the calicos.  Im with Sacyack, I would have thought for sure Olive.

Eugene