SMR clarificaiton...?

I'm nervous about fishing Monterey becuase of all the SMCA SMR boundaries.
I was at lover's point and watched a kayaker off the kelp beds pulling out little rock cod.. and I think mostly releasing them.. .but from what I see on the maps this is firmly in the SMR and off limits to even finfish take.  It wasn't evident that anyone was concerned about it... So, am I right? Was he firmly in a no take of any kind zone?

Lover's point is the dividing line so depending on exactly where they were it may be OK, or not. Here is a link to a map that you can use on your phone to see exactly where you are with respect to the SMR boundaries:

https://www.dfg.ca.gov/m/MPA/Map

There's also a pretty good app called FishLegal (no affiliations) that does the same as the DFG link but it's always on your phone.

You’re better off fishing in Carmel bay anyways. The only decent spot along the PG coastline is Coral St (which is inside the PG SMCA but allows take of finfish).

Thanks all. I wasn't so much planning to fish that area as confused by what looks like flagrant unlawful fishing... like watching people drive through red lights in Oakland.. you begin to think.. oh, this isn't prohibited here?

There's also a pretty good app called FishLegal (no affiliations) that does the same as the DFG link but it's always on your phone.

That looks like s useful app. Way easier than the DFG website. I'll give it a try the next time I'm on the water. Thanks.

One thing to bear in mind with third-party apps is they aren’t always accurate or up to date. Usually they’re good for CA, but I’ve had a couple near-misses the last few years that put me off. The first time I was trying to fish a reserve boundary and double-checked the DFG maps at the last minute, only to realize the app had put me squarely in an SMR. The second time an SMCA was listed as allowing take of inverts, but was actually fin fish only. Unfortunately I don’t remember what app I was on either time, but the moral of the story is it never hurts to cross-reference the official maps before you head out, especially if you’re unfamiliar with an area.