BY Merit McCrea
MORRO BAY –SAN DIEGO – The rockfish season is upon us. With a steady hand on the wheel at the Pacific Fisheries Management Council and before the Fish and Game Commission CDFW staffers ushered in 2025 recreational groundfish regulations exactly the same as 2024, for the most part. The only change is the elimination of minimum size limits on cabezon, greenling and sculpin.
Those changes were made to enable the filleting of greenling and cabezon at sea finally. In the process considering how to facilitate that change it was discovered there was no longer a conservation need for the minimum size limits on all three species. Simpler is better so, no more size limit and therefore no need for figuring out if a minimum fillet length would work for cabezon and greenling and what that would be. Wardens will no longer be attempting to measure sculpin fillets either.
However, coming with these small changes are new requirements to leave a full skin attached on these three species, plus lingcod too now.
For waters south of 36 degrees north near Point Lopez we will again start our rockfish season on April 1 as “all-depth” with the only closed areas being the MPAs and the Groundfish Exclusion Areas or GEAs that are closed all year.
Then on July 1 we transition waters shoreward of the Federal 50-fathom point-to –point lines, and starting October 1 we’re in waters seaward of that line only. Between October 1 and December 31 you may not have in your possession any of the “nearshore complex” rockfish species.
When the nearshore is closed you may still transit, anchor or fish hoop nets or net squid with rockfish on board. Anglers are restricted to 1 line each and no more than 2 hooks if rockfish or lingcod are aboard. This writer still hasn’t figured out if blackcod on board keeps you to just 1 line and 2 hooks.
For readers who like the weedy details, here they are:
“Bag limits, hook limits. In times and areas when the recreational season for the RCG Complex is open, there is a limit of two hooks and one line when fishing for the RCG complex.”
“Bag limits, hook limits. In times and areas when the recreational season for lingcod is open, there is a limit of 2 hooks and 1 line when fishing for lingcod.”
But the kicker is sculpin.
“Bag limits, hook limits. South of 40°10.00′ N lat., in times and areas where the recreational season for California scorpionfish is open there is a limit of 2 hooks and 1 line, the bag limit is 5 California scorpionfish per day.”
Because scorpions are open all year this and it doesn’t say “when fishing for scorpionfish.” By the letter it means recreational angler may never fish with more than one line and two hooks.
However, it’s pretty clear this is not enforced that way and as a practical matter only comes into play when you have scorpionfish, AKA sculpin on board. Recreational anglers commonly use any number of hooks fishing sand dabs, mackerel and sardines and are no cited for fishing with more than one line and 2 hooks.
The bag limit on blackcod/sablefish is the default 10, with no more than 20 fish in combination, except “There is no limit on the following species: anchovy, jacksmelt, topsmelt, Pacific butterfish (pompano), queenfish, sanddabs, skipjack, jack mackerel, Pacific mackerel, Pacific staghorn sculpin, round herring, Pacific sardine, petrale sole and starry flounder.” Blackcod are open all-year.
The rockfish sub-bag limits are 2 vermilion and 1 copper. Other related ones include sheephead – 2 fish with a 12-inch minimum size limit. Also, cowcod, yelloweye and bronze spotted rockfish are still no-retention species and must be descended back.
In addition, you must have a descending device aboard when fishing. “A descending device must be available for immediate use on any vessel taking or possessing groundfish.”
Here’s the link to the California recreational regs book. Getting it at this link and doing a word search is the absolute fastest way to find what you are looking for, including coordinates for closed areas.
