Holy Halibut! 1/23/10

[Ifishtoolittle]

Fished Balboa Pier with my cousin for anything really, only fished there because he forgot to get a new license:smack:. Eh, no big deal because we found some decent action on the pier. We executed our skillful techniques (shrimp on a d/s rig fished on 4,6lb test :D) upon the fish and with them those pier fish didn't stand a chance. Ended our brief 2.5 hour assault with 4 macs, a dozen lizards, 3 halis, and some smelt. Nothing to really brag about was caught, but we managed to out fish the bucketiers around us.:Big Smile:

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu337/Ifishtoolittle/DSCF3043.jpg
Here's my PB halibut! :ROFL:

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu337/Ifishtoolittle/DSCF3042.jpg
My cousin's

-IF2L

[DockRat]

WTG on the Lingcod bait (Sand Dab) :Thumbs Up:
DR

[Ifishtoolittle]

WTG on the Lingcod bait (Sand Dab) :Thumbs Up:
DR

No way that's a Dab. I've caught sand dabs and they look pretty different.

[BrandonFish]

Candy to lings sand dab.. just so you know.

[Ifishtoolittle]

Candy to lings sand dab.. just so you know.

Yeah, tried them a few times but got no love due to slow fishing.

[flyngby]

Sand dab or 1 of an assorted sole! Hope you are not trying for the lings now!

[Jaysuuun]

Awhile back a fellow fisherman told me it takes more skill to catch the smaller fish. :Cool:

[smokehound]

Those aren't halibut.

Very easy to mistake for a baby halibut.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/smokehound/juvenilehalibut.jpg

There's an example of a baby hali, notice the difference in the tails?

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu337/Ifishtoolittle/DSCF3042.jpg

CORRECTION! these are NOT speckled sand-dabs. I dont know what they are, perhaps baby fantail sole?

[goodtimes101]

those are sandabs

[Ifishtoolittle]

Wow that is something. Good to know, thanks for the info smokehound.

[Natural Lefty]

I have to correct you also, friend. Those are Spotted Sanddabs, which are the small kind commonly caught from piers. I am sure they do look different from other Sanddab species. I caught one of those on the recent trip to Santa Barbara. My wife once caught a Longfin Sanddab at Redondo Pier, which was larger. The third species is the Pacific Sanddab, which is the larger kind usually caught from boats, or sometimes from piers or shore in NorCal.

Look how small the mouth is; they definitely are not Halibut. Despite their small size, by the way, they are tasty and you can eat almost the whole thing, plus they are legal to keep and don't have any limits in fact.

[Natural Lefty]

The ones in the picture look awfully small though, unless you have huge hands. Most of the ones we have caught are bigger than those, like 5-6 inches.

[Ifishtoolittle]

The ones in the picture look awfully small though, unless you have huge hands. Most of the ones we have caught are bigger than those, like 5-6 inches.

Well my cousin didn't want to place his hand on the cutting board for a better comparison and mine was a little smaller than his. I'd say the fish were about 4-5".

[Natural Lefty]

And I might have been exaggerating a bit when I said mine were a whopping 5-6 inches, but some are bigger than others.

[DockRat]

Sand dab or 1 of an assorted sole! Hope you are not trying for the lings now!

Talking to a guy that caught a 14 lb Cabazon last week.
He got it by hand with no spear at 130' on a Lobster dive.
Rockfish is open to divers.
DR

[Natural Lefty]

I need to correct myself now. Those are actually called Speckled Sanddabs, and according to my book, reach a length of a whopping 6.7 inches, although most are 4-5 inches.

[smokehound]

I have to correct you also, friend. Those are Spotted Sanddabs, which are the small kind commonly caught from piers. I am sure they do look different from other Sanddab species. I caught one of those on the recent trip to Santa Barbara. My wife once caught a Longfin Sanddab at Redondo Pier, which was larger. The third species is the Pacific Sanddab, which is the larger kind usually caught from boats, or sometimes from piers or shore in NorCal.

Look how small the mouth is; they definitely are not Halibut. Despite their small size, by the way, they are tasty and you can eat almost the whole thing, plus they are legal to keep and don't have any limits in fact.I guess you're correct. it's a major pain in the arse identifying smaller flatfish..

At first I thought they were speckled sand dabs myself, but then I looked at images of speckled sand dabs, and they have larger eyes.. But then again, the ones he caught were tiny, so I dunno. *shrugs*

[Ifishtoolittle]

I guess you're correct. it's a major pain in the arse identifying smaller flatfish..

At first I thought they were speckled sand dabs myself, but then I looked at images of speckled sand dabs, and they have larger eyes.. But then again, the ones he caught were tiny, so I dunno. *shrugs*

The fish were tiny, but man when my bait met the bottom those things would just beat the crap out of it.

[Ifishtoolittle]

Sand dab or 1 of an assorted sole! Hope you are not trying for the lings now!

Lings from Balboa pier? Nah, those soles were released right after the photos were taken.

[lovefofish]

sand dab, I got one at balboa on lug worms before and made the same post.

[Ifishtoolittle]

sand dab, I got one at balboa on lug worms before and made the same post.

Really now?

[murrieta angler]

Thanks for the report,
I needed to see some fish caught from land.
Robert
<><

[Ifishtoolittle]

Thanks for the report,
I needed to see some fish caught from land.
Robert
<><

No problem.

[flyngby]

Lings from Balboa pier? Nah, those soles were released right after the photos were taken.

Congrats on your day at Balboa Pier with your cousin and for tearing it up!

I was only commenting about hunting Lings this time of year as some replied that the dabs were Ling Candy!

Need to read the regulations very carefully! Most all Rock fish are legal to take from shore based anglers and divers this time of year but not all!

And yes Lings could be caught on the pier if they are caught in the Surf like this one very recently!





Talking to a guy that caught a 14 lb Cabazon last week.
He got it by hand with no spear at 130' on a Lobster dive.
Rockfish is open to divers.
DR

Martin,

Sometimes the regs are very tricky and need to be studied very carefully!

Cabazon and most rockfish are currently fair game for shore based anglers and divers but not lings.

Copied from the DFG Regulations!

Summary of Recreational Groundfish Regulations for 2010 Southern Management Area Ocean waters between 34°27' N. latitude (Point Conception) and the U.S.-Mexico Border, excluding the Cowcod Conservation Areas3 Includes a portion of Santa Barbara County, and all of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties Note: Regulations in this table may change during the year. Before engaging in ocean sportfishing for groundfish and associated species, please review one of the sources listed in Footnote 1 to receive the most up-to-date regulations. For information about marine protected areas, see the Marine Protected Areas section of this booklet. Species Time Period1, 2, 3, 4 Depth Limit 1, 2, 3, 4 Daily Bag Limit1 Min. Size Limit1


Lingcod (see Section 28.27) All Anglers and Divers/2:

Open: Apr 1–Nov 30
Closed: Jan1–Mar 31, and Dec 1–Dec 31 Same as RCG Complex above 2 fish per person 24” total length

1. Subject to in-season change. Call the Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations Hotline at (831) 649-2801, visit the Marine Region Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine, send an e-mail to AskMarine@dfg.ca.gov, or call your nearest DFG office for the latest information.
2. Divers and shore-based anglers are exempt from season and depth restrictions affecting the RCG complex and other federally managed groundfish (except for lingcod).

However, when spear fishing during a boat-based closure, only spear fishing gear is allowed aboard any vessel or watercraft. Also, when angling from shore during a boat-based closure, no vessel or watercraft may be used to assist in taking or possessing species included in this table. The following definitions describe boat-based and shore-based anglers, and divers: �� Boat-based anglers are fishermen angling from boats or vessels of any size or any other type of floating object, including kayaks and float tubes. �� Shore-based anglers are fishermen angling from beaches, banks, piers, jetties, breakwaters, docks and other manmade structures connected to the shore. �� Divers are spear fishermen entering the water either from the shore or from a boat or other floating object.

3. See the Cowcod Conservation Areas table on the following pages and Section 27.50 for further information on fishing restrictions in these areas.

4. During the closed season, Pacific sanddab, butter sole, curlfin sole, flathead sole, rex sole, rock sole, and sand sole (defined as “Other Flatfish” in Section 1.91(a)(10)) may be taken.

5. See regulations for information on gear restrictions (sections 28.65, 28.70, 28.75, 28.80, 28.85, 28.90, 28.91, and 28.95) and fillet lengths (Section 27.65).

6. Total length is the longest straight-line measurement from the tip of the head with the mouth closed to the end of the longest lobe of the tail. A measurement method illustration is available in this booklet. 7. The sport fishery for leopard shark inside Newport Bay, Alamitos Bay, Mission Bay, and San Diego Bay is exempt from season and depth restrictions that affect other federally managed groundfish (Section 28.56). EXCEPTION: During the open season, groundfish may be possessed in closed areas and in water depths closed to fishing only aboard vessels in transit with no fishing gear in the water. See sub-section 27.20(b).

Feel free to correct me if I am reading it wrong!