Calico Bass Range?

[Ifishtoolittle]

I'm fairly certain that this topic has been asked before, but err... whatever. So, my question for you salty dogs is, how far north have you caught, encountered, or heard of a Calico being caught?

The farthest north I've ever caught a Calico was my PB at San Nicholas Island which to this day still stands as my PB.

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu337/Ifishtoolittle/DSCF0092.jpg (http://s661.photobucket.com/user/Ifishtoolittle/media/DSCF0092.jpg.html)
My estimated 6lb Calico. CPR'd

-IF2L

[Stumpknocker]

I caught one in Monterey Bay once. I was on a collection trip with an ichthyologist looking for kelp bass in the bay, and it was the only one we caught along with a bunch of yellowtail rockfish.

[Ifishtoolittle]

Cool! I have fished around Morro Bay before and asked the crew on the Fiesta if Calicos were a common occurrence and got the answer I did not want to hear. That's good to know that Calicos do dwell further north.

[Stumpknocker]

We fished Morro Bay on the same trip and didn't find any kelp bass...we did find them around Point Concepcion though...this was long before the MPAs...I don't think you can fish either of those places now.

[GhettoBasster]

Nice Cali! Pt. Conception is kind of the dividing point between warm water and cold water species.

[jerryG]

Yeah as mentioned calicos and sand bass are rarely caught above Point Conception but they are abundant in the waters leading up to Pt. Conception. I always thought it was strange that some the cold water species we have here in Socal such as sculpin, white fish, and sheep head are rare catches above Pt. Conception. You think that they would be fine up the colder waters but they prefer to stay below the Pt. Conception as well.

Another thing I have always found interesting is that have you ever wondered why red rock fish (deeper water) don't bite at night. Perhaps no one is fishing for them at night but in the 35 years I have been fishing locally I can't ever recall a time when were catching reds at night. You think they would go off at night. I mean the deeper water creatures don't get much sun light down in the depths but yet they seem to shut off when it gets dark. Always thought that was kind of strange considering how well calicos, sand bass, and sculpin at night.

JerryG

[Ifishtoolittle]

We fished Morro Bay on the same trip and didn't find any kelp bass...we did find them around Point Concepcion though...this was long before the MPAs...I don't think you can fish either of those places now.

Cool. I still don't understand why the fish don't like it up north. The environment isn't too different from Socal. Yes, the water is colder but fish can adapt right?


Nice Cali! Pt. Conception is kind of the dividing point between warm water and cold water species.
Thanks! I see!


Yeah as mentioned calicos and sand bass are rarely caught above Point Conception but they are abundant in the waters leading up to Pt. Conception. I always thought it was strange that some the cold water species we have here in Socal such as sculpin, white fish, and sheep head are rare catches above Pt. Conception. You think that they would be fine up the colder waters but they prefer to stay below the Pt. Conception as well.

Another thing I have always found interesting is that have you ever wondered why red rock fish (deeper water) don't bite at night. Perhaps no one is fishing for them at night but in the 35 years I have been fishing locally I can't ever recall a time when were catching reds at night. You think they would go off at night. I mean the deeper water creatures don't get much sun light down in the depths but yet they seem to shut off when it gets dark. Always thought that was kind of strange considering how well calicos, sand bass, and sculpin at night.

JerryG

That's funny that you say that Sculpin and Sheephead aren't found past Point Conception. From what I was told on my Morro Bay trip, people do catch Sheephead near the kelp in shallow water. As for Sculpin that is weird that they aren't found further north. They're practically in the same family as the rest of the rockfish.

Yeah, you're right about the rockfish not biting at night. Although I've never caught any rockfish at night I've heard stories from anglers about people having some success jigging at night for those Sebastes. I've also read/seen reports of grass bass caught inside harbors at night.

Thanks JerryG.

[jerryG]

Your right they do get a few sheep head in the kelp above the Pt. Conception but it's not common. Yeah I've caught grass bass (kelp rockfish) and johnny bass at night while fishing for bass at night but red rockfish is another story. I've fished deep stones at night during the winter for bass which produce rockfish during the day but at night they become strictly bass and sometimes sculpin spots. It's weird how fish that can live at depths where light doesn't penetrate won't bite in the dark.

JerryG