Alright, so I'm just gonna say, if u catch a hali, Just save it till you get home. Ever read the reg on the fillets?! It's quite rediculous. Err on the safe side and leave it intact.
GM<><
Alright, so I'm just gonna say, if u catch a hali, Just save it till you get home. Ever read the reg on the fillets?! It's quite rediculous. Err on the safe side and leave it intact.
GM<><
It's better to be safe than sorry- There has been a few times that I've release some huge cabazon (5lbs plus) only to find out it was legal to take them at that time. Bummer man.
Has anyone ever bothered to measure their catches more than once? Meaning that the first measurement is made immediately after landing the fish and the final measurement made after the fish has died...you will notice that most of the time the fish will undergo shrinkage after it dies...depending on what type of fish, usually there will be about a 1/4'' to 1 1/2'' discrepancy from the two measurements.
from what i know, after a fish dies, the muscles tense up and it collapses the back bone of the fish, causing it to shrink in length. What does this mean? It means that your 22'' keeper halibut may not measure 22'' after you've had it sitting out for a while. In fact, i know someone who has been cited by the DFG for keeping a halibut that measured 21 1/2''. His fish was clearly over 22'' at the time landing it...but he couldn't convince the DFG officials that the shrinkage occured within the two to three hour fishing period that he was out in the water...he eventually cleared up the citation in court by providing information that proves that this occurence is possible and happens very often.
Now, i am by no means suggesting that you should all throw back your minimaly/barely-legal catch or in any way trying to impose any predisposition on C&R, because that topic has always led to heated meaningless debates. What i do suggest, is that if you have a minimaly-legal fish and you do decide to keep it...just be aware that this could happen. Maybe a quick photo of the fish immediatly after landing--with a measurment tape to indicate the lenght may not be a bad idea to avoid any possible trouble you may run into with the law for supposedly keeping an undersized fish.
Good call on the fillet regs. I've worked boats in Nocal for about 13 years, and our bread and butter is rockcod. Some fish need only the 1 inch patch, some need the entire thing attached. I just got into the habit of leaving the entire skin attached(no, not just "slabbing" them) so neither me nor my customers are caught with an illegal fillet. When the regs changed a few years ago, DFG started sending undercover wardens on the boats up here. (Monterey Bay, BTW)
No one here in Santa Cruz got busted, as we always kept the skin on. However, I heard that a few boats in Monterey got caught completely skinning fillets. As for flatfish? I just wait until we get back to the dock.
is 22" actual legal halibuit size?
Thanks for the info fish sauce never knew about the shrinkidge of some fish will take photo of fish all the time now
In California it is.Originally Posted by Robert trout hunter
From CLOSED jaw to tip of tail...
Im no Forensic MD, but from what I know all muscle tissue relaxes upon death....from what i know, after a fish dies, the muscles tense up and it collapses the back bone of the fish, causing it to shrink in length.
Any shrinkage is probably from dehydration....
Which can be measurable on a hot day after several hrs...
.
you ain't kidding. i went with a gang of Samoans to Catalina, that worked for my dad when i was kid. those guys were a trip! they ate what ever they were catching and when that ran out they started eating the bait right out of tank like snacks and to piss the captain off. they were a great bunch of guys had me laughing all day long.
sorry for a high jack
Ladies and gents--
One question I have concerning saltwater regulations that I'm either missing in the reg texts or is unaddressed directly--is there a limit on number or lines/rods, or upon number or type of hooks on a given line or lines that an angler can use at one time? I'm not looking to mount a snagging rig, just want to fish legally and not cause myself problems or cause work for the wardens.
Additionally, are these line/hook regs specific to a species of fish? I don't bottom-fish very much, but might try halibut. Mostly I'm about bonito and yellowtail, and the basses.
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