Reports for 5/02,03

Got out Friday and Saturday after some lings or cabbies but didn't quite hit the mark. Started Friday afternoon w/ a beautiful sunny sky and real warm temps. The tide was way low so not perfect conditions but was a great day on the water none the less. started off w/ a few small red rockfish. Could be sculpin, dunno since Im new to rockfishing the sound. ID anyone?  I then got a freakin' nice hookup. Had him on for a good minute or so but was really hunkered down and broke off. The rest of the days was full of those reds to about 10". Didn't see any other fish landed so felt ok.





I was still down to get some lings so set out to Edmonds the next day. Unfortunately the weather really turned and I was greeted w/ overcast and some sprinkles. Jigged the pier and the breakwater and marked some good fish but got blanked. Once again didn't see a single fish landed so fishing seems to be slow.

Way to go -Z-!  What kind of jigs were you bouncing?

As much time as I've been spending in the Channel I'm starting to feel like a 1 trick pony.  And to think, I wasn't even considering fresh water fishing when I got my yaks. 

Z,

I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sure what it's not.  It's not a sculpin.  Sculpin looks a lot like a cabezon with that kind of flattened head and all.  I've caught those like yours too and never had an official name for them.  Be careful about keeping any of the bright red to orange ones, since they are probably either the forbidden canary fish or the yellow eye.  Your fish looks like neither.

Fishin-T

It's a rockfish.  Probably the most common kind you'll catch in Puget Sound proper.  I always thought they were young, dark coppers.  You don't get them much bigger than the one you caught, at least I never catch them much bigger.

But let's assign this one to Brian, shall we?

-Allen

Way to go -Z-!  What kind of jigs were you bouncing? 

Rootbeer scampi w/ a leadhead jig.

Be careful about keeping any of the bright red to orange ones, since they are probably either the forbidden canary fish or the yellow eye.

Oh yeah, no worries. We had a lot in Cali and they're on the no-no list there too.

It's a rockfish.  Probably the most common kind you'll catch in Puget Sound proper.  I always thought they were young, dark coppers.  You don't get them much bigger than the one you caught, at least I never catch them much bigger.

Yeah I thought it was a rockfish but it's lateral line curved u it's side so much it made me wonder. B?

Z

Nice job Z.  How come that little guy didn't go up on the AOTY board?  Was it out of season?

As for identification, I can tell you that it's not is a canary or yellow eye.  As to what it actually is, my guess would be brown rockfish (they can be reddish brown). But usually browns have a distinct dark brown spot on the gill cover. However, in Puget Sound browns, quillbacks and coppers are known to produce hybrids so maybe it was one of those.

Brian

Yeah, it's possibly a hybrid.  It has that dark quillback color without the high quill.  In my experience, these things are very prevalent in PS, moreso than seeing the individual species.

-Allen

Nice job Z.  How come that little guy didn't go up on the AOTY board?  Was it out of season?

No, not out of season. I guess it was just so little and I didn't get a measure on it I figured that I'd definitely do much better later on in the season.

BTW did a little searching on brown rockfish and I think we have a winner... the Puget Sound Rockfish (Sebastes emphaeus).

http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/Rockfish-Game/description/PugetSound.htm






Size seems about right, the anal spine seems to match more closely than the brown. But the eye looks much bigger on the PSR and the body is a little more streamlined... maybe? Shoot.. I dunno. I guess I'll just call it the Brown Puget Sound Rockfish.

Z

I thought about the PS Rockfish, however I read that it tops out at around 7 inches.  I know I've caught bigger ones of these.

-Allen

Yeah the 7 inch match seemed to rule our the Puget sound rockfish for me.   Then again, maybe that was a record class fish and you didn't know it.

Brian

Alas, poor ol' Z... if only the Puget Sound rockfish was a separate AOTY species.  Could have bagged HUGE points with that one.  Oh, wait!  He threw it back already any way.

Fishin-T

Yeah the 7 inch match seemed to rule our the Puget sound rockfish for me.   Then again, maybe that was a record class fish and you didn't know it.

Brian

I think Brian has hit it on the head--perhaps a new IGFA world record--depending of course on the pound/test of your line

Rob.