Watch your limits folks...
 

Emergency Regulation – Recreational Groundfish

Just adopted Thursday 12-16-2021:

New emergency rockfish regulations that will take effect probably sometime in January. (so therefore, for Mar 1 opener)

Vermillion (Reds) sub-limit goes from 5 to 4

But what really hurts – copper (Chuckleheads) sub-limit put in place, and it’s 1. Just 1.

Thank you for the info, Dave. It certainly is sad to see the limit of Copper changed to 1. Of course this doesn't apply to the commercial guys, unfortunately.

Is this a copper chucklehead
 

I only got one but 2 pictures.

Yes, that is a Copper (Chucklehead).

What is the mark on the side of that Copper rockfish? Is that a scratch on the photo? Scar on the fish? or some kind of tag?

Thanks for the info PapaDave. One Copper is better than the way of the Cowcod(none).

Still sad when one looks back at the past. This picture is from a half-day trip on the City of Redondo 45 years ago. The boat did a brief stop surface fishing Bluff Cove before heading out for the full 15 fish limits of rockfish in about 250ft. The Calico Bass at the bottom was barely legal 12 inches for reference.

I heard this was coming from the Stardust crew, bummer. Catch a lot of chucks at the channel islands

That's a nice haul there John. I didn't realized the limit used to be 15. I can't tell what kind of RF those are. I got into this hobby a couple of years ago and see that the limit has changed once (Vermillion sub-bag) and now the Copper sub-bag.
I've caught a few 20"+ Coppers this year in Redondo with 18"-19" are pretty common. But never found any that are at 250ft though. I have to go way deeper, like 300ft-400ft+.

If you don't have one already, get or make yourself a descender!

https://oceaned.org/request-devices/

No it's not a tag.
 

It's a single blue fiber, off a cheap thin blue tarp.
I used to use them alot when I used to plaster.

OK, my bad.

Good Stuff -- I donated to them a few years back, but most of the time I use my downrigger to send fish back down if necessary.

Those are some San Nicolis Island-sized Coppers. Nice Quang! The 300-400ft range was least fished back in the pre-braid days. With standard rental rod outfits, the Sportfishing fleet would hit 150-300ft for rockfish, and when shallow-water rockcodding got slow, the Redondo fleet would switch to 6/0 sized rental rods and hit Volcanic reef. Sometimes even the Pedro 3/4 day boats would come up there to fish 400-650ft. The standard rig was 80lb dacron, a 5 hook gangion and a 3lb weight. Hardcore anglers used 9/0 reels, 5-6lb sach weight, and 12 hooks. Circle hooks were new, and if one could get the Tankichi circle hooks from Japan, they were significantly better for retaining fish on the rigs. Those who caught over limits would cull through their fish, giving the smaller ones to less successful anglers. The limit was 15 and 90 percent of the catch was Salmon Groupers. Rockcodding was allowed year-round, and the banned times of today were considered Rockcodding season. The RF's in the photo are Boccacio and a few Chilipepper. If one wanted to catch Reds, and have a shot at a Cowcod, the best bet was the outer islands.

You can make your own electric reel I did.
 

Go to the junk yard and get a windshield wiper motor they turn reel slow and it's 2speed. If you got an old penn 6/0 laying around your not using. Motion industries sell mini chains and sprockets. Weld a silver dollar size sprocket to the star drag plate. And cut a thin stainless steel side plate that has the same bolt pattern as the side of your reel with a another even smaller sprocket with the motor attached and a toggle switch. I guess I'm considered a gearhead :reeling: beats winding deep
If you got the money to just buy one more power to ya.

Merry Christmas (belated) and Happy New Year to all members of this board