BajaNomad - Releasing Rockfish Video-Barotrauma

Releasing Rockfish Video-Barotrauma

redhilltown - 9-21-2013 at 11:54 PM

I honestly had no idea this sort of device (s) existed...always felt guilty on the smaller ones. I hope the science is correct and not just a "feel good" way of dropping them back down and out of sight to make us feel better.

http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2013/09/20/33829/video-...

[Edited on 9-22-2013 by redhilltown]

Lobsterman - 9-22-2013 at 05:19 AM

Removed. Not pescador worthy.

[Edited on 9-23-2013 by Lobsterman]

Now we know

durrelllrobert - 9-22-2013 at 09:01 AM

somebody posted a picture of one of those fish release devices asking if anyone knew what it was. I don't think anyone had the right answer.

Skipjack Joe - 9-22-2013 at 09:27 AM

Thanks, Redhil.

That was educational. I always thought it was their bladder protruding from their mouths, not their stomach. Fortunately here in C California we catch our rockfish in shallow water and this is not an issue. In Alaska the critical depth was somewhere just over 100 feet it seemed to me.

LancairDriver - 9-22-2013 at 09:30 AM

Some effort is beginning to be made to educate anglers on these devices now in Oregon. It is particularly disgusting to see the aftermath of dozens of dead and floating bottom fish left by a charter boat after they have moved on to another spot. It would almost be better to allow the protected species to be counted in the anglers limit than to be wasted floating on the surface. While they may ultimately wind up as crab feed, the trade off is hardly worth it.
These devices should be required for bottom fishing if the goal is to protect the species.

Pescador - 9-22-2013 at 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lobsterman
I do not know anyone who fishes for rockfish that uses this device. I fish for rockfish sometime during the trip almost every time I go fishing, about 40 times a year. The method I use to release the small ones is, first I wind up the line very s-l-o-w-l-y on all rockfish, stopping a few times on the way up. Then for the ones that are released but do not immediately swim down due to the extended swim bladder, I assist them a bit. That is while they are floating upside down I take the tip of my pole and whack them on their bloated belly, hard. Usually after a few whacks they wakeup and try hard to get away from this mad giant floating in a piece of plastic. Half the time they release enough air on their own or due to my whacks and swim down on their own. The ones that don't but have been primed by my whacks float away to be assaulted by the seagulls. The seagulls can not break the skin but peck away at the body which again wakes them up and helps release the air. A few more swim away. The ones that do not are not wasted on the desert surface of the ocean. They keep the seagulls occupied while I continue fishing and they are eventually eaten by the gulls or hungry pelicans. I guess over 60% live for another day.

Only take from God's bounty enough for the sustenance of your family. Leave your macho ego at home. My favorite rockfish are these small ones anyway. Sweet, succulent and they melt in your mouth. Usually I keep about half of them for my limit. Small meaning smaller than the size of your hand. What would you rather eat a tender teenager without much fat between the meat layers or a tough old fatty grandmother with worms?

Please never tell this bozo where we catch bass, cabrilla, baqueta, or grouper. Hopefully he will only catch fish that do not exhibit barometric trauma. I hope this is a sick attempt at humor, if not >>>>>>>>>>>.

I have used the release device several times now and it works very well according to the studies done in the gulf of Mexico. The venting tool is a joke and a significant number of fish die with that method of release.

In addition to a pressure release system, for years I carried a 5 lb weight with a barbless hook that I would hook to the lip of a grouper and when it got around 65 feet or deeper, it would return to normal and start fighting to get free. One small tug and it came free.

Lobsterman - 9-22-2013 at 06:50 PM

pescadore,

Bozo? If you have something to say to me say it man-to-man and without the disrespectful words. I added info on a method to help rockfish swim another day instead of dying upside down. I learned it many years ago from an old sea salt. It's not 100% but it works without harming the fish. If you had taken the time to read and analyze what I wrote, you'd see that the method starts at the hooking of the fish. By slowly bringing ROCKFISH to the surface with minute long stops along the way up helps them from being so overly extended once on the surface. Most fish go back down on their own but some do not. I release only a few hand size fish each trip if any because as I said I prefer these to the larger models. I fish for food often so I do not need but 5-10 fish each time out. Let me add by using 4/0-8/0 Owner circle hooks in deeper waters (over 200') you USUALLY only hook the larger models.

BTW I do not fish for the over-fished grouper. You just have a different conservation standard than I do. But each to their own. I've fished the SOC on both sides in my boat, panga and San Felipe shrimp boats since the 60s so I'm well aware of the fish you mentioned and only take enough for dinner. The slimy yellow Jawfish are one of my favorites out of LA Bay.

Since you appear to be the censor on this board on how to fish, please remove your thread above and I'll do the same. We do not want to pass info counter to your fishing expertise, now do we.

I'll be in your neck of the woods in a few weeks. I've rented a panga at my buddy's place, Rancho Leonero, for 6 days of fishing Oct 11-17. Why don't you join me there and I'll take you out for a day of fishing. You just pay for the bait. We do not have room after that for a 4th (guide) while we fish Mag Bay (San Carlos and Lopez) in my buddy's 18' aluminum boat or you would be welcome there as well. As I head north on the 23rd or 24th we could meet along the way and discuss fishing conservation techniques further over a beer. Perhaps at M&Os. I'll buy. I don't bite. I'm just a nice guy who has been saltwater fishing for over 60 years on both coasts. Well gotta run going out for the closein bite of YT, YF, BF, & dorado about 30 miles offshore.

[Edited on 9-23-2013 by Lobsterman]

Skipjack Joe - 9-22-2013 at 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by whistler
Skipjack,they fish rockfish down to 600+ft.5lb .seine weights is the norm.Rods with rail plates and 9/0 reels was common place.The two hook rule and the closure of a lot of areas has slowed the popularity of rock- codding down.

They may fish 600' down but we don't. Pulling up a bunch of fish that you can barely feel is not much fun. I went on several trips to Hidden Reef out of Redondo in the old days and it just seemed like a lot of work cranking up those cow cod. Fortunately here in C California you can get several species in shallow water. In fact, the lingcod fishing will be at it's best starting in just a few weeks from now. They move to the shallower water to spawn.

DaliDali - 9-23-2013 at 12:37 AM

I do what I can to harmlessly release any fish I don't plan on keeping.
Some will surely die as a result and some critters will be the beneficiary of that death.

I would much rather see efforts and education directed directly to the gill netters.
Gill nets KILL everything, without regard to size, specie or commercial viability.

A lot of times it's tough to come up with a keeper size cabrilla for supper and I KNOW the likely spots.

Pescador - 9-23-2013 at 10:31 AM

Lobsterman, allowing the fish stops on the way up may slightly help them with absorbing nitrogen back into their system, but does nothing to stop the swim bladder from blowing up. Some of the fish you bring up may not have an extended swim bladder only because it was ruptured on the haul to the surface. I would never condone whacking the fish with your rod, not only does that cause potential internal damage to the fish, but does nothing to help a distressed fish.

The Federal Fishery Dept. in the Gulf of Mexico has passed legislation that requires each boat to carry a venting tool, which is a hypodermic needle that you poke in the side of the fish and allow the trapped gas to leave. It has been shown that only about 10% of those fish survive. The other types of releases that get the fish back to depth are the only ones that get up into 80-85% successful releases.

Most of those fish that you are reporting as swimming down do not successfully do so. They swim away but because of nitrogen and extended swim bladders, they are unable to attain the 60 foot level and then slowly die anyway.

I appreciate your experience and your expertise, but I think you need a little more information. I apoligize for referring to you as a bozo, but I think we are reaching critical levels of populations in many of the basses that live deep and we need to do whatever we can to help them survive barometric trauma. 10 years ago, I never saw anyone with a release device but now it is becoming pretty standard procedure for anyone who fishes the depths. If I catch a Cabrilla or Grouper it normally makes it into the cooler and becomes dinner, but if I catch a big grouper or black sea bass (mero) it gets returned because all of the big fish are females and they need to reproduce as much as possible if my grandkids are ever going to have a chance to catch one.

Hope you have a great trip on both sides of the peninsula.

Pescador - 9-23-2013 at 10:37 AM

Here is another device, sold by Charkbait, which won the ICAST best of show.

http://www.charkbait.com/cs/csd-Release.htm

durrelllrobert - 9-23-2013 at 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe

Quote:

It's been awhile and I don't remember the name of the reef out of HMB we used to fish after salmon season closed but I know we fished at 300 ft because that's only how much steel was on my downriggers. You're right, it was tiring to bring a ling up from that depth and I had a 10 inch long crank on my reel. All of the lings were in the 20lb range compared to the 5-10 lb range we catch in Ensenada's Bahia Todos Santos at 100-200 ft. Guess it's the either the water conditions or depth up there.

Lobsterman - 9-23-2013 at 06:34 PM

Thanks pescadore for the informative reply. I will not be fishing for deep water bottom fish on this trip, just the pelagics except for the mangrove fish, but the info is good if I ever do again. I catch enough bottom fish here without having to go all the way to Baja to catch one. I wonder if the rental pangas have these devices on their boats when they go fishing.

If the bottom fish are so endangered in your area why do you even bother to fish for them any way? Isn't there enough pelagics around for food? Especially big grouper where you need 100 lb test just to jerk them out of their deep water homes. As for my fishing techniques I think I'll just keep them to myself in the future.

Tight lines and the fishing offer still stands if interested Oct 11-17 at Rancho Leonero.

[Edited on 9-25-2013 by Lobsterman]

Skipjack Joe - 9-23-2013 at 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe

Quote:

It's called Deep Reef and part of it is as shallow as 200'. Gunny sacks of rock cod came from that reef for everyone on a daily basis. I remember catching boccacio there in the 70's. HMB didn't have a marina back then. Boccacio now have to be all released statewide. The weather is much worse here than in Socal. I would say that the party boats go out no more than 50% of the year. So that gives the fish a break. The completion of the marina really made it tougher on the fish. I haven't caught a vermillion rockfish in 25 years here. Thirty years ago we would get 30+ lb lingcod every year. It's been a long time since I've seen anything that big here. But the size limits have definitely helped.

I'm not surprised Hidden Reef isn't producing fish Whistler. There are, what, 5 million people in the LA Basin area. The only reason it was still a fishery when I was around is because of the cost of a ticket to get there ($10 - you could go to catalina all day for $7) and it was always rough water. It was a different group of people that showed up for those rockcod trips. They were older and they went about their business in a much calmer manner. Less competitive, friendlier, calmer, and with more socialization.

Skipjack Joe - 9-23-2013 at 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by whistler

Must go by a different name but I never heard of Hidden reef.

That got me interested. I looked it up on the internet and came up with these coordinates:

33° 43.60' N 119° 09.69' W

If you enter them on Google Earth you end up west of catalina and southeast of anacapa. It's listed as 'Pilgrim Banks' on GE. San Nicholas Island was reputed to be a great rockcod destination back then but the cost of the 2 day trip was just too much (I was still in high school).

The last rockfish trip on a cattle boat I took was to the Farallone Islands. And I worked all day to keep down that morning's breakfast.