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Features: Green sturgeon have olive to dark green backs and a yellowish, green-white belly. They also have a green strip down the middle of their stomachs. This fish will grow to 7-feet long and, as with white sturgeon, have bony body armor along their backs and are covered in sandpaper-like skin. Habitat: Green sturgeon are bottom dwellers, travelling all along the Pacific coast of North America. They spawn in deep pools in turbulent freshwater from March to July. Technique: Green Sturgeon may not be targeted for retention or catch-and-release angling. Any Green Sturgeon caught incidentally, for instance during White Sturgeon…
Features: Before spawning, sockeye salmon are silvery on their sides, white on their bellies, and dark blue on their backs. When spawning, their heads turn green with black on the snout and upper jaw, and their bodies turn red. They can be 24- to 33- inches long and weight between 5 and 15 pounds. Habitat: Many sockeye populations require a lake for part of their life cycle. Spawning may occur along lake shorelines or in stream gravels, but fry usually migrate to lake environments soon after emergence and occupy this habitat during their stay in fresh water. Technique: Sockeye salmon…
Features: Pacific cod are brown to gray on the back with brown spots or pale areas on the back and sides. They are lighter on their bellies. They have an elongated body with a square caudal fin, three dorsal fins, a chin barbel, and two anal fins. The anal fins are usually white-edged. Habitat: They are widely distributed in cooler regions of Pacific and adjacent seas- Japan to the Bering Sea and south to Santa Monica, California. They range in water 7- to 300-fathoms deep, but tend to hang out near the bottom of the water column, regardless of water…
Features: The Pacific sanddab is left-eyed, meaning both eyes are on the left side of the body. The eyed-side is dull light brown, mottled with brown or black, and sometimes yellow or orange. The blind-side is off-white to tan. They have an oval shaped body with large scales. They can grow to be 16-inches long and up to 2 pounds, though most weigh less than 1/3 pound. Habitat: As you probably guessed, sanddabs like to hang out on sandy bottoms. They are most abundant at depths of 20-50 fathoms, and are common in shallow coastal waters from British Columbia to…
Features: These fish are silver when young, but darken and develop black spots on their tails and backs as they age. In fresh water, the males are red on their sides and develop a hump on their backs earning this species the common name humpback salmon. Females in fresh water are green on the sides with dark bars. Pink salmon are an average of 20- to 25-inches long and rarely weigh over 5 pounds. Habitat: Pink salmon spawn on odd numbered years and do so very close to saltwater, never going very far upriver. In fact, some pink salmon will…
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Features: These fish have a dark blue or black body, mottled with yellow and with a broad yellow stripe running along their side. Habitat: The China rockfish dwells in relatively shallow water, 10- to 400-feet deep, on rocky reefs. Technique: They readily take both bait and lures. China rockfish will be caught in areas with lots of rocks and crevasses, and by keeping the bait or lure very close to the bottom.
Features: Soles have flattened, oval bodies with both eyes on one side of their head. They are dark on top and light underneath. Habitat: They are commonly found on mud or sand bottoms from 5- to 750-fathoms deep. Techniques: Soles and other flatfish are best targeted by fishing with smaller hooks (less than 2/0) tipped with bait such as clam necks, sand shrimp, or chunks of herring or anchovy on a sandy or gravel bottom.
Features: They are dark olive on the tops of their bodies, silver on the sides, and white underneath, with 6-9 black stripes running horizontally from behind their heads to their tails. Habitat: Striped bass spend most of their time in fresh water, with occasional and unpredictable trips to the sea. Technique: In the spring and fall stripers are likely to be closer to the surface. During this time bait, such as dead minnows or night crawlers, will entice the fish to bite. During summer, the bass go deeper to escape the heat. This is the time to use flashy bait.
Features: Pinkish red to copper pink, white ventrally, pink fins. Lateral line in red zone. Second anal spine short, edge of anal fin slants posteriorly. Chin projects outward. No spine on edge of gillraker. Habitat: Large schools of chilipepper rockfish are often found between 330 and 990 feet. They will stay over sandy, muddy, or rocky bottoms but also spend time in the midwater. Technique: Play to this species’ midwater foraging nature by presenting lures that mimic their natural diet – forage fish and small squids.
Features: The widow rockfish is brassy brown with a light colored belly. Their fin membranes are also brown. They can grow to be 21-inches long. Habitat: Widow rockfish school down to 1200 ft., usually found suspended over offshore reefs and rocky areas. Technique: Best success will be by first locating suspended schools of widow rockfish in offshore areas during periods open for fishing offshore, and then working rubber tail jigs or shrimp flies through the schools.
Features: The redstripe rockfish appears red and pink. The dorsal fin is shallowly notched and the lateral line is a distinct red stripe. It has dark lips, a protruding lower jaw, and greenish stripes radiating from the eyes. Habitat: Commonly found over high-relief, rugged bottoms from 500 feet to 900 feet below the surface. Technique: Best success will be by first locating suspended schools of redstripe rockfish in offshore areas during periods open for fishing offshore. Work rubber tail jigs or shrimp flies through the schools.
Features: Blue sharks are named for their brilliant blue color. They are slender with a long, pointed nose. They can grow to be 12-feet long, though they rarely get over 10-feet. Habitat: Blue sharks are found in all the world’s temperate and tropical oceans. They have been spotted as far north as Norway and as far south as Chile. They roam both open and coastal waters in search of octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, and fish. Technique: Typically chumming the water will attract blue sharks. You will need a wire leader to protect your line from the blue shark's saber-shaped teeth. Fins…
Features: Cabezon are a dark green to dark brown with mottling along their sides and with smooth, scaleless skin. The largest cabezon caught was over 20 pounds, but on average they weigh approximately 4 pounds. Habitat: Cabezon live around kelp beds and rocky headlands over hard bottoms. Technique: Cabezon are best caught using rubber tailed jigs tipped with bait. Make sure you are fishing within just a foot or two of the bottom as Cabezon like to hold tight to cover. CAUTION: While Cabezon meat can be safely consumed, its roe is poisonous to humans. Photo credit: Brandon Ford
Features: Copper rockfish have variable coloration, ranging from dark or olive-brown to copper with pink or yellow blotches. They can grow to be 23-inches long. They have very tall and strong dorsal fin spines, and a clear patch along the rear half of the lateral line. Habitat: They prefer rocky, shallow areas. Though these shy fish do not school, they sometimes form small groups around man-made structures such as jetties. Technique: Copper rockfish will most readily be caught by working rubber tail jigs or bait near the bottom in shallow rocky areas.
Features: Kokanee are silvery in color until they are ready to spawn, at which time they become reddish. They do not grow as large as sockeye- their ocean traversing siblings. They can vary significantly in size depending on how densely populated the waterbody is. Since they are filter feeders, their populations can quickly expand and contract with the availability of food. Habitat: Kokanee can be found at all depths of cold, clear lakes and reservoirs in several parts of the state. They will change which depth they are at depending on water temperature. Technique: They are a challenging fish to…
Features: Redtail surfperch all fins are reddish in color, and have 8-11 reddish to brownish vertical bars along the sides over a silver to brassy body. Habitat: Surfperch are found mostly in the surf. Redtail will usually be found between the 2nd and 4th row of breakers and near deeper holes and areas of high sand erosion. Technique: Some anglers use a #4 to #6 hook secured 24-30 inches below a 1- to 2-ounce sinker on 8- to 10-pound line. Baits include sand and kelp worms, sand shrimp, clam necks, and mussels. Some anglers have found success fly fishing for…
