On Sunday morning 38 anglers boarded the 90-foot sportfishing vessel Liberty out of Long Beach Sportfishing. Skippered by Johnny Jordan, the Liberty is one of the first three sportfishing vessels in history over 65 feet. This day we would be headed to Catalina Island for a day of rockfishing.
On the three hour trek to the East End of the island, the anglers on board rigged up their rods, grabbed a bite to eat from Wendy in the galley, or grabbed a few winks down in the spacious bunkroom. As we passed by Avalon, we were greeted by flat calm seas and very little wind, a welcomed change from the doom-and-gloom forecast that preceded the trip.
Throughout the day, we drifted over some hard bottom areas, where anglers were pulling up some nice bocaccio, better known as “salmon grouper.” More welcomed on the anglers’ lines were vermilion rockfish, better known as “reds.” Often incorrectly referred to as “red snapper,” reds are very versatile fish that can be prepared using virtually any cooking method. The technique for catching these great eating fish was a double dropper loop with squid strips or anchovies. Bobby, our deck boss for the day, made sure everyone was properly rigged up.
Near the end of the trip, the California Department of Fish and Game boarded the vessel in a routine check to make sure anglers were abiding by Fish and Game laws. It is imperative to make sure that you have a valid fishing license on your person while fishing and that you check your gunny sack periodically throughout the day to make sure you are within legal limits.
Rockfish limits can be tricky. You are allowed 10 rockfish per person, but there is a sublimit on bocaccio of two (2) per person. That means you can have two bocaccio and eight other rockfish. Cabezon also count towards your rockfish limit, and they have a sub-limit of three (3). Furthermore, in California, you cannot retain cowcod, canary rockfish, yelloweye rockfish, or bronzespotted rockfish. Be sure to check out the DFG website and know your regulations!
The DFG Officer thanked us for our cooperation after they checked licenses and gunny sacks, and they were on their way, and we were heading back to Long Beach. Jackpot was taken by a big salmon grouper. Afterward, Philip Friedman kicked off the free raffle as is customary on Fishing with Phil trips, and several people went home with prizes, including some passes for the Liberty.
Our last sight before turning in for an afternoon nap in the bunkroom was a large pod of dolphin, which is always a pleasure to see when out for a day of fishing. Waking up as we cleared the Federal Breakwater, deck boss Bobby had our fish all filleted and bagged up, ready for the grill. Then, as we pulled into the slip at Berth 55, we all reflected on the day. While perhaps the fishing was a little slow, it was a beautiful day at Catalina, and we still ended up with some delicious fish, while out fishing with some great friends.
File photo of a vermilion rockfish taken by Todd Lee with Phil Friedman
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