A WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITY!
I assure you that anyone who has experienced a West Coast fishing adventure has a never-ending library of memories, stories, and photos of epic fishing. Stories and photos of incredible fish battles from salmon, halibut, and ling cod. You can see the excitement on their faces as they share photos on their smartphone , then relate the story of the epic catch.
There is nothing like an arm-wrenching heart-stopping fight with a salmon or bringing a halibut or ling cod out of the depths of the Pacific Ocean. However, what about the fish species that are rarely talked about?
Rockfish, often referred to as bottom fish, are colourful, abundant, and extremely fun to catch. Best of all, they make for some great table fair. The Pacific West Coast from Alaska to California, has over 70 different species of rockfish swimming within its depths. Some are very bright and colourful like the yelloweye rockfish, while others are very prehistoric looking. They also live a long time, many rockfish live past 100. They call deep underwater rock structures, pinnacles, reefs, and even old shipwrecks home and in most cases, multiple species of rockfish species live amongst these structures.
Yelloweye Rockfish
The yelloweye rockfish is the brightest-coloured rockfish that I have ever caught. They are protected in all the areas I’ve fished along the West Coast, including Alaska. However, because they are often caught while jigging for other rockfish species, after a quick photo, they are released using the aid of a sea equalizer. In its most basic form, a sea equalizer attaches to the fish’s mouth and is released using the down-rigger which takes any fish you wish to release back to the bottom in a slow and controlled manner. This allows the fish to equalize to the water pressure as it descends. Once this happens the sea equalizer mechanism opens releasing the fish and they swim away unscathed.
Yelloweye rockfish are often mistakenly called red snapper due to their full, red-coloured body. However, yelloweye rockfish and red snapper are two different species and not related. The yelloweye rockfish is found in deep cold water and is a solitary species, while the red snapper is a schooling species and is more commonly found in warmer waters such as Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
Canary rockfish
Another rockfish species that is often referred to as red snapper is the canary rockfish. The canary rockfish and yelloweye rockfish are often mistaken for each other as well due to their similar coloration. This is a fish species you want to get right as the yelloweye rockfish is protected.
Canary rockfish and many other rockfish are related in one way or another. Several rockfish species, including the canary rockfish, are Ovoviviparous. This means, their eggs are fertilized internally and hatch inside the female and she gives birth to live young. Canary rockfish inhabit the same areas as other rockfish and aquatic life, and unfortunately, the young canary rockfish are an important part of the food chain for other species, including their close relatives.
Quillback Rockfish
Quillback rockfish are my favourite looking rockfish and have been since I caught my first quillback over 20 years ago. It is believed they can live to over 100 years of age, and they look extremely prehistoric. However, don’t let their intimidating looks fool you. They are one of the tastiest rockfish from the West Coast you will dine on.
Like many other rockfish species, everything on a quillback is a form of armor. Extreme care is needed when handling as the quills easily stick into you, drawing blood. For humans, this will often leave a burning or stinging sensation at the point of entry due to the venomous anti-predator glands. Like all deep dwellers, they can see very well within the dark depths and have an extremely sensitive lateral line to detect both predator and prey. They are also found on the same structures as the yelloweye and other rockfish but commonly stay within schools. As the saying goes. “There is safety in numbers”.
Black Rockfish
The black rockfish, often referred to as black bass, or black sea perch, are abundant and aggressive. Black rockfish stay together in large schools and when you catch one, you’re going to catch a lot of them. Black rockfish may not have the fancy colorations as the yelloweye or China rockfish, or the prehistoric look of the quillback, however, they are my favourite rockfish to target.
I’ve heard of black rockfish pushing the scale to 10 pounds. However, my largest was around the seven-pound mark and because they travel and congregate in large schools on big rock structures, it’s very common to catch and release 30, 40, or even 50, black rockfish ranging from two pounds to five pounds. One of my greatest and most memorable experiences fishing on the West Coast is with Serengeti Fishing Charters. David Summers JR, the second generation of Serengeti Fishing Charters, told me to bring my 7-foot medium-heavy action walleye rod/reel. He stated. “Don’t ask why. But you’re going to love it”.
After a morning of halibut fishing, David throttled up the boat and headed to another one of his many fishing spots somewhere on the Pacific Ocean. As he drove the boat, he told me to get my walleye rod and reel ready and to tie on a 2 ½ oz Spinnow from BuzzBomb Tackle. After about 20 minutes, David throttled down the boat and intensely watched his fish finder and told me to get ready to drop my lure. I could see on his fish finder an abundance of arcs just off the bottom of a large steep rock structure.
We were in 70 feet of water when he gave the order to drop my Spinnow. As my lure fell through the water column and got close to the bottom, I felt the bite. I set the hook on a three-pound black rockfish.
I reeled up my prize put him/her in the box and dropped down again. Every time I dropped my lure, I set the hook. All I wanted to do for the rest of the day was catch and release black rockfish on light tackle. Ever since that day, I’ve been hooked on catching these fish.
Every year, when I book a trip with Serengeti Fishing Charters, I request that we spend some time fishing for black rockfish with my walleye rod and reel. It was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had fishing on the West Coast, apart from my black rockfish and ling cod encounter.
This past summer, I was fishing with David for black rockfish in 80 feet of water. I was fishing with my medium-heavy walleye rod and reel, spooled with a 50-pound Sunline braid. I was one black rockfish short of my limit when I felt the bite. I was only five or 10 seconds into the fight when I felt the thunderous pull and the weight of something big on the end of my line. I don’t know how long the fight lasted but it seemed like an eternity. Finally, about six feet beneath the surface we could see that a large ling cod had my black rockfish in his mouth. The ling cod was not hooked, it was simply holding onto my black rockfish. As luck would have it, I didn’t have my limit of ling cod yet. David instructed me not to lift the ling’s head out of the water or he would let go of the black rockfish. As I maneuvered the ling cod to within a few inches beneath the surface, David gaffed the ling cod, and we brought a three-pound black rockfish and a 40-pound ling cod into the boat.
West Coast rockfish are colourful, prehistoric-looking, and abundant. However, they are rarely talked about. If it’s your first time fishing on the West Coast, or the next time you fish on the West Coast, be sure to spend some time targeting the rockfish.