Ken Jones - Writer & Pierfisherman » Rockfish http://kenjonesfishing.com Mon, 29 Sep 2025 17:37:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 A Trip to the Farallon Islands — Rockfish and Crabs http://kenjonesfishing.com/2014/12/a-trip-to-the-farallone-islands-%e2%80%94-rockfish-and-crabs/ http://kenjonesfishing.com/2014/12/a-trip-to-the-farallone-islands-%e2%80%94-rockfish-and-crabs/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2014 02:55:44 +0000 kenjones http://kenjonesfishing.com/?p=6098 December 23, 2014, saw a group of Pier Fishing in California regulars try something a little different, a journey to the Farallon Islands on the Golden Eye 2000 out of Berkeley Marina. The quest, some fresh rockfish, hopefully some lingcod, and enough crabs for Christmas dinner.  Limits of rockfish were achieved, only three lingcod were seen, and crabbing was a little slow—three Dungeness crabs and one rock crab per person. Still it was a fun day filled with the usual magnificent sights to and from the islands. A big thanks to Captain Quang Vo and deckhand Frank Lovelady.

The Bay Bridge and San Francisco were the sights as we headed out from Berkeley.

The early mornin’ view of San Francisco

We made a quick stop to pick up some fuel

Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory with the San Francisco Municipal Pier in the foreground

A beautiful dawn morning and the Golden Gate

We’re on our way

The Golden Gate Bridge is always impressive

Some people preferred to sit outside (hoping to avoid getting seasick)

“The City” framed by the bridge

A beautiful sunrise over the hills of San Francisco

A little bit rougher water

Fog, sun and sea

Goodby San Francisco

We passed the Farallon Islands and fished near Fanny Shoal

Kyle and a starry rockfish

Kyle and what is probably a dusky or bank rockfish

Kyle with a vermilion rockfish

Hans (Sofa King) wiith a vermilion rockfish

Gretchen with a yelloweye rockfish that had to be released since they’re illegal

Hans with a lingcod

Rita and Kyle with a starry rockfish

The larger two of the three lingcod that were caught

Fish cleaning time — MY fish

Our deckhand, Frank Lovelady

Rita watching her fish being cleaned

After filleting the fish it was time to pull the crab pots

 

There were crabs, just not as many as we had hoped for

Alex volunteered to help out

Robert (Redfish) and Rita

Gretchen

Gretchen and a rockfish

Frank and some crabs

Crabs

Rita

Rita helping bait the crab pots

Heading back; the Point Bonito Lighthouse

Next up, the Golden Gate

Into San Francisco Bay

It’s getting dark

Sunset and the moon

Three Dungeness crabs and a Red Rock crab (after cooking)

 

 

]]> http://kenjonesfishing.com/2014/12/a-trip-to-the-farallone-islands-%e2%80%94-rockfish-and-crabs/feed/ 0 Rockfish from California piers — http://kenjonesfishing.com/2012/03/rockfish-from-california-piers-%e2%80%94/ http://kenjonesfishing.com/2012/03/rockfish-from-california-piers-%e2%80%94/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:28:01 +0000 kenjones http://kenjonesfishing.com/?p=2839 Although rockfish are a favorite fish of many anglers in California, their importance  at California piers varies depending upon the geographic area. Although common to many central and northern California piers, they are fairly rare at most southern California piers. The one exception is California scorpionfish, a member of the rockfish family (but commonly called sculpin in SoCal). Most rockfish are cold-water, mid-to-deepwater fish. Although a few species are shallow-water species, they are commonly only encountered in rocky areas, environments unlike that found at most SoCal sandy-beach piers.

In 2006 Milton Love at the University of California, Santa Barbara asked Pier Fishing in California for a review of rockfish caught at California piers. Herein is an updated revision to that report, this one dating to 2011.

Rockfish Reported on California Piers — (includes DF&G Surveys, PFIC Reports, as well as personal records of KJ, Snookie (Newport Pier and Balboa Pier), and Boyd (Goleta Pier)

Originally 2006, Updated 2011

San Diego County
Imperial Beach Pier: California scorpionfish
Ocean Beach Pier: California scorpionfish
Crystal Pier: California scorpionfish, brown rockfish
Shelter Island Pier: California scorpionfish
Oceanside Pier: California scorpionfish
Oceanside Harbor Pier: California scorpionfish

                                                       California scorpionfish
Orange County
San Clemente Pier: California scorpionfish
Balboa Pier: California scorpionfish, bocaccio
Newport Pier: California scorpionfish, olive rockfish, calico rockfish, bocaccio, chilipepper rockfish, treefish
Huntington Beach Pier: California scorpionfish
Seal Beach Pier: California scorpionfish

                                                        California scorpionfish
Los Angeles County
Long Beach Shoreline Piers: kelp rockfish, black & yellow rockfish
Cabrillo Beach Pier: California scorpionfish, brown rockfish, copper rockfish, gopher rockfish, black & yellow rockfish
Green Pleasure Pier/Catalina: California scorpionfish, treefish
Cabrillo Mole/Catalina: California scorpionfish, treefish, kelp rockfish, brown rockfish, olive rockfish
Redondo Beach Pier: California scorpionfish
Redondo Sportfishing Pier: California scorpionfish, grass rockfish, brown rockfish
Hermosa Beach Pier: California scorpionfish, calico rockfish
Santa Monica Pier: California scorpionfish
Malibu Pier: California scorpionfish, bocaccio
Paradise Cove Pier: brown rockfish, grass rockfish

                                                                Brown Rockfish
Ventura & Santa Barbara County
Point Hueneme Pier: grass rockfish
Ventura Pier: brown rockfish, grass rockfish
Stearns Wharf: California scorpionfish, bocaccio
Goleta Pier: kelp rockfish, brown rockfish, grass rockfish, bocaccio, vermilion rockfish, calico rockfish, gopher rockfish, blue rockfish, black rockfish, black & yellow rockfish, yellowtail rockfish
Gaviota Pier: kelp rockfish, bocaccio

                                                         Grass Rockfish

San Luis Obispo County
Pismo Beach Pier: bocaccio
Avila Pier: bocaccio, grass rockfish
Port San Luis Pier: bocaccio, kelp rockfish, gopher rockfish, brown rockfish
Morro Bay North T-Pier: bocaccio, brown rockfish, gopher rockfish, kelp rockfish, vermilion rockfish, olive rockfish, grass rockfish
Morro Bay South T-Pier: grass rockfish, copper rockfish, brown rockfish, gopher rock rockfish, black rockfish
Cayucos Pier: bocaccio
San Simeon Pier: bocaccio

                                                       Black and Yellow Rockfish
Monterey County
Monterey Coast Guard Pier: kelp rockfish, black & yellow rockfish, blue rockfish, olive rockfish, grass rockfish, black rockfish, brown rockfish, copper rockfish, gopher rockfish, calico rockfish
Monterey Wharf #2: bocaccio, gopher rockfish, kelp rockfish
Moss Landing Pier (now closed): bocaccio

                                                          Copper Rockfish

Santa Cruz County
Seacliff Pier: bocaccio, brown rockfish
Capitola Wharf: Brown rockfish, bocaccio, blue rockfish, gopher rockfish, vermilion rockfish,
Santa Cruz Wharf: blue rockfish, brown rockfish, bocaccio, gopher rockfish, black rockfish, kelp rockfish, yellowtail rockfish, copper rockfish

                                                       Bocaccio (juvenile)
San Mateo County:
Princeton Harbor Pier: brown rockfish, gopher rockfish, kelp rockfish, grass rockfish
Pacifica Pier: bocaccio, brown rockfish
                                                          
San Francisco County
Fort Point Pier: brown rockfish
Fort Mason Piers: brown rockfish, black rockfish, gopher rockfish
S.F. Municipal Pier: brown rockfish, grass rockfish
Pier 40: brown rockfish
Pier 7: brown rockfish
Agua Vista Pier: kelp rockfish

South SF Bay Piers
Oyster Point Pier: black rockfish

East SF Bay Piers:
FDR Pier (now closed): brown rockfish
Port View Park Pier/7th St: brown rockfish, blue rockfish, gopher rockfish
Berkeley Pier: brown rockfish, chilipepper rockfish, gopher rockfish, kelp rockfish, grass rockfish
Golden Gate Field’s Pier (now closed): brown rockfish
Ferry Point Pier: brown rockfish

North SF Bay Piers
Red Rock Pier (now closed): bocaccio, brown rockfish
Paradise Beach Pier: brown rockfish
Elephant Rock Pier: chilipepper rockfish, grass rockfish, brown rockfish, kelp rockfish, blue rockfish, black rockfish
Angel Island Pier: brown rockfish, black rockfish
Sausalito Pier (now closed): brown rockfish
Fort Baker Pier: blue rockfish, brown rockfish, orange rockfish, grass rockfish

                                                   Black Rockfish
Northern California
Point Arena Pier: bocaccio, black rockfish, grass rockfish
Del Norte St. Pier/Eureka: brown rockfish
Eureka Municipal Wharf: black rockfish, brown rockfish
Commercial St. Dock/Eureka: black rockfish, brown rockfish, grass rockfish, copper rockfish
Adorni Pier/Eureka: brown rockfish
Trinidad Pier: black rockfish, grass rockfish
Citizen’s Dock—Crescent City: black rockfish, copper rockfish

                                                     Rockfish at Sunset

Where bocaccio, vermilion or orange rockfish are mentioned it is generally the juvenile variety.

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