I went surf fishing by the Seal Beach Pier yesterday, and was catching lots of spiny back rays and shovel nose sharks. While I was there, this guy who started fishing next to me and had only been there about five minute hooked into a white sea bass. I had my friend go over there and ask him what he was using. My friend said the guy had three large treble hooks on his line and a large sinker. I didnt know what it was that he was catching at the time and traded him some weights for a 5 pound fish.[angelic] Later on the bus trip home I was informed by an employee of Norms Bigfishtackle that it was a white seabass and had to be 28 inches to be legal. Is it illegal to snag fish in California?[crazy]
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[size 2]Off a pier I do not think so. Commercial I believe there is restrictions and alot of regs around it.[/size]
[size 2] As long as it meets legnth requirements and there is no season restrictions I think your fine.[
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Thanks, Ive read in some articles that in other states its illegal to snag fish. So I didnt want to try doing it without knowing.
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BFFG: There are two possibilties as to the large treble hooks on large sinkers. The local piers are surrounded by giant schools of mullet. Since mullet can't be caught with bait, some anglers cast the large weights and trebles and pull them with terrific swipes of their rods and snag them. There is a group of anglers that do the same for snagging halibut. The unfortunate problem with the halibut is that most fish snagged are very, very small and being snagged doesn't lend to a healthy release. In a nut shell snagging is allowed in salt water and not allowed in fresh water. There are special restrictions with salmon and migrating trout but I don't know them off hand, although,I once caught a silver salmon on the breakwater. (1958)
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[size 2]Good points gvanzant. I forgot about the smaller species that are affected. I mean what do you do if you hook a Halibut in the side??[/size]
[size 2] It's history most of the time. One of the main reasons I do not fish pier's that much anymore is because of the height from the pier to the water.[shocked][/size]
[size 2] You drop the fish and wap! It get's shocked to death. No real way around it.[unimpressed][/size]
[size 2] I try to drop them head first which doesn't always work. On real way would to use a net and lower them, but that would be a pain[unsure][/size]
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