03-31-2005, 05:05 PM
The easiest way for me to tell is the body shape. The females will be pretty full of eggs this time of year and pretty plump. The males will be a bit skinnier. Also, the majority of the fish you will catch this time of year will be the males if you are fishing up in the rocks. They usually come in earlier than the females and stake out a place and are pretty agressive. I don't think I have ever caught a female early in the year, although I have heard reports that some anglers do. They are usually quite a bit larger than the males also. If you catch one over a couple of pounds, it's probably a female. The limit is 6 but only one can be over 20 inches. Good luck.
[signature]
[signature]