05_2025_REELLIFE_digital - Flipbook - Page 17
fishing
Spring Means Rockfish By Josh DeBruler
If you’ve fished anywhere
off the coast of Washington
state, chances are at some
point you’ve landed a
rockfish, or depending on
who you talk to, a black
seabass. While rockfish are
often seen as only a bonus
catch during the pursuit
of something larger, like
lingcod, they are, in my
opinion, some of the besteating fish that swim along
our coastline. The name
“Rockfish” is an umbrella
term that encompasses
over 100 different species
of fish, but the ones we
most commonly fish for
here in the northwest are
the canary rockfish, black
rockfish, blue rockfish, and
deacon rockfish.
Where to fish
Though Rockfish do
inhabit the waters of the
Puget Sound, it is illegal
to retain or target them
here due to conservation
concerns. As you move
northwest into the straights
of Juan De Fuca, you’ll find
that the populations of
rockfish become healthier
and fishing opportunity
increases the closer you get
to the Pacific Ocean. Marine
Area 5 (Sekiu) is where
allowable rockfish retention
begins, though as of 2025,
in MA 5, you can only retain
1 rockfish per day. Moving
further west to MA 4 (Neah
Bay) the possession limit
increases to 7 and the
season is year-round. Aside
from Neah Bay and Sekiu
in Clallam Bay, you can also
target rockfish southward
along the Washington
coast around Westport,
Ocean Shores, and Pacific
County near the mouth of
the Columbia River. Boat
fishing Rockfish tend to
prefer deeper waters near
rocky structures, reefs, kelp
beds, or even shipwrecks,
which in general makes
fishing from shore not
a viable option (though
there are some exceptions).
Fishing from boats, kayaks,
or canoes, are generally
the most effective method.
And because rockfish are
such aggressive feeders, it
makes them a great species
to target when bringing the
family along on a boating
trip, as these fish aren’t
terribly difficult to catch.
Most soft plastic grubs on
a 1-3 oz lead jig-head can
entice a bite. Use lighterweight jigs-heads when the
current is mild, and heavier
jig-heads during strong
currents. The amount of
sunlight should influence
your choice of jig colors. I
try to stick with darker color
soft plastics during overcast
days and brighter colors on
sunny days. Flashy metal
jigs anywhere from 2-4 oz
can prove phenomenal for
catching rockfish as well.
My favorite jig as of lately
has been a 2.5 oz blue
and silver laser minnow,
and I seem
