The Fishing Report
Shelf Rockfish Sebastes goodei
Shelf Rockfish Size, Range & Diet
| Typical size | 12–20 in, 1–5 lb |
|---|---|
| Maximum | up to about 3 ft and 20+ lb for a bocaccio |
| Lifespan | about 35 years for chilipepper, 50 or more for bocaccio |
| Range | A continental-shelf group — chilipepper, bocaccio, vermilion and yellowtail rockfish — spread from British Columbia south to Baja California and worked hard off Northern California. |
| Habitat | Schools over shelf rock and the upper slope, roughly 150–1,000 ft, often holding well up off the bottom. |
| Diet | Krill, small squid, anchovies and other small fish taken in midwater — shrimp flies and squid strips match it. |
Sizes are typical rod-and-reel and documented maximum figures, not size limits — see the regulations links below for the rules where you fish.
How to Identify a Shelf Rockfish
- Larger mid-depth reds: vermilion, bocaccio, chilipepper, yellowtail
- Bocaccio: very long jaw reaching past the eye; brownish-pink
- Vermilion: deep red with black mottling, black fin edges, rough scaly lower jaw
- Chilipepper: pinkish with a distinct pink lateral-line streak and a longer jaw
- All have one dorsal with strong front spines and a large head
Tell it apart: These are the larger continental-shelf rockfish; key the very long protruding jaw to bocaccio, the pink lateral stripe to chilipepper, and rough red-with-black mottling plus a scaly jaw to vermilion (vermilion's vertical anal-fin edge and gray-less lateral line separate it from canary).
Easily confused with: Canary / Widow Rockfish, Nearshore Rockfish, Yelloweye Rockfish
Side by side: Shelf Rockfish vs Black Rockfish, Shelf Rockfish vs Canary / Vermilion Rock, Shelf Rockfish vs Yelloweye Rockfish
How to Catch Shelf Rockfish
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- Best June through September — drop weighted shrimp flies or shrimp-baited dropper rigs onto 200-400 foot shelf reef and rock piles.GearShrimp fly rigsHeavy cannonball sinkersHeavy bottom combo
When & Where Shelf Rockfish Are in Season
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern California Offshore |