Northwest Reel Life April 2024 Volume 3 Issue 6 - Flipbook - Page 15
She was thankful and it was
a good interaction, always
a plus when talking with
WDFW staff.
Oregon has simplified
regulations compared to
Washington but has even
more restricted bag limits.
As of now, the season is
open year-round with no
depth restrictions but a
daily limit of 5, as well as
a coastwide closure of
yelloweye and quillback
rockfish. Oregon also has
a unique gear restriction
when fishing deeper than
40 fathoms which is the
use of “long leader” gear.
Their website has tutorials
on what this means and
how to rig it. As always
be sure to check current
regulations before you go
out fishing.
Both states have safety
zones or rockfish
conservation areas which
are off limits to fishing for
rockfish or any bottomfish.
The reason for these
conservation areas is to
set aside a breeding and
nursery area of sorts where
rockfish are threatened,
including the yelloweye.
All rockfish species take a
while to mature and since
they tend to school up and
live along structures such
as underwater pinnacles,
reefs, and rocky ledges they
can be easy to locate and
target.
The Pacific Fishery
Management Council
keeps tabs on various fish
species along the west
coast including groundfish.
Since these fish live a
long time and can be
subjected to over-harvest
the Council provides a
stock assessment and
guideline regarding
certain fisheries. When
it comes to bottomfish,
which again they refer to
as groundfish, the Pacific
Fishery Management
APRIL 2024 | 15
