Pacific Red Snappers, also known as rockfish and rockcod, are a hugely prized fish off the Southern California Coast. Since fishing for these fish is so big, most of the time fishing in shallow waters (250ft) yields a smaller catch of about 5-8 lbs. That’s why some choose to fish deeper in order to catch bigger rockfish that weigh 10+ lbs. Deeper in this context is anywhere from 300-900ft.

Since rockfish congregate, for the most part, close to the sea bed and rock outcrops, fishing for rockfish requires an amount of precision and quality gear. They typically don’t travel long distances for food, so one must drop bait right in on a group of codfish in order to get a bite. Perfectly dropping line in such a depth of water may be difficult, which is why fishermen employ the use of tracking devices and sonar in order to get a glimpse of what’s down below before they drop their line. Rockfish aren’t big fighters, but it’s good to put a good amount of weight on the end of the line so it sinks well and doesn’t drift too far out. Squid, shrimp, and anchovies all make great bait for catching these guys, and as always, living bait yields better results than when it’s dead and frozen.