Alright, let’s talk about them kelp bass, you know, the fish. Folks always askin’, “How big they gotta be before you can keep ’em?” Well, it ain’t so simple, see. It changes, like the weather.
What’s the Big Deal About Size?
Now, I ain’t no scientist, but I heard tell it’s all about lettin’ the little fellas grow up and have babies. If we keep all the small ones, then there ain’t gonna be no big ones later, right? Makes sense, even to an old woman like me.
- Some places say 14 inches. That’s like, from the nose to the tail, you measure it. Or they say 10 inches, but that’s a different way of measurin’, I think. Confusin’, I tell ya.
- Other times, I hear 12 inches. And you can only keep 10 of ’em. Sounds like a lot of fish to me, but what do I know?
And get this, these fish, they can get pretty darn big. I heard stories of some almost 30 inches long! Can you imagine? And heavy too, like 14 pounds! That’s bigger than some of them chickens old MacDonald used to have. But mostly, they ain’t that big. Most of ‘em, they’re just a little bit bigger than a foot long, or maybe a bit smaller. They say most are around 8 to 10 inches long, give or take.
Why All the Different Sizes?
Now, why they keep changin’ the rules, I ain’t quite sure. Maybe the fish grow bigger in some places than others. Or maybe they just like to keep us on our toes. I remember back in 2013, they said 12 inches. But then I heard somethin’ about 14 inches. You just gotta keep up, I guess. Or ask someone who knows. Don’t go askin’ me though, I get it all mixed up half the time.
Catching Kelp Bass – What Works?
Them kelp bass, they ain’t too picky, I hear. They eat all sorts of stuff. Little fish, like them anchovies and sardines. And them crawly things, what do you call ‘em? Crusty-shuns? Yeah, them too. So, you can use live bait, like those little fishes, or you can use them fake lures. They say both work just fine. I ain’t much of a fisherwoman myself, but I seen folks catchin’ ’em with all sorts of things.
Big Fish, Old Fish?
And here’s somethin’ interesting I heard. Them big kelp bass, they’re old fellas. I mean, really old. Like, that one big fish they caught, the one that was almost 15 pounds? They said it was 27 years old! And another one, a bit smaller, was even older, 34 years old! Imagine that, a fish livin’ that long. Makes you think twice about keepin’ the little ones, don’t it?
So, What Size Is It Really?
So, if you’re goin’ fishin’ for kelp bass, you gotta check the rules, see? Don’t just listen to an old woman like me. Go look it up online, or ask at the bait shop. They’ll tell you what the size limit is right now. And stick to it, okay? We gotta keep them fish around for the grandkids, and their grandkids too.
Last word Anyways, it seems like keepin’ the kelp bass at a good size helps them multiply and keeps the fish population healthy. And that means more fish for everyone in the long run, right? So next time you’re out fishin’, remember to measure them fish and stick to the rules. It’s good for the fish, and it’s good for us too. It ain’t rocket science, just common sense, even I can understand that much.
One more thing, they eat all sorts of stuff, so you can catch them with different kinds of bait. And remember them big fish? They’re old fellas, so maybe let the big ones go, so they can keep making little fish. Makes sense to me.
Tags: [Kelp Bass, Size Limit, Fishing Regulations, Fish Size, Catch Limits, Bass Fishing, California Fishing, Sport Fishing]
