Current fisheries regulations allow us to fish saltwater at any depth from April 1 to June 30. Some folks hired me to take them out to find some local fish before a wind event, and we did very well on a structure spot at roughly 160 to 180 feet of water.
One of our interesting catches was a fish with several names, including sculpin, scorpionfish and rattlesnake. They earn these scary nicknames because their spines have toxins that can cause a hand to swell up and hurt bad, if poked.
Sculpin are unsung heroes of our inshore fisheries. They are quite pretty but not huge, so they aren’t going to provide a tackle-testing fight. They are plentiful, give a decent accounting of themselves on light tackle and definitely taste amazing.
Sculpin are fun to catch because they are found in shallow structure zones where light tackle can be used to accentuate the fight. Light tackle includes spinning gear or light conventional rigs. Appropriate line size is 8- to 20-pound monofilament or flourocarbon.
Sculpin fishing is great for novice anglers because light tackle is easy to learn to work with. Presentation is easy to master, and the fish often bite willingly.
Rigging and technique can range anywhere from simple to complex. It is pretty simple to tie up a dropper loop, reverse dropper loop, or use a sliding sinker rig, pin on a live anchovy and drop it down. Remember that the baits should be fished within inches of the reef, because these fish rest right on or under the edges of the rocks.
Perhaps the most effective sculpin rig of them all is called the “knocker rig.” This specialty rig is created by putting the line through a sliding sinker, tying onto a leadhead, and then attaching a plastic grub or swimbait to the leadhead.
The size of both the sliding sinker and the leadhead are dictated by the water depth and speed of the current. Cast out the knocker rig and let it sink to the structure. Twitch the rod tip and bounce it slightly to bump the rig slowly along the bottom.
As the rig is bumped along the bottom, the sliding sinker repeatedly knocks against the leadhead. That’s why we call this a knocker rig. It drives sculpin nuts, and they pounce on these faster than any other offering.
Sculpin spots are characterized by rocky terrain or artificial structure, in water ranging from 20 to 200 feet deep. I’ve enjoyed awesome sculpin action at virtually all of the various small structure spots throughout the SoCal Bight.
My observations are that we tend to catch more sculpin along the mainland coast, and fewer but larger specimens in the shallow rocky areas around our offshore islands.
Wherever we find them, they are fun to catch and great in the kitchen.