Puget Sound Cabezon help?

[Kola16]

Well one of my buddies lives on a beach in marine area 8-2. We both wanted to catch a cabezon (neither of us has done this before, or even fished for rockfish or lingcod in this area), so we headed to a place that I heard held rockfish. Well...it definitely held rockfish. Fish after fish in just a short amount of time (quillbacks). Then.....I give my bait a little motion and wham. It was pealing line so I held my spool (afraid that it was going to get caught in some rocks) and snap ..........................no, not the line, my okuma salmon rod I think it can be fixed though. Anyways, I think it was a big bad ling that broke my rod, although I have heard the cabezon can fight also. I have caught plenty of ling and rockfish in Westport so I know what that is like but how do I catch a cabezon without the rockfish? We used herring and live bullhead, and occasionally a shrimp)

[lokidog]

The cabs live in the same spots, just happens to be luck more than anything IMO.  I caught five or so this year up to 15 pounds while fishing my usual spots for lings and sorting through the tons of rockfish.  I only use lead head jigs with no bait.

Personally, I think it is pretty hard to target cabezon, just be thrilled at being lucky enough toget one when you do.  At least the state lets us keep fishing, even if we can't keep 3/4 of what we catch....   

[Fishstiq]

The cabs live in the same spots, just happens to be luck more than anything IMO....

Personally, I think it is pretty hard to target cabezon, just be thrilled at being lucky enough toget one when you do....

 

Cabbie are as tasty as they are ugly!  They are also a very "still" fish, they don't swim around constantly like rockfish.  Pipe jigs work well, plus you get fewer rockfish with them in my experience.  As far as bait goes, Cabbie eat anything, so don't be too picky.  I've found everything in their guts....  rocks, kelp, crab, fish, shrimp, whatever.  The one below had all those crab in it!