Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: Heartsblood on August 20, 2020, 10:33:03 PM

Title: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: Heartsblood on August 20, 2020, 10:33:03 PM: Went to Roosevelt beach a coupla days back thinking I'd catch me some red tails. I mean I did well there a coupla years back in early July. Why not now? My first cast was a double up on scupin. I shoulda took it as an omen. I proceeded to catch nearly 20 that Tuesday (I know, I know. I shoulda moved on, but I'm stubborn). Same set up as 2 years back - 5' or so leader, 2 oz sinker at the bottom, first hook 2' from sinker, 2nd hook 1' from that. Clam necks for bait. Same errything. What the?

Any insights? I've never seen a single sculpin caught while surf perchin'. That's all I saw caught that day.

Thoughts? Experience?
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: Parasite on August 21, 2020, 03:14:45 AM: Same thing happened to me a week and a half ago at Westport.
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: syoungs on August 22, 2020, 04:39:34 PM: Yeah ive had the same issues this weekend at westport and at pong beach last lonth. Tons of small sculpin. Seems to me that if I got a little further out the sculpin were gone and i got into the red tails at long beach.
Weather has been crap at westport and I cant keep weeds off my rig so I dont know if that is holding up here. Caught 4 sculpin on 2 casts and called it a day
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: jrebel on August 22, 2020, 04:45:25 PM: Are Sculpin not good to eat?? I have no idea as I never fish salt water....they are ugly as sin but remind me of a rockfish.
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: Bullkllr on August 22, 2020, 05:15:43 PM: Quote from: jrebel on August 22, 2020, 04:45:25 PM
Are Sculpin not good to eat?? I have no idea as I never fish salt water....they are ugly as sin but remind me of a rockfish.

The meat is good, but it takes a pretty sizable sculpin to be worth the effort. Even the bigger ones are about 80% head and spines and a lot of people just don't prefer to mess with them.
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: Stein on August 22, 2020, 05:24:34 PM: I think Loki eats them. They are closely related to cabezon which are delicious so I would guess you only need to find a big enough one to make it worth while.
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: jeffro on August 22, 2020, 08:04:34 PM: Lingcod bait all day
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: syoungs on August 22, 2020, 09:58:10 PM: Most of the sculpins you catch in the surf are only a few inches long. Wouldnt be anything on there to eat. Loki catches some bigger ones that look delicious though!
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: lokidog on August 22, 2020, 10:19:15 PM: Quote from: syoungs on August 22, 2020, 09:58:10 PM
Most of the sculpins you catch in the surf are only a few inches long. Wouldnt be anything on there to eat. Loki catches some bigger ones that look delicious though!

These are the size I keep, 16 and 17 inches. Yummy!
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: syoungs on August 22, 2020, 10:23:35 PM: Heres a couple westport monsters I picked up while soaking crab rings. Seriously some of the biggest ive caught here lol. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/32c4d6966877050332a0190ec07fd0e0.jpg)

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: lokidog on August 26, 2020, 10:40:03 PM: :chuckle:
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: Angry Perch on August 27, 2020, 08:31:54 AM: Quote from: lokidog on August 22, 2020, 10:19:15 PM
Quote from: syoungs on August 22, 2020, 09:58:10 PM
Most of the sculpins you catch in the surf are only a few inches long. Wouldnt be anything on there to eat. Loki catches some bigger ones that look delicious though!

These are the size I keep, 16 and 17 inches. Yummy!

Loki,
Those are great sculpins like what you ID'd for me, correct? Just working on my crazy ass saltwater fish identification skills.
Title: Re: Crap tonnes of sculpin???
Post by: lokidog on August 27, 2020, 10:32:34 AM: Quote from: Angry Perch on August 27, 2020, 08:31:54 AM
Quote from: lokidog on August 22, 2020, 10:19:15 PM
Quote from: syoungs on August 22, 2020, 09:58:10 PM
Most of the sculpins you catch in the surf are only a few inches long. Wouldnt be anything on there to eat. Loki catches some bigger ones that look delicious though!

These are the size I keep, 16 and 17 inches. Yummy!

Loki,
Those are great sculpins like what you ID'd for me, correct? Just working on my crazy ass saltwater fish identification skills.

Yes. The other larger Sculpins that we have are Buffalo Sculpin (3/4" or longer gill spikes) and Red Irish Lord (speckles all over and usually reddish). Staghorn Sculpin (gill spikes kind of fork or are wider at the end) don't get as big, but they can be on the larger side.