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October 27. 2014 12:01AM Since You Asked: Ocean anglers can still keep cabezon We're planning to go fishing for rockfish and lingcod on the coast next weekend, and we're wondering if the season is still open for cabezon. My buddy thought he heard that the season is open only in the summer. Is that true? — Larry G., Medford   You're in luck, Larry, at least as far as the cabezon season goes. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that the 2014 sport cabezon season remains open. In fact, there is still enough quota remaining that the agency expects the season to remain open until until Dec. 31. But your buddy was right. The cabezon season was scheduled to be closed by now. Starting in 2012, anglers haven't been allowed to keep any cabezon during the first three months and last three months of the year in hopes of stringing out the cabezon quota through September. Every year before that, going back to 2004, anglers had caught the cabezon quota by mid-summer, forcing a closure for that species. By changing the open cabezon season two years ago to April 1 through September, the hope was that a mid-season closure could be avoided, and it seems to have worked. Last fall, anglers were able to fish for cabezon right until the end of the year. Just remember, Larry, that the limit for cabezon is one fish, and it counts against the overall rockfish bag limit of the seven fish. The lingcod limit is two a day with a 22-inch minimum, and that is separate from the marine aggregate. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141027/NEWS/141029733 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->