01-19-2003, 05:50 AM
Hey there OneWhoFishes,
If the body resembles a stretched out bass plus your color description, it may be a ling cod. OR..... you may have caught a baby California Black Sea Bass! Please don't be insulted if you are an experienced saltwater angler and can ID those fish without any help! I don't know how deep you were fishing and what the bottom was like but a lot of very nice lings have been caught in that length range (me included) on the party boats recently. Too bad they are not legal to keep right now at any depth. I caught a black Sea Bass only a mile or so off the los angeles lighthouse a month or so ago too.
Lings usually like deeper water and I believe rocky bottoms. I caught mine at about 90 feet recently. I suspect Grisson has a sand bottom and is not too deep but maybe they spawn in a different area than they usually inhabit or there are patches of rock and depth here and there.
Whatever, Congratulations, Good Job!
JapanRon
a.k.a. tsurikichi
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