Abalone Season On Its Way!

[VicT]

All this talk lately of Norcal diving info must mean one thing? ABALONE SEASON! Yes. In exactly 6.5 weeks ab season will officially open. Which will mean the onslaught of the north coast from breath holders all around. Just remember to be careful. Ab season averages about 6 deaths from those who do not respect the ocean. Most of which were do to inexperience (NOT DROPPING WEIGHT BELT) and not JUST SAYING NO to ruff conditions. Remember, the ocean is not going anywhere. You can always comeback later.

As for me. My second son is scheduled to arrive the first weekend in April. So I'm going to have to wait awhile before I have a chance to get into those beautiful and COLD! north coast waters.

Note: According to the DFG ling cod and rock fish wil be open as of April first on the north coast. Hopefully, with all the restrictions last year there'll be some nice sized lings and reds to hunt. I got two 20+ pounders in two dives last year with some equally large reds.

As always. Take Care, dive safe, and have fun.

Vic T.

[Prodigal Son]

I envy you. I wish we could take abs in SoCal.

[Apache]

I cant wait for the first weekend in April! Hey VicT, I called you a few weeks ago and left a message. I was seeing if you wanted to plan a trip to the coast. Give me call when you can.

Austin~

240-3273

[PhotoTJ]

I'd love it if we could take abs in SoCal, however, since in 5 years of diving, I've never seen an ab, I guess there is a good reason for the restriction!

[VAQUERO]

I was wondering if you would be interested in doing some diving the second week in May. Planning on 7 days in the Mendocino area. Let me know.

[Gary Schulte]

I remember doing a dive off Sunset Cliffs in the kelp beds. The year was about 1979, the visibility was about 25 feet, and as I descended through the kelp layer I could make out the bottom and low and behold there was my limit in abs plainly visible scattered among the rocky bottom. It must have been one spot that had never be hit before. That statement couldn't be made after I left the area.

[OceanEd]

Grew up in So. Cal. back when there were still plenty of green and red abalone off the coast. Used to work on a dive boat called the Truth in the late Seventies and early Eighties and dove the Channel Islands a lot. I loved abalone more that lobster or fish.

When I left California I knew I would never taste ab again, but I was dead wrong. Just returned ti Florida from 3 months in the southern Bahamas on my boat and I can guarantee that conch is just abalone in another shape. It cleans up a bit different, but you slice it and pound it and bread it, and it tastes almost exactly the same.

The best thing about it is that the water is a wee bit warmer and clearer than in California.