The bright-red snapper of a SoCal rockfish trip. Not a true snapper. The two-fish sub-limit is why the deckhand starts counting reds early.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Deeper rocky reefs, often 150–400 ft, on the San Pedro Channel and Catalina banks.
No size minimum. Two vermilion or sunset rockfish combined, inside the ten-fish RCG bag. They mix with bocaccio and copper on the same deep rock. Boat season and depth follow the Southern Management Area table, not a guess from last year.
Vermilion rockfish (Sebastes miniatus) are bright red to orange-red rockfish with grey mottling, a rough lower jaw and fins edged in dark. Sunset rockfish (Sebastes crocotulus) look nearly identical and were recognized as a separate species only recently; CDFW combines them for bag-limit purposes.
Vermilion live on deeper rocky reefs and banks. Most local catches come from boats fishing deep structure in Santa Monica Bay, off Palos Verdes, and in the San Pedro Channel and around Catalina. They are a shelf species, so they follow the shelf rockfish season, not the nearshore one.
CDFW's 2026 Southern Management Area table for boat-based anglers: closed January through March; open at all depths April through June; open only shoreward of 50 fathoms July through September; and from October 1 through December 31, nearshore rockfish, cabezon and greenlings are closed while shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod may be taken only seaward of 50 fathoms. Shore-based anglers and divers are not bound by these seasons and depth limits.
Vermilion are excellent eating. OEHHA's LA coastal advisories list rockfish at 1 serving a week for women 18–49 and children and 2 for others. At Catalina, the statewide coastal advisory lists vermilion rockfish at 1 serving a week for women 18–49 and children and 4 for women 50+ and men.
No more than 2 vermilion and sunset rockfish combined, within the 10-fish RCG bag. No minimum size. Gear limited to two hooks and one line when angling.
Sunset rockfish shares this 2-fish cap. Canary is a separate 2-fish cap.
CDFW groundfish summary — vermilion/sunset sub-limit →
Independent-site disclaimer: this summary is for orientation only and can change in-season. Confirm with CDFW before you keep a fish. Fish in LA is not affiliated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
2 vermilion and sunset rockfish combined, within the 10-fish RCG bag.
From a boat, only when fishing seaward of 50 fathoms, through December 31.
A look-alike species to vermilion. They share one 2-fish sub-limit.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Rules, stocking and access change; confirm with the agency linked above before you go.
