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Illustration of Calico rockfish
fishing forecast

calico rockfish

Sebastes dallii · full profile

location

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period

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the species

everything about the calico rockfish

how to recognize it

Small rockfish with venomous spines, living on soft bottoms between 18 and 256 m. The common name, calico, suggests skin with irregular patches. Its soft-bottom habitat and depth set it apart from shallow-reef rockfishes. Compare it with the squarespot rockfish, which lives on shallow reefs.

Also called: garoupa-calicó, rocote calicó, rocote algodón, calico rockfish

We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.

Where to look: On or near soft bottoms, 18 to 256 m.

Lives in the eastern Pacific, from San Francisco, California, to Baja California, Mexico. In Latin America, it occurs only in Mexico.

rules for the calico rockfish

Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

estimated weight

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how we calculate

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01, b = 3.09; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

more about the calico rockfish

Rockfish of the family Sebastidae, genus Sebastes. It grows to 25 cm. It lives on or near soft bottoms, 18 to 256 m deep, from San Francisco, California, to central Baja California, Mexico. Adults eat mysid shrimp, shrimp, krill and fish. The species is viviparous, with planktonic larvae, and juveniles are pelagic. It has venomous spines. It is taken in commercial fishing and appears in public aquariums.

Family: Sebastidae · predator

fun facts

  • There are reports of individuals up to 12 years old.

similar species

sources and references (2)

Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.

  1. scientific FishBase: Sebastes dallii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Sebastes dalliiNames by country and language.