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fishing forecast

freckled rockfish

Sebastes lentiginosus · Sebastidae · predator

Small rockfish of the bottom of southern California and northern Baja California, reaching 23 cm and living from 33 to 168 m.

Also called: garoupa-pecosa, rocote pecoso, freckled rockfish

Scientific illustration of Freckled rockfish
maximum
23 cm
depth
33–168 m
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the freckled rockfish

overview

who is the freckled rockfish

Rockfish of the family Sebastidae, genus Sebastes. It grows to 23 cm and lives on the bottom, 33 to 168 m deep. Its range runs from Santa Catalina Island, southern California, to northern Baja California, Mexico. The species is viviparous and enters commercial fishing. Like other rockfishes of the genus, it has spines on the head and fins.

Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the freckled rockfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Small rockfish with spots on the body, as the common name indicates. It grows to 23 cm and lives on the bottom, 33 to 168 m deep, in a band deeper than that of shallow-reef rockfishes. It has spines on the head and fins, a family trait.

distribution

where found

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Lives in the eastern Pacific, from Santa Catalina Island, southern California, to northern Baja California, Mexico. In Latin America, it occurs only in Mexico.

Habitat: Sea bottom, 33 to 168 m.

what the law says

rules for the freckled rockfish

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. 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.

catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.

Bottom fish: it suffers barotrauma when brought up from depth. Release it carefully.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

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%.

estimated weight

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sources and references

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 lentiginosus (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 lentiginosusNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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