Tilefishes—Family Malacanthidae
Ocean Whitefish
Ocean Whitefish
Ocean Whitefish
Ocean Whitefish
Species: Caulolatilus princeps (Jenyns, 1840); from the Greek words caulo (stem) and latilus (probably a similar fish) and the Latin word princeps (leader).
Two ocean whitefish at the Green Pleasure Pier in Avalon
Alternate Names: Poor man’s yellowtail, bottom yellowtail, whities, blanquillo, blanka. In Mexico called pez blanco, blanquillo fino or pierna.
Identification: Elongate with a small mouth; distinguished by the very long single dorsal fin; long base of anal fin originates about middle of body; caudal peduncle rounded and slender. Brown to yellowish back, paler below; yellow or yellowish green edging on fins; blue stripe near edge of dorsal and anal fins.
Hashem made the mistake of kissing a whitefish
Size: To 40-inches, although most caught by anglers are less than 8 pounds in weight and most caught from piers are only 12-15 inches long. The California angling record fish weighed 13 lb. 12 oz. and was taken at the Cortez Bank, San Diego Co. in 1988. The diving record fish weighed the same, 13 Lbs. 12 oz. and was taken at San Nicholas Island in 2010.
Range: Reported from Peru and Chile, the Galápagos Islands, and the Gulf of California north to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Uncommon north of Point Conception and rare north of Monterey.
Red Korn and a whitefish from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon
Habitat: Mostly found in offshore rocky reefs and banks although common around some kelp beds; shallow water in summer, deeper in winter. Found from shallow waters to at least 620 feet deep with the largest concentrations at 90-200 feet. Typically feeds on crabs, shrimp, octopuses, squid and small fish.
Piers: Although occasionally seen at southern California piers near deep water or kelp, they are only really common at two piers, the Cabrillo Mole and Green Pleasure Pier, both in Avalon on Catalina Island. At the Green Pleasure Pier I have seen schools of ocean whitefish move into the waters around the pier and caught them on virtually every cast.
Adam (Baitfish) and a whitefish from the Cabrillo Mole
Shoreline: Rarely taken by shore anglers unless fishing at Catalina where they are common; Pebbly Beach near Avalon is a good spot late spring to summer.
Boats: A common species for boaters fishing the southern California islands, especially Santa Catalina, Santa Barbara and San Clemente Islands; also reported to be abundant at the Cortez and Tanner Banks.
A whitefish I caught from the Green Pleasure Pier
Bait and Tackle: Usually caught on the bottom though reported to typically feed four to six feet off the bottom. Top bait seems to be fresh squid cut into strips about 4 inches long and half an inch wide. It’s reported that a reverse dropper loop—with the hook on the bottom and the sinker hanging from a dropper loop a couple of feet up the line—can be deadly. Other good baits include ghost shrimp, market shrimp, mussels, worms and small live bait. Light to medium tackle and a size 4 or 2 hook is all that is needed for most of the pier-caught fish. Deeper water fish require stronger tackle.
Hashem and a whitefish from the Green Pleasure Pier
Food Value: A good eating fish but somewhat bland in flavor with small flakes and a soft texture. The flesh is white in color and low in fat content. It can be prepared with basically any cooking method. However, some reports say that at certain times of the year, in certain areas, it seems to develop an unpleasant taste. As example, some people report a bitter taste from fish caught in shallow-water kelp beds (although apparently there’s no problem with fish caught in deeper waters). J. Charles Davis in his book California Salt Water Fishing (1949, A. S. Barnes and Company) said “an excellent food fish but should be skinned before cooking. The skin has a strong smell of iodine and if the fish is cooked without skinning, the flavor is imparted to the meat and makes it unpleasant. If skinned it is delicious.” I’ve only eaten skinned fillets and they were indeed delicious.
Whitefish at the Green Pleasure Pier.