West Coast Rockfish Seasons: Next Openings & Key Dates

California

Apr 1, 2026 — Opens (North/Central management areas): groundfish/rockfish season opens all depths (runs through Dec 31, 2026).  

Apr 1–Jun 30, 2026 — Southern California: open all depths.  

Jul 1–Sep 30, 2026 — Southern California change: shifts to a 50-fathom depth restriction (inshore).  

Oct 1–Dec 31, 2026 — Southern California change: inshore closes; offshore-only option remains (per CDFW’s table).  

Oregon

Year-round (already open as of Jan 1, 2026): Oregon set the 2026 recreational bottomfish season to be open all-depths, year-round (so there isn’t a spring “opener” to wait for).

Source: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington

Mar 14, 2026 — Coastal bottomfish opener: season opens the 2nd Saturday in March (through Oct 17, 2026), with a lingcod opener on the same day and area-specific rules.

Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

British Columbia

BC is less about one “rockfish opener” and more about area rules + closures (like Rockfish Conservation Areas), but here are the big date-based items that matter for anglers:

Apr 1, 2026 — Lingcod opens (most tidal areas): opens Apr 1, 2026 (closing dates vary by subarea, many show Nov 30, 2026 in the notice).  

Rockfish: many areas are effectively open year-round, but closed in specific zones/RCAs and can change via notices—so link your blog readers to the official notices + regs map.  

Sources: Fisheries and Oceans Canada  

Southeast Alaska

Jul 1–Aug 25, 2026 — Nonresident “demersal shelf rockfish” season: Alaska announced a reduced season window for nonresident anglers.  

Residents: Jan 1–Dec 31.  

Also notable for your blog: they explicitly require a deepwater release mechanism when releasing rockfish and require at least one on board during saltwater sport fishing.  

Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game