Posted by CalAbDiver on July 02, 2001 at 12:35:24:
In Reply to: Re: youre allowed to gift them, not sell or barter Jeff posted by Jeff B on July 02, 2001 at 11:45:50:
everything i know scientifically about abs i learned from reading Rocky Daniels' web pages. he says that abs take about 3 years to mature at 3", then grow about 1/2 inch per year after that.
how old can they get? thats anyones guess. we know they can get 23 years old because the record taken is 13" ((13-3)x2 +3 = 23 yrs). so i would guess they can live to 25 or 30 years based on that.
Rocky knows more about it than i do.
my largest ab from this past weekend is 10" so (10 - 3 )x 2 + 3 = 17 years old. that means that ab has been sitting on that rock sideways at 10' depth for the past 17 years and nobody else spotted it there.
i spotted it from the surface as i was swimming along, looking down at the rocks and boulders from the surface, as the midday sunbeams lit up the bottom for me. most people ab dive in the morning, when the winds and waves are calmer although the light isnt as good. but the light is better at noon, and thats when i like to go into the water after them myself. my buddies disagree.
i saw a line of 3 or 4 portholes in the side of what looked like a huge rock. i couldnt believe it was an ab til i dived down to it and took a closer look. its in my freezer now tenderizing.
so is Mike Kane's 8+ incher, tenderizing in my freezer too.
there is ab-solutely no reason to pull 7" abs, because there are so many larger ones from 8" to 10" crawling around. you just have to take your time and look for them.
the way to find a great ab site is to drive along PCH Hwy 1 until you find a turnout that leads down to the Ocean. Hike down, being careful not to fall, assuming the climb down is hikable. not all are. thats advanced technique, however.
there is a long rocky reef that runs along the NorCal coast from Jenner to Arena. you will find lots of abs all along it, some of them monsters up to 10" long or more.
Anchor Bay has a campground with facilities. there are lots of abs there too. thats where i normally recommend new ab divers go for their abs.
Ab season is closed now all during July. it opens again in August.