Spearfishing Stats

Taxonomy

Rarity

Abundance rates how many are in suitable habitat. Find difficulty rates how hard it is to locate one on a daylight snorkel or freedive through 50 ft. A higher find score means a harder search. The rarity category also reflects the kind of encounter; it is not an average of the 2 scores.

Regulations

CDFW rules verified 2026-10-17

Seasonality

Edibility

Location

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife gives the range as the southern Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands south to Ventura, California. It lives on muddy or silty bottom from the shallows to about 1,395 feet, and is most abundant shallower than about 300 feet. FishBase calls it common in shallow water on soft, silty bottom, and notes that it moves into shallow water in summer and deeper in winter.

Spearfishing Brief

California counts the butter sole as a federal groundfish in its "other flatfish" group. It is open all year at all depths, except in the Groundfish Exclusion Areas, and falls under the general limit of 20 finfish, with no more than 10 of any 1 species, and no size limit. The state can change the rules during the year. Take is prohibited in state marine reserves, and north of Ventura County spears may not be used within 100 yards of a stream mouth. Oregon counts it in a limit of 25 flatfish in aggregate and allows spears. Washington counts it among its bottomfish, under limits that differ by marine area.

Finding one rates a 4. It is small, it lives on soft mud and silt rather than the sand and reef most divers visit, and it is a northern fish at the edge of its range in California. Taking one that has been found rates a 2, since it lies still on the bottom. FishBase calls it a tasty food fish that is sometimes sold.

Deep Dive

The butter sole is a right-eyed flatfish with an oval body. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife describes the eyed side as light to dark brown or grayish brown with yellow or green mottling, and notes rough scales that run out onto the fin rays. The best mark is the lateral line, the sensory line along the side. Over the pectoral fin it rises in a low arch, and a long extra branch of the line runs back along the upper body. The northern and southern rock soles look similar, but their line rises more steeply and the branch is shorter.

It is a small fish. The same agency gives an average of about 8 inches, a maximum of about 22 inches and an age of about 11 years. FishBase lists marine worms, young herring, shrimp and sand dollars in its diet, and notes that spawning adults migrate north and south along the coast. FishBase adds that it has also been used as mink food.

Where to Find Them

Researched habitat and range candidates

These locations have suitable habitat within the species range. An assignment is a possible encounter, not a confirmed sighting at every beach. Season, depth, and local conditions still matter. Historical habitat without present-day evidence is excluded.