Hey Bondolo,
I was living and working near stillwater cove, and my coworkers and I went ab diving quite regularly. It may be hard to know what to look for without bringing someone who has done it before, so I can't speak for the guide thing. Generally speaking you can find them off any beach north of SF, but the easier the access, the fewer abs will be left. Be aware there are several new Marine Protected areas south of Pt. Arena, so know where you are. Fish and Game does indeed have strict regulations, of the half dozen or so abalone species in California, all have been over fished in the past, and only the Red abalone is currently available for recreational take, and none for commercial (any you find in a resturant are either imported or aquacultured). DFG estimates nearly half or more of the annual take of abalone is poaching. A good sized ab can net over $100 (I've been offered on the beach) but with fines of $1000 or more plus possible jail time, this is not a wise offer to take.
That being said, the rules are not hard to figure out, though there are many. You must carry an abalone gauge with a fixed measuremnt of 7in (mesure abs at the longest part of the shell). You don't have to worry about identifiying the species, since the red is the only one to obtain 7in size. Limit is three per day and 24 per season, and any leagal sized ab removed from a rock must be kept, no catch and release for larger ones. You can not use a knife to remove the ab, you must use a either a pry bar or bare hands. Any pry bar can be used provided it is less than 36in long, at least 3/4in wide, at least 1/16in thick, and not too curved.... at least 18in radius of curvature i believe. It is easier to buy a commercial one unless you really get into the sport and want something custom like a long bar, the goal here is to avoid cutting the abalone, which is almost always fatal. It is possible to take by hand, but generally can only be done when the ab is reared up in a feeding possition, and you should probably not attepmt it as injury to the ab is possible, and they are much stronger than they look.
The note card is a bit trickier. If you are diving from shore, bring a float and goody bag, along with a waterproof container with your card, a pen, and some zip ties. You must complete the card either on the water, or imediately upon retrun to the beach or boat. If you carry your catch to your car in the parking lot, you CAN get fined. The card is two parts, one part lists all the abalone you have caught this year, the other is unique to each abalone and is attached to the shell with a zip tie. At the end of the year mail your card back to dfg.
Cooking isn't too hard, cleaning a bit more so! There are plenty of youtube videos of cleaning abs, and personally I find the best way to cook it is to cut it thin, beat the hell out of it with a tenderizer, then just bread it and flash fry it 30sec a side or so.
Some Important Notes:
[*]Abs are freedive only, if you have scuba gear on your boat or in your car as well as abs, you WILL get a ticket if stopped
[*]Possesion limit is 3 at any time, if you go for a weekend trip and catch 3 on Saturday, you must eat them or give them away before catching 3 more on sunday. Non licenced individuals may posses abs, but be careful. If you are in a group, make sure no one is ever in possession of more than 3 abs. This can be easily forgotten if your group has multiple cars (and they do set up roadblocks).
the ab may not be removed from its shell till you are ready to cook it. no shucking before you drive home
As mentioned, stay safe, never dive alone.
OK book done, hope that covers everything, if you have anymore questions, by all means let me know.
