Let’s go fishing: Fall fishing promises excitement for patient anglers

The days are getting shorter and shadows draw longer. The sun is lower in the sky, and there is a chill in the air. As fall conditions return, ocean fishing is the main interest, while trout and salmon are returning to their freshwater home rivers.
Monterey Bay is still a great place to get out and do some fishing for a variety of species. White sea bass are caught on a daily basis out of Monterey, and these monsters range in size from 30 to 60 pounds. Squid have been pouring into the bay near Monterey with the larger tides and full moon. Commercial fishermen are fishing for market squid Sunday through Thursday.
Sea bass have a sweet tooth for squid, and where you find calamari, you may also find sea bass. Anglers are drifting fresh squid on the surface and waiting for their reel to sign as a huge sea bass picks up the bait and runs with it. As exciting as this is, patience is the name of the game. It might take hours before the first bite, which seems to start with the wind at about 10 a.m. and lasts through the afternoon.
Rockfish and halibut are still coming into the port. The halibut season starts to slow down this time of year, but rockfish and spawning lingcod are still on the bite. Most boats are reporting limits of rockfish, and one lingcod per rod is a good average.
Albacore counts are steady when the weather persists. Boats are hauling in the tuna from 60 to 100 miles out, and most fish are 15 to 25 pounds. Private boats and charter boats are reporting albacore from Fort Bragg to Morro Bay, and the bite may continue through October, if all goes well.
Freshwater fishing is good in the streams and lakes of the Sierras. The crowds are low, and heavy stocking programs are taking place in those waters that are eligible to receive stocked trout. The east and west forks of the Walker River have been very good for trout. Eagle Lake has also been a top producer this fall for Eagle Lake trout. Salmon fishing has been good in the Klamath River, too, and salmon are also returning to the Trinity River — a tributary of the Klamath. The Sacramento River has stretches that are open to salmon fishing, but it’s been challenging for most boats to pinpoint the fish.
This is a relaxing time of year to fish, and the weather is nice. I hope you get out for a fish.
Mike Baxter has fished in the Monterey Bay Area since he was a boy and has been a licensed charter boat captain for more than 15 years. Contact him at

ca************@ya***.com











. He also hosts a fishing show on radio station KSCO (1080) from April to September.