The lack of wind has brought the water temperatures up, and our local fishing has been changing. Salmon fishing has started to wane, while inshore species provide fishing action for Santa Cruz fishermen. The weather has been calm, and sea conditions are nice for boaters.
Salmon have continued to show up on the scoreboard for fishermen out of Santa Cruz Harbor. The fish are deep as water temps reach 58 degrees at the salmon grounds. There is a mix of salmon out there, including small “shaker salmon.” These fish range from 20 to 24 inches and are under the 24-inch size limit, so they must be shaken off the hook unharmed. But there are also some salmon up to 35 pounds!
Commercial salmon season started back up in our area Saturday, June 25. Salmon fishing may be slowing, although fish will continue to be caught in Monterey Bay. Reports of salmon have come in from Port San Luis, and these fish must migrate north and pass through the bay.
“We had a great weekend of salmon fishing,” Capt. Jimmy Rubin reported from the Becky Ann. “We caught four fish on Saturday and five salmon on Sunday, with fish up to 20 pounds.”
Jimmy also reported that he has seen a great show of humpback whales while salmon fishing. He will also be doing coastal trips for rockfish and halibut.
Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine reported: “Anglers are catching halibut in front of the Santa Cruz Harbor and up the coast to Davenport. The key is putting in the time.”
Halibut fishing has heated up off the coast of Santa Cruz as sardine schools and squid are available for anglers to catch as live bait. This helps for catching halibut that have a sweet tooth for squid. The flat fish are still in deeper water, 40 to 60 feet.
As the swell drops and the water clears and warms up even more, halibut will move into shallow water. Halibut move closer to the beaches for food and summertime spawning this time of year. The size limit for California halibut is 22 inches, and the limit is three fish per person.
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 7:06 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through September.
