As of press time, warm water is moving closer to the Monterey Bay and boaters are loading up on albacore. White sea bass remain schooled up in the bay off Pajaro and Marina. Rockfish and lingcod are being caught along the coast, and the season will remain open through the end of the year.
The hot news on the fishing grounds is the albacore bite. The past few years have been tough for tuna. This year, we have albacore and warm water close to Monterey Bay — we just need the weather to cooperate. When the weather is nice, boaters are loading up on the “long-fin” tuna. The water break is always moving, but the coastline from Big Sur up to the Monterey Canyon has had 63-degree water and it is teeming with life. Anglers are seeing loads of squid as feed fish albacore, a few blue-fin and even swordfish sightings.
White sea bass have become a steady show in the bay, and they are a real prized game fish. As the next full-moon phase approaches, the squid spawn will multiply, and along with it, the sea bass bite will erupt. The coastline off the Pajaro river mouth and off Marina Beach has been the hotspot. Anglers are drifting fresh squid on the surface to catch sea bass up to 60 pounds.
Rockfish and lingcod season will remain open in our area until Dec. 31 this year. Fishing for these fish has remained steady, though the bite has tapered some days as the larger groundswell rolls through the bay. Lingcod catches are common with the new 22-inch size limit. These are not giant fish, but they can be tasty table fare.
I hope you can get out on the water and do some fishing for yourself.
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.
