Let’s go fishin’: Large swells roll inshore fishing

The first large northwest swell rolled through Monterey Bay with a vengeance. The buoys were reading 14 feet, and when the swells hit the beaches and local reefs, things got rolled up.
The rockfish and lingcod bite has slowed down, but white sea bass and albacore don’t seem to mind the swell. Freshwater fishing also has slowed down, and many resorts are shutting down for the winter season.
I ran the charter boat Velocity this past weekend for Ken Stagnaro. We had 29 passengers on board, and fishing was fair for rock cod. We ended up with seven fish per person, with only a few large vermilion and bolina rockfish, while most bags had smaller yellow and blue rockfish in the mix. Lingcod and halibut fishing has also been slowed by the swells, though it is not too late to catch these fish.
White sea bass are still biting outside Monterey, but heavy fishing pressure has started to impact the fish. The commercial squid fishing fleet is fishing 5 days a week and it has taken a toll on the local market squid. Sea bass seem to be slowly leaving the area with less squid to feed on.
Albacore continue to show up for boats fishing out of Morro Bay and Fort Bragg. The fish counts are not high for albacore, but most boats have been getting a fish or two per person. We usually see albacore into November if the weather and warm water cooperate.
Lakes are turning cooler, and trout and landlocked salmon are starting to stage for the spawning season. Kokanee are actually sockeye salmon and stop feeding before spawning. The meat gets soft, and they die after they spawn. On most lakes that have wild trout and a stream pouring into the lake, fishers are also finding trout congregating at the creek mouths waiting for rain. The east and west forks of the Walker River have been great bets for trout fishing.
I hope you can get out and do some fishing this fall.
 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 April through September.