Fishing is good in Monterey Bay and the surrounding waters. Ocean fishing continues to host an array of opportunities, and freshwater fishing remains strong in the reservoirs of Central California. A local favorite and a great standby fishery is rockfish, as local boats continue to catch limits constantly.
“We have been fishing the local reefs on our half-day trips, while the full-day trip we have been heading up to New Year’s Island,” reported Ken Stagnaro aboard the Velocity. “Limits have been common on both trips.”
Stagnaro added, “The average limit of rockfish has had a nice mix of browns, gopher cod, vermilions and a few blue and black rockfish.”
Charter boats and private boats have also been scoring on lingcod. The best trip for lingcod has been making the run to New Year’s Island or to Franklin Point with live sardines. Private boats have returned with limits of lingcod.
Rock cod fishing should remain good through the summer months, though large swells do slow down the bite.
Halibut have been coming into Monterey and Santa Cruz with more consistency. Santa Cruz boats have been catching fish near the mile buoy, Natural Bridges, Four Mile Beach and Davenport. Boats from Monterey have scored halibut while fishing north of the harbor along the beaches off Sand City and Marina.
Live bait is the ticket for halibut, when it’s not available, dead squid does the trick, as well. Both halibut and rockfish are very sensitive to swells, so be sure the water is clear and the surf is small.
Albacore continue to be a strong possibility, with wind and weather the main factor. The weight of this factor is increased when the fish are farther from shore. The albacore have been 85 miles out during the early season, but they should be caught closer to port soon. If you plan to take out your own boat for albacore, be sure all safety precautions have been triple-checked and fuel storage is done safely. If you plan on taking a charter out, book the trip in advance. If the weather is not good or albacore fishing drops off, most local charter operators will advise you and change the trip by giving you other options.
I hope you can get out for some rockfish — they make great fish tacos.
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.
