Every fall, I try to make a few trips to Ano Nuevo Island — also known to mariners as New Years Island.
It is a great time of year to fish in this area as the water has warmed up, rockfish are active, and ling cod are staging to spawn.
Another bonus during the fall is that very slight chance of seeing a great white shark.
A couple weeks prior, I heard rumors of fishermen seeing large sharks in the area, so it was time to plan a trip.
The Island and the legal fishing grounds are over 20 miles from Santa Cruz, so proper planning can make or break the trip.
The weather pattern lined up for light winds, and we had a favorable lull between winter swells during a weekend in which I had no other commitments, so things started to line up for another fall voyage.
I was even more encouraged as my 12-year-old son, Fisher, has shown interest in fishing and seemed patient and mature enough to make his first trip to New Years.
It can be a long day — the fishing should be fair, but if your only wish is to see a shark, the odds are slim. I have visited the island by boat hundreds of times and only seen one white shark.
We left early and steamed up the line, heading for New Years Island on Sunday with sunny skies and fair weather.
We had warm, blue water with squid and bird schools scattered along the coast from 4- mile to Scott Creek.
We made one stop for mackerel to no avail and continued to the island. The water was clear green, around 60 degrees, with a building Northwest groundswell.
Not a strong sign of life, other than a few pods of porpoising sea lions that seem to migrate more out of the water than in the water.
The high spots above the island had schools of blues and black rockfish hovering above the pinnacles. The shale and flat rock had a few gofers, china rockfish and ling cod.
We decided to do some old-school anchor fishing and dropped the pick on the west side of the pinnacles.
While anchored, we were enjoying a steady pick on rockfish and ling cod to 14 pounds. The usual arsenal — 4-ounce diamond jigs, shrimp flies tipped with squid, and small school fish on a three-way rig for ling cod — all worked well. The bites slowed as the groundswell filled in.
Fisher was done fishing by 10 a.m. and stayed on the cabin roof all day in search of a great white — “Carcharodon Carcharias.”
Earlier in the day, Larry, on another boat named “Steppin Wolf,” had a visit from a 12-footer, so our hopes were high.
At 2 p.m., we called it a day, and on the reel-up, the sea floor rose as it appeared the whole bottom came up!
It was a very large white shark, estimated 17 to 18 feet, and 4,000 pounds. She made a few passes, showed herself, and slipped away as fast as she appeared.
My knees wobbled with excitement it was a real treat to see such a magnificent animal. The day was magical, with fun fishing, and to have my son get a glimpse on his first trip to the island was a bonus!
We traveled the coast home with excitement and questions as we pondered what we had seen, and realizing what an opportunity it was. I wasn’t able to capture a quality photo so the image will have to remain in our minds.
– 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 20 years. Contact him at ca************@ya***.com. He also hosts a fishing show on radio station KSCO (1080) from 8:06 to 9 p.m. Thursdays April through the end of August.
