Let’s Go Fishin’: White sea bass, red tide along coastline

Catching white sea bass in Monterey Bay has been a great bet lately and may continue through the next full moon. Meanwhile, the red tide has established itself along the southern beaches of Santa Cruz, and water watchers wonder why it occurs.
Red tide has shown itself from the west side of Santa Cruz through Capitola and the beaches of Aptos. The tide slows fishing and irritates some water enthusiasts. The traditional red tide we see in the Monterey Bay occurs in the spring and summer months, after heavy winds cause water to well up as phytoplankton and zooplankton bloom. After the various plankton die off, the red tide forms. The recent tide seems to be caused by dinoflagellates and could be a “harmful algae bloom,” often abbreviated HAB. Fishing seems to be slow in the red tide areas for rockfish and halibut, but there seems to have been no trouble for other marine mammals yet.
Zach Wormhoudt, a fisherman and big-wave surfer, suffers from an allergic reaction caused by the red tide.
“Picture your worst allergies injected into your nasal system,” he said. “The symptoms can be unbearable at times.”
Some people have such a reaction while surfing, swimming, fishing and even just breathing the ocean air. Water temperatures, currents and increased nitrogen in the water might be causes of this unusual inshore red tide.
Farmer and fisherman Darrell Uyeda commented, “This time of year, there is little or no rain runoff to support the notion that the red tide is fueled by fertilizer. Also, nitrogen can be naturally occurring as a byproduct from the waste of baitfish, sea lions, sea birds and other organic matter.”
While the red tide might be a mystery, the fact remains that it might not host good fishing opportunities, and some people are highly allergic to it.
On a positive note, white sea bass continue to bite, and some days it is a white-hot bite! That might be as hard to predict as a red tide, but some days, the sea bass decide to chew on squid, and anglers haul in three-fish limits when it’s hot. The sea bass remain in the area from Seaside to Pacific Grove, and they are caught on the surface using fresh squid. The bass range from 12 to 60 pounds and should be here into November.
As the squid spawn dissipates and the first winter storms roll through, the sea bass might migrate south, but for now, it’s still a great bet at a trophy fish.
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 [email protected]. He also hosts a fishing show on radio station KSCO (1080) from April to September.