Santa Cruz Fishing Report

Report Updated March 8, 2010

WSB, perch & halibut on tap

From our man on the scene, Allen Bushnell (listen for his report every Friday at 6:45am on KSCO 1080AM):

O

nce again, weather was the main factor for fishing in the Monterey Bay area last week. Periods of stormy rain and a big groundswell that lasted all week kept many boats tied to the dock. A rare tsunami swell rocking the harbor didn’t help matters much either, causing some minor damage to docks and boats as it surged into our port for some hours after the giant earthquake in Chile. A few rays of sunshine peeked through, however, both from the heavens and for the fish holds.

Larry Roland and Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait showed that dogged persistence pays off. Skunked last week in their search for white sea bass of DelMonte Beach in Monterey, they tried yet again last Monday for much different results. Calimari squid are still spawning in that area, and the squid schools serve to keep big fish around for the feed. The duo fished the same area of 120-150 feet of water off the “Hotel.” Burrell managed to catch another 37-pound sea bass. Roland caught two, both in the 30-pound range. Roland doubled down when they went inside to 110 feet of water and used squid to catch an early halibut that weighed in at 19 pounds. Local Jeff McKee fished Monterey again last week and also caught another 37-pound sea bass.

Burrell says one commercial hook and line fisherman boated 14 sea bass on Monday, and he received reports of numerous halibut caught in the same general area. “The water is clear in Monterey, and the spawning squid is attracting all kinds of sea life. We saw hundreds of dolphins feeding in the area, both black-sided and bottlenose.” Fishing from the Capitola Wharf has been a bit slow, according to Burrell. The water is murky so perch are off the bite, though a good number of sand sole were kept from the wharf this week.

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Local Radio Report

Let’s Go Fishing Radio Show
Capt. Mike Baxter is a local legend in these parts (our words, not his) and he and trusty co-host Allen Bushnell break down all the local bites for ya…as well as plenty of inland stuff from steelies to kokanee…every Thursday from 7-8 PM on AM 1080. Check it out…these guys are dialed in!

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About Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is best known for its surf, but it’s also got a lot of cool saltwater fishing opportunities — from albacore and the occasional bluefin tuna on the outside to salmon and rockfish (when in season) to inshore stuff like halibut and white seabass. And let’s not forget the surf fishing…you can catch summer stripers off the sand, along with year-round surf perch and even the occasional halibut.

Light Tackle Surf Perch Fishing
Shallow Water Rockfishing