Like a lull after the storm, things were somewhat quiet on the Santa Cruz fishing front this week. As we head into winter, sand dabs will remain a productive target, and surf fishing for perch and more will begin to heat up soon.

Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine recommends the local sand dab fishery as easy pickings as well as being tons of fun. Fraser says the best area to fish for these tasty little flatfish are the sandy areas in 100-160 feet of water, just past the Mile Buoy outside the Santa Cruz Harbor. Use a sabiki rig with enough weight to keep your rig on the bottom. Fraser recommends the Ahi Mini Squid Jigs with a number two hook, though #4-6 hooks work as well. Some anglers will include a split shot above the sabiki, in order to keep hooks and bait lying flat on the sand. It is not completely necessary, but sometimes helps to tip the hooks with a tiny piece of shrimp or squid.??

Once you drop your rig, and feel some nibbles, leave your hooks on the bottom for multiple-fish hookups. Sand dabs provide a delicate white meat and are cooked whole, rather than filleted. To prepare sand dabs for the table, simply make a diagonal cut to separate the head and abdomen area from the fish. Cook the remainder with butter, white wine and capers for a gourmet treat. Once plated, sand dabs can be eaten much like trout; eat the top half, pull out the intact bone structure then eat the bottom half.

Before the latest storm hit with the resultant huge waves, we had promising accounts from surfcasters pursuing barred surfperch. Since the waves subsided, reports are starting to filter in of good structure on the beaches from Capitola to Monterey, with deep pockets and "holes" that can hold feeding perch. Ed Burrell at Capitola Boat and Bait recounts a few ???big ones" caught from the pier recently, measuring from 11 to 15 inches. Mark Dingler from The Anglers Choice in Capitola reminds us of barred surf perch caught two weeks ago from the pier that measured up to 17 inches and 2.25 pounds, and recommends the beaches near Pleasure Point for this weekend's surfcasting. Dingler also suggests fishing the incoming tide for best results when surfcasting. Anglers surfcasting the mid-bay beaches continue to report incidental catches of striped bass. The stripers are mostly schoolie-sized and may be spawning in the Pajaro or Salinas Rivers.