When the going gets tough, the tough get going. It’s the dead of winter and one might think it’s slow for anglers from the Monterey Bay. But, there’s plenty to fish for locally, and exciting fishing adventure fairly close by.

Santa Cruz Harbor is still shoaled at the entrance. Boaters are advised not to transit at this time. A few boats are coming in and out, notably the kelp cutter boat that gathers food for American Abalone farm in Davenport. Weather and big swells are keeping the Monterey boats at the dock some days, but when they get out they are doing well on sanddabs and mackerel. Reports from last week also indicate the Pacific Bonito are still hanging around Carmel submarine canyon. The bonito are deep, with anglers catching them at 200 feet.

A short drive east to San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay can provide great action right now. Anglers have been doing well trolling or using live minnows for striped bass up to 25 pounds.

Another option for big fish this weekend would be to target sturgeon feeding on the herring spawns in central San Francisco Bay. Oakland Airport, the San Mateo Bridge and other go-to spots like China Camp and the Brickyard in nearby San Pablo Bay have been producing keeper sturgeon in the 40-60 inch slot limit. Check regulations carefully for white sturgeon fishing. There is a one fish daily bag limit and an annual limit of only three sturgeon per person. California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations include “Short or oversized sturgeon must be released unharmed immediately; note that white sturgeon greater than 68 inches fork length may not be removed from the water prior to their immediate release.”

Steelhead fishing on coastal rivers varies from day to day and very dependent on weather and waterflow conditions. Mike Auhgney from USA Fishing keeps close tabs on the North Coast rivers and reported last weekend, “the Smith River has dropped two feet over the past 24 hours. As of 8:00 PM Saturday, the Smith has dropped from 15 feet to 13 feet and is headed to 12 feet (prime) by Sunday. With dry weather in the forecast the Smith should be sporting perfect color and a slow drop in flows over the next few days. The Chetco looks to be back in by Tuesday but other rivers like the Eel, Duzen and Mad will need a week of dry weather before they come into play.“

If you are feeling really adventurous, try some coldwater trout fishing near Chester, CA. Both Lake Almanor and nearby Butt Lake are ice-free and producing big trout, as usual. Kayak fisherman Chris Mayes reports no ice on either lake this week, and a steady bite of big rainbow and brown trout. Mayes added, “I was cruising through the main lake, and all of a sudden started marking fish holding about 50 feet down. I dropped my jig down, and watched one of the marks shoot up from the bottom and grab it. Fish on! At first, the big headshakes and bulldogging made me think it was a good brown trout. But then I got a glimpse of him, and my heart jumped. Big rainbow! It took a while longer to finally land this guy, and my heart was pounding the entire time.”