It is shaping up to be a historical winter with the succession of big wave events. Especially this last storm that included the largest swell ever recorded from a Monterey Bay buoy (34 feet). The constant waves have a drastic affect on beach sand, especially combined with silt deposited in the ocean from gushing local creeks and streams.

The Santa Cruz Harbor entrance is extremely shallow right now. The daily depth sounding report Wednesday showed zero to one foot across mouth of harbor, except for a small strip on the eastern edge measured at 8-10 feet in depth. Complicating harbor access is a sandbar just outside the jetties only three to six feet deep, effectively shutting the entrance. Minus tides in the afternoons over the weekend will make the harbor entrance dangerous.

Harbor officials advise the boat launch ramp remains open but boaters should proceed with extreme caution. The dredge is working at full capacity and could have a navigable channel established within a week, two at the most. More big waves might slow that process. The National Weather Service forecast for Friday predicts a “west swell 11 to 15 feet with swell periods of 18 to 20 seconds,” and “local breakers in excess of 20 feet.”

Monterey and Moss Landing Harbors remain fully open though both locations had to deal with minor problems created by the surge effect last week’s waves created. Slip renters at all the Monterey Bay harbors would be well advised to double check their moorings and lines as this wave train continues. As the conditions suggest, fishing is rather slow right now.

Charter boats have remained at the dock for the past week, though a few crabbers are still working in deep water. Dungeness fishing seems to be better near Monterey for commercial crabbers working their secret spots in 280-320 feet of water.

The other local alternative is surfcasting. Big perch are here and the occasional striped bass should be no surprise. This week the beaches closer to the center of Monterey Bay were the best bet. Big sandbars have built up far from the beach, and there are plenty of trenches and holes to explore within easy casting distance. Reports from the beaches below Rio Del Mar included limits of barred surfperch and at least one legal striped bass.

The two-inch "camo" sandworms are still the bait of choice for perch and stripers will grab them as well. Tie a 24-48-inch leader with a #2 or #4 hook below a sliding egg sinker and use a slow steady retrieve to find the fish. Once you find the spot where fish are biting you can cast more precisely. Another alternative is throwing smaller sized Krokodiles or KastMasters. Stripers go after shiny hardware and the bigger perch will hit them as well.