A high-pressure system over much of the coast has provided clear days with low winds and swell. Perfect for a dawn-patrol king salmon chase near the deeper parts of the Monterey Bay.

“It’s like the old days,” is a phrase we’ve heard more than once this week. A big school or a mix of salmon schools is in the bay right now. Apparently, there is enough bait around to keep them here for a while because reports have been fairly consistent. Consistently fantastic, that is!

Most private boats are reporting limits of salmon on a daily basis for the past week. The current measure of success seems to be how early they can get back to the dock with their limit of fish. Many boats started their return trip by eight a.m., most by 10, and almost everyone is done by one.

Party boats are also racking up daily limits. Carol Jones from Kahuna Sportfishing is a happy lady, saying “We had salmon limits by 8:30 this morning. Nice weather with great fishing. Fish are right on top so they are super charged! Just flat out fun! And the bite continues......”

Like the Kahuna, the vessels Check Mate and Caroline from Chris’ Fishing Trips mooch for salmon. When the fish are plentiful and concentrated, mooching is a highly effective (and super fun) way to catch them. Chris’ reported limits or near-limits on the last five salmon trips this week aboard both boats. There are fish from the Soldier’s Club up to the Soquel Hole, but Mulligan’s Hill and the canyon in front of Moss Landing remain the most productive areas. Veteran angler Ron Martin was happy with his two-fish limit of Chinook salmon. Main said, “I fished on the Check Mate Tuesday and it was a moocher’s delight. These pics show the fish I kept and I helped fill out the boat limits also. We fished outside of Moss in the canyon. It was steady the whole time and we ended up with limits for 22 guys. They were shallow from 15 to 80 feet and were wild on the hook. My fish were both about 13 pounds.”

Go Fish Santa Cruz, Mega Bite Charters, Stagnaro’s Sport Fishing all report salmon limits for their trips this week. Word is out, so call early to book a trip. Remember, there’s no guarantee this hot bite will last. Get it while you can! Tom Dolan on the Mega Bite may have been the most optimistic skipper this week. On Tuesday he reported, “Folks, the salmon fishing is off the hook right now. Best fishing in over twenty years and limits are common.”