The weather held for us last week, and fishing conditions were generally good. Local anglers continue to bag up limits of rockfish and a few halibut. A few die-hard fish hunters even found some success offshore.

Bottom fishing remains our mainstay. While rockfish are still available on the local reefs or kelp beds, the usual fall pattern is in effect, and fishing is better at the North Coast spots for the rockcod and particularily the lingcod. Ken Stagnaro from Stagnaro's Sportfishing took the Velocity to the Ano Nuevo area last Saturday. While fishing is closed at the island, the surrounding area has been very productive, especially to the north of Ano, around Franklin Point. Stagnaro reports his 28 passengers caught a good mix of blues, reds, olives and blue rockcod. Gerry Brookes on the Doble ran north on Friday for similar results, catching two lings to 13 pounds and filling the cooler with blacks, blues and olives. Other private boaters report steady fishing in that area as well as the Davenport reefs, with a mix of gopher or black rockfish and the occasional lingcod.

Capitola has seen a resurgence of rockfishing along the kelp beds and small reefs in that area. The fish are probably moving in response to the abundant bait in that area right now. Anchovies, sardines, jacksmelt and mackerel are balling up in 30-80 feet of water. Capitola Boat and Bait reports good bags and even limits of rockfish taken on their rental skiffs from Captiola Reef, Adams Reef and along the kelp at Soquel Point. A number of halibut were caught in that general area as well, including on legal flattie caught from the wharf last week. Other halibut spots have been producing this week including Lighthouse Point, where Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine pulled in one flatty. We received no reports of North Coast halibut this week.

Fraser has other good news, however. A few albacore continue to be caught offshore, near the 601 buoy. The water is warm out there, but the big schools seem to be much further out. A smattering of bonita were reported caught in the albacore grounds last week, and other reports indicate bonita much closer to shore near Monterey.