Most Monterey Bay anglers welcomed the first real winter storm of the season, as it brings much needed rain to our area. Nasty conditions and an uninviting ocean kept most of us on the beach this week, but at least one fisherman has a great story to tell.

Capitola Boat and Bait rents out fishing skiffs from their location on the wharf. One of their most avid "regulars" is Mark Davis, who took a boat out last Friday. Davis had been advised by Ed Burrell to look for a big school of mackerel near South Rock. Davis found the mackerel and pinned one on to fish live bait. The stars must have aligned for him, because he hooked into not one, but two white sea bass. These big croakers are one of the most elusive sportfish in our area, often referred to as "ghost fish" by those who pursue them year after year, most often unsuccessfully. One of the sea bass broke Davis' leader, but he managed to fight and bring the other in. The fish weighed in at 47 pounds. Davis accomplished his feat using 20-pound test on a baitcaster reel, according to Burrell. Big fish honors this week definitely go to Mark Davis.

Who knows where the mackerel might go as a result of this storm, but once the ocean settles down, it will be well worth it to try and find the school. They are plenty of fun with light gear, and many savor the rich taste of mackerel on the barbeque. Other species to search for during these winter months include small sole-like sandabs and of course the big-game Humboldt squid.

A number of local charter operations are offering squid trips now, including Reel Sportfishing and Captain Jimmy Charters, who will run Dungeness crab and squid combo trips, and Chris' Fishing Trips in Monterey, who have enjoyed some good squid catches lately. The squid have been located on the south side of the Monterey Bay Marine Canyon, on the west side of the Soquel Hole and according to Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine, in the finger canyons near Davenport.

San Francisco Bay remains a good wintertime fishing destination, and will be getting better in the next few weeks for sturgeon and striped bass. Both species are hitting on ghost or grass shrimp right now. The bite for both is mostly in the North Bay, and the striper bite is very good near Martinez using mudsuckers as bait, according to Skipper Jay Yokomizo from the New Huck Finn. Keith Fraser at Loch Lomond Live Bait in San Rafael expects the sturgeon bite to pick up soon in San Pablo Bay, and reports, incredibly, that anglers are still catching halibut in the bay. One boat he sent out last week returned with 10 halibut weighing up to 22 pounds.