The big commercial squid boats are still netting tons of market squid from the Monterey Bay. Most of that fleet were working off the Rio Del Mar area as of mid-week. Squid is just about the most perfect bait in the world. Everything in the ocean wants to eat it. So, these big spawns attract big fish, which we then get to catch.

Chris’ Sport Fishing from Monterey has three boats they can operate daily. Their weekly reports are taking on a familiar pattern. Every rockfish trip so far this year has come back with limits for clients aboard the Check Mate, Caroline and Star of Monterey. Their best numbers came on Wednesday, with 26 anglers pulling limits (260) rockfish and 26 ling cod for the day.

Running out of Moss Landing Harbor, the Kahuna is posting similar results. Owner Carol Jones likes to send the boat down towards Carmel and also runs regular “long-range” trips to the Big Sur coast, where the fish are more numerous and much bigger. Sunday’s trip on the Kahuna posted limits of rockfish with three lings for the 12 anglers aboard. Friday’s trip further down the coast showed limits of cod with 21 lings for the day. The rockfish were a good mix of canary, vermilion, copper and bocaccios.

Launching from Santa Cruz Harbor, the beautiful Miss Beth is running double trips every day to keep up with demand. In her latest report Beth Norton said, “Go Fish is running morning and evening trips now. Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters fished locally this afternoon. The bite was slow, the weather was beautiful so Captain JT headed north to Davenport. The clients caught limits of rock fish including vermilion, blues, blacks, coppers, browns, olives and canaries. The ling cod were also on the bite. They used shrimp flies with squid for bait.” Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait is happy to report the rental skiffs are once again available for fishing trips. And the fishing is pretty darn good in his area from Pleasure Point down to the Cement Ship. “Lots of halibut around right now,” Burrell said on Monday. Halibut catches were reported of some flatties weighing in the teens and low twenties at the Capitola Wharf.

Salmon fishing has been slow on Monterey Bay for a few weeks now. The bite near Half Moon Bay is going good though. Captain Tom Joseph from Fish On Sportfishing, whose motto is, “We go where the fish are!” has the right approach. Joseph keeps his 23-foot Steiger Craft on the trailer, so he can launch from whichever harbor is closest to the best bite at any given time. Last week he was up in Half Moon Bay. In a typical case of being in the right place at the right time, Joseph reported, “Salmon fishing doesn’t get any better! Limits last 3 days with fish to 23lbs.”