From Sportfishing
Fish Report for 7-10-2009
Santa Cruz Sentinel Fish Report
7-10-2009
Allen Bushnell
The good times keep rolling on! Much like the previous week, fishing
for a variety of species in the Monterey Bay is a very good bet right
now.
Foremost on most anglers' minds is the offshore albacore bite. For
the past month, warm water currents have pushed in from the south. As
hoped, the currents are forming distinct "breaks" with our cooler
northern waters. The warm waters hold albacore and other big tuna,
while the colder, nutrient-rich waters support big bait schools the
tuna feed upon. The current situation is a perfect recipe for
albacore fishing these offshore areas when the weather permits. Last
weekend, conditions were perfect for the 30-60 mile tuna runs, and a
number of boats took advantage of the situation.
"Our first tuna trip of the year was a banner! The winds never picked
up over three or four knots, and the fish were biting," enthused
skipper Gerry Brookes from Reel Sport Fishing. Brookes piloted the
Doble 55 miles to an area between the 601 Buoy and the Guide seamount,
where he picked up 24 albacore for the five anglers aboard. Jim Rubin
on the Becky Ann ran to the same area and achieved similar results,
trolling up albacore tuna in the 18-30-pound range. Because there was
no live bait to be had last weekend, all the albacore were caught on
the troll, according to Rubin. Lucky lures last weekend included cedar
plugs, Mexican flags and brushed zucchini lures. Offshore winds will
be stiff this weekend and will likely keep boats from the tuna
grounds. With the favorable temperature breaks it is a good
possibility we may enjoy a decent, extended albacore season this year.
Closer to home, the inshore fishing remains steady and productive.
Ken Stagnaro from Stagnaro Sport Fishing reports his usual limits of
rockfish on the Velocity from his trips to Ano Nuevo and Davenport
last weekend. "We had a good mix of reds, yellows and lingcod,"
Stagnaro reports. Ed Burrell at Capitola Boat and Bait informed us
the local reefs are producing brown rockfish and the occasional ling.
Halibut are still on the bite in that area, with eight flatties
brought in on the Wharf Wednesday, and nearly half were keepers. The
boaters launching from Capitola are coming in with a steady catch of
larger halibut from the Pleasure Point, the Harbor and Capitola kelp
bed area. Burrell adds that stripers are on the prowl in the area as
well. "One surfcaster caught eight stripers casting near the Cement
Ship. Two were keepers, eight and twelve pounds," Burrell reports.
White sea bass are still biting on live sardines occasionally, and a
few threshers were reported last week, including one caught Sunday
that weighed in at 92 pounds dressed. For the kids, or the kid in
you, there is plenty of action from the Capitola Wharf besides small
halibut. Mackerel, jacksmelt, black and walleye perch and a number of
striped bass were brought over the rail last week.
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