From Sportfishing
Fish Report for 1-3-2010
Santa Cruz Sentinel Fish Report
1-3-2010
Allen Bushnell
Allen Bushnell, Fish Rap: 2009 was a good year for fishing in the
Monterey Bay
Happy New Year! Many anglers will be making the resolution to catch
more and bigger fish in 2010. Some of us are content to just get out
there as often as possible, enjoying the outdoors and good company of
family and friends. As they say, the best fisherman is the one having
the most fun.
With any luck, this year will be at least as productive as last. The
2009 fishing season in Santa Cruz had its ups and downs.
Surfcasting for barred surf perch along the beaches kept many of us
going through the winter months, and some notable catches of black,
rainbow, rubberlip and walleye perch were reported from the piers and
rocky coastlines of our area. Wintertime flows remained low in the
San Lorenzo and other local streams and creeks, and steelhead fishing
was fairly quiet as a result last year.
Once springtime hit, we saw a lot more action. Rockfish season
started off well, with plenty of bolina rockfish in the area near the
Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor and the Mile Buoy, as well as limits of
larger black, blue, olive and vermilion rockfish from the reefs along
the North Coast. Rockfish stayed steady through the season this year.
According to Skipper Jim Rubin on the Becky Ann, decent limits were
the rule for rockfish through mid-November, when the season ended.
Rubin was particularly impressed with the schools of big black
rockfish and "jumbo olives" towards the end of the season. A
smattering of large lingcod was caught throughout the season, but
generally the fishing for lings was slower this year.
Along with rockfish, halibut were a mainstay this season for local
anglers. Starting in mid-March, boaters found halibut in the 10- to
30-pound range on the flat sandy areas from Capitola to Natural
Bridges, in 30-70 feet of water. Surfcasters working the calm,
protected beaches hooked quite a few halibut, including the
occasional keeper. Pier anglers also reported a good number of
flatties coming over the rail at the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and
especially the Capitola Wharf.
It has been quite a while since we had a year with favorable offshore
albacore conditions like this past season. The warm water currents
shaped up in mid-summer and lasted until late fall. The temperature
breaks were much closer than in the past few years, which make it
more accessible for our local boats. Sadly, a succession of big
swells and almost constant high winds offshore kept most boats from
making the 35- to 50-mile journey to the tuna grounds. Those who did
make it out often returned with anywhere from two to 50 fish. As
Rubin says, "the water was there, and the fish were there, but the
weather held us back."
Last year also featured a rare white sea bass bite in the fall. We
received reports midsummer of sea bass being caught near our local
kelp beds, likely the year-round resident "ghost fish," that are
notoriously shy. In fall, however, a big school of transient white
sea bass flowed into Monterey Bay, following the spawning squid. For
a week or so it was wide-open fishing for 20- to 50-pound sea bass on
the south side of the bay. Unlike the home guard, these visiting sea
bass were voracious, and anglers using live squid were almost
guaranteed succcess.
For now, the locals will have to be content with the usual wintertime
fare: surfcasting perch, pots full of crab, buckets of sanddabs and
the occasional monster squid. Remember, though, to get prepared.
Another full year of fishing is on its way.
Photos
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