CAPTION: Larry Roland has been haunting Monterey in pursuit of the white sea bass, also know as "ghost fish," for their elusiveness. We may have to rename his boat "The Ghostbuster."

Last week's ocean conditions weren't the best, with high surf and windy days. Nevertheless, area anglers were able to make some significant catches. We are on the downhill slide towards springtime fishing, and it will only get better and better from here on out. Most exciting is the increasing probability we may actually have a sport salmon season on the Central Coast this year.

Captain Jimmy Charters skipper Jim Rubin tended his crab pots yesterday. He had four clients aboard and reports the usual limits for all, of "nice quality" Dungeness crabs. Rubin has been doing well this season working the area just north of Natural Bridges, setting his crabpots in 180-220 feet of water. Others have reported consistent limit-style crabbing as far south as the Moss Landing area.

We received only one report for sea bass this week. Zack Mitchell, reigning Perch Derby champ, picked up a few white sea bass last weekend in the area off Del Monte Beach in Monterey. All were in the 40-50-pound range and hooked with fresh caught squid. High winds earlier in the week kept Ed Burrell and others from chasing the white sea bass in the Monterey area. He had good news from the Capitola Wharf, however. A good number of black perch were caught this week from the wharf, mostly from the middle portion of the pier. Closer to the surfline, the barred surf perch bite is improving, according to Burrell. In addition, the past few days have featured a number of legal brown rockfish and grass cod caught from the pier. All the above were caught on surf leaders baited with shrimp bits, according to Burrell. Surfcasting for perch is getting better on the southern beaches of Monterey Bay, according to Burrell, and there is a decent mix of small but legal stripers coming in from those areas as well.

Ken Stagnaro checked in with the Velocity report for the week. Stagnaro's Sportfishing hosted a sanddab trip on Saturday. The ten anglers aboard caught 220 of the delicious flatfish while working the canyon edge near Moss Landing. Monday's trip had 15 anglers aboard. It was rough and windy, according to Stagnaro, so fishing sanddabs was not easy. As luck would have it, they located a school of Pacific mackerel and were able to fish the surface. "We had lots of fast action, and ended up with 330 macks for the boat. These fish were big, averaging between two and three pounds each," Staganaro recounts.

Stagnaro and other charter operators, as well as the private sport anglers are holding their breath while waiting for the Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the California Department of Fish and Game to come up with a final decision regarding the 2010 salmon season. As of yesterday, the PFMC has forwarded three options for consideration to the DFG Commission. Option One opens the season from April 3 through October 3 in our area. Two king salmon with a minimum size of 24 inches may be retained. Option Two opens salmon season from April 3 to April 30, then again from July 1 through October 3. In Option Two, the minimum size for king salmon is proposed for 20 inches. Option Three allows for no recreational fishing of salmon whatsoever. The PFMC also forwarded options for commercial salmon trollers, which could allow for a limited commercial fishery this year. We will not have the final word regarding the extent of salmon season until mid-April, which suggest that for a few weeks at least we can pursue these magnificent fish.