The weather was somewhat cooperative this week, at least within the sheltered Monterey Bay. More boats are getting out, more fish are being caught and more anglers are having more fun.

Ed Burrell at Capitola Boat and Bait has been hopping all week, as the bite in Capitola improves on a daily basis. After a brief slowdown last week, the striped bass bite is picking up again, both from nearby beaches as well as from the wharf. "I saw two hookups on the wharf today, and there were two nice ones caught last night, after we closed the shop," Burrell says. Anglers on the wharf are finding success fishing near the base of the pier, using live sardines under a bobber or on a sliding sinker rig. A crab net is recommended for securing the fish. A few lucky anglers are catching halibut from the wharf with this technique as well.

"There are lots of halibut right now," Burrell added. Quite a few skiff anglers caught their first halibut ever this week as the bite improved. Burrell recommends fishing the edge of the kelp beds on either side of the Capitola Marina. The key is live bait. Jigging up sardines is easy, due to a high concentration of the baitfish in the area right now. Using a three-way swivel or a sliding sinker to fish on the bottom in 20-40 feet of water has brought success to many this week. Most of the fish are in the 6-12-pound range.

One notable exception was the 26-pound hog brought in on Father's Day weekend by Darin DeLuca, kayak fishing near New Brighton with his daughter. "It was a hell of a 15 minute battle that felt like an hour. Once I got the fish yakside I gaffed her and got my big game clip in her, then took the wood to her. At one point I wasn't sure if this fish was coming home, she took two runs into a kelp patty. But with a big shove on the back end of my yak by my daughter out away from the kelp, I was able to get a good angle on this butt. So it was a joint effort and the best fathers day outing I've ever had."

Rockfishing is on the upswing as well; according to Jim Rubin from Captain Jimmy Charters. "We fished locally on Thursday, with limits for the four clients as well as two crew." Rubin used squid and live sardines for the mix of black, blues and olive rockfish, targeting the reefs near Natural Bridges. Fishing the kelp edges along West Cliff on the way home also netted the Becky Ann two nice halibut in the 14-pound range.

Bushnell can also be heard on The Let's Go Fishing Radio Show Thursday at 7pm on KSCO radio 1080 AM. Send your photos, comments or questions to scruzfishing@yahoo.com.