Even with the big swell last weekend, conditions were fairly nice this week on Monterey Bay for offshore fishing. Meanwhile many of our die-hard steelheaders are hitting favorite spots on the San Lorenzo, or travelling further north to find some beautiful wintertime steellhead trout. Local steelheading was given a boost by the early rains this year. The river and local creeks came up quickly and created channels to the open ocean for these sea-going trout to re-enter their freshwater birth streams and continue the spawning cycle. Those who timed it right and judged the correct spot were rewarded with the first steelhead of the season caught locally. While most local anglers are fairly closemouthed on the details, we did receive reports of a number of fish caught on the San Lorenzo as well as from Soquel Creek. All these fish are catch and release only. Though bait can be used, the single hooks must be barbless. Remember to be gentle and release these beautiful fish in good condition for spawning. Reports indicate a large percentage of juvenile "eggeater" fish as well as bright spawners and even a few "downstreamers," fish that have successfully spawned and are riding the currents back to the ocean.

The larger north coast rivers are producing very well right now. One must time their trip carefully, to take advantage of good flows and visibility. Captain Joe Baxter drifted the South Fork Eel River last week with Jeff and Greg Pawlak and Steve Vasconcellos. They found their fish near the confluence with the main fork of the Eel. On the salt, the sandab fishing is getting better and better. Skipper Ken Stagnaro's  ? day trip last Saturday was "wide open fishing from the first drop," according to Stagnaro. With 18 anglers on the roomy Velocity, the fish count mounted to 800 "quality sandabs" on this four-hour trip. Stagnaro's will be running these trips regularly, weather permitting. For the surfcasters, heading north of Santa Cruz may be the answer. Reports of good fishing in the Davenport and Greyhound rock area have come in from a few different sources. Bait or grub lures are working equally well on the big black and rainbow perch in these areas. To the south, Ron Martin also had some luck lately. He caught and released a number of big barred surf perch in the two-pound range fishing the beaches south of Rio Del Mar last week, though he had to cover some territory to find the right spot. Bushnell can also be heard Friday mornings at 6:45 on KSCO radio 1080 AM. Send your photos, comments or questions to scruzfishing@yahoo.com.

Caption: Jeff and Greg Pawlak found bright steelhead on the Eel River, South Fork.