Our weather conditions are improving gradually, allowing more boats to get out on the ocean, fish further away and for more hours. Always a good sign, local anglers are reporting more baitfish in the area, mostly sardines. Not only is the bait inshore, especially near the Capitola Wharf, but also balling up near the Soquel Hole. Salmon anglers are getting fired up for another try at the hard-fighting and delicious Kings.

Rockfish and lingcod still take top billing in our area. The local kelp beds are somewhat productive, but deeper reefs can garner quicker limits. Ken Stagnaro from Stagnaro's Sportfishing took advantage of diminished winds on Monday, fishing as far north as Davenport. Despite a good bump on the water from the previous day's winds, Stagnaro reports "near limits" for his clients aboard the Velocity, including "several six-pound reds and some great four to five-pound coppers." Capitola Boat and Bait had similar reports for the week with a mixture of rockfish and the occasional lingcod reported caught near the kelp beds and the deeper reefs.

Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine is fielding increasing reports of salmon trollers finding success (and fish) near the Hole. On Tuesday, he reported, "There were a few Salmon caught today in 275 feet of water near the west edge of the Soquel Hole. There are some great areas of bait out there so hopefully the Salmon will start showing up." Trollers are using hoochies or bait with flashers to entice the kings, and fishing between 100 and 200 feet down. We are overdue for a salmon bite hereabouts. This is the first year in the past three we have a full season scheduled, but the fish have been scarce, except for the initial few weeks.

Fraser himself has been concentrating on halibut fishing. Working the flat sandy areas close to the Santa Cruz Harbor, and using fresh-dead squid, Fraser bagged a limit of three fish earlier in the week, and weighed in a good number of flatties at his Bayside Marine tackle shop. As the waters settle, more halibut are being caught from the flat sandy areas along West Cliff as well. Live sardines are always the best bait for halibut, though squid has been working well lately, and we've also received reports of success on FishTraps or MegaBaits.

The weather forecast looks promising for the weekend, with no rain expected, and winds to remain fairly light. Hopefully, summer has officially begun, and we can enjoy a few weeks of uninterrupted ocean fishing.