We have had a little bit of swell, and a little bit of wind, but the fishing in Monterey Bay remains good for most anglers. For some, it has been spectacular.

Ken Kayson from Capitola checked in with a weekend report. One of the advantages of having your boat on a trailer is that you can launch from any of our nearby harbors. Kayson and his son Tom made a last-minute decision on Saturday to go tuna hunting. "Tommy looked at the sea-surface temperature charts, and we went for it at 3 AM Sunday morning out of Monterey," Kayson recounted.

Traveling nearly 30 miles down the coast off Big Sur, and 18 miles out to sea in their Baja Bayrunner, the Kaysons found the temp breaks, and the fish they were looking for. Albacore are known as fierce fighters, but these fish were of the larger variety. "I couldn't get over how big the fish were," Kayson laughed. Returning to port after the wind came up was a bumpy ride, but well worth it for the Kaysons and their tuna score.

We're all hoping the warm water currents will move in closer to Santa Cruz. At this time the best spot for albies appears to be near the 451 buoy off Pt. Sur, and the Davidson Sea Mount a little further south. Additional good-looking temp breaks, but further away, are near the Guide Seamount and the Pioneer Canyon, both northwest of Santa Cruz. Traditionally, late September and October can be the most productive months for local albacore fishing. Mother nature always has the last word, however, and if you get a chance to go now-take it!

White sea bass fishing was up and down last week, but mostly up. Good schools of bass feeding on spawning squid were located in Monterey near the Hotel, and off Pajaro. Both locations provided fish in the 50-pound range and the occasional three-fish limit for anglers who fished early, or had the fortitude to stick it out for an afternoon bite. Big fish of the week (maybe the year?) honor goes to Curtis Williams from Capitola who returned to Capitola Wharf Tuesday with a near-record 70-pound sea bass!

If all that is not good enough, we've had a three-week snap of king salmon right out in front of the Santa Cruz Harbor. Most of the fish are of the smaller variety in the 24-28-inch range, but an occasional 15-20-pounder has been reported as well. The salmon are biting for both trollers and moochers in 70-100 feet of water from Lighthouse point down to Capitola. Though a few skunks have occurred, limits are common. This is another example of "get it while the getting is good." These salmon are quite reachable by kayak or rental skiff. Ed Burrell at Capitola Boat and Bait has been weighing salmon up to 12 pounds daily, and predicts the bite should continue through the weekend.