Monterey Bay anglers were greeted with frosty mornings again this week. Generally, conditions were okay for fishing, except for the large swell that rolled through after the weekend.

We might be able to blame the swell that brought double-overhead waves to local surf spots for a general slowdown last week. Fishing for rockfish and lingcod, which continues through the end of this month, is getting tougher. Though a few limits were reported, most anglers counted half limits for their rockfish bags. Lingcod are biting fairly well but most lings hooked are undersized and must be returned unharmed to the ocean.

On a brighter note, the quality of rockfish remains high, with a good percentage of big vermilion in the bags. Another positive note is the nearby locations for rockfish. Reefs in the 70-120 foot range from Capitola to Natural Bridges are producing the best for rockies right now. Lings can be caught from these reefs, and even shallower as they move in for winter spawning. A reminder that rockfish season ends on December 31, so get out there this week before it's too late.

Crabbing for Dungeness also seems a little slower this week. It may be the pressure of all the pots out there, including commercial crabpots, or it could be just a natural cycle, but crabbers are reporting fewer crabs per pot. The quality remains high, however, with big meaty Dungies going in the box. Crabbers just have to haul more pots for their limits.

As we progress into January and February, ocean anglers will switch over to fishing for sandabs along with the Dungeness crab. Scientists say this is another "La Nina" year, but we may have the giant Humboldt squid to chase. It's always a blast to catch enough calamari for the whole neighborhood with one drop. We need some significant rainfall to encourage our wintertime steelhead runs in the local streams, which is always an exciting catch and release fishery.

Otherwise, a bit of traveling may be in order to scratch the fishing itch. Despite the low rainfall, San Francisco Bay is already experiencing decent fishing for the big prehistoric sturgeon, and the striper bite remains steady, especially in the San Pablo Bay area. Freshwater stripers are also on the menu at San Luis Forebay, a quick two hours from town.