Local anglers were faced with some very difficult choices this week. The decision to fish for white sea bass vs. fishing for salmon, or going after halibut instead of rockfish can be distressing. A few of us rolled the dice and came up with surfcasting. Everything produced action this week in Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay.

The swell we had last week not only pleased local surfers, but also helped to create a little structure along the beaches. These deeper spots and 'holes' can hold feeding surfperch, and some of the fish are pretty big these days. Twin Lakes Beach and the Harbor East Jetty had smaller perch hitting small grubs earlier in the week. The beaches near Rio Del Mar have better structure and provide a better chance of hooking a big one lately. Gulp! Sand Worms worked the best for the bigger Barred Surf Perch. Please practice catch and release especially with the larger surfperch, as many are actively giving birth these days.

Stagnaro's Sportfishing still hasn't had to travel much beyond the town limits for good rockfishing. Since the season opened Skipper Ken Stagnaro has mostly worked these local reefs off West Cliff Drive and up to the Wilder's Ranch area. Fishing in depths of 60 feet to 120 feet, Stagnaro has consistently found limits or near limits for his clients aboard the Velocity. This week was no exception, with quality blacks, browns, and vermillion rockfish filling up the gunnysacks.

White sea bass are still on the prowl, looking for fresh squid. The area near Capitola hosted a big school of sea bass last week, but the bite has slowed as the squid spawn tapered off. Reports indicate a newer, separate squid spawn and concurrent sea bass action near Pajaro. With luck the squid and sea bass will continue to pop up here and there for the rest of the season, much like last year. Sea bass caught last week near Capitola weighed in anywhere from 10 pounds up to 60 pounds each.

Anglers in Monterey found an excellent mooch bite on salmon, about one mile from the Monterey Harbor entrance. A huge fleet hovered just past the red bell buoy off Lover's Point and caught fish deep, near the bottom. On this side of the bay, trolling still seems to be the way to go. Reports from Moss Landing, Pajaro, and especially the Soquel Hole area indicate limits or near-limits are typical for experienced salmon anglers lately. The fish are still eating krill and are super energetic. "We're trolling up top, 40-80 feet on the downriggers," says Jim Rubin from Captain Jimmy Sportfishing. "This week the salmon preferred bait, but spoons or hoochies can do the trick as well." Rubin reports the salmon are big, averaging between 15-19 pounds.