As we move from late-summer towards fall, things are getting interesting. All of our major sport fish were available at some point this week, and some more exotic specimens made an appearance as well.

Gerry Brookes on the Doble took a charter out last Thursday to the tuna grounds. The fishing was good though not without a surprise. "We put in 20 Albacore early, but the topper for the day was a 100-pound Opah on a fish trap." The opah, commonly known as "moonfish," is a prized gamefish. Opah is considered a delicacy, especially when used fresh for sushi.

Albacore scores remained consistent over the weekend, but dropped due to windy conditions on the outer waters mid-week. Some boats were skunked after traveling the 15-30 miles to tuna water, but others scored 10-35 fish per boat, according to Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine. "We got our first tuna of the season," Captain Jim Rubin said on Friday. "Five anglers caught 14 albacore that weighed from 14 to 20 pounds each."

When the winds came up a few days later, Rubin stayed inshore and enjoyed limit-style rockcod fishing with the occasional halibut caught for good measure. Rubin trolled back from Wilder's Reef area on Thursday and also picked up a shallow-water salmon in 60 feet of water off West Cliff.

Tom Dolan from Santa Cruz Charters reported daily limits as well, caught while working the reefs near West Cliff and Natural Bridges. "We continue to see limits of quality black, olive and blue rockcod, and caught a big 20 pound halibut to go. We were able to jig up some nice mackerel for halibut bait and it paid off."

Other bonus prizes for local anglers this week included a few white sea bass caught by squid flyliners near Capitola, big barred surf perch for surfcasters just above Manresa State Beach and a number of king salmon caught in 60-90 feet of water straight out from the Santa Cruz Harbor.