Windy conditions offshore kept most boats from the tuna grounds this week. Few are complaining however, as inshore fishing is going off the charts.

Rockfishing continues to be a mainstay in Santa Cruz, with local reefs remaining very productive. It is still "limit-style" fishing from the reefs near West Cliff Drive and up towards Wilder's Ranch. The rockfish are moving out slowly, so the deeper reefs may be more productive in the next few weeks. Right now, targeting 60-100 feet of water is a good bet, but 80- 120-foot reefs can be equally productive. The lingcod bite is picking up as we move closer to fall. Both the local reefs and rocky areas of the North Coast such as Davenport and Franklin Point will be kicking out big lings soon.

The North Coast is also a hot spot for halibut fishing in the fall. Because the water warms up later in the year, the timing for halibut is delayed a couple months for fishing in that area. Flatties are still definitely on the menu here in Monterey Bay, however. From the sandy areas near the kelp on West Cliff, to the long stretches past the Mile Buoy and on down to Capitola, boaters are hooking quality flatties in the 10-25-pound range.

That area from the Buoy to Capitola is again hosting spawning squid schools. And, that means white sea bass are back in the mix. Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait fished Monday and Tuesday in 60-70 feet of water off Capitola. Using fresh-dead squid from the bait shop, Burrell and guests caught limits white sea bass, a few halibut and even a renegade 32-inch barracuda. Most of the fish were caught near the bottom, according to Burrell. "It's as good as it gets, for some," Burrell said. "Others are only catching rock cod or mackerel. But, everyone is catching something this week!"

Burrell's claim was quite accurate on Wednesday evening, when he snapped a group of Capitola regulars on the dock. Their catches included halibut, king salmon, and white sea bass ranging from 30 to nearly 50 pounds.

The weekend weather looks decent for albacore hunters. Word is, the warm water has moved further offshore, out to about 30 miles. The tuna are still there, though, and plenty of boats will be on the hunt. Stagnaro's Sportfishing ran a successful tuna trip last week, as did Reel Sportfishing, according to skipper Gerry Brookes. "Our 6 anglers put in 40 tuna by 10:00am. I think the best part of the trip was on the way home cleaning fish and we had a triple hook up. We stopped the boat and put in our fish. The deck hand was still throwing fish parts over the side of the boat, and an 11 year old fantastic angler decided to throw some iron over the side of the boat while drifting, and hooked the second Opah for the boat this year. This was a bit smaller about 35lbs. But what a once of a lifetime catch for an 11 year old!"