It is a little earlier than usual, but last weekend's big storms announced a definite change of season. It is now officially winter for anglers in Northern California and the Monterey Bay area.

Along with the big swell and high winds, we had periods of torrential rain, especially in some of our mountain locations. The result of this early storm is an altered landscape from the angler's perspective. Beach sand was sculpted by the muscular swell, creating the structure that holds feeding surfperch, and local streams experienced a scouring flow, even breaking through the summertime sandbars to allow winter steelhead access to the spawning beds upstream.

The swell also knocked crab pots around out in the deep water, and made rockfish hunker down on the reefs. Crabbing remains strong in the area however. Some pots may be muddy after the storm, and reports indicate the crabs are a bit less firm as they head towards a molt. But, there are still limits of Dungeness being reported from private boaters, it just might take a little more work for the payoff. Best areas for Dungies are still along the canyon edges in 180-220 feet of water.

Ed Burrell at Capitola Boat and Bait has noticed an uptick on perch fishing from the Capitola Wharf this week. "A few guys were doing good at the foot of the wharf, right behind the surfline, getting barred surf perch with grubs or shrimp bits. Around the middle of the wharf we're seeing some bigger walleyes." Local angler Holly Butler and her sons Orion and Gryphon, pictured above reported a hot bite near the Cement Ship on Sunday. "We used mussels for bait, and caught eight perch, our cousins got ten- blacks barred, walleyes and rubberlips."

Burrell sent deckhand Myron Larson out on a scouting foray for rockfish. Larson caught a few fish but released them all. Burrell adds the lingcod fishing was good for client Peter Baker this week that scored ling limits working the main reef near Lighthouse Point. Rockfish are likely to go back on the bite once the swell dies. We have the remainder of December to fish rockfish, and perch fishing should improve, especially when we get more big weather.

Photos:

Above Photo:
Cousins Orion and Gryphon Butler and Mander and Finn Miller are getting limits of perch from Seacliff Beach.

Photo #1: Orion and Gryphon Butler's impressive stringer from Sunday's fishing trip to Seacliff.