Hopefully, the current series of storms is an indicator of a nice, long, wet winter. We can really use the water to charge up our parched aquifers, and even our briny species seem healthier when we have big wintertime flows of freshwater to the Monterey Bay.

The storms and big swells that accompany them do not make for very productive (or comfortable) ocean fishing, however. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine reported earlier in the week only "a few anglers are catching some crab and rockfish." Judging by our view of the breakers at the Santa Cruz Harbor mouth on Thursday, it is most likely that canny anglers are biding their time, waiting for the swell to subside rather than scooting out between sets.

On the plus side, that same location inside the harbor channel is hosting a fairly robust population of surfperch right now. Anglers fishing from the east jetty Thursday during the morning high tide had no problem pulling in fish after fish. Most were calico or barred surfperch, though a few walleye perch were caught as well. Anglers coaxed nibbles by using squid or shrimp bits on sabiki rigs or the classic sliding sinker setup with a short leader, a #4 hook and half a GULP sandworm for the 8-12-inch perch. These particular anglers could have easily brought home limits of surfperch, but were practicing catch and release (and having tons of fun!) Also noted that morning was at least one poke-poler with a bag full of rockfish caught on squid from between the jetty rocks.

Ed Burrell at Capitola Boat and Bait confirmed the perch bite is on the upswing in his area also. Anglers fishing near the bottom of the pier, just outside the breakers are doing well on barred surfperch, while those fishing towards the mid-point of the pier are catching mostly calicos. A few big perch were brought over the rail in the past week or so.

Thanks to these consistent northwest swells, good structure is building up on the long stretches of sandy beach south of Capitola. New Brighton Beach, Rio Del Mar and La Selva Beach all were pounded last week by big waves, and there are plenty of holes and rip currents to search in our quest for bigger barred surf perch. The same goes for all the beaches that ring the Bay, really. From Pajaro down to Seaside, a short walk on the beach should locate good perch hunting grounds right now.

For the larger black or rainbow perch, try the rocky coves of Carmel or our North Coast headlands. Bigger hooks and bigger baits are appropriate for these hard-fighting hubcaps, but essentially the same rigs will do the trick as with their smaller cousins.

As always, when fishing wintertime perch, please remember to keep safety as your primary concern, especially when wading in the surf or fishing from the rocks or jetties. Around here, sneaker waves are the norm. Always keep one eye out on the surf line to watch what's coming. And, when clambering on the rocks, keep the other eye on your feet. Those boulders can be slippery!