Monterey Bay anglers enjoyed calm conditions this week with mostly sunny skies, gentle wave and swell action and long periods of offshore winds that contribute to easy sailing seas. That is going to change over this weekend as a significant west swell is predicted to peak on Sunday afternoon and evening. 

Waves averaged five to six feet at the prime surfing spots around the bay during the week. More protected areas enjoyed milder surf conditions, very conducive for surfcasting. Offshore past the ten-fathom line, that size swell matters less. Crabbers were mostly comfortable while pulling their pots for Dungeness crab. Earlier in the week Bayside Marine’s Todd Fraser noted, “The crab anglers are finding some big crab in 110-200 feet of water.” Favored areas for finding crab are still the flats along deep canyon edges. 

The strong west swell built waves from six to eight feet during the week, and are forecast to reach a solid ten-foot with a fifteen second period on Sunday. The swell is expected to diminish as we move into the following week. Savvy crabbers often pull up their pots prior to a swell event of this size, as the heavy traps can “walk” ie, be moved by the swell energy and associated heavy currents. Many a crab pot has been lost when the swell hits ten feet or more.

For the rod and reel anglers, plenty of action is to be had if one is willing to work for it. Chris’ Fishing Trips in Monterey continues to send out the Check Mate with loads as light as six people aboard. They are catching as many sanddabs as they care to, along with big mackerel (very fun on light tackle, and good future frozen bait) plus counts of up to twenty Petrale sole for each trip. As an unexpected bonus, California halibut are kind of on the bite. It is still January, but maybe the halibut don’t know? Reports indicate a somewhat steady catch of the big flatfish on flat sandy patches in 90 feet of water. We are hoping this indicates an early season influx of flatties to their breeding (and our fishing) grounds