Monterey Bay got a little uncomfortable for anglers mid week. A strange and humid low-pressure system crossed the coast, bringing a fairly powerful short-period Southwest swell. Period indicates the amount of time between each wave peak and the next. In this case, we had 3-4 foot waves with a six to nine second period. More like a big wind swell. That, along with regular afternoon and overnight winds in the 20 mph range made for sloppy conditions. Not conducive for boating or for surf fishing. The Golden Gate area had small craft advisories out for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The advisories applied to our Monterey Bay area as well, though we are somewhat protected on the southern end of the bay from those southerly flows. 

Things are already shaping up. Starting Thursday and through the weekend, the flow will resume as more “normal” northwest winds resume. Though a mixed swell from the south and north might keep things bouncy out there. Hard-core anglers fish right through this stuff, though we always advise caution.

What’s on the list? Well, just about everything. Tons of bait are getting closer to the beach, to the delight of shore bound whale watchers. Salmon are still firmly in the mix, and our allotment numbers are holding steady. Striped bass from the San Francisco Bay area as well as the Pajaro and Salinas River spawning populations are following bait to the beach, especially at sundown and during nighttime hours. Monterey County beaches are producing more fish than the areas above Moss Landing. For full-speed striper fishing, continue to head north. Wild beaches like San Gregorio and Pompano Beach are providing great reports of multiple stripers caught, some in the 30 to 40-inch range. Even bigger fish, and more numerous, are the striped bass feeding off Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, and the greater Ocean Beach area in San Francisco. Some consider it entirely reasonable to travel an hour in order to have a good  chance at catching 10-20 stripers in a row.

Of course the local rockfish bite continues to provide limits to just about anyone who charters a boat or fishes privately. It’s a matter of finding the right rock and putting in the time. Deeper reefs mean bigger fish and quicker bag limits as a trade off for the longer run. Inshore, plenty of those nearshore school rockfish are biting well. Halibut catches are at summer’s peak, and should remain so for the next month. 

Extra credit is given to those who come up with the more rare varieties feeding in the bay right now. White Sea Bass counts are going up, and from a wider area, between Monterey’s DelMonte Beach and Santa Cruz’ north coast areas. The recent appearance of yellowtail jacks caught from piers and local beaches is astounding, and we hope to see more of those hard-fighting jacks. they are also quite delicious to eat, Many people consider yellowtails to be a favorite.