Our most recent south swell has died down to the great relief of many anglers, especially the surfcasters. Blustery winds still persist during the daytime, bringing a chop to the water. Savvy anglers on boats are using drogue chutes to slow down their drifts in search of big halibut and an increasing number of white sea bass caught in the area, Capitola down to Pajaro was best for the flatties and ghosts near Santa Cruz, and DelMonte Beach to Sand city near Monterey.

Bluefin tuna are out there still, including some big ones in the 100-200 pound class. Warm water breaks about 35 miles out are providing perfect sea conditions for feeding tuna, and bluefin catches were reported from The Guide and the 601 weather buoy. Winds persist offshore, making it difficult for smaller boats to make it out to the tuna grounds. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz also fielded some reports of albacore catches near the 601 this week. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a longfin season this year. Albacore have firmly moved in close to shore (about 15 miles) along the far northern California coast near Crescent City and from the ports in Southern Oregon.

Rockfish remain as the bread and butter for the local charter operations, as salmon fishing has slowed. A few salmon, even some limits were reported out of our local harbors, but the bite is slow overall. Meanwhile, J&M Charters from Monterey continues to report limits for every trip on the Kahuna, Chubasco and New Horizon. J&M counted limits of up to 200 mixed rockfish for 20 clients this week as well as one to five lings per trip. In Santa Cruz, Stagnaro’s Sportfishing performed well on Sunday reporting, “Our five-hour deep sea trip had about 3/4 Limits of BIG boccacio and vermilion!”

Surfcasting for perch is finally improving as the incessant south swells die down. Limits of barred surf perch up to 16 inches were routinely reported this week from the broad beaches near Watsonville. Closer to Santa Cruz and from the beaches in town, anglers are finding scattered fish. Most are medium or smaller ones on average, but at least they are here and biting. Not like the past month or so. Striped bass are firmly in the mix, with the Santa Cruz area showing intermittent catches, while the beaches from Salinas River to Sand City maintaining a fairly consistent bite. The wild  beaches north of Santa Cruz are still the best bet for stripers these days, and the catches increase the further one travels north. Half Moon Bay is very good for stripers and Pacifica has been “on fire” for the past few weeks.