April 1 falls on a Sunday this year, and that is the date of the 2018 rockfish season opener. Weather and sea conditions are forecast to be very mild all week, with the exception of Sunday, which may have gusty west winds up to 25 knots. West winds blow straight into the bay, so wind waves on Sunday could create a three-foot chop. Along with a forecast three-foot swell, this can make for bumpy and uncomfortable fishing. Anglers would do well to get a very early start on opening day and plan on coming in early. Winds should remain in the two to five-knot range until 10 or 11 in the morning. The following few days will feature ideal fishing conditions. The forecast is extremely mild in terms of wind, and the swell will remain very small.

Private boaters are reminded to take care of essential maintenance and safety checks before joining the line at the launch ramp on Sunday. Pre-checking boat trailer bearings, batteries, electronics and all Coast Guard mandated safety equipment should be on everyone’s ‘to-do’ list. Make sure you have fuel, oil and that your motor runs. Nothing is worse than holding up a line of anxious anglers on opening day because your engine won’t start. Well, one thing is worse; the guy who forgets to put his drain plug in the boat after winter storage and watches it sink while tied to the dock. Carrying extra drain plugs is not a bad idea.

As the name implies, rockfish are usually found on the rocky and reefy areas of Monterey Bay. Sometimes they are caught over sandy areas, but almost always in close proximity to reefs or kelp beds that root on rocky bottoms. In Monterey, most of the coastline from the north side of Carmel Bay all the way to Point Pinos is reef area. Coming around that corner, Pacific Grove features broad stretches of rocky bottom out to 200 feet of water. DelMonte Beach up to Sand City is mostly sand bottom, but has numerous outcrops of shale that can hold rockfish and lingcod all year round.

Between Monterey and Capitola there are a few scattered reefs here and there, mostly small well-guarded spots by secretive local anglers. Capitola begins to show very distinct reefs from 30 out to 120 feet of water. From Santa Cruz Harbor, many anglers fish the Mile Buoy area and out to South Rock which is south west of the Mile Buoy. Lighthouse Point and the entire West Cliff area is mostly rock bottom and typically is a very productive area to fish in the 30-120 feet depths.

In early spring rockfish and lings are usually found at 60-foot and greater depths. Every year is different though, and with slightly warmer water temperatures this year we might find the fish on shallow reefs as well.