Daylight hours are short and mornings have been distinctly chilly this past week. A steady swell has kept the surfers happy and winds have been mild. For the most part, Monterey Bay anglers enjoyed decent conditions for deep water excursions chasing rock cod or Dungeness crab. Surfcasters were a bit more challenged as the swell kicked up a lot of seaweed in the shallows around the bay. Also, we’ve not seen very dramatic structure as yet on those sandy beaches. When the swells are big and the beaches are smooth, it’s more difficult to find feeding surfperch within casting range.

Dedicated fishermen keep trying, though. Persistence pays, as Tom Niccum from Coyote Bait and Tackle was reminded last Sunday. “I got out this morning and headed over to the beaches near Watsonville. Conditions were perfect. The water was clean and clear. Not many, if any, sand crabs were seen. The bite was fantastic for mediums and a few larger-mediums. Nothing real big but lots of bites. I caught fish on just about every bait I used. It was a great morning! I fished from about 0630-0945. Condition should be the same tomorrow morning!” Niccum returned to that same beach on Wednesday. He reported nowhere near as many fish biting, but did land one of his biggest barred surf perch ever. It measured 15 1/2 inches and weighed in at three pounds, four ounces. We have not seen many striped bass reported caught for a while now, though December can provide a decent bass bite on the beaches near the Pajaro and Salinas Rivermouths.

Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz heard tell of a few stripers caught from those spots near the rivers this week. Fraser also reported very good rockfishing for anglers in the Santa Cruz area. Current regulations have us fishing for rock cod from 300 feet and deeper. The best reports near Santa Cruz are coming from deepwater reefs along the North Coast from Natural Bridges to Ano Nuevo. JT Thomas from Go Fish Santa Cruz took his clients aboard the beautiful Miss Beth to that area on Sunday and returned with limits for all on the boat. “They caught limits of rockfish including vermilion, yellow tail, chillipeppers and canaries,” he reported.

In Monterey, the story is pretty much the same for rockfish anglers. Chris’ Fishing Trips reported limits of rockfish plus up to 24 lingcod per trip this weekend aboard their flagship Check Mate. Owner Chris Arcoleo is always willing to send his boats as far down the coast as conditions permit. The bite is always better and the fish always bigger from the Carmel Highlands down past Point Sur.