The Monterey Bay Area, a transition zone between cold water and warm water fish species, features a greater variety of fish than just about any other area along the West Coast. The bay’s fertile waters host an outstanding array of cold water species including rockfish, lingcod, cabezon, greenling and salmon throughout the year.

When the water temperature warms up during the summer and fall, migrants from warmer waters south of Point Conception such as bonito, barracuda, white sea bass and calico bass, venture into the bay and surrounding coastal water. During El Niño years, yellowtail, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and even dorado have been hooked by offshore albacore enthusiasts.

A spurt of bonito and white seabass action that anglers experienced earlier this fall shut down with the arrival of a big groundswell and colder water. Meanwhile, the albacore action that anglers were hoping for never happened.

However, an invasion of Pacific mackerel and Humboldt squid has spiced up the catches for anglers trying for bottomfish – and holds the promise of some great variety action for private and charter boat anglers after the rockfish and lingcod season closes on November 30.

The charter boats departing from Monterey Harbor continue to nail limits of quality rockfish and some bonus Pacific mackerel. “We had to work harder for our 30 rockfish limits off Point Sur aboard the Chubasco on Saturday, October 25,” disclosed Captain Brian Cutting of Randy’s Fishing Trips. “There were so many big mackerel that it was hard to get down to the rockfish.”

The anglers ended up with limits of blue, olive, yellowtail and vermilion rockfish and 5 to 10 mackerel each. The mackerel and rockfish were both feeding on big concentrations of krill “The rockfish were spitting up lots of krill as we brought them up,” said Cutting.

The 18 passengers aboard the Sur Randy fished the local waters the same day, returning with full rockfish limits.

The following day’s trip aboard the Chubasco yielded 19 limits of big rockfish and two keeper lingcod. “Anglers landed some big vermilions, along with yellow and olive rockfish averaging 3 to 4 pounds,” said Cutting. “Shrimp flies produced most of the fish, though my deckhand, Josh, and another angler bagged fish on bars.”

The Caroline, Checkmate, and the Star of Monterey out of Chris’ Fishing Trips returned to the dock on Saturday with full limits of rockfish and few lingcod after going down the legendary Big Sur Coast. Sunday’s bottomfish adventure aboard the Star of Monterey yielded limits of mixed yellow, blue and vermilion rockfish for 26 passengers.

“During the weekdays we are hooking more lingcod,” he said. “Some days have produced as many as 10 lingcod.”

“Private boaters casting jigs into schools of bonito inside the bay were nailing good numbers of these fish last week,” added Arcoleo. “They were all big fish, averaging 10 to 12 pounds. However, this week anglers didn’t see many bonito.”

After the rockfish and lingcod season close, skippers out of Chris and Randy’s Fishing Trips will be booking sanddab, mackerel and jumbo squid adventures.

The squid fishing is already going strong for the few trying for them. “Anglers going straight out of the Santa Cruz Harbor to the edge of the Monterey Marine Canyon are catching jumbo squid in 900 to 1200 feet of water on an array of squid jigs,” said Ed Burrell at Capitola Boat & Bait.

“Some giant squid are being caught near caught near the canyon at 1100 feet deep,” confirmed Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz. “There is some 62 degree water out near 36'20/122'40, so the albacore and bonito may still be out there.”

Meanwhile, pier fishermen are still bagging a few keeper halibut off the Capitola Wharf. “A girl caught a 24 inch halibut off the pier this week, while I bagged two halibut measuring 23 and 24 inches the previous week,” said Burrell. “The halibut are hitting live mackerel that you can catch off the wharf.”

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