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Since rockfish and lingcod season closed on February 29, anglers have been loading up on quality sanddabs, starry flounder and petrale sole on charter boat trips out of Monterey and Santa Cruz.
Recent light tackle flatfish combo trips have yielded between 40 and 50 sanddabs per angler. "Anglers are fishing with small chunks of squid on shrimp flies and small bait jigs," revealed Pete Bruno from Randy's Fishing Trips in Monterey.
Randy's fleet of boats have targeted the flatfish in areas around Carmel Bay, Point Joe, the Bell Buoy out of Cannery Row and the Whistle Buoy at Point Pinos. "We're fishing water depths between 150 feet and 200 feet," noted Bruno.
Though the typical sanddab is not much bigger then your hand, these plentiful fish offer excellent table fare.
Although halibut and white seabass often spice up sanddab trips, it's still too early for the halibut to show in good numbers. "We usually start getting into halibut in June, but we will occasionally hook a fish here and there in early spring," explained Bruno.
"Until the commercial or private boaters start talking about the halibut they're getting, we don't want to waste time chasing down a fish that's not there," he added.
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White seabass, on the other hand, should begin showing anytime now. "Seabass usually show up in early spring and get thick in numbers when summer is in full swing," offered Bruno. So, what else do anglers have a shot at while fishing light tackle sanddabs? "We typically target areas of water with sandy bottoms, but we do occasionally fish areas with rocks where some black cod (sablefish) will be caught" he added. According to Bruno, angler interest is light despite blue skies and calm seas. "There is very little bait in the water, but we're hoping to see a northwest wind that will blow bait into Monterey Bay and bring in the salmon," he said. "Several chinooks have been caught incidentally over the past few weeks, but expect fish numbers to stay down until the bait rolls in. Hopefully, the bait will move in before the salmon opener on April 3." The Carolina out of Chris' Fishing Trips made several runs out for flatfish combo trips this week. "We fished out of Moss Landing in water over 200 feet deep," stated Chris Arcoleo from Chris' Fishing. "Overall, the fishing is awesome when the weather and angling interest allows us to get out." According to Arcoleo, anglers typically boat 30 to 50 sanddabs each. "The fish average about 3/4 of a pound to 1-1/2 pounds," he said. "Using a shrimp fly rig with multiple hooks is your best way for catching fish in numbers." Jennie Santonastasi of Park Place Excursions also reported "very good" fishing for sanddabs and perch on recent trips on Monterey Bay out of the Santa Cruz Harbor. Meanwhile, salmon fishing off Fort Bragg remains tough. "We have plenty of bait in the area, but the water is very clear and a little warm," stated Rick Thornton of Anchor Charters. "We need a northwest wind to stir things up and bring the fish into our area." Dungeness crab fishing has proved to be the best bet for Fort Bragg fishermen. "Since the rockfish season closed on March 1, we've been landing full limits of crab," added Thornton. "We're fishing about 5 miles north of the harbor over 140 to 200 feet of water for the chinooks," said Randy Thornton of Telstar Charters. "Today, we've caught one keeper salmon and full limits of dungeness crab. Several shaker salmon were also released at the boat." To book a light tackle flatfish combo out of Monterey, contact Randy's Fishing Trips, 831-372-7440, or Chris' Fishing Trips, 831-375-5951. You can book a trip with Park Place Excursions out of Santa Cruz at 800-486-1085. For crab and salmon trips along the Mendocino coast, call Anchor Charters, 707-964-4550, or Telstar Charters, 707-964-8770. |
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