Fishing Notes:
• Lingcod populations off the Santa Cruz coast from Capitola to Ano Nuevo Island are rebounding, though you can expect to release good numbers of undersized fish under the 26 inch minimum length. Fish Gibbs Minnows, Crippled Herring and other bars weighing 1 to 4 ounces in shallow water. Live mackerel, sardines, sanddabs and anchovies will also work.
• Rockfish Species most commonly caught along this coast are blue, bolina (brown), black, olive, yellowtail, vermilion, China, black and yellow, gopher, canary and chilipepper rockfish. Cabezon will also spice up the shallow water catches. Use Super Flies, baited with squid or anchovy strips, plastic grubs, Fish Traps and small bars. Make sure you review the current seasons, bag limits and size limits for rockfish and lingcod before fishing this region.
• California Halibut, Starry Flounder and Sole are also found along the beaches, particularly around Davenport and Santa Cruz. Drift or mooch live bait. King salmon can be caught during the season at a variety of locations off this coast, including Santa Cruz, nateral Bridges and Davenport. Trolling is most effective when the fish are scattered, while mooching is best when the fish are concentrated.

Back to Map Index Page
Top of Page