The winds came down this week, which made for decent fishing conditions along the shores of the Monterey Bay. The ocean is still on the cool side, so we have yet to see halibut show up in any numbers. But, fishing for rockcod and lings is good and getting better on local reefs and the more remote locations.

After a very slow start, king salmon season is starting to pick up. Depending on the day, some anglers are catching their limits while others are still getting skunked. Veteran salmon anglers have been catching kings with some consistency. Leroy Cross, fishing from his boat the Triple Cross reported 11 salmon caught for 12 hookups last week. Anglers on the Miss Beth from Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters enjoyed a fine day of king salmon fishing Sunday, bringing home seven beautiful salmon for four anglers aboard.

Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine was one of those lucky anglers and says, “We fished the Soquel Hole all day in flat calm water. The salmon were biting Blue Kajikis down deep all day long.” Fraser also notes anglers found success during the week using UV Krippled Anchovies and Chartreuse FBRs . Straight bait and commercial-type spoons are also working on the salmon. Early mornings may find these fish near the surface in the 50-75-foot range, but by late morning most are deep, down to 250 feet. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council announced last week that salmon season in our area will close after July 15 this year, so book your trip while you still can.

Inshore fishing is improving, though we have yet to see much in the way of halibut action. It’s still early in the season. Rising water temperatures and a break in the swell action will bring the big flatfish in. There is plenty of bait on the inside. Right now, humpback whales can be sighted feeding on big schools of mixed mackerel and sardines, both of which are halibut candy.

In Santa Cruz, South Rock, Natural Bridges and the reefs near Wilder’s Ranch have been consistently producing nice sacks of rockfish and lingcod. In the Monterey area, the bottomfish are still holding in the deeper water. The area of scattered reef outside Del Monte Beach in 70 feet of water was fairly productive for anglers using shrimp fly jigs and swimbaits on Wednesday.

Bigger boats that can make the trip south towards Big Sur are going to find more and bigger fish as well as a more consistent bite. The same conditions can be found north of Santa Cruz by Franklin Point, though reports from Davenport and the Scott’s Creek area indicate a scarcity of rockfish right now.