Local tuna hunters were frustrated this week by gale-force winds offshore on the fishing grounds. The warmer water has shifted further offshore and the fish may be moving with it. The Davenport Fingers area still has bait and birds with a few fish marked deep and surface fish were spotted later in the week. Only a few boats were taking the chance for tuna and a few fish were reported caught. We have hopes for better weather next week and that the bluefin are still around. Other exotics are in the area as well. Moss Landing fisherman Danilo TJ Magallanes came back to port on Friday with a nine-foot mako shark he caught while fishing bait for bluefin on Friday. Apparently it was an epic battle for the estimated 300 pound shark. “I’ve never caught a mako out here till today. It was definitely all of us working together to get it in though. Couldn’t have done it without all of us. It was hooked in the dorsal fin,” Magallanes reported. 

Wind and swell conditions were more manageable on the inside and fishing remains good for most inshore species. Rockfish are plentiful with the larger varieties best located just outside the bay, near Carmel in the South and towards Davenport on the North side of the bay. Halibut are still holding in the Capitola area from 30-70 feet of water. The water remains warmer there and bait is plentiful, including large smelt, anchovies and mackerel schools.

Surfcasters working the 90 miles of beaches ringing Monterey Bay have been hooking a few striped bass here and there. It’s a mystery where these fish have been all season. WE have had literally no striper action all year. These fish are likely staging close to their spawning waters of Pajaro and Salinas Rivers as winter approaches. Casting for surfperch is very productive right now. A quick visit to most beaches can result in multiple hookups for anglers using grubs or sandworms. Most fish caught are of the barred variety, and on the small side. A few barred surf perch in the maximum range, up to 16 inches, were recorded in the past few weeks. Surfcasting will continue to improve as we move into winter and our beaches get resculpted by the dominant northwest swells.