The annual rock cod season opener Wednesday was hampered by windy conditions that kept some boats tied at the dock, while others stayed close to harbor to ensure a quick run in if necessary. The bigger Monterey Charter boasts made it around the corner of Pt. Pinos for big rewards, and the strong northwest winds are good for producing cold-water upwelling that we need for the upcoming salmon season. Because the April 1 season opener is from Pigeon Point down to the Mexican border, Half Moon Bay boats that planned to steam down past Pigeon for rockfishing had to cancel their trips due to the wind. Rockfish season opens April 15 north of Pigeon Point.

Chris Arcoleo from Chris' Fishing Trips in Monterey was happy with results on Wednesday. Arcoleo sent two boats out fishing the deeper reefs off the Carmel Highlands. The Star of Monterey got limits of rockfish and 44 lingcod up to 15 pounds for the 21 anglers aboard. The Check Mate caught limits of rockies plus 40 lings for 18 anglers. Arcoleo admits it was challenging. "It was windy, we had to motor into the wind to keep the boats stable," Arcoleo said. "We caught quite a few vermillion and boccaccio, but saw mostly yellowtail rockfish today. This weekend all the boats will all be fishing for salmon, and after that we'll send them out for whatever is happening best."

Stagnaro's Sportfishing in Santa Cruz will be hunting salmon this weekend as well. The flagship Velocity will be mooching while the smaller six-pack vessel Sea Stag IV will troll for the kings. Hopes are high, though salmon signs are somewhat scarce. Only a few kings have been reported caught lately as accidental by-catch. Carol Jones from Kahuna Sportfishing in Moss Landing is optimistic, saying "It's looking good despite the windy weather this week. We will be fine mooching in the Monterey Bay. These northwest winds probably will improve the salmon conditions with upwelling. Water temps have already come down on the buoys by a couple degrees."

Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz monitored the private boat reports Wednesday afternoon. "The guys did good," according to Fraser. "Mostly they fished near Lighthouse Point or Natural Bridges. I saw mostly black rockfish with some vermillion in the mix, and up to five lingcod per boat. So, the fishing is pretty good."


Send your reports and fishing photos to Bushnell at scruzfishing@yahoo.com.