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Circle hooks: After you have given the fish enough time to take the bait, do not, repeat, do not, set the hook. Just reel the fish in. The hook will slide to the corner of the jaw and catch. If you try to set the hook, you will only pull it out of the fish before the hook can catch. You may find that it takes a little more patience, but you will get used to it, and it's better for the fish you must release.
I have recently signed up to help the D.F.G. in their shark tagging program. As you may, or may not, know, the shark population has been declining. There is not enough scientific information gathered to allow the D.F.G. to set limits, seasons, etc. and this program will enable them to gather more information. It is a "no cost to you" program, and volunteers are needed. There are times when the fish aren't biting, or you have enough and still want to stay out on the water, that you could be spending some time helping this declining species. Fishermen (commercial and sport) have had a hand in this decline. It's now time to step forward and lend a helping hand, so that our children, and our children's children, can enjoy an ocean that has fish in it. I would hate to show my grandchildren a picture of a shark, and say "we used to see them all the time". Anyone interested can contact John Ugoretz and he will send you an information packet. When you send back the release form (they don't want your next-of-kin suing the D.F.G. if you happen to get eaten) you'll be sent some tags. The tagging is for Blue sharks, Bonito sharks and Thresher sharks only. Take your kids with you and teach them conservation. We are not in the "ME" era anymore. It's time to join the "WE" era.
Fri. May 7/99 It looks like the weather is going to ruin another weekend of fishing. There are GALE warnings for the coastal waters and small craft advisories for the bay today. Winds are expected to last most of the weekend and the swell is steep and close together. Hopefully this will be the last weekend of this stuff. Salmon are scattered because the bait schools have been scattered by the weather. Once the wind dies down, it will take a few days for everything to concentrate again. When this happens, Montara to Pedro Point will become the spots to try.
Mon. April 19/99 The salmon, at the moment, are from 5-10 miles from the harbor. Trolling seems to be the most productive way of catching them but they are also caught mooching. When trolling, most people are having luck with either the Salmon Rotary Killers or the Apex lures. The salmon seem to be moving around a lot following the bait. Anywhere from Motara to Deep Reef in 240 feet of water. Fish are being caught 35-45 pulls down. Limits were the norm this weekend and the water was like glass Friday with a little wind chop Saturday and Sunday. Limits of crabs are also being caught in 45 feet of water in front of the green houses.
Mon. April 12/99 No wind and low swell plus sunshine equals limits of salmon. Boats trolling off Deep Reef reported limits of nice sized fish today. The 8-17 pounders were caught trolling with RSKs, apex and krocodile lures. Average depth was 30-40 feet down. We are seeing quite a few fish lost to sealions this year. Seems like Monterey Bay is not the only place to have this problem. My advice is to move away from these furbags so you don't end up feeding them. Looks like the nice weather is here to stay for at least awhile, so get out there and catch some fish while you can.
Sun. March 28/99 The ocean seemed to calm down in the morning, enough for some boats to make it out. Limits of salmon to 10 pounds were caught between Montara and Pedro Point in 200-250 feet of water. Trolling with Rotary Samon Killers seemed to be the best method for catching fish.
Sat. March 27/99 Well, another salmon opener got blown out. Large swells and a nasty north west wind to 30 knots kept all boats in harbor today. Sunday looks like a repeat of Saturday. Oh well...it's a long season and I've always found that good weather on the opener means an iffy season. Bad weather on the opener means a good salmon season. Yes...I am superstitious!
Sat. March 07/99 Salmon season opens next Saturday (March 13th) south of Pigeon Point. The daily limit is two (2) salmon at least 24 inches in length. When bait is used, you must use barbless circle hooks. Reports from Monterey Bay say that there have been incidental catches of salmon by rock cod fishing boats as well as herring boats. The DFG fish estimate says that there are more salmon this year than last. With colder water, more bait around and no El Nino, it looks like it's going to be a great salmon year!! Salmon season opens north of Pigeon Point on Sat. March 27th. The season is still closed noth of Pedro point until April 1st. The size limit is 24 inches, and the bag limit is two (2). Barbless circle hooks must be used in this area also. On July 1st, the size limit becomes moot as you must keep the first 2 fish caught, Regardless of size! There have been salmon already caught by accident at Deep Reef. This is the traditional opening day spot for most San Francisco and Half Moon Bay party boats. Good luck on opening days, and keep your fingers crossed for good weather!
Dec.22/98 It looks like the swells may die down to a more manageable level for this coming weekend. It will still be cold, but that's why they make thermal underwear! Because of the rough water the last few days, rock cod have left the shallows for the deeper waters. Deep Reef will be your best option, weather permitting. If the swells die down, the crabs should be out looking for food. Try in front of the greenhouses in 45-65 feet of water. I have found this to be the most productive spot. For all you people who get GPS's from Santa, make sure you read the directions and know how to operate them BEFORE you head out onto the water! They won't do you any good out there if you can't read them, or they don't work. I have found that the batteries don't last very long and will usually die after 5 or 6 hours. It is better to buy the cigarette lighter attachment, even though they are fairly expensive, than to have your GPS go out in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight! I will keep my eye on the weather fronts moving in and try to let you know of any major changes in water conditions. Merry Christmas everyone. Have a safe and happy holiday!
Dec.17/98 By now everyone has read, or heard, about the three guys who lost their boat, and almost lost their lives, at HMB. The swells are large, and with the high and low pressure areas fighting for dominance, the winds are nasty. Please observe the small craft advisories. These guys were fishing near the radar tower and became a victim of Maverick.
When you are able to get out, Deep Reef and Montara seem to be the top producers for rock cod. Unfortunatly, with the large swells, the crabs have dug themselves into the bottom. Once the swells subside, these hungry little buggers should be out in droves. Top crab baits have been tuna and salmon heads. Mackeral and anchovies are a good alternative. Remember, there is always another day to go fishing if the weather is not nice!
Dec.09/98 After many months away from reporting, I'm back! Reports will start becoming more regularly. Today, there was a small craft advisory, and the swells were around 10 feet. Because of the rough ocean conditions lately, no one has been able to get out. (If they did get out, they didn't come back!) Last reports were good rock cod off Montara. Crabs were being caught in front of the green houses in 50-80 feet of water. Two to three crabs per trap were the norm. As this high pressure builds, the ocean should start laying down enough to get out this weekend. A reminder to be carefull around the radar towers. This is the time of year when Maverick makes it appearance! Boats were not meant to surf down 15 foot waves and be deposited on the reef. Sorry about the lack of reports for awhile. Things will get back to normal again.
July 31/98 Salmon, average 10 pounds, caught right outside the harbor. They are also being caught at Pedro Point in 80-120 feet of water. The tuna are on the move and coming much closer to Half Moon Bay. Try heading towards the 601 and Pioneer Seamount, and start trolling when the water temperature hits 59 degrees. There are reports of tuna being caught as close as 26 miles from the harbor in the direction of the 601. Jumpers have been seen everywhere, and the warm water is moving north. There have been tuna seen jumping just south of the Farallon Islands. Looks like another great albacore season! Water conditions have been great, and the weather has been warm. Try to take advantage of the smooth ocean, and catch some tuna. Halibut are being caught along almost all sandy beaches at this time, and rock fishing remains strong. This is the time of year when the ocean, weather and fish all co-operate to make a memorable fishing experience out of Half Moon Bay.
July 25/98 We have a wide open tuna bite around the 601! Boats were out at 123.00 and 36.56 and the numbers were impressive. Bob Franko hooked over 70 albacore!
There were boats that had from 13 fish, to 35. Cedar plugs seem to work the best. Try dark colors. Salmon were caught right around the cans at the harbor. Ocean conditions were great. Sunday looks like a repeat of today. There are no excuses for not catching fish now!
July 24/98 Salmon are off of Pedro Point. Try in 100-120 feet of water. Trollers seem to be doing better than moochers at the moment. The salmon are getting larger also. There has been a really hot bite of stripers off the Pacifica beaches. Either try pencil poppers from the shore, or crocodiles from your boat. The rock fish have started biting now that the swell is almost non-exsistant, with easy limits the norm. There have been a few boats going out to the Guide Seamount and bringing home some albacore, but not in good enough numbers yet to warrant the long trip out there. Wait for another few weeks and the tuna should start showing up in larger numbers. All in all, this is going to be a great fishing weekend. Small swells, almost no wind, warm temperatures, and the fish are biting. Let's go do it!
June 13/98 I took a slow (9 knots) boat to the Guide Seamount last night. We ( several Bay Area Regional Fishermen and myself) arrived at Pioneer seamount at 5:45 am. Caught 3 tuna to 10 pounds immediatly. From that point on we got nothing all morning. We trolled to the Guide and around 1 pm. the bite turned on. We had a total of 28 albacore to 18 pounds and lost 5 at the boat. We trolled from the Guide top, north for 3-5 miles, then back to the guide top again. The water was 60.3 degrees. The water was a little rough in the early morning, then settled down. All in all, a great trip. Most productive lures were purple cedar plugs, and dark colored feathers.
June 5/98 The Limpopo out of Half Moon Bay caught 7 albacore to 15 pounds today at the Guide. They started trolling at the 601 (they said the water color was off a bit there) and headed towards the guide. GREAT NEWS! The weather seems to be settling down and the ocean is co-operating for the weekend. Salmon at Pedro Point in 120-140 feet of water. Bait showing up just outside the harbor, which means the salmon may be there also. Rock fishing remains strong, with limits the norm. Swells were 2-3 feet with just a little wind chop. A note of caution. The green buoy outside the harbor entrance is gone, so be very careful and make a large swing around to avoid the reef! Great weekend for fishing!!! GO DO IT!
June 2/98 Sorry about the lack of recent updates, but I've been having work done on the boat, and haven't been able to get out. I'll be out this weekend for sure (or so my mechanic says) and will have updates then. I saw a group of boats off Pedro Point today (from the highway) and they looked like they were in about 140-160 feet of water. Don't know if they caught anything yet, but I'll make some phone calls and try to let you know by Thursday where the fish are. Thanks for your patience.
May 16/98 The ocean was pretty sloppy today, with small craft advisories up and most boats opting not to launch. The boats that did go out reported tough fishing. Only a few salmon were caught and even the commercial fishermen are having a tough go of it. We drifted the outer harbor and picked up 1 halibut and lost quite a few due to inattentiveness. We had a lot of hits that were short (tail raked). If your boat is able to troll slow, I recommend trolling rattletraps or Bang-o lures around the edges of the outer harbor. There are halibut there now, with a 16 pounder caught last week near the Anchor Marine tracks. You may also do well by using bucktailed jigs. We did mark some bait, though not as much as is common for this time of year.
May 10/98 There have been small craft advisories up for the weekend for the ocean and the bay. The Coast Guard, on Saturday, had to make 6 runs in the bay to rescue people. This is not cool!. There is a reason these advisories are posted. We've already had two boaters die this year. Let's not make it more just because people are getting impatient to fish. The weather will improve, and you will have a chance to get out there. Remember, no fish is worth your life! The last reports available, mentioned salmon off Pedro Point in 160 feet of water. Scratchy fishing though. Rock cod bite has been good everywhere. There have been reports of mackeral caught off Deep Reef. The weather sattelites show a warming trend in the ocean waters, and this could mean albacore if it warms another few degrees. Some people I know will be making an exploratory trip to the seamounts when the weather calms down. I'll keep you posted.
May 1/98 I have some good advice for you. Fish the Bay this weekend. The winds at H.M.B. are gusting to 45 knots, sustained to 35 knots. They are from the south, south-west. There are wicked wind waves to 6 feet. This is not going to be a good weekend for ocean fishing. If you think you can still handle it...remember the two fishermen who died last week. They thought that they could handle it.
April 28/98 Latest reports are that the salmon bite has tapered off for the moment. There are some being caught in the usual places (see previous reports) but not as often. Rock cod fishing is wide open, with easy limits the norm from Montara, out to Deep Reef, down to Pescadero. There has been heavy morning fog lifting to a high fog by mid day. The long range weather reports are for south winds, 10-20 knots, Friday and Saturday. This might cause a chop on the water, but will also help to clear the fog earlier. Predicted swells for the weekend are 6-7 feet. Early morning fishing, before the wind kicks up, might be your best bet. Be extra careful in the fog though.
April 24/98 It looks like the wind might mess up the fishing this weekend. Expected winds will be in the 25-30 knot range and the swell seems to be building. You may have a chance during the early morning hours before the wind kicks up, but pay attention to the small craft warning flags on the Harbor Master's building. Last reports were salmon from Martin's Beach to Montara in 160 feet of water. Rock cod bite is wide open. Salmon are still on the smaller size, but with the bait starting to show up, it won't be long before the "hogs" are being caught regularly. If you're going out this weekend, be careful. I think I'm going to take my son to Stevens Creek Reservoir to do some trout fishing, and lay in the sun for awhile. It will be nice to not worry about the wind and swells for a change.
April 18/98 Boy, what a difference a day makes. Sunshine but windy. People were catching salmon in front of Martin's Beach again, although there were a LOT of shakers. Bait is starting to show up everywhere. Winds were from the north at 30 knots by 8:30 this morning, causing a rough, wet ride. After such a nice day yesterday, I came back in after getting half way there. I had to fight the swells and wind waves all the way back. Confused seas and close together swells and waves made for a slow, wet trip back to the harbor. My boat got drenched and I feel sorry for those in the smaller open boats. Hopefully, tomorrow the wind won't show up.
April 17/98 Ok,here we go. Boats were coming in with limits by 8:00 a.m. Everyone was catching salmon off of Martin's Beach. The early limits were in 75 feet of water, 30 pulls down. Boats were spread out in front of Martin's Beach from 75-160 feet deep. I was in 112 feet of water and had my limit by 9 a.m. Best action seemed to be on the Gitzits. Mine were caught at North 37 22 507, West 122 28 807. I caught a 10 pounder at 40 pulls and an 8 pounder at 30. I didn't have to go through any shakers either, although the chatter on the radio told a different story for the boats out deeper. Swells were 5-6 feet, wind from the north-west at 10 knots, picking up to 20 knots by 10:30. Since I limited out so early, I stayed at the dock to do some of that "never ending" maintenance work on the boat. The sun broke through around noon, and it was just great weather. Saturday looks like it's going to be a repeat of today. See you out there!
April 16/98 A little wind late this morning. Small swells. Sunshine. Looks like a great weekend ahead. Spotty salmon fishing out front, limits off Martin's Beach. Limits of rock cod everywhere. Stripers off Pacifica beaches. (schoolies). D.F.G. regs about to change. Looks like it won't be much longer until only circle hooks are allowed with any bait when fishing for salmon. No more bait tipped Gitzits, or buck-tailed jigs. I'll be going out in the morning and will post a first hand account of the fishing situation by early Friday evening.
April 11/98 Things slowed down a little today and not everyone had limits. From the PP buoy north to Montara seems to be the top producing area, with trollers and moochers sharing equally. 150 feet of water and 70-100 pulls down will produce the normal (at least for now) 6-8 pound salmon with more 15-17 pounders showing up. Martin's Beach area seems to be tapering off. They are calling for a North wind Sunday, but very small swells (3-4 ft.) If the wind dies down, it's going to be nice out there. The wind is supposed to die down later Sunday evening, and Monday looks to be a great fishing day.
April 9/98 Ok guys, (and gals). There were a number of boats out today and the hot spot for salmon seems to be Martin's Beach area. In 180 feet of water, trolling seems to be the key.Although the salmon were all on the smaller side, 24-29 inches, people were getting their limits. Charlie e-mailed me and said they were trolling with Rotary Salmon Killers, 50 feet down, in 100-140 feet of water, north of Montara to Pedro Point. He said that the 3 people in the boat all had their limits by 10:30 am. (Thanks for the report Charlie) Other reports confirm that 50-100 foot trolling depths seem to be the answer. There were limits of rock cod caught at Deep Reef and Montara today also. Crabbing is best in the deeper water right now (100-120 feet) off Montara. The swells are running about 6 feet and dying down. It looks like Friday should be a good day for fishing as winds are predicted below 15 knots. If the small storms coming in Friday night don't bring any substantial winds, this weekend looks very good fishing wise. Maybe some little rain showers, but calm seas.
April 6/98 Today, I got off work early and went out for an hour.(The advantages of being in a berth) There were about 15 boats out in front of Montara in 130-140 feet. Most boats, according to the chatter on the radio, were catching salmon. There were an awful lot of shakers to go through to get a legal fish. They were hitting around 50 pulls down. I got my barely legal salmon (24 1/2 inches) after catching 3 small fish. I was off the radar tower again in 130 feet. North 37 29 194, West 122 31 738. I also heard one of the commercial boats found a nice bait ball in front of the Distillery Restaurant. Weather was off and on showers with 10 knot winds. Swell was around 6-7 feet.
April 5/98 North 37 29 400 West 122 32 360. That's 2-3 miles off the radar tower and 140 feet deep. The whole fleet was out there today and the weather was gorgious. Warm, little or no wind, flat seas, and sunshine. Lots of sunshine. There were a lot of salmon caught, but in spurts. There would be a bite on for about 30 minutes and then stop. 1-2 hours later it would start again. They were catching them from 25-80 pulls down. Lots of shakers with a nice mix of big ones here and there. I had only two soft hits and had to give up for the day to tow someone in. Had to be home early anyways. All in all, a great day to be on the ocean, fish, or no fish. Had 3 large crabs in the trap after 3 hours. 49 feet of water, in front of the nurseries.
According to the Ramp Master, most boats coming in today had limits. Same thing with the party boats. Seems the bite turned back on after I left. Figures. My friend, Al, who lives in Pacifica, phoned to tell me that the morning bite for stripers was getting stronger. Bigger fish are starting to show up for those using hair raisers off Linda Mar Beach. This may be a good time for all of you that fish for striped bass, to try it out some morning.
April 4/98 Fish Everywhere! There were salmon caught everywhere. From Pescadero to Pedro Point. The water was nice and flat and the fish co-operated by being hungry. Personally, I went to Deep Reef and had my limit in two hours, mooching 35-50 pulls down. I heard that some one caught a 20 pounder in 125 feet of water, in front of the radar tower.Lots of shakers around, but the circle hooks make it easy to release them. There are also stripped bass being caught at Linda Mar on cut bait and hair raisers. The sizes seem to be growing, with an 11 pounder caught yesterday. My crab trap had 5 nice dunganess in 45 feet of water. Not bad for a 2 hour soak. All in all, if you want fish, now's the time to go. Scattered showers, but calm seas. Total= 1- 9 pounder and 1- 12 pounder with 5 crabs to boot.
April 3/98 Ok. I got out fishing today and until around 8am, it was pretty nice. Then the wind shifted. Blowing from the south, south-west, it didn't take long for the wind waves to appear and cause a confused ocean. I was out at the north end of Deep Reef, bearing 240 degrees from the harbor, in 255 feet of water. Lots of bait and lots of murres. Caught 1 salmon,11 pounds, before I decided that I had gotten wet enough. Off and on rain, and wind waves made for a wet, bumpy ride in. I am going to go back out tomorrow, early, before the wind picks up again. Saw lots of birds on the water on the way in. There seems to be a lot of bait around. Oh! The salmon was caught 35 pulls down, mooching with an anchovie. See you out there Saturday. Sorry I can't give you co-ordinates. I forgot my GPS at home. What a dummy!
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