Steamer Lane Spearfishing

In an attempt to save gas...  is Steamer Lane a viable spearfishing spot?  With the horde of surfers nearby I presume sharks are less of a consideration as risk is spread around a bit!  I pulled my old Mako railgun down from the rafters and it's still in good shape.  New rubbers and ready for action. 

I've seen a handful of mentions and a video but curious as to what people's experience has been.  I can trundle over to Monterey or Carmel but thinking I'd enjoy a closer spot. 

TIA

Sand

I'm not a spear fisher, but I do kayak fish in that area frequently. Maybe I'm just not observant, but I don't recall ever seeing anyone spearfishing near Steamer Lane or Mitchell's Cove. Yet, I have seen spearos at Pleasure Point, which seems like a sharkier spot to me.

I saw spearos in the kelp around Steamer's maybe 4-5 years ago.
I talked to them and they were looking for WSB.
They had not seen any when I talked to 'em.

I'd think maybe the kelp off of Getchells might be better, but that's only because I've pulled halibut and some cabbies from that area (and I never caught anything around Steamers).

Thanks for the replies.  On my hunt mapping app, they actually have Steamers showing as a dive spot.  Water is rather shallow in the area so when this wind and swell die down, I'll post up a report. 

I dove there many years ago.
There are rockfish and occasional ling in the kelp, halibut in the sand channels. You can pound sand from Cowell's, it is shallow but halibut are known to frequent the cove. If you feel adventurous you can dive around the pier, the sand is brown and the halis can be more visible in the dark sand. lots of open water between the pier and the lighthouse reef, it can feel spooky.
Other option would be to dive the reef by the lighthouse towards Mitchell cove.
Viz can be a shitz but if you pick your day with good conditions.
Good luck

Everything points to it being a diveable spot, except for the "visibility".  I would guess the sandstone cliffs would make it un-diveable 90% of the time.  Or at least worth the drive down the coast to somewhere better.  But if it's your local spot, it's probably worth trying.

I popped a 6’ eel in the head there which I was told was a California Moray, all I can say for sure is it had big toothy jaws and a lot of attitude

If you can find it we used to dive outside and up a bit toward natural bridges at a spot we called false bottom. My memory is it was around 60’ and always had shitty viz

The bottom is mostly barren but there are holes that are doors into the underside of big shelf formations w a lot of fish hanging out in the darkness probably digesting their neighbors

I'm just getting into spear fishing but I have been diving around these parts since I live here. Can confirm that the visibility is pretty much non-existent, but there is some decent structure where you can find some good fish

I surf and kayak in the area and the visibility usually looks pretty poor, but some days are better than others. I did see a report of a 36" ling that was taken in the area a few years ago. I think it was wintertime when the females move in shallow, but can't remember for sure. Post up a report if you go and good luck.

Cheers,
Brad

Yea I've seen some really clear days out there but they don't come often

I surf and kayak in the area and the visibility usually looks pretty poor, but some days are better than others. I did see a report of a 36" ling that was taken in the area a few years ago. I think it was wintertime when the females move in shallow, but can't remember for sure. Post up a report if you go and good luck.

Cheers,
Brad

Talked with a friend and about a month ago or so he caught a 30" ling out there. Was out there last week, viz wasn't that bad, but kelp and eel grass have taken over and near impossible to check out some of the holes

I dive out of Santa Cruz all the time. Honestly I find it more productive than Monterey if you’re willing to deal with terrible viz. It also helps that there is much less pressure on the fish up here.

This pic was taken about 0.5 mi from where you guys are talking about swimming. Have a closer look behind the rod and say hello to my little friend!

This pic was taken about 0.5 mi from where you guys are talking about swimming. Have a closer look behind the rod and say hello to my little friend!

Thankfully most of the time those guys are Out a little father than where we are. Though we always run the risk of bumping into them.. I will say that the fear of sharks in sc tends to keep a lot of people out of the water. which isn’t a bad thing since is keep the pressure off some spots.

It definitely can be done successfully, here is a photo from 11/22/2022