Capitola intel??

Any intelligence on what's happening at Capitola? Bait? Butts? WSB? My plan is to launch from the Capitola Pier at day break tomorrow, 7/15. Make bait in front of the pier, then drift/troll said bait for butts. Is there bait around? Are there halibut around? Where?

TIA!

Not quite Capitola, but I was fishing off of Pleasure Point yesterday (I launched from the SC harbor at first light). There's lots (and lots and lots) of bait, but you might have to wade through a large number of sabiki-destroying jumbo mackerel to get anything that is bait-sized.

I only got 1 bait-sized mackerel (which was converted into a 27" lingcod) and 1 sardine (which kicked the bucket before I could do anything with it), as compared to at least a dozen jumbo mackerel before my sabiki was wrecked.

Fishing-wise, I'd suggest fly lining a mackerel near(ish) the kelp beds, as there are certainly some WSB around. On Saturday, I saw somebody with a 40+ lb specimen at the fish cleaning station. He would not say precisely where he caught it, he did say that he was fly lining a mackerel (and almost certainly it was caught near Capitola). I'd also fish something on the bottom (gulp? swim bait?) for halibut.

Good luck, and be sure to post a report!

If I was going for a rockfish, halibuts, and perhaps a ling in Capitola, i’d head out to the end of the war and turn left toward New Brighton Beach. Fish outside the kelp on the way and you’ll probably see some powerboats going for halis farther out.