Santa Cruz- East Cliff to Pot Belly May 1st to May 6th report.

So i went fishing on opening day and it was slow, very slow. I headed straight out to the "sponge bob" buoy drifted a bit an got a couple hits from what was likely rock cod but didn't hook up on anything so I went over to O'Neil and still had no luck then to the mile buoy and nothing. Headed to my grass cod spot and landed a nice healthy 4lb'er and called it a day.

On May 2nd I went out to sponge bob again and no luck still. So i went to my grass cod spot and took home about 6 rock cod after fishing for 9 hours. I also caught and released a 23 inch ling cod. I probably could have limited but i threw some back. Two friends got a Cabezon and barely legal ling in the same spot on swim baits.

May 3rd i wasn't planning on going out again but I called a friend who was on the water and he said he just landed a 22 inch Cabezon after fishing for 30 minutes so i headed out. This was this first day there was bait easy to jig up. i stocked up on live bait and drifted the edge of the kelp beds on my way to catch up with my friend. I had a live mackerel rigged up on a halibut rig with 4/0 hooks in each end hoping for a ling or thresher shark or something very big. I got slammed and line started peeling for about 10-15 seconds then the likely decent halibut let go. My mackerel was dead with a single clear bite on his midsection where there where no hooks. I picked up a 22 inch halibut rather easily about 15 minutes later but that was it for the day. A friend said he also lost a large halibut out deeper earlier that day.

May 6th I went out again. There was tons of bait out in front of New Brighton and Pot Belly. I fished sardines on halibut rigs all day. Caught and released a couple cod but no lings or halibut. I got one halibut bite all day. I stocked up on bait though as i caught 10 lbs of sardines. A few for the grill and the rest for home made tray baits.

All in all the difference between Saturday-Sunday and Monday until now is like some one just flicked the fish switch on. It just should get better with every passing day from here on for a while.

Bambora,

Thanks for the detailed updates brother!

Nice!!

Thanks for the report...I will most likely be sneaking out at some point this weekend and hoping to get some fresh rockfish and a flattie if lucky!!

Also, now that the floating dock is down I plan on taking my daughter out after work as often as I can to try and get her on her first fish!!  

Thanks again for sharing!!

Sincerely,

Jim

Nice to see bait in the area. I need to stock up. Nothing like making bait to save the day.

Tks for the report.  very helpful.  Bait in close is sweet..

Congrat on the Hali.  Thanks for the report  Bambora.

I love the sponge bob buoy.  The only one in the world that no one gets wrong!