Capitola Halibut

Finally, they are starting to catch some halibut in the Santa Cruz area.  this week saw a good number brought in by pb's in the Capitola-Pleaure point area, from 10-29 pounds.  Live chovies, smelt, dead squid, and even hoochies bounce-ball trolled have worked.  At least one reported from the Lighthouse Point area as well.

I'll be trying my hand again in that area probably Sunday.

Side note- I posted the OK press release and a couple pix of the new OCean Kayaks  "Big Game" fishing kayak on the kayaks manugfacturers section..take a look, and good luck this weekend!

Allen

Allen, That is great news! but the south swell this weekend will probably kill the bite. what do you think?

supposed to be a good one. the swell, not the bite,  .

peaking tonight according to the forecast on surfpulse.

it might be too south to get in, I don't know it's way down there by 180 on the pt reyes bouy spectrum today.

maybe better fishing where it's sheltered from the south swell down in monterey?

But good news on the 'buts!

J

My forecast site says the s swell will be done by morning.  I don't know that it'll be violent enough to drive the halibut out, the s swell really only affects shallow areas.

http://www.stormsurf.com/page2/forecast/shortcast/ncal.html

south is just hitting now, see the 19 second period on the monterey bouy?
188 degrees. amplitude of the south is not revealed there, the 4 foot amplitude
is probably the windswell.

no, it won't die till sunday, pretty sure. when it comes from the southern hemisphere
it will last a few days as the long period fast waves get a head and get here first,
shorter period to follow. sometimes a strong north wind will flatten it before it gets here.

http://seaboard.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=46042

http://facs.scripps.edu/surf/nocal.html

I fished capitola one time during a decent south. killed me on two counts.
1. I was not surfing.
2. I was not doing much catching either.

Not saying no halibut will get caught, but based on my experience last summer I would
fish capitola when there is no south swell.

best,

J

  Surf-riderers know best about the swells and there direction of origin.I've been catching/hunting waves from O.B.(s.f.) to S.C. for 15yrs and those south swells long periods do hit first and then slowdown for next few days.Thats just swell direction stuff,But believe the Bouy reports.Long-period waves are the thick-heavy surfable type.

jmairey:

you are correct.  A big swell has the tendencey to push the halibut out, especially if they are in shallow.  right now they've been caught in like 55-60 feet of water, plus the swell according to NOAA is only 1-3 ft?  Long period, though, 18 seconds.  I think the swells roil the water and they probably feel it also, so they move.  halibut like clean bottoms and clear water, as far as I understand.  Still a pretty mysterious fish for me.

I think it's worth a go....so I'll be heading out the Cap Wharf tomorrow morning early.

Can't be any worse than my last umpteen halibut trips.  I gotta keep tring tioll I get one, I'm Waaaaay overdue!

swell looks to be way smaller than forecast this morning on the bouys.

good luck!

I went in search of south swell waves and found a few mixed in with little west windswell @ flatrock in fitzgerald marine
reserve.  thigh high mud on the trail down, whole cliff area is collapsing there. took the long way back.
paddle out very sharky, a sealion porpoised by at high speed and scared me good!

probably lots of cabezon around flatrock unless the seals and sealions ate them all.

huge abalone shell on the beach.

maybe I will fish tomorrow, hmm....