Sonoma Coast blues, 11/01/06

  I launched from Duncan's Cove around 8:30 Am, which was just past high tide. It was mostly overcast, but the swells were small and the wind was insignificant. I found some good-sized blue rockfish around the offshore rocks. Most were 14"-16" in length; the largest two were each 20" long.

    All the fish I caught were right on the bottom around small rocks some distance away from the big, visible rocks. I used a 4" Wildeye sardine-colored (gray-green) swimbait. It was like fishing for largemouth bass. The blues seemed to inhale the lure, rather than hitting it like they usually do, and they seemed somewhat lethargic. It felt like the water temperature had dropped during the last two weeks, which might explain their relative lack of enthusiam. Still, I managed to scrape together a full limit, although I really had to concentrate on boat control and feeling the swimbait over the bottom. I didn't catch a single lingcod or any other specie of rockfish.

    Once the wind and swell increased after 10:00 Am, the bite shut down completely. It seemed like the fish wanted more stable conditions before committing themselves to feeding. Also, the resident baby harbor seal showed up around that time, which probably caused the blues to scatter. I saw that same seal the last time I was out there, too. I know it's the same one because of her habit of approaching me by first hauling out on the side of the rock closest to me. I think she smells the fish I catch and then comes over to catch her fill! I was glad to see her again.   Paul

Paul, interesting report for me. I discovered Duncan's Cove a couple weeks ago while camping at Wright's Beach. Tried my first-ever attempt at perch fishing there. Caught several on 1 1/2" motor oil grubs and small pieces of frozen prawns. Great fun. Your baby seal was very much a part of my experience too. She/it would come up to within 15' of me while I stood in knee deep water. I wasn't sure what to think of it. Should I be worried or not? She also followed other people along the beach as they walked along.

I wanted to try launching and fishing there but it was very windy with a very limited area that could have been fished from the yak. Very nice protected beach. I would like to give it a try on a good day. Have you significant experience launching/fishing from Duncan's Cove?

I wanted to try launching and fishing there but it was very windy with a very limited area that could have been fished from the yak. Very nice protected beach. I would like to give it a try on a good day. Have you significant experience launching/fishing from Duncan's Cove?

    Hi BobN,

  I've fished out of Duncan's Cove a total of four times, one time from shore and three times from the yak. There definitely seems to be a lot of blue rockfish around the rocks to the south of the cove. I didn't catch anything from shore and have only caught blues from the yak. It's often too windy along that part of the coast to effectively fish from a kayak. The deepest water is near the point to the north of the cove. There, the water is 50 feet deep one long cast length from shore! I hope you get a good opportunity to fish the area soon. However, we might be running out of good weather for this year- good luck!
   

I perch fish from the rocks there all the time. I've been there dozens of times and have only seen launchable conditions there a few times. Sometimes the swell in there is HUGE, so I'd be careful!

I perch fish from the rocks there all the time. I've been there dozens of times and have only seen launchable conditions there a few times. Sometimes the swell in there is HUGE, so I'd be careful!

    Hi Rock Hopper,

  I agree, sometimes it does get pretty rough in there! However, I fish from an 8' Yak Board surf kayak, which I've found can handle just about anything short of overhead breaking waves. Fishing in and around that cove is one of the very few situations where having a short, slow kayak with excessive rocker can be an advantage! Getting in close to those rocks with a 14'-16' kayak on a windy day with a big swell might be pretty dangerous, but with my little green S.O.T. (with the big red and white cooler strapped to the bow) I can spin around and get out of trouble fast!

  So, is the perch fishing good at Duncan's? BobN wrote that he caught some there a few weeks ago. I've caught some big (12"-14") redtails at Salmon Creek Beach on 1 1/2" and 3" motor oil grubs, but that was in the summer. I found that the larger perch preferred the larger grubs, at least at Salmon Creek. The best areas for me were just to the south of the creek mouth.

Thanks guys for the additional input. Will have to try it sometime but it looks like we are about done for this year. That beach was the only comfortable place to be when the wind cranked up.

I slay the big striped perch in there from around January through March. I park at the lot at Duncan's Cove (not Duncan's Landing) and follow the little trail by the picnin bench and climb down the cliff and fish off the rocks there. They don't seem to hit grubs (but the hundreds of little walleyes do) so I use cooked shrimp or grasshrimp.

It's not uncommon to get nailed before your bait even hits the bottom. I've also caught some nice rubberlips and a few huge pile perch there.

Attached is a pic of a nice pile perch. I use a Carolina rig with a 1oz egg sinker and cheap pre-snelled hooks. Size 4 or 6, and ten pound test becuse you need to "airlift" them up about 12' or so.

Sorry for the thread hijack....

  That is a very nice-sized perch! Good catch!

  I'll have to try perching in the cove sometime this winter. It makes sense that they'd be in there during the cold months, because the rest of that coast is so exposed to the NW winds and swells. I've noticed that perch seem to prefer less energetic conditions when the water is at its coldest. The only places I've fished for perch up here besides Salmon Creek Beach were Drake's Beach on Pt. Reyes (good) and Doran Beach (lousy).

  I suppose a guy could probably fish for perch from a kayak if he could stay outside of any breaking waves. I think I'll try perching in Duncan's Cove from my Yak Board this winter. I'd have to stay well away from the shore, but it might be worth trying!

Thanks guys for the additional input. Will have to try it sometime but it looks like we are about done for this year. That beach was the only comfortable place to be when the wind cranked up.

  I agree, it can be very uncomfortable along that part of the Sonoma Coast when the wind is blowing hard. This year was pretty bad- nearly the entire month of July was unfishable because of high winds! You might try camping at Stillwater Cove (Sonoma County regional park) sometime, instead of at Wright's Beach. There's usually less wind up there, and I've heard that the rockfish and lingcod fishing in and outside of the cove is quite good. However, there isn't much beach up there, so I don't know what fishing for perch would be like in that area.

Do you ever catch any hawgs like this at duncan's cove?  I caught this one at salt point pre-kayak on a snotty mussel.  Sorry for continuing the hijack on this thread.   

Travis - 14" are not uncommon there at all. I've actually caught 16"+ striped perch there. Definite CA record contenders. I LOVE fishing for striped perch on lite line, but usually fish 10# test here for the airlifting of the fish.

That picture is funny - it looks EXACTLY like D.C.