Monterey RF advice

I’ve rockfished Monterey bay once, launching from the CG pier and heading towards the kelp bed off Canary row I think.

Can folks give advice on other kayak launches (other than MBK) and good areas for RF? Also - which areas are affected more by wind or swell? We don’t plan on getting more than a mile off shore.

Thanks

There's a launch at the end of Coral st in pacific grove.

I usually go for rockfish in the area in the attached picture. Not the best highlight box but if you drift around 60ft parallel to the shore there are patches of rocks that I've had success at

Try Stillwater cove in Pebble Beach. Watch out for the MPAs. You have to pay at the gate and it opens at sunrise.

Coral St: Bring a piece of carpet (or use car floor mat) to get your kayak down the 4-7 ft vertical rock sea wall without gouging it -slide the stern down, jump down to the sand, swing the nose down, from there, you can slide over the sand a short ways to the water -if there's not too many rocks exposed.  There's a public toilet at the golf course  parking lot just a little further toward Pt. Pinos.  Salmon have been caught not far from that shore, not on rockfish rigs that I know of though.  And I saw a hali caught there once - it gets less rocky as you get out to like 90 fow, maybe a quarter mile out.
   Lovers Pt. is worth checking out, but it can get crowded on the small beach on a nice day, and you'll need wheels to get from your parking (limited, and more to the north of the point) to the wheelchair ramp to the beach launch  and waypoints on your GPS to avoid the preserve. 

Additionally Carmel River St8 Beach.  Only a few Streetside parking spots nearby but its a relatively short paddle to substantial reefs n kelp that are similar to Stillwater.  Shore dump can get big sometimes, many yard sales have occured including that famous washing machine vid

Thanks guys. Good advice. Is Carmel or Stillwater more exposed to swell / wind compared to the inside of the bay?

It's early for options like Coral St. It was really wicked out there when we drove by today. Stillwater is mostly protected and midweek a better time to go given crowds and limited parking. Launching or landing during higher tides is problematic as there is no beach. Areas off MBK are fair and a rise of 5ft is considered structure worth checking out

It's early for options like Coral St. It was really wicked out there when we drove by today. Stillwater is mostly protected and midweek a better time to go given crowds and limited parking. Launching or landing during higher tides is problematic as there is no beach. Areas off MBK are fair and a rise of 5ft is considered structure worth checking out

There's a launch at the end of Coral st in pacific grove.

I usually go for rockfish in the area in the attached picture. Not the best highlight box but if you drift around 60ft parallel to the shore there are patches of rocks that I've had success at

This area was producing well for me last year when I experimented with trolling for rockfish.  I'm looking forward to catching a whitefish out there as well, delicious!

San Carlos beach is an easy launch.  Just bring plenty of quarters to feed the parking machine.  I need to explore that area more though.  We didn’t catch much, but stayed in close next to the kelp.

San Carlos has been very busy on weekends with the people learning to scuba dive.  Lovers Pt. can be a nice launch, but full of people when you come back in on the weekend. 

San Carlos has been very busy on weekends with the people learning to scuba dive.  Lovers Pt. can be a nice launch, but full of people when you come back in on the weekend.

That’s true… we were there in a weekday.

Yeah, I was there on a weekend and noticed the traffic. Lots of kayakers too.

Coral St or Stillwater.  Lately I've been on Coral St more often because it's more accessible, easier parking, and a shorter paddle.