Back on! SC area on 5/14 anyone?

Planned to come down from Ft. Bragg to Aptos on Wed., had to cancel, but now the drama has cleared and I'm in San Jose, and I'll be staying in Aptos Wed. night.

So, halibut fishing (or salmon???) on Thu., 5/14 somewhere in the general SC area anyone?

I've never fished this area so hoping someone with more experience might know where to go.

James

I would recommend the SC harbor launch and bouncing out from near the harbor mouth (some kelp in that area ) out on the sand to the subtle reefs in the 40'-60' depth range for halibut and lingcod/rockfish. If you want to target more distinct reefs, then head past the wharf to the lighthouse area where a peninsula of reef extends out into the ocean about a mile, with more depth range from about 30' to 60'. The mile buoy straight out also has some subtle reef areas in about 65' of water. There are also kelp beds between SC and Capitola. You could also try the Capitola area launch but I don't know much about it.

JoeDubC's recommendations are good, but I think Capitola is probably better for halibut right now. You can launch next to the Capitola Wharf (right side, as you face the water), and park for free up the hill, on the other side of the railroad tracks.

JoeDubC's recommendations are good, but I think Capitola is probably better for halibut right now. You can launch next to the Capitola Wharf (right side, as you face the water), and park for free up the hill, on the other side of the railroad tracks.

Swell forecast 5'-to-6' -- any issues with a surf launch there with the swell up a bit?

James

JoeDubC's recommendations are good, but I think Capitola is probably better for halibut right now. You can launch next to the Capitola Wharf (right side, as you face the water), and park for free up the hill, on the other side of the railroad tracks.

Could someone clarify the vehicle unloading spot? A or B in the photo? And then park for the day over at C, Prospect Ave.

You would want to unload at A and park at C.

As for the swell/surf, according to Windy, Thursday morning, swell 1 is 6' @ 9 seconds from WSW and swell 2 is 2' @ 16 seconds from SSW. That long(ish) period south swell seems like it could be a problem, but Surfline says just 1-2' for that same time period, which would not be bad.

With the longish interval south swell, it’s possible Capitola may have some thumpers hitting the beach here and there. It can be the easiest beach launch when it’s calm, but I’ve gotten to Capitola in the morning a few times and heard the south swell thumping on the beach and headed straight to Santa Cruz harbor. Check out the waves before unloading to see how things look.

If you do try Capitola, unload at the base of the wharf to the right but don’t drive down the sandy ramp to onto the beach. They have fancy bathrooms on the wharf now.

If you choose Santa Cruz, check out bottom structure on Google Maps satellite view to find reef near the harbor.

With the longish interval south swell, it’s possible Capitola may have some thumpers hitting the beach here and there.

Santa Cruz harbor will be the backup plan if the surf looks uninviting at Capitola, thx.

What's the dealio with launching a kayak at Santa Cruz harbor? Best spot / fees / parking / etc. ? And are tides a concern?

What's the dealio with launching a kayak at Santa Cruz harbor? Best spot / fees / parking / etc. ? And are tides a concern?

You can park at end of Atlantic and launch fast before anyone notices. The other alternative is park on Atlantic and go to meter inside parking lot and buy $7 worth of parking and stick onto your dash for the launch fee.
Otherwise, you can park inside parking lot I believe still $15 (this includes parking & launch fee) to be legit.