Are afternoons better in Monterey?

Are afternoons better in Monterey? 

Early disclaimer, I'm a complete noob.  Everything I've read tells me to get out there as early as possible... but for the two times that I've been to Monterey in the last few weeks, I've found myself putzing around for the first couple of hours without a nibble... then right about noon, I find a spot and its non-stop action. 

I don't know if its just that I'm new, and it takes me that long to finally find a good spot... if that's really how it is in general (told you... COMPLETE noob), or if the bite really does just pick up midday in Monterey. 

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Afternoons in Monterey are better than afternoons in San Jose, for sure!!

Bushy

Afternoons in Monterey are better than afternoons in San Jose, for sure!!

Bushy

Lmao, I am so dead 
Welcome to NCKA!

I wouldn’t say afternoon is always better. Sometimes it can be...but that’s probably a result of other factors (regardless of time of day) such as tidal changes, current direction, swell size & direction, lunar cycle, barometric pressure, and water temp. If those factors line up at 1500 then the bite might improve. But in general, the bite is better in the morning after a <quarter moon with an early high tide. Plus, monterey bay is notorious for afternoon wind (blowing onshore)...so its often not fishable or comfortable to be OTW after like 1600.
But sometimes you just get lucky and find hungry/active fish and they don’t care what time it is or what the moon looked like last night

Wow, thanks SinCoast... that's really useful, and a great measure for how much more I have to learn!

Bushy, you're a hoot... and totally right... Monterey beats San Jose any day... except for that time I hooked up on a Salmon in downtown...

Wow, thanks SinCoast... that's really useful, and a great measure for how much more I have to learn!

Bushy, you're a hoot... and totally right... Monterey beats San Jose any day... except for that time I hooked up on a Salmon in downtown...

I heard about that, I thought it was just a folklore.

Maybe it still is... (wink wink)

   I have a theory that needs further testing in a controlled study: the bite gets better just as the wind starts to blow, but while it's still sensible to be fishing from a kayak.  If it's true, maybe it's because the wind causes the kayak to drift a little more.   Or maybe it's hooey, and it just seems that if you are about done with sitting for hours getting skunked, and catch a passably good one just as your ready to head in, you think you should have launched later in the morning.
    One thing that is solidly true - especially in Monterey, it's easy to get a long ways from the landing and find yourself paddling really hard upwind to get back; almost guaranteed to happen if you catch the big one just as the wind picks up.

Maybe it still is... (wink wink)

Gotta get some tips from you!  I run along GR, never seen one.  But I know it is there, saw articles bout it too.

I was fishing consistently for a while after work so here's my 2 cents. 1700-2000

First hour is hit or miss usually I'm putting around looking for Halibut. Rockfish bite can get really good around 1830-1900 near the bouys in ~50-60 ft and then quiet.

If you go towards the red bouy it can get wavy but the fishing seems to be better heading out that way if you're willing to contend with the squid boats.

1. Based on my fishing log:

JAN - MAR - Sand Dabs but hooked a ton of big rockfish while fishing or Dabs
MAR/April - MAY - Rockfish Season - Ocean White Fish, Rock Fish is really good near the bouys / 60 - 90 ft of water. My prime zone was between the first MPYC bouy and Tides Bouy. Off the Dunes Condo complex. Lings were caught in ~40 ft in front of the complex. Beware of Kelp
JUN - JULY - Squid and big schools of Rock fish hanging in the water column. Fish seemed to be closer during this time. Mackerel were going wild. Beware of Kelp
JULY - AUG - Rock fish slowed near the bouys and its feast or famine. Mostly targeting Halibut during this time of the year near by. Beware of Kelp

Yakal - PM me if you're looking for a Monterey based fishing partner.

   I have a theory that needs further testing in a controlled study: the bite gets better just as the wind starts to blow, but while it's still sensible to be fishing from a kayak.  If it's true, maybe it's because the wind causes the kayak to drift a little more.   

agree. a little movement helps, in the AM I tend to paddle a tiny bit, later the wind does it for me.

   I have a theory that needs further testing in a controlled study: the bite gets better just as the wind starts to blow, ...

I think there's definitely something to this. Just to mention one data point, the best halibut fishing I've ever personally witnessed happened when the wind suddenly kicked up to the point where it was almost unfishable. The halibut went on a crazy feeding frenzy, and between 2 of us, we hooked 8 halibut (nice ones, like 30" and up) in about 20 minutes. Sadly, landing them in those conditions was a completely different story...

Don’t know about Monterey but at Doran when wind was ripping I constantly caught ButTz no wind no ButTz...

Just more data for you wiser minds to process. 

I tried Santa Cruz for the first time last Friday, and similar to my experiences in Monterey...it was slow until about noonish.  I started hooking up on rockfish one after the other. 

It seems other people get their fill and are back on shore by noon... so my new theory is... the dumber fish that flunked out of "school" because they woke up too late every day (see what I did there?) come out to play at noon, for us less skilled blokes to catch.

Wow, thanks SinCoast... that's really useful, and a great measure for how much more I have to learn!

Bushy, you're a hoot... and totally right... Monterey beats San Jose any day... except for that time I hooked up on a Salmon in downtown...

I heard about that, I thought it was just a folklore.

Maybe it just smelled like a salmon.