[Report] Hkp SC 10/5/21

I'm planning to launch ~630 and catch bait (hopefully a few macks to take home too!), then head to the lighthouse area-ish for lings and maaaaybe (hopefully) a late season flatty (thanks NWM and Al for the flatty stoke  ). Anyone else planning to head out? 

I can't go Tuesday, but will likely give it a try tomorrow. If so, I'll let you know how it goes, but it's going to be hard to top Al's results...

I might be able to hit it with ya, def thinking Tuesday or Wednesday and I'm def going on friday.

I'm pretty sure I'll be down there Tuesday and Wednesday. I have a few new spots that I want to fish, its looking really promising.

Wednesday is looking windy, so I'm sticking with tomorrow. I'll be unloading gear in the west harbor tomorrow ~6:15a. Papaya compass duo (solo) 

I had a short day today: Launched at 6:20 and was back at the dock 4 hours later, with less than 6 miles covered. I started towards the west, playing dodge-boat in the pre-first-light darkness. I only made it as far as the wharf, then headed back to the east, as far as the 2nd navigation buoy before calling it. I mostly fished from 60 fow to 40 fow.

The bite seemed dead, except for about 90 minutes, starting at 7:45, when it was constant RF. I landed a total of 10 (a very nice black, another decent black, 2 decent verms, a keepable olive and similar-sized brown, along with 4 dinks) and had several more solid strikes that didn't stick. No halibut or anything exotic.

The swell seemed modest as I headed out of the harbor, but it was rockin' and rollin' on the way back in. I'm guessing that's what shut the bite down, but some foggish conditions also rolled in at about 9:30, so that might have had something to do with it too.

There is still a ton of bait out there. Today, the bait was concentrated to the east of the harbor, as opposed to straight out or in front of the wharf.

Early on, I counted 25 boats hanging out around the mile buoy. For a while, they moved as a herd--first towards the west then east (apparently, word got out that that's where the bait was located), then they slowly dispersed.

If the swell would cooperate, fishing would probably be awesome...

I might be able to hit it with ya, def thinking Tuesday or Wednesday and I'm def going on friday.

This sounds like me replying to a hookup that i might make it. 

Glad ya got to give it a shot at least NWM!  Gotta see if any pics I took of the boats out there came out.  It was nuts how many I saw right out there covering the whole like 50-90 fow area out there on Saturday. I on the other hand only found one RF the entire day, it was all the bait fish that kept me entertained 

Thanks for the report NWM. 
    I'm going Tuesday, but probably won't launch til after 7 - taking advantage of long nights, and instead of forgetting my tackle box (now I've mentioned it, it'll be something else),I'll get a little more shut-eye, then do the east-south-north route, trying to get some live bait, then troll less/ drift more.  Ch 69

Where do you guys launch?

Where do you guys launch?

The A dock, F dock, or boat ramp at the harbor are the usual places. I’d avoid the boat ramp while the bluefin are in town. You also need to have your head on a swivel anywhere near the harbor, and have a whistle or fog horn in hand….

Confirmed I'll be headed out tomorrow, hoping to be there by 7

Good luck guys and hoping the bite turns on for ya!

Left my house in Soquel at 5:45a and didn't arrive at the west harbor until 6:15 because the tuna time trailers were lined up from the launch ramp all the way out to Eaton st. Decided to wait to launch until enough light to see the ground because of the heavy boat traffic. OTW just before 7am - I hailed everyone on this thread but found myself solo again  . The exit out of the harbor was sporty - not because of the swell. Tons of bait just outside the harbor, but the anchovies were being stubborn. I could see a hundred boats or more (not kidding... SO many boats) just off the lighthouse area so I made my way over there. The bait was thick, but stubborn and I only picked up a couple small spanish macks.

After not much bait action, I decided to head over to the CDIP buoy to drop a mack for lingcod. I left my sabiki hanging over the side of the boat while I was peddling and got slammed no more than 4 or 5 feet down. As I was pulling up my line I watched three or four large mackerel attack the remaining hooks and pulled up five macks at one time  I made a few passes over this same area using my new found trolling approach and picked up a few more plate-sized spanish and pac macks.

Once at the CDIP buoy I drifted live bait for a couple hours. I had one strong take down that didn't stick, but overall the ling bite was dead. I did pick up one hungry hungry gopher on an equally-size mackerel. After that, not much action the rest of the day. I drifted live macks and croakers from the sand at the lighthouse over to mile buoy, then towards SC2. Nothin'. The wind came up at that point and I packed it in.

I marinated the macks in crushed garlic, smoked paprika, and olive oil and roasted in the oven at 400 for ~12 min. First time eating what I've always viewed as 'bait' and I'll say that my perspective on this fish has changed entirely  Suffice to say I'll be keeping macks in the future. I think I actually prefer the Spanish macks over the pac macks. Maybe my palette is changing since I've yet to land anything substantive this year 

Nice meeting you FuzzyTom and congrats on the butt.

Nice write! Sounds like a nice post fishing meal, gotta try that sometime.