stripers in the surf.

[talakitok]

Anybody wants to try their luck on hooking striped bass in the surf? Try Santa Cruz/ Capitola beaches.

[Notch]

So....are you saying the striper fishing has been good around Santa Cruz/Capitola? If so, please give more info. because they seem to be having trouble finding my flies. I did hear the live bait guys have been doing well around New Brighton.

Notch

[talakitok]

Most of the bite are early am, I mean while it is still dark... Till maybe up to 9am.. Then they're gone... They hook fish also at dusk... But a lot of times.. Wind picks up in the afternoon...

[Loren E]

I guided an angler the other day down south by Monterey proper and we found a lot of bait and diving birds, but couldn't find the bass with them as they stayed mostly just out of casting range. There is definitely bait around in the bay though.

[talakitok]

some fish start to show at rockaway and linda mar. schoolie fish tho...they chasing/feeding on surf smelt....

[inclinejj]

The big school of bait and fish that was in Monterey Bay is slowing moving up the coast. The other day it was about 10 miles south of Half Moon Bay.

The best action I have heard about in the last couple months was down in the Monterey Bay area.

The water up here is still pretty cold so I would say in about a couple weeks the bait should move in

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I believe the Stripers on the east coast travel great distances.

I think they head north in the spring/summer and south in the fall/winter.

I the middle of summer they are in Maine and in the middle of winter they are in Georgia.

Not sure if our Striper move that much though?


How far south have people caught Stripers in CA?

I know they have them as far north as the Umpqua River.


**There is a large bait shift that goes on with the seasons over on the east coast of North America and Central America but it might be because they have more shallow shelf on that side.

[BillB]

Bill, several years ago my nephew caught a stripe about 15" long on the beach at Morro Bay. I have fished there for many years and never caught one. Must have been a stray.

[Loren E]

The socal guys get them more often than you would think down in Ventura County and that area I think. Based on the patterns I have observed and talking it over with Mark Won and Ken Hanley, I am inclined to think that there might be separate populations of stripers around the golden gate and then in Monterey Bay, with the latter population spawning in the Pajaro and Salinas Rivers. Some years in May the action is great in Monterey Bay but not a sign of a fish from the gate to Davenport....if those fish came from north I think guys would have hit them. They definitely spread out up and down the coast, they just need a river mouth to go into like the Columbia, Umpqua, I think there is a river down near LA that had a group of stripers around it for a while before word got out.

No big fish up here north of MB but picked up a couple of schoolies like this today...

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p295/lorenelliott/IMGP8672.jpg

[Larry S]

Loren:
Great shot and nice fish. Almost out of the "schoolie" category, right? Wish we had
them in the San Diego surf. Getting some regular catches of several types of croakers
right now.
Best,
Larry S

[PaulC]

There was actually a pretty nice striper in the Newport area not too long ago caught on squid carolina rigged. It supposedly weighed in at just over 35 lbs.
That is a beast for down here.
Guys do get them down in OC and even the SD area occasionally.
No idea about south of the border.

We bump into them once in a while in the Ventura and Santa Barbara areas.
They are down here but a pretty rare occurrence regardless in Southern California.
Once in a blue moon you'll run into one while blind fishing for perch or croaker.

-Paul

[Larry S]

Was a nice white sea bass bite off of Black's Beach a week or so ago. We surf fish
several days each week at the Glider Port and were seeing all-nite boats just
off-shore. Many of these were probably after squid in La Jolla and Scripps
underwater canyons. Word of mouth had it that white sea bass were in the area,
as well. Friend caught a 50-lb+ off his kayak off Solana Beach. Supposed to have
been a 70-lb-er off Black's caught.
We have a white sea bass hatchery/nursery near the Carlsbad power plant - Hubbs-
Sea World. They plant the juvies in bays and , hopefully, when they mature, they
migrate to the open ocean. Maybe, it's working. Unfortunately, they don't stray
within our reach.
Best,
Larry S

[PaulC]

This year has definitely been a banner year for WSB.
Saw a report from a guy that got a double recently from his yak in Malibu.
Seen a few reports of guys catching them from the sand as well.
More than normal at least.
The guys with more mobility in their boats have been doing very well.

I haven't had the luck to get one landed on terra firma yet, but have sight casted to some brutes in ridiculously close.
Amazing the shallow structure you'll sometimes find those guys cruising in.
They do come within reach at times, you just have to get lucky:)

-Paul

[Loren E]

Loren:
Great shot and nice fish. Almost out of the "schoolie" category, right? Wish we had
them in the San Diego surf. Getting some regular catches of several types of croakers
right now.
Best,
Larry S

hey thanks Larry! I remember a Cal Fly Fisher cover that had a big spotfin croaker on it, much bigger than the yellowfins I've seen photos of....very cool-looking fish.

I don't think there is a crazier catch than Mark's 35 lb WSB off the beach 30 miles north of the golden gate...on a little surfperch fly!

[lee s.]

There used to be a resident population of WSB in and near Tomales bay.....looooong ago. Occasionally they still show up around here, though it has been several years now since we pestered some with decievers off Stemple creek. Ours were off shore though and not like Mark's fantastic catch while beach fishing.
.....lee s.

[bart]

Loren.They tried planting stripers in san diego years ago and bay taged stripers have shown up in umqua and coors rivers.coors used to plant stripers a fre years ago.i know of stripers taken in long beach and also the ventura area.we also have residence fish in some of our rivers.

[Loren E]

thanks for the info Bart, that is interesting as I didn't realize they had stocked down south and up north.

[jcsesica]

Back when I lived in SD, 1979-1984, we used to catch stripers at the mouth of the Sweetwater River in South Bay. Even then it was a rarity and they were attributed to left-overs from the days when they used to plant them down there. I remember the SD Union outdoor writer Rolla Williams writing about our catches in the paper....

[Larry S]

Not surprised to hear about stripers in SD Bay. There is a decent population of
smaller bonefish present. Usually found south of the Coronado bridge. Every few years,
one hears about a stray salmon caught off shore.
Best,
Larry S

[bart]

One big surprize at the long beach pier about 10 yrs ago was tagged salmon out of the merced river showed up there.The bioligist was called down to explain what kind of fish there were catching.

[talakitok]

water at pacifica(linda mar/rockaway) has been flat enough to throw some deceiver and clousers. fish been feeding on surf smelt and you can almost see striper chasing smelt right on the trough.

[jcsesica]

We fished the bonefish back then, too, but it's not widely known that they are there. Size and numbers are small.

[bart]

Heres one from bloodydecks..ck this out.

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/off...iped-bass.html

[inclinejj]

Things have inproved greatly but the fish are here today gone tomorrow, really moving around.

More bait this year then the last couple years.

Smelt and the 'chovies are back